›               o=o=o=o=o=››    Atari 8-Bit Emulators -- Part I››            By Alan Sharkis›        Editor, OHAUG Newsletter›› Lately, some very  strange  questions› have  been plaguing me.  For example,› "If a weather forecast  increases  in› accuracy  as  the  period  for  which› you're  making it comes closer to the› time that  you're  writing  it,  then› isn't  the  best  forecast  made   by› opening  a window, sticking your head› out, and stating that it is NOW sunny› and  hot?"    Closely on the heels of› that   one   is   the  question,  "If› imitation is the  sincerest  form  of› flattery,  can   emulation   be   far› behind?"›› Perhaps  the second question isn't so› strange.  If I were to  carry  on  in› the  comedic vein weakly suggested by› my   first   question,   the   second› question would beg a third.  It would› go something like this: "If no  Atari› emulator produced to date is perfect,› shouldn't we stick with our 8-bits?" › That  question  opens several cans of› worms  at  once.   Atari  8-bits  are› unique   on  two  levels.   They  are› unique among computers for  the  ways› in  which  they work; and, as similar› as they are to each other, they  have› different  personalities  that   vary› from  model  to   model,   and   from› installed system to installed system. › Sure, the task of emulating  them  on› the MS-DOS/Windows/Windows 95 or UNIX› or   OS/2   or   Macintosh  or  Amiga› platforms   is   daunting.     People› writing and designing hardware and/or› software   to   emulate  other  8-bit› computers have  had  greater  success› than  those  working with Atari 8-bit› emulators, and they've achieved  that› success  a  long time ago.  Emulation› of one computer on another was  first› made  known to me when I was learning› COBOL on a Burroughs  6800  mainframe› running  IBM  360 emulation.  I won't› tell you how long ago that was.   The› imperfections  in  the scheme were no› where near as apparent to me  as  the› imperfections  we  see in Atari 8-bit› emulators   today.   There  are  many› reasons for that, as there  are  many› reasons  to  emulate  one computer on› another.  I'll touch on both sets  of› reasons in this series of articles.›› We  Classic  Atarians  are  a finicky› bunch.  We look for  perfection,  and› we  want  it  yesterday.    What   we› sometimes  lose  sight  of   is   the› process  by   which   emulators   are› developed.  When the IBM 360 emulator› for the Burroughs was being designed,› it was designed by professionals, who› did it  to  earn  profits  for  their› employer.   They  had, and took, lots› of time to do  it.   If  a  professor› hadn't  mentioned the emulation to my› class, I,  and  many  others  in  the› class,      ignorant      of      the› "personalities"    of     the     two› mainframes,  would not have known the› difference.  Atari  8-bit  emulators,› with    one    exception,   are   not› commercial products.  In the case  of› that  one  exception,  I'd  have   to› assume  that  it's  not  the author's› bread-and-butter  product.   For  the› other developers, I'd have to  assume› that although shareware donations are› nice, they aren't the main  motivator› for    development    either.      An› individual    with   some   technical› expertise, a love for the Atari 8-bit› and  a  working  knowledge of another› platform  gets  an  idea  of  how  an› emulator   can   be    done.     That› individual  works a bit, and comes up› with   something   that   has    some› functionality  and a fairly good user› interface, and releases the emulator. › He   knows   that   it   isn't   100%› functional,   and   he   hasn't   had› tremendous  blocks  of time to do the› required beta testing.  He hopes  the› community  will  do  the beta testing› for him.  He  also  hopes  that  they› will   suggest   new   and   improved› features that he can  incorporate  in› the  next version or a later one.  In› the case of the Atari 8-bit, that's a› taller  technical  order  than it has› been for most other 8-bit machines.›› So, why  develop  emulators?   Before› answering  that  question, we have to› create a couple of categories,  which› will  then  be subdivided.  Emulators› come in two flavors.  There are total› machine  emulators, in which the IBM-› compatible or Mac "becomes" the Atari› 8-bit.   Its  monitor  displays Atari› screens, its sound  system  generates› Atari  sounds, its keyboard and other› input devices emulate  those  of  the› Atari,  it  loads Atari ROM images to› act as its operating system and BASIC› interpreter,  and  it   loads   Atari› ramdisk images to use as programs and› data.  To date, all  of  these  total› machine  emulators  have been done in› software for the Mac, for the  Amiga,› for      the      ST,     for     MS-› DOS/Windows/Windows95,     and,     I› believe,  for OS/2. The emulator that› runs on the ST does have one hardware› component,  a cable that connects the› ST to  an  8-bit  disk  drive.   Some› people  who work with these platforms› have given up their  Ataris  and  are› nostalgic for them.  They may want to› play a  game  just  the  way  it  was› played on their Atari computer.  Some› people   who  work  with  laptops  or› notebook   computers  recognize  that› emulation gives them a way  to  carry› their  Ataris  around with them.  One› person has such a love for TextPro as› a word processor program that he runs› it  in  emulation  on  his  notebook,› forsaking all  others!   Some  people› feel  that  emulation will perpetuate› the 8-bit community  long  after  our› hardware can no longer be repaired or› replaced.  Some,  like  this  writer,› just  marvel  at  the   technological› achievement an emulator represents.›› Peripheral  emulators  have different› purposes  and  a  somewhat  different› history.    One  of  these  has  been› around longer than  all  but  the  ST› total  machine  emulator.  Peripheral› emulators communicate with a  working› Atari  8-bit.  They serve as the disk› drives, ramdisk, modem and/or printer› interfaces  for the Atari 8-bit.  The› premise is that the  other  platform,› usually  MS-DOS,  has  greater memory› and long-term storage facilities than› the  Atari,  and  that the modems and› printers  attached  to  it  are  more› advanced than those  that  the  8-bit› can  utilize  directly.  There has to› be some sort  of  hardware  interface› between the two machines, since Atari› SIO   signals   and   voltages    are› different  from  the ones used by the› IBM.   However,  the  ramdisk  images› produced    by    these    peripheral› emulators are usable by total machine› emulators,    so     there's     some› overlapping of function between total› machine   emulators   and  peripheral› emulators.    In  addition,  a  large› number of utilities have been written› to  convert  among  various  types of› ramdisk   image   files.   Peripheral› emulators    have   difficulty   with› multitasking     environments    like› Windows and Windows 95.›› In the next installment, I expect  to› describe  and  quickly review some of› the total machine  emulation  schemes› that are out there.  I have no access› to UNIX and Amiga, and my Mac  access› is EXTREMELY limited (nonexistent, if› my  friend  doesn't  come  through!) › Please   bear   in   mind   that  the› emulation field is very dynamic,  and› that  a  new,  improved  version will› likely   hit   the  Internet  just  a› millisecond after  I  finish  writing› that  installment.   I  plan  to   do› peripheral  emulators  in  the  third› installment,  since  you're  probably› already  bored  with my AC article on› SIO2PC.    Finally,   in  the  fourth› installment,   I'm  going  to  invite› praise   and  condemnation  alike  by› delving into some of the  controversy› that  emulation  has generated vis-a-› vis the ability of some emulators  to› store    and    run    copy-protected› software.››               o=o=o=o=o=››