The Atari ST Story | Nostalgia Nerd

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ย. 2016
  • The Atari ST is a machine which emerged in 1985 and immediately went head to head with the Amiga 1000. The Atari ST is known for Games, music, desktop publishing and in a lot of cases, being a poorer version of the Amiga, but that's not always the case, and to begin with the ST outsold the Amiga by a fair margin. It comes in many forms, The Atari STFM, Atari STE, even the follow up, the Atari Falcon. In this video we'll explore them all, along with Atari ST Games, Atari ST Music and the story of Commodore, Atari, Tramel Technology and the man himself, Jack Tramiel, who left Commodore, bought Atari and went head to head with his former company in the epic 80s battle of the first 16 bit home computers.
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ความคิดเห็น • 863

  • @JyotiMishra
    @JyotiMishra 3 ปีที่แล้ว +166

    THANK YOU for the mention (I'm White Town) and representing the almighty ST! I currently have four in a cupboard upstairs and Lotharek's FPGA version too. I can tell you, as of 2020, *nothing* comes close to touching the ST still in terms of MIDI timing tightness and usability. Maybe Reaper on a good day, if the wind's blowing right. WIthout the rock-solid timing of the ST (synced to my Tascam 688 via its built-in FSK), Your Woman would not have sounded like it sounds.

    • @bluebull399
      @bluebull399 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      White Town - Your Woman was a monumental day for bedroom musicians. When your song hit the charts it gave us the realization that people can and are making a success of bedroom music production. I loved that song not just because it was a good song, but because you could sit there and deconstruct the song in your head and think, "I could probably recreate that on my setup!"

    • @supafly8558
      @supafly8558 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Wow! A tune back in the day

    • @MatttheDad
      @MatttheDad 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Owned your tape!

    • @radiusone216
      @radiusone216 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I remember Your Woman being played on Radio One (I think it was Mark Radcliffe's show who pushed it maybe when he was hosting the breakfast show, I can't exactly remember). The song went to number one or two didn't it? I know it was a while ago but congratulations that is an amazing achievement. I think I read somewhere Aphex Twin used an Atari ST for songs that ended up on Selected Ambient Works volume 1 and 2 so just your music and Aphex Twin coming from the Atari ST makes it a pretty legendary system

    • @JyotiMishra
      @JyotiMishra 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@bluebull399 Thank you!!

  • @Techmoan
    @Techmoan 7 ปีที่แล้ว +314

    Brilliant job. It's important to have a video like this done from a UK perspective, and you're bang on about the ST being to the Amiga what the Speccy was to the C64, that's exactly how it felt to me too. I remember that I got a very early STFM, and it came with a single sided (360k?) floppy drive, which I later upgraded with a double sided one...which involved taking a hacksaw to the case...good old days.

    • @Nostalgianerd
      @Nostalgianerd  7 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      Thanks very much! Yes, the early ones did come with 360k drives. 720kb drives were snuck in as an unofficial upgrade as production progressed, leading to a smaller eject button and your hacksaw related issue. I hope it turned out ok? :O

    • @Storm_.
      @Storm_. 7 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I am from the same generation as you man, although I have recently aquired my childhood dream machines: Atari Falcon and Atari TT :) I'm currently having a lot of fun playing around with them

    • @parakart
      @parakart 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I remember hacksawing the case for the floppy drive and soldering the extra half meg of memory onto the board

  • @poeterritory
    @poeterritory 6 ปีที่แล้ว +71

    The PC disk compatibility for the ST was a godsend. I was able to take 4 years of work and port them when I upgraded to PC in 1992. I still have those files. There is something cool about having something that old.

    • @pametnaradionica
      @pametnaradionica 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yap! I still keep mine too. :D

    • @jeroenrnl
      @jeroenrnl 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      *downgraded to a PC 😋

    • @david-spliso1928
      @david-spliso1928 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes it always had PC format compatibility. Absolutely brilliant.

  • @MrSammotube
    @MrSammotube 7 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    I had an Atari STE 1040 STE and was the only machine I had from 1986-1996 and only stopped because I broke it by taking it apart! It was so awesome, had RCA stereo jacks, TV out, 4 controller ports and MIDI ports (we needed this and no other machine could offer this for the price). I doubt if I can ever again buy a machine that lasts a decade in terms of daily driver, so kudos to Atari!

    • @MultiMidden
      @MultiMidden 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      It was exceptional value for money, by early 1987 in the UK the 520STFM (£399 inc VAT) could be bought for less than Acorn's 128k 6502-based BBC Master (£450 inc VAT).

