[Under re-construction, instructions still updating from Twitter to BlueSky specifics]
Send a Bluesky post with a short program and the hashtag #Atari8BitBot. Your program will run on an emulated Atari 8-bit computer. The bot will message you back with a video your program’s output!
The bot accepts programs in eight programming languages: Atari BASIC, the version of BASIC that shipped with the original Atari 400 and 800 computers in 1979; Turbo-Basic XL, an enhanced version of the BASIC programming language; Atari Microsoft BASIC II, an unloved stepchild; Atari Logo, which was popular for learning programming and making graphics; Atari PILOT, a simple language that’s also great at making graphics; Super PILOT, an unreleased upgrade; Action!, a speedy procedural language unique to the Atari 8-bit platform; and Atari Assembler/Editor, a tricky low-level language that’s as close to manipulating the bytes yourself as you’d want to get.
This site will get you started. Direct questions to Kay Savetz.
Instructions for the AppleIIBot (currently down) have been moved to a separate site.
