Preface

If you own an Atari computer, you should already be familiar with Creative Computing magazine. If you are not, than you have missed out on some of the best material ever published regarding the Atari 400, 800, and new 1200 XL computers. Our commitment to the Atari machine has been a steady one, and includes information you won't find in any owner's manual or technical reference sheets. The Atari tutorial and programming techniques offered in the pages of Creative over the past three years have been consistently presented in a way you can understand and build upon and much of this material is still available through no other source.

But fear not, newcomers to the fold, because this book is for you. It contains all the material you have missed, and more. And all of it concerns the Atari personal computer and only the Atari. Which, you will probably agree, is by far the best microcomputer in its class.

If you are not sure you agree, then you really need this book. It shows you in simple terms how to get the most from your machine in the realms of graphics, sound, memory, animation, disk storage, and a dozen other topics. We don't assume you are anything more than an enthusiastic beginner, and step-by-step examples are a hallmark of ours. We know that learning by doing is the best way to learn.

If you are already an old fan of Creative Computing, this book is still for you. In addition to giving you a single reference for all Atari material we've yet published, it includes new material, published now for the first time.

You won't find a single theme here, with all the articles winding neatly around it. What you will find is an Atari almanac, a meaty compendium, full of valuable, "hands-on" projects to keep you and your Atari busy for months and months to come.

In addition, you will find in-depth tutorials, product reviews, philosophical ramblings, insider's gossip, and insights into the impressive powers, as well as occasional weaknesses (and how to get around them) of the Atari machine.

Of course, for up to the minute Atari developments, tune in to Creative Computing every month!

John Anderson
Associate Editor
Creative Computing

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