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From: mmiller@isis.cs.du.edu (Mark Miller)
Subject: Atari trivia
Message-ID: <1991Jun3.002321.2267@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>
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Reply-To: mmiller@isis.cs.du.edu (Mark Miller)
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Date: Mon, 3 Jun 91 00:23:21 GMT

> Some interesting trivia, but I have one correction: Atari finally DID
>release a lightpen (I used to have one). I think they did so in '84. It
>came with its own special cartridge drawing program, which was really
>quite nice (IMHO). I was impressed at the time that they hadn't merely
>repackaged Koala Paint, as they had done for the Atari Touch Tablet.
>Speaking of light pens, you can make your own: There was an article on
>the subject in a very early issue of Creative Computing (now defunct).
>It may have been 1981. Then there was the Atari Paint program, which used
>a joystick for input.

I believe I know which article you're talking about.  I have that Creative
Computing issue.  It is March 1983, in the "Outpost: Atari" article.  It
mainly talks about how to make a home-made Atari light pen, and gives a
couple sample BASIC programs you can use with it.

What is surprising is this is an issue of Creative Computing that I just
happened to look at and pick up one day.  You are the second person I have
heard refer to this article (I think you were referring to this one) after
all these years.

Mark Miller
mmiller@isis.cs.du.edu