    • @matthewbromley8115
      @matthewbromley8115 ปีที่แล้ว

      I have this computer in perfect conditions! Message for pictures.

  • @mrdonsmith
    @mrdonsmith 6 ปีที่แล้ว +56

    Great video! Remember STart magazine? It was dedicated to the Atari ST platform and I was a columnist for that publication. I'll never forget stopping in Chicago and browsing a magazine rack and seeing the first edition. I was just thrilled to see my column inside. I was a national columnist! The column was called 'By the Numbers by Don Smith. I also ran a popular Atari ST BBS in my Houston (TX) apartment and I called it 'The AtariST'.

    • @OfficialSonOfRock
      @OfficialSonOfRock 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      i was about 10 years old at that time. I devoured those magazines. I'm sure I read your columns many a time.

    • @simpletongeek
      @simpletongeek 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Amazingly, I'm reading those magazines now. I'm interested in this article about lexicor phase 4 3D programs. Can't find anything on TH-cam, though. Cyber 3D is also missing? Or maybe I just need to look harder?

    • @rapscallion3506
      @rapscallion3506 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yep!!!! I remember many a night dialing in from 300 then 1200 then 2400 then 9600 and then 19200 into that BBS... I was addicted.

    • @thealaskan1635
      @thealaskan1635 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Do you think Tramiels badly managed ATARI?

    • @rapscallion3506
      @rapscallion3506 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@thealaskan1635 He was definitely a no-holds-bar competitor which probably contributed to his family's overreach. Among others, STart, ST Applications, ST Log and Current Notes were my reading favs. I still have quite a collection of the magazines and disks.

  • @baronbokaj
    @baronbokaj 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Atari has influenced my whole life. I truly enjoyed your amazing video, sent me on a trip down nostalgia road.
    As a teenager, I was hooked by the Arcade-machines, spent a fortune on Defender and Pac-Man. Bought my first computer a second hand Atari 800 because of the games but soon found out that the best "game" was Atari Basic. Wrote a lot of simple games like slot-machines and mace-games before I stepped up to an Atari Mega 2 and Mark Williams C. Spent a lot of time creating a horse racing game which I eventually sold to Commodore (oh the irony) intended for their CD-TV. The game went into lengthy development to fit the hardware, but Commodore went bankrupt before it could be released.
    My devotion for computers brought me into a career as a computer graphics designer, handling dedicated systems like the FCG Beacon and later the Dutch Aesthedes. Started my own design firm and got Atari Scandinavia as one of my clients, creating campaigns and packaging for the Atari 520 ST, and later the Atari TT desktop bundled with the revolutionary Calamus dtp-program. Glorious days, still got a couple of Atari computers including rarities as the Stacy4 and the Atari Portfolio. Speaking of irony, the game I’m most known for is a traditional board game called Dungeon Quest.

    • @matthewbromley8115
      @matthewbromley8115 ปีที่แล้ว

      I have this computer in perfect conditions! Message for pictures.

  • @BlackburnBigdragon
    @BlackburnBigdragon 7 ปีที่แล้ว +44

    I miss the glory days of just being able to sit down at my computer, turn it on, and have it be a blank canvas where I could just write a program to make it do whatever the heck I wanted it to. A time when the computer came with the manual that actually gave you all the instructions for how to do just that and not only that, gave you the full schematic of the workings of the chips so you could get them to do what you wanted them to do. Nowadays, you don't get a manual with the computer. If you want to write a program, you need to get a separate program in order to even program the thing. Then you need to figure out what language you want to use because different languages are better for different types of purposes, then you need to get a big book or take a course to learn the big complex language. I used to write so many games and programs on my C64. I ran a C64 BBS back in the day. Times have really changed a LOT and have gotten a LOT more complicated since then.

    • @PeteOliva
      @PeteOliva 7 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      BlackburnBigdragon good comment! I think a lot of that early computing spirit lives on but in apps and open source OS like Android. I think app development is where that early programming culture kind of lives on.

