1. ROMs are binary versions of your favorite classic games, and they contain the actual code of the original cartridge. ROM is the game and it is run through by the emulator. Windows emulator choices include kat5200, Atari800 and JUM52. Mac emulators include Atari 800 Mac, Rainbow, and Atari800MacX.
2. This article lists software and hardware that emulates computing platforms. The host in this article is the system running the emulator, and the guest is the system being emulated.

Atari800MacX, version 1.6.0. Atari800MacX is another port of the aptly-named PC emulator 'Atari 800.' This version is developed using Cocoa, so it is for Mac OS X only, but it is more up-to-date than the previously listed port. 'New' style artifacting beginning with Atari800MacX v3.3 in 2006 correctly shows only two possible colors, but all the wrong colors, and new artifacting introduced a bug to the game 'Stellar Shuttle' bug wasn't there before in 'old' artifacting, but the Very old emulator WACKE v1.6 from year 1999 has the similar collision detect bug in 'Stellar.

The Atari 800 was an 8-bit home computer, much like a Commodore 64 or an Apple II. It has a loyal following, and the debate over platform superiority between the Atari 130XE and the Commodore 128 still rages on. Coincidentally, the Atari 800XL was my first computer.

Wacke is the Weightless Atari Computer Keepsake Emulator. It seems to be very accurate with most Atari titles, and even supports full sounds and most GTIA effects. The graphics rendering is also very accurate, unlike Rainbow's washed-out palette. Unfortunately, Atari 5200 mode is not supported. The shareware version only allows for small video; registered users can choose full screen mode.

Atari 800 is a port of an excellent Atari 800-series emulator on the PC. There are two separate versions available for download: a Mac OS X Carbonized version, and a classic Mac OS version. This emulator is also open-source; the source code is available from its home page.

Atari800MacX is another port of the aptly-named PC emulator 'Atari 800.' This version is developed using Cocoa, so it is for Mac OS X only, but it is more up-to-date than the previously listed port.

Atari 800xl Pcb

Atari 800xl Mmu

Jum52/MacOS is an Atari 5200 emulator for MacOS. Jum52 has reasonable compatibility with Atari 5200 titles. At the present, collision detection is rather hit and miss (no pun intended), but otherwise the emulator is solid enough. It also includes full sound support. Jum52 is a Carbon application, and thus runs natively under MacOS X.

The Rainbow emulator can perform the duties of an Atari 400, 800, 800XL, 130XE or 5200. (The 5200 is a game machine based largely around the hardware of an 800XL.)

The shareware version deactivates sound and some extra options, but it's still a lot of fun to play with if you have some fun games. If you can, try to find the 5200 version of a game--usually, it's better than the 800 equivalent, even though the hardware was identical. The 5200 programmers just knew all the tricks of the hardware much more than the 800 programmers did.

Our next meeting, using Zoom, will be next Tuesday. We are meeting weekly on Tuesdays at 7pm US-West Coast time. Members receive an invitation to the meeting each week. If a guest would like to attend a meeting please contact Bill George.

Our next live meeting will be some time in the future, when the Pandemic ends. At that time, physical meetings will take place at the San Leandro Public Library, 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577. Contact Robbie Bridges to confirm you're coming.

The 'Shelter in Place' order made necessary by the Covid-19 outbreak, has caused our meetings to be weekly and to be virtual, using Zoom virtual meeting software (free) starting in May, 2020.

News

Our collection of Disks of the month from 1983 to 1995 have been made available on the Internet Archive. When you arrive at the site, where it says, DOWNLOAD OPTIONS', click 'SHOW ALL' to see links to zipped .ATR files for each group of SLCC Disks Of The Month. Many thanks to Kevin Lund who uploaded all these files as well as our past SLCC Journal newsletter archive.

Claim to fame: We won the 1st Place Award at Computer Festival West 2018, for the best booth. This is the 2nd year in a row we've won it. Details and photos in our Facebook post.

Recent Meeting Notes , 2018-2019

2020 Meetings are held on Tuesdays, on Zoom

June 2, 2020 and onward - Kevin, Robbie, Ralph, Bob, Garrett, Edison, Bill all attended the Zoom-based mtg. Best (virtual) meeting yet! Even had an agenda. Homework assignment was to install the Atari800MacX Emulator. We're having in-between meetings on Tuesdays. Contact Robbie Bridges if you want to participate. Nice to have such enthusiasm. On June 9th, Edison attended and demoed 8-bit utility and game software he authored.

May 5, 2020 - Kevin, Robbie, Ralph, Bob and Bill conducted a Zoom meeting where we reviewed this web site and the Jan-Jun, 1984 uploaded SLCC newsletters. January, 1984 newsletter describes how the club started.

April 21 & 28, 2020 - Kevin, Garrett, Robbie, Don (from Florida), Bob and Bill conducted a Zoom meeting on the 21st and with Garrett absent on the 28th. We hope to meet in person in the near future. The ext Zoom session will be on May 5th.

