Atari 400 User Manual page 10

your stereo (which makes for truly powerful
sound!), and the 800 will hook directly into a
color video monitor (which can give you a bit
sharper picture than most regUlar televisions).
Atari 1200XL
The Atari '200XL was the first of the Atari XL
line. The' 200XL has nice styling and a very
good keyboard. It comes with 64K of memory-
a more than ample amount for many purposes .
. SOFTWARE PROGRAMS YOU CAN BUY
As mentioned earlier, a program is a set of in-
structions that tells the computer to do some-
thing. You can either create a program yourself
by using a computer language (such as BASIC),
or you can buy a program that someone else has
already created. For the more complicated tasks
that a computer can perform, most people find it
easier to buy already-made programs.
Once someone has made a program, the pro-
gram is stored on computer software, such as a
cartridge, a cassette tape, or a diskette (which
you will learn about later in this guide). The pro-
gram can then be used again and again byany-
one who has a copy of this software. This is
what you buy when you purchase a program
that someone else has created.
There is a wide variety of programs available for
"," Atari home computers. You can buy a software
program that enables you to use your computer
as an advanced electronic typewriter. In fact, this
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