    • @OpenGL4ever
      @OpenGL4ever 7 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @BlackburnBigdragon
      Well, today you get a C and C++ compiler for free. That's something that wasn't possible in the past, you had to pay for the compiler.
      Your C64 had an inbuilt basic interpreter but to write fast software you had to write your code in assembler or buy a compiler for a fast high level language like C or Pascal.
      Then you say you got plenty of documentation shipped with your computer, that is true, but today you get plenty of information over every aspect a programmer might need over a modern PC on the Internet.
      Even IDEs are free.
      The times to program software were never better than today. The only drawback are the Internet itself which can distract from programming, the high amount of free available software which makes programming your own software less motivating and the fact, that it is much more difficult to get a foot into the industry with your own software.
      But technically everything is easier today.
      It's only not that much fun anymore, because you have plenty of RAM and performance available. Squeezing out the last bit to minimize code size or improve your code is less and less important and rewarding and that makes programming boring. Today you can even use fat and slow scripting languages like java script and no one cares about optimization. Writing in assembler on a tiny machine with only a couple of kbytes of RAM available was much more fun.

    • @ryanyoder7573
      @ryanyoder7573 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      OpenGL4ever well said. I'm afraid you were on the opposite side of the flame wars between DirectX and OpenGL back in the day as I am a massive MSFT fanboy and evangelized DirectX from Direct Draw 1.0

    • @FutureChaosTV
      @FutureChaosTV 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      So, using Unity and other high level tools is more difficult than low level coding? I think you might have a condition known as "Nostalgia". ;-) Also, please tell me how to document the billions and billions of transistors in modern CPUs?

    • @duncanwalduck7715
      @duncanwalduck7715 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      There *was* a free C compiler - I got a 'public domain' one, Sozobon, from a mail order soft-library, i.e. for 'cost'. It was part of the GNU project. Reading the on-disc manual was mostly learning about the GNU Public License, for better or worse. I got almost nothing done on it, though: I mean I hardly even used it for a "hello world". Going back and forth between editor(s)/compiler/debugger, all shockingly non-GUI, and any on-disk documentation was a PITA without any multi-tasking or multiple console windows. I also hadn't got a clue about module linking or how to link into OS features beyond stdio, although I had a printed manual for GEM/TOS which remained largely Greek to me. I think that was from a bookshop and not included. My 'background' was the BBC Micro where I was spoilt rotten with manuals, dev tools and utils, but ultimately rather limited. Back on the ST, compiling even the simplest thing was also almost always a case of going for tea. Learning to think in POSIX was also not going to come overnight. I did find GFA basic to be fairly swanky, though - a full IDE, but that was a cover-disk find from a magazine: knock-down but not 'free'. It was also quite a hindrance that I never sunk the £70 for a second floppy drive (the price never seemed to drop), or hard disk (oh joy), or even had a dedicated monitor. Whilst my tube for a while was a Trinitron, I never went to it through SCART (if that was even likely to be a thing - I plead ignorance). Anyway, it's not true that you don't get paper manuals today: every PC motherboard I've bought new since 15 years ago came with one, though the online versions available to our connected age cut out the rummaging. They seem very comparable to my STe manual, in fact //iirc: all pin-outs, changing of settings and a certain amount of obligatory 'idiot proofing'.

  • @Pablo123456x
    @Pablo123456x 7 ปีที่แล้ว +79

    30 minutes, this is a documentary. Well done!

    • @billant2
      @billant2 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yep, the Amiga video was close to an hour... just a bit more happening there... but both fun machines... while they lasted.

    • @zebunker
      @zebunker 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's a wikifacts info video.

  • @simonp5788
    @simonp5788 5 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    I've just discovered your videos. Being an old git at 50 I remember all these systems well. Really enjoying the channel. Keep up the good work.

  • @geekdesprairies
    @geekdesprairies 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Absolutely loved this video and both parts of the Amiga documentary. Great job, thanks for bringing up the happy memories of this era!

  • @magnum333
    @magnum333 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    You do a wonderful job with these videos of yours. They are really interesting and fun to watch. Thanks.

  • @boelwerkr
    @boelwerkr 7 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    The Atari ST has a special place in my heart because it was the first computer i owned and the first computer i bought from my own money . My parents gave us pocket money and we could it save or buy things with it. I saved it for years and had enough to by a used 520STFM at the age of 12. But with only a little bit of software and only two games after my father screened all of the disks. But GFA-Basic 2.0 was part of it. Also being the only one on the hole school with an ST, i got into software development. Primary to write games for my self. I realized back then that writing a game is much more fun than playing it. :-)

    • @nyccollin
      @nyccollin ปีที่แล้ว

      Your father screened all of the disks? As in, he looked through everything? Why? What was he hoping to find?

    • @boelwerkr
      @boelwerkr ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@nyccollin He searched for inappropriate games and software. He deleted most the disks i had gotten. No idea what the content was. Most titles sounded like games. He really disliked games with killing, hitting or weapons in them. Took him two weeks to get through all of them.

