Happy Pi Day
Circles are fun!
Thanks for reading Goto 10! This is a free article, but if you want more great retro content, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Happy Pi Day (March 14 or 3/14 as we write here in the US)!
This reminded me of an article in ANALOG Computing that draws a circle using smaller and smaller lines.
After a little digging, the article is called CalcPi and is from the February 1986 ANALOG Computing (Issue 39).
The article has a C version for the Atari ST (one of the first ST listings published by the magazine) and a BASIC version for the Atari 8-bits. I typed it in so that you don’t have to. You can download the XFD with the file, called “CALCPI.BAS” on it.
When you run the program you get a better circle after each iteration. Here it is running in Graphics Mode 8 (320x160):
A few years ago I even did a translation of the C version into Xojo so you can run it on modern computers, although running the Atari version I just realized the Xojo version only shows the edges and not the full triangles. I should probably get that updated!
You Might Also Like
ANALOG Computing Magazine
In the US, the two main Atari (8-bit) Magazines were ANALOG Computing and Antic. I also liked Compute!, because it covered lots of computers and allowed me to see non-Atari stuff. Still, ANALOG was easily my favorite as it had the most in-depth articles and usually better game listings. Since there was no internet back then and I didn’t use a modem at t…
Revisiting ST Log magazine
If you like this article, you might also like my other related articles about retro computer magazines.