A.N.A.L.O.G.

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A.N.A.L.O.G. (from Atari Newsletter And Lots Of Games) was the name of a computer magazine devoted to the Atari 8-bit home computer line (the Atari 400/800 and compatible models). Lee H. Pappas co-launched ANALOG. with Michael DesChesnes on February 10, 1980. ANALOG. was later sold in 1988 to LFP, Inc. The full meaning of the acronym was rarely spelled out in the magazine. Originally the title as printed on the cover was A.N.A.L.O.G. 400/800 Magazine, but by the eighth issue it changed to A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing. Though the dots remained on the cover, it was simply referred to as ANALOG or ANALOG Computing inside the magazine.

In addition to articles and reviews, ANALOG published games and other assorted programs as program listings. While the programs were covered under the magazine's copyright protections, users were granted the right to type them into their computer for personal use, so long as they were not sold or copied. ("Reader Comments", ANALOG #2, page 5). ANALOG earned a reputation for publishing fast and smooth machine language games, whereas most listings in the other Atari magazines of the time were written in Atari BASIC. Such games were accompanied by the assembly language source code.

The main rival of ANALOG in the United States was ANTIC, another long-lived magazine devoted to the Atari 8-bit line.

Pappas went on to launch ST-Log, a magazine for Atari ST computers, Video Games & Computer Entertainment, PC Laptop Computers Magazine,TurboPlay, VISIO, Picture This!, Popular Home Automation, and Home Theater Builder.

In 1989 LFP, Inc. announced it would merge ANALOG and ST-Log into one Atari resource. Instead, both magazines were dropped less than a month later and the staff merged into Video Games & Computer Entertainment.

December 1989 was the final issue of ANALOG.

[edit] See also

  • Atari User – A British Atari magazine
  • Page 6 – One of the longest running Atari magazines

[edit] External links