    • @OneEyedJack1970
      @OneEyedJack1970 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Xould you write decent games in GFA BASIC?

    • @boelwerkr
      @boelwerkr 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@OneEyedJack1970 I could not, but there are a lot of good games written with GFA-Basic

  • @JoyVisionStudio
    @JoyVisionStudio 7 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    These are high quality and informative videos and I recognize the work that goes into them. Very nice work! :D

  • @ChristianBehnke
    @ChristianBehnke 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Oh man, what a trip down memory lane. I remember my dad bringing home a 520ST with colour monitor in the late 80's, then we upgraded to a 1040STF a few years later. I learned so much of my computer fundamentals on those things, including graphics, music, gaming, BBS's, even some early programming. I wish we still had those old computers just so I could relive those early digital days! ♥️

  • @snowyweather1
    @snowyweather1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Absolutely fascinating. You captured the excitement and intrigue from the era, which let's us all feel it again!

  • @JohnnyOrgan
    @JohnnyOrgan 7 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Fantastic video. Deserves a lot of respect. Well put together etc. Really enjoyed this. Subscribed.

  • @Joeyboots80
    @Joeyboots80 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Great presentation, well researched. As an ST fan this is much appreciated. Keep up the great work!

  • @robintst
    @robintst 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This was very informative and entertaining, great work! Big shout out to the ST camp from myself, an Amiga guy. Those were just fun times for all of us. I sometimes miss the days of all the diverse system architectures and operating systems.

  • @IMDRanged
    @IMDRanged 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    My family took advantage of the Atari ST MIDI ports in the back and invested in a MIDI connectable Casio synthesizer keyboard. Helped us learn all about music.

  • @awesomeamericanpanda
    @awesomeamericanpanda 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video, a great perspective in addition to the others see on TH-cam. Keep up the good work!

  • @hrnekbezucha
    @hrnekbezucha 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Knowing it was designed in super short time and on budget this is much more impressive machine than I thought.

  • @Ish0tJR
    @Ish0tJR 7 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    As a die hard Amiga owner who always felt sorry for my neighbour who had an ST, I really enjoyed this vid. Subscribed ;-).

    • @AfterDarknessiFeel
      @AfterDarknessiFeel 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Amiga rules !!!!!

    • @allanm6246
      @allanm6246 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The ST had the Amiga beat with most 3D games at least.

  • @punisherxs6654
    @punisherxs6654 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    loving all the tech Nostalgia videos on your channel.

  • @RighteousBruce
    @RighteousBruce 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Watching this after a good lunch and 2litres of beer in a pub. Good times indeed. Love your vids sir.

  • @gregman77
    @gregman77 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another great episode. Well documented and well written. Thank you!!!

  • @madness8556
    @madness8556 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I bought my next door neighbour's Atari 1040STE in 1995 and shortly after, a run out copy of C Lab Notator SL and barely looked at the hardware sequencers in my Korg T3EX and Trinity Plus after that! The fact that the Atari had built in MIDI ports was huge for electronic musicians and composers at the time! I sold my 1040STE and got a cheap fully expended Mega 4 that I used for a number of years before going to Logic on a PC and later Mac.

  • @JohnGodwin
    @JohnGodwin 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Every single video this guy makes is amazing. This was my era, but all I cared about was actually using/playing them. To come back so many years later and learn the provenance of the machines and their history is pure pleasure.

  • @a1rh3add
    @a1rh3add 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amazing video. I didn't expect it to be so informative and entertaining.

  • @ninobrown4442
    @ninobrown4442 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    I got one of these as a kid in the late 90's. A real thing of beauty. Great vid, subbed.

  • @willynebula6193
    @willynebula6193 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    mate I love your work thank you for making these videos Keep em coming

  • @oldskoolpaul77
    @oldskoolpaul77 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is a great video! I love the ST, had one back in the day and still have it. A very underestimated system these days.

  • @aerosmurf7912
    @aerosmurf7912 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video, you have put a lot of work into this 👍 keep up the good work

  • @robvegas9354
    @robvegas9354 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Such a fun time to grow up with all of the different systems, i had friends at school who had amiga, amstrads, speccies, apple 2s, the lot... we had a Atari 2600 then C64 and later an ST. always a lot of fun chatting about new games at school. Great video!!

  • @PurpleKnightmare
    @PurpleKnightmare 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I got an Amiga 500 in 90 and I had Gauntlet too! I still have mine, and it still works.

