Changes

KS: So tell me a story about working at Atari. What was interesting about it?

KS: So tell me a story about working at Atari. What was interesting about it?

PL: During the time I worked at Atari there was a transformation. One of the things that brought me to Atari was that in the home computer division they hired a very senior and respected software vice president, a guy named Bruce Irvine. And they also had a senior Ph.D.-type as president, a guy named Roger Batisher. And that staff actually made me attracted to Atari. They seemed like a very professional organization. And so I wanted to work with them. Over time things changed. Roger Batisher decided that he wanted to start an IBM PC clone company called Mindset. So he and Bruce Irvine left. They were replaced by friends of Kassar, Ray Kassar who was the president. The software vice president became a twenty-four year old kid named Chris Horstein, who had absolutely no experience managing software development. So the very reasons that I went there disappeared. So I left.

PL: During the time I worked at Atari there was a transformation. One of the things that brought me to Atari was that in the home computer division they hired a very senior and respected software vice president, a guy named Bruce Irvine. And they also had a senior Ph.D.-type as president, a guy named Roger Badisher. And that staff actually made me attracted to Atari. They seemed like a very professional organization. And so I wanted to work with them. Over time things changed. Roger Badisher decided that he wanted to start an IBM PC clone company called Mindset. So he and Bruce Irvine left. They were replaced by friends of Kassar, Ray Kassar who was the president. The software vice president became a twenty-four year old kid named Chris Horstein, who had absolutely no experience managing software development. So the very reasons that I went there disappeared. So I left.

PL: There was also some interesting things going on with the games division The programmers being withheld their bonuses, Ray Kassar saying that games developers were nothing but a bunch of high paid prima donnas. When he said that to the local newspaper, a friend of mine created a t-shirt that soon spread around Atari that said "You're nothing but a high paid prima donna."

PL: There was also some interesting things going on with the games division The programmers being withheld their bonuses, Ray Kassar saying that games developers were nothing but a bunch of high paid prima donnas. When he said that to the local newspaper, a friend of mine created a t-shirt that soon spread around Atari that said "You're nothing but a high paid prima donna."

KS: So who else worked on it, you said Kathleen did the floating point?

KS: So who else worked on it, you said Kathleen did the floating point?

PL: Yeah, Kathleen did the decimal floating point. I think it's important to note it's decimal. And, I guess that was it. After it was taken over by Atari a guy named Lane Winter worked on it. Another thing, for O.S.S., I did a language called Prolog, which they sold minimal copies of.

PL: Yeah, Kathleen did the decimal floating point. I think it's important to note it's decimal. And, I guess that was it. After it was taken over by Atari a guy named Lane Winner worked on it. Another thing, for O.S.S., I did a language called Prolog, which they sold minimal copies of.

KS: Prolog for the Atari?

KS: Prolog for the Atari?