Origin
Action! is a programming language for the Atari 8-bit family of microcomputers. It features an integrated editor, a debugger, and a 6502 compiler. Action! was created by Clinton Parker and released on cartridge by Optimized Systems Software (OSS) in 1983. Its syntax is similar to that of ALGOL 68.
Action! is significant for its high performance, which allows games and graphics demos to be written in a high-level language without using hand-written assembly language code. "Action!" language constructs were designed to map cleanly to 6502 opcodes.
Features
- runs natively on every Atari 8-bit computer
- powerful full-screen text editor
- available as cartridge and disk version
- supports structured programming
- generates fast and small self-contained executables
Versions
In 2015, Clinton Parker released the Action! 3.6 source code to the public under the terms of GPL. This project is intended to preserve the "Action!" source code, provide fixes for known bugs, and add new features in version 3.7.
You can download the latest binaries, including cartridge and executable file versions, at https://sourceforge.net/projects/atari-action/files/action.zip/download.
Join us at AtariAge for questions and discussions.
Manual
The manual for the "Action!" system is available as PDF in English (version 2018-11-05) and as PDF in German (version 2016-05-20). All manual editions are available at AtariWiki, along with many other manuals and additional information about "Action!".
Related Information
- Atari Action! Editor at WUDSN
- Atari Action! source code at Sourceforge
- Atari Action! at AtariWiki
- Atari Action! Programming Video Tutorial by David Arlington, 28 episodes