  • @user-tb5ns7hc5i
    @user-tb5ns7hc5i 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Loved your comment about the satisfying solid click of the 3.5” floppy insertion. I can still remember it’s feel and sound today at the mere mention. Best media ever.

  • @AcydDrop
    @AcydDrop 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for a walk down memory lane, very well done.

  • @Heathcliff_hensel
    @Heathcliff_hensel 7 ปีที่แล้ว +69

    If it wasn't for the Atari ST , we wouldn't have Cubase and Logic Pro.

    • @farseerflore9512
      @farseerflore9512 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      If it wasn't for ears, we wouldn't be able to hear music, which would also mean no Cubase or Logic Pro.

    • @classicarcadeamusementpark4242
      @classicarcadeamusementpark4242 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      If it wasn't for the Amiga, we wouldn't have thousands of software synths like the VST synths & iOS synths that are popular in the music community today. The Amiga was equally suited, if not a better choice, to work as a MIDI tape recorder (sequencer). The Amiga provided all of that, and the ability to replace synthesizers that cost thousands of dollars, back in 1985 at a time when synthesizers were very expensive.

    • @zetmoon
      @zetmoon 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      But the ST had midi-ports as standard, that's why it became the standard for music production using Cubase and Logic. It was eventually superseded by Apple Macs.

    • @humansrants1694
      @humansrants1694 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      And PC I didn't know the Amiga had a midi upgrade.

    • @billant2
      @billant2 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Sure the Amiga (and PC) had a number of external MIDI box add-ons, but the Atari has it built in from the get-go which seemed to have played in its favor for a while.

  • @MattDonaldsonLive
    @MattDonaldsonLive 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for uploading this. So nostalgic.

  • @Lawls
    @Lawls 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Really top notch channel, you deserve way more subs!

  • @Zaky-Tocapelotas
    @Zaky-Tocapelotas 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great vid ! took me back watching that. I still have my ST in the lift. Thanks for posting.
    Only thing i will say is, i thought the background music was a little too loud for me.

  • @artfulstationer
    @artfulstationer 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    I still have a 520ST in my basement, in the original packaging...and it still works! Amazing piece of equipment for that time and I can credit my love of computers today to this machine. It was the first real home computer I ever owned. Even though I bought it mostly for gaming, I did use it for word processing and learned some programming in basic. I remember writing a resume for my first design position on this machine. Thanks for putting this video together, it was indeed nostalgic!

  • @brandonevans9342
    @brandonevans9342 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    you make some of the best videos of these subjects.
    such in depth and stuff I've never heard.
    thank you for taking pride in your work and sharing this with us.

    • @Nostalgianerd
      @Nostalgianerd  7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks very much. Means a lot!

  • @CHABBO
    @CHABBO 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The ST is still the tightest for MIDI IN/OUT. Works fantastic alongside Akai samplers.

  • @robbiereisman8954
    @robbiereisman8954 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for this. The ST is my favorite gaming platform of all time, mostly for sentimental reasons, but also for the huge game library.

  • @jnicoulakos
    @jnicoulakos 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You did a great job! I recall most of this when I had my Mega 2 ST. No one at Atari would tell us the users what they will bring out next. We all know what won in the end! lol

  • @onlyonewhyphy
    @onlyonewhyphy 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another great video, dude. Well done.

  • @TheDomdabomb
    @TheDomdabomb 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video and I had a Amiga 500, but was always curious to see the ST perspective :)

  • @farseerflore9512
    @farseerflore9512 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    As soon as I heard Peter Molyneux's(spelling, I know) name mentioned, I half expected a quip from GuruLarry berating him.
    Great vid, so many memories!

  • @th45h1zn1t
    @th45h1zn1t 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Great video! hadn't realised how many models Atari released. I had an Amiga 500 and my friend had the 520STFM. We (for some reason) got it into our heads that the Atari ST could make perfect copies of Amiga original disks using x-copy or similar ;) it never really worked but it was fun trying....I will never forget seeing an Atari ST for the first time running International Karate in Fidget computers in High Wycombe. The graphics blew me away.

    • @dlfrsilver
      @dlfrsilver 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      That's the opposite Darren, you can copy the st disks with an amiga, but not the other way around :)

  • @mazthespaz1
    @mazthespaz1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    flew to Atari a few months before the ST release to meet the Tramiels. The Atari offices were very depressing. I did see the room where they were studying the Lisa to see what they could learn. A couple months later I was developing on one of the first 520sts. lots of hand-wiring on motherboard and no rf shielding. I did finally sell off that system last year probably way cheaper than I should have. I really enjoyed working on the machine. things got a lot better once they had hard drives

  • @jandoorthumpinbrushwheel2206
    @jandoorthumpinbrushwheel2206 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Good video, but a small correction - the C64 had higher resolution than the ZX Spectrum, just most programmers used the half resolution multicolour mode in preference to it.