February, 2020 - Kevin, Garret. Robbie, Bill interogated Robbie's Atari 1010 tape drive and found that it's WORKING! Kevin won door prize of two cans of compressed air. See the FB post.

December, 2019 - Kevin, Bob, Robbie, Garrett, Tom. Garrett. Garrett attempting to demo his WEFAX Decoder, 8 Bit hardware/software. Bob won the final doorprize of the year, Sony Wireless Headphones (also wired). Happy Holidays everyone!

November, 2019 - Kevin, Bob and Bill in attendance, with Kevin's recent find of an Atari 815 dual disk drive.

October, 2019 - Four in attendance. Bob, Bill, Robbie & Kevin

September 2019 - Six in attendance. Garrett brought a children's keyboard, interfaced to an Atari 8 Bit (see Facebook post for details and photos). Robbie brought an Altair 8800 S-100 bus computer, 'The spark that spawned the microcomputer revolution' that he's helping repair. Also we tinkered with an Atari 130XE/Floppy from Robbie. .

August 2019 - Five in attendance, still a little tired after the VCFW last weekend. We did win the Best Atari Booth award. See a writeup about it in Atari Age. There are photos on our Facebook Page too.

July 2019 - Five in attendance, ironing out last details of VCFW. See you in Mountain View.

June 2019 - Five in attentance. VCFW is going to be great, Aug. 3-4, 2019. Going for a 3-peat.

May 2019 - Four in attendance.

April, 2019 - Five in attendance. Continued discussion of Vintage Computer Festival West, 2019.

March 2019 - Five Vintage equipment brought by Garrett & 1 Techtronix Scope returned to Bob.

February, 2019 - Four in attendance, Kevin, Bob, Robbie & Bill. Discussed upcoming computer Vintage Computer Festival West, 2019.

January, 2019 - Meeting held, but no report.

December, 2018 - Seven in attendance, Bob brought a couple Techtronix Oscilloscopes and Robbie an Atari Jaguar computer.

November, 2018 - Six in attendance: Bob, Tom, Kevin, Robbie, Garrett and Bill. Group had fun viewing an Editor Assembler on an Atari 800.

October, 2018 - Five in attendance: Kevin, Garrett, Robbie & daughter, Jim and Bill. Garrett broght some Petsters by Axlon (see old video ad for Petsters) & couple photos on our Facebook Page.

September, 2018 - Seven in attendance, one a visitor, Robbie, Bill, Garrett, Kevin, Edison, Rob and Garrett's daughter. Our main activity was getting a vintage Apple II working and showing off our 1st place ribbons from 2017 and 2018 Computer Festival West shows.

August, 2018 - Three People, Robbie, Tom and Bill. Others exhausted after creating and populating our SLCC booth at Vintage Computer Festival West, Aug 4-5, 2018 and winning the prize for best Booth. Took down the booth & were on our way in less than an hour. See our Facebook post.

July, 2018 - Nine people attended - Rob, Garrett, Kevin, Robbie, Jim, Don Safer, Edison, Phil and Bill. Discussed the VCFW coming up August 4-5 and worked on the Atari 1400XL that will be displayed in our booth. This is it for Don Safer, moving to Florida in a few weeks. He'll keep his web site up he says. Real estate is very affordable, it turns out, in Florida. Group photo uploaded to our Facebook page.

June, 2018 - Bob, Kevin, Jim, Don Safer attended. July will be the last meeting for Don who's moving to Florida. Discussed the upcoming Vintage Computer Festival West for 2018, August 4-5. We will have a booth, & one more month to plan for it. Bob will bring an Atari Store Display Kiosk with a working computer. May also have a 1400XL to demo.

May, 2018 - Bob, Kevin, Garrett (with kids), Robbie, Jim, Don. Bob worked on a 1050 drive, a cheer went up when an XM8801 Atari printer test page was produced. Jim won the door prize (bunch of AAA batteries). See more detail & a photo on our Facebook page.

April, 2018 - Good meeting with Jim Bob, Robbie, Garrett and Bill. Robbie brought a reel to reel tape recorder for Garrett to play and copy a recording of his father. Kevin and the group decided to again take part in the Vintage Computer Festival West at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California (see photos from last year) on August 4-5, 2018. Jim won the door prize, a USB Wifi Adapter. Kevin showed his working Atari printer (same as model 822 Atari-branded printer). Kevin also showed a Kickstarter book, 'Breakin' The Borders', translated from a German version. See the uploaded Facebook photos.

Atari 800xl

March, 2018 - Decent attendance with Jim, Bob, Robbie, Garrett, Edison, Bill & Tom. Played with 800XL & went through box of old Atari stuff. See Facebook post for details & photos.

February, 2018 - Slow Month, Bob and Jim attended

Atari 800xl Psu

January, 2018 - Bob, Robbie, Kevin and Bill were in attendance. We had a quiet meeting.

Atari 800xl Cpu

Updated November 17, 2020 Java plugin mac download.