ANALOG Computing was an Americancomputer magazine devoted to Atari 8-bit family of home computers. It was published from 1981 until 1989. In addition to reviews and tutorials, ANALOG printed multiple programs in each issue for users to type in. The magazine had a reputation for listings of machine language games—much smoother than those written in Atari BASIC—and which were uncommon in competing magazines. Such games were accompanied by the assembly languagesource code. 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 in the logo, it was simply referred to as ANALOG or ANALOG Computing inside the magazine. While the program listings 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.
History
ANALOG was co-launched by Lee H. Pappas and Michael DesChesnes who met at a Star Trek convention in 1978. The first issue of the magazine was January / February 1981. It was published bi-monthly until November / December 1983 and then monthly from January 1984 on. When the Atari ST was announced in 1985, it was initially covered in the previously 8-bit-only magazine. Pappas soon launched an Atari ST-specific new magazine, ST-Log. In 1988, Pappas announced in an ST-Log editorial that both it and ANALOG Computing were under new ownership and the offices moved from Worcester, Massachusetts to North Hollywood, California. Circulation was interrupted between issues 57 and 58 without warning due to this relocation, and then addressed to ANALOG subscribers in issue 58. 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 another publication owned by Pappas, Video Games & Computer Entertainment. The final issue of ANALOG Computing was in December 1989, totaling 79 issues.
Additional products
ANALOG Software
In its early years, ANALOG Computing also sold games via mail order under the name ANALOG Software. Most of these were written by magazine staff members. Some games were never completed or published, such as Sunday Driver. Released games
ANALOG published two books of program listings and tutorials. The A.N.A.L.O.G. Compendium contained "the best Atari home computer programs from the first ten issues." An Atari 8-bit Extra from ANALOG Computing contained previously unpublished programs. The ANALOG Computing Pocket Reference Card was published in 1985 and sold for US$7.95. It contains a summary of Atari BASIC commands, sound command pitches, player/missile memory layout, hardware register and operating system addresses, ATASCII characters, graphics modes, and other information.
Bulletin board
The ANALOG Computing Telecommunications System, or ANALOG Computing TCS, was a custom bulletin board system accessible only through paid subscription. After the TCS launched, an 8-page ANALOG Computing TCS Guide was bound into an issue of the magazine.