  • @daveharris501
    @daveharris501 7 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Jeff Minter......top guy !! Still got a signed copy of Trip-a-Tron ! ☺

  • @kierancoffey9826
    @kierancoffey9826 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Brilliant vid I loved my brothers ST who originally was getting the power pack but unfortunately ended up getting the discovery pack. Even though now I have an Amiga 600 I still have plenty of time and respect for this awesome machine

  • @crunchychips8123
    @crunchychips8123 7 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    One of my greatest regrets in life was chucking my ST in the bin when the floppy drive stopped working in the late-90's. Knowing what I know now, I probably could have repaired it or got an external floppy drive on ebay.

    • @BoomBox02
      @BoomBox02 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      2 of my regrets are, 1 Selling both my Mega ST's, and 2. Throwing out my Commodore 128 back in the mid 90's as i thought the machine was toast, only to realize later that it was a dodgy power supply.

    • @Adrian-yp7nb
      @Adrian-yp7nb 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh man, gutted.

    • @1960ARC
      @1960ARC 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Crunchy Chips That's sad! I kept my 800, 800XL, 128 XE and 1040 STE, even though I did sell my 520 stfm.

  • @oldsynth
    @oldsynth 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Just started using my 1040 in the studio again after 6 years away from it. Its superb for midi with Gajits Sequencer one. Always loved the ST.

  • @marsu37de
    @marsu37de 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for the great vid.
    The Atari 1040 STF was my first home computer after having started studying computer science back in 1985. I bought it from my own money I had bravely saved from my monthly federal scholarship support in the summer of 1986, cost me about 3000 Deutsche Mark and consisted of the main unit with built-in floppy drive and power supply, and the famous monochrome monitor. I remember that the main unit had been promised to have the TOS and GEM built-in on ROMs, but the manufacturers had not made it on time, so we had to live with the TOS boot floppy for a while. When the ROMs were finally delivered, for me as an absolute beginner in electronics it was a real challenge to unscrew the case, insert the ROM modules in the right sockets and in the proper sequence, and without tilting or bending those tiny legs... I will never forget the moment I switched on my Atari again, waiting for a big bang or whatever. Instead, there was that friendly starting screen of the operating system appearing on the screen and I knew I had done everything right... :)

  • @locklear74
    @locklear74 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Another great video. I always enjoy your story videos about the different computer companies. You and Kim Justice always knock these kind of videos out the box. I like learning more about computers that were more dominate in European market. Ever did one on Sam Coupe or maybe a big video on Dragon. I would definitely like see one on those. I am big Tandy Color Computer fan. Keep up the good work!!!

    • @rodoherty1
      @rodoherty1 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      +1 for the Dragon!

    • @Nostalgianerd
      @Nostalgianerd  7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The Dragon video should be landing this week!

    • @mickronson8039
      @mickronson8039 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Llamatron is a must

  • @swampnutz
    @swampnutz 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video. The NTSC versions of the 520stfm and Amiga 500 are my computer collection holy grails. Love any opportunity to learn about either, and this was great.

    • @Trusteft
      @Trusteft 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Eh, I don't remember about the A500, but the ST didn't have a NTSC version, they were like modern PCs in that regard. Though I admit I don't remember what the situation was with the power supplies, I don't remember if they were universal or not, but still, no problem with NTSC. The ST could work at 50 or 60 hz just fine. At least from what I remember.

  • @viktorhugo8252
    @viktorhugo8252 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great work for history of Atari machines

  • @_____7704
    @_____7704 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Literally just got my 520STFM back from my mate who fixed the power supply, after I bought it off Gumtree. Great video!

  • @jamief1263
    @jamief1263 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Nice touch adding in the lotus turbo challenge 2 theme tune. Oddly one of the most memorable soundtracks on a game in my opinion.

  • @theeggman4806
    @theeggman4806 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    another awesome video. ..love your channel. .

  • @2flyabove
    @2flyabove 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent documentary on Atari. I loved my Atari 520ST. Bought it 1986. Superb design for its time.

  • @Quadromodo
    @Quadromodo 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    To this day the design of ST case is as cool as a cucumber.

    • @daishi5571
      @daishi5571 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I owned an A500 but always thought the ST case was nicer especially the STFM with the PSU, Modulator & FDD all built in. But that all changed when the A1200 came out that was sweet.

  • @wisteela
    @wisteela 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It's fantastic that you still have what was your mate's ST.
    That speech synth was used for the rave track 'Das Boot'.

  • @Trusteft
    @Trusteft 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    That's like my first ST. Fat external floppy disk drive SF314 (which was double sided), joystick and mouse port on the right, wonderful grills, awesome function keys and a lovely sm124 mono monitor.
    Also two huge power supply units. Those were big.
    The drive was very loud and eventually in 1988-1989 I bought a new, a very thin and quiet model, don't remember model number.
    I had a MEGA STE later but that's another story.
    Great video, thank you for sharing.

  • @oldhedders
    @oldhedders 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great stuff! Always had a soft spot for the ST.

  • @DinhDover
    @DinhDover 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank You!!! brought back lots of memories.

  • @Darimonde
    @Darimonde 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video! The Atari 1040 ST was my very first computer which I used until the power supply died. This video brought back many fond memries of that time. Thank you :)

    • @bigdougscommentary5719
      @bigdougscommentary5719 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Darimonde used to repair the ST. the power supply problem was a thermistor. A 50 cent part.

  • @jeffmelchior8573
    @jeffmelchior8573 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very informative. Well done!

  • @deltawingszeta
    @deltawingszeta 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very well done! I enjoyed every word of it.... :)

  • @panagouleas
    @panagouleas 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanx for the video, I never knew the whole story until this video since I had an Amiga at the time and mostly ignored the ST. It’s an interesting tragedy to know. I actually saw the ST first since a friend owned one.

  • @darioperezdario2638
    @darioperezdario2638 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video. Here in Argentina, I remember that the Commodore Amiga computers and the Atari ST series were unknown in the 90s. Only a friend from high school, who had a Commodore 64 C, always talked about the Commodore Amiga. And if you bought a Spanish video game magazine, game reviews would appear for them. Great machines especially the ST that I hope to buy one day by E-Bay.

  • @J-D-P
    @J-D-P 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Fantastic video mate. I remember when my Dad came home with a 1040 and a copy of Karate Kid int he 80s I literally had my mind blown.
    He would wake me up every morning smoking and playing Defender of the Crown (as the computer was in my bedroom! :P )
    Ahhh, I'll never forget that smoke choking my lungs as a wee lad. What a lovely way to wake up, wouldn't change it for the world :D!!!!

  • @TheReimecker
    @TheReimecker 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice video. I'm a big st fan good work dude !!

  • @ciphermatrix
    @ciphermatrix 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent stuff, you are spot on about the "magic" of those days being replaced by the rather utilitarian functionality of the all-conquering IBM clone. I went Speccy > ST like so many and loved every minute of it. I still love hardware but only maybe the new Nintendo Switch puts a smidgeon of a smile on my face in terms of quirky-ness.
    Your channel rocks, wish I'd found it sooner.

  • @bencheyne1333
    @bencheyne1333 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video, used an Amiga in the 90's but now have an STE permanently set up with cubase, games etc.

  • @MrFilmCutz
    @MrFilmCutz 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    big thank you for this, very fond memory's of my Atari 1040stfm,

  • @mark_parsons
    @mark_parsons 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video - as someone else has commented, it's virtually a documentary and is better narrated and more interesting than many on TV nowadays!
    I grew up with an 8-bit Atari and then the Amiga, so although I know a bit about the history it's nice to hear it from a different perspective.
    The two things that harmed the ST (from my point of view at least) were
    a) the games never seemed as good as on the Amiga, unless it was built for the ST first, or was done by a really good team.
    b) the confusion of all the different models, and in some cases (as touched upon) significant compatibility and capability differences. The Amiga had a bit of this, but it never as fundamentally insurmountable - you could upgrade your Kickstart, and get a chip RAM upgrade; the 32-bit machines were the only ones that were properly different, whereas it seemed like most of the STs had different capabilities which could limit future options.

  • @federicoalbesa3748
    @federicoalbesa3748 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Muy bueno! La reflexion final acerca de la diversidad genial

  • @maleficarus
    @maleficarus 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great channel mate!

  • @judgewest2000
    @judgewest2000 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think this is your best vid yet!

  • @emgee44
    @emgee44 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great piece there, I still have my Atari 520STFM with it's upgraded memory (first time I started tinkering with PC's) and numerous games and joysticks plus Sound Master, a midi input module and software for sampling sounds. Ah, the good old day! Thanks for posting.

  • @nicolabelle1415
    @nicolabelle1415 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    As a European kid in the end 80’s I get an Atari 520st with my bro, it was such a revolution by the times, I discovered later it’s capability in music production with midi, such a nice tool, still use even today by some irréductible makers, nostalgy maybe of this sound grain FM typical… the legend lives on !

  • @sonic2000gr
    @sonic2000gr 7 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    The 1040 STE was my last pre-PC machine. I'll always have fond memories of it!

  • @ExplosiveAction
    @ExplosiveAction 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Great video. I didn't think STs launched until 1985. I got my 1040STFM in 1989 when my parents decided - quite rightly - that computers were the future. They were told by the local computer store that ST's were about to be installed in all the schools. Turns out that didn't happen - Macs did instead. I loved my ST and used it constantly until 1993. I still have it, and it still works, but the disk drive is pretty sad and won't read much. Considering replacing it with one of the SD card drives.

    • @MultiMidden
      @MultiMidden 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      The college I went to in the early 90's bought a load of 1040STFs in around 86/87 instead of BBC Masters, they were still being used when I left.

  • @DJEonT1
    @DJEonT1 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Loved both machines. Got access to a friends ST about 2 years before purchasing my Amiga. Spent many good times gaming on both machines regardless of their technical differences.

  • @Wasabim
    @Wasabim 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video, well done !

  • @BazT47
    @BazT47 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Loving the Quick and Silva music in the background!. Love it on the Amiga

  • @moxie_ST
    @moxie_ST 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for memory flashback to all good days :-)

  • @jdgonzo1982
    @jdgonzo1982 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    great video - amazing ending!!

  • @VisitorOf22
    @VisitorOf22 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I absolutely worshiped my 1040STe with 4mb RAM and a Megafile30 HD :D

  • @TheRealWinsletFan
    @TheRealWinsletFan 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video. Thanks from an oldschool ST programmer :-)

  • @flain283
    @flain283 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Back in the late 80s i grew up in a poorer household. My school friends had systems like NES/master system/c64/amiga etc. I spent most my time at other friends houses waiting for my turn to play, if they let me.. My step dad scored an Atari 520ST from cash converters (aussie pawn shop) for $80 and it was given to me as my birthday present (i wanted an amiga but at $1000+...) . It was life changing and i not only played the crap out of it i also learnt assembly programming which has proven to be incredibly useful in my career.

  • @Astlaus
    @Astlaus 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great job, this is a full fledged documentary. I always wanted Amiga, because it was, arguably, better platform. But parents bought me a 520 STFM with the SM124 monochrome monitor in 1989, so that's where I went. And it was one hell of a ride. I eventually upgraded it to 1 MB RAM, then to 2,5 MB. Later I even got Atari TT030 with 4 MB RAM. I learned to program in MC68000 assembler (with the amazing GenST assembler), but also used Turbo C from Borland. I also ran a FidoNet node on both machines and a BBS on the TT.

  • @ENGAGEXR
    @ENGAGEXR 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    great video. I remember the 80s fondly

  • @numbers9to0
    @numbers9to0 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    As a kid I saved my money to buy an Atari 1040 ST. When I finally had the money, I bought an Amiga 1000.
    ;P

  • @Etherian87
    @Etherian87 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    this deserves way more views

    • @Nostalgianerd
      @Nostalgianerd  7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      thanks man. I often watch terrific content on TH-cam that warrants many more views, Kim Justice definitely springs to mind, it's a shame that some really good content just gets buried under piles of churned out marketing machines.

    • @buffet_time
      @buffet_time 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The quality of your content is amazing, too bad not enough people are interested/ find you! Love the videos mate.

    • @masterhoshi
      @masterhoshi 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      So true, I'm shocked how many views poor quality will get vs yours, and others. I guess there is a secret to getting in the marketing bin.

    • @theParticleGod
      @theParticleGod 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      No it doesn't, he doesn't even know Jack Tramiel's name. Could you take a video about Apple seriously if it said one of the founders was called Stove Jibs?

  • @duncanrathband5492
    @duncanrathband5492 7 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    Ah the speech simulator at the end! Great times putting rude words into that with my mates as a kid :-)

    • @billant2
      @billant2 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Like "fock you"! ha-ha

    • @ojkolsrud1
      @ojkolsrud1 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I used the Say application on my Amiga 500 for this. Man, that was so funny to mess with! It wasn't perfect, so often I had to re-write words to make them sound better.

  • @jasonz7788
    @jasonz7788 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great work Sir thank you