This episode features Graph It, originally released in 1980 by Atari.

Podcast: Download

Box and Supplement Scans

Scan of the front of the box:

 

Scan of the back of the box:

 

Manual cover:

 

New Product announcement in Atari Connection March 1981 issue:

 

Ad from Analog May 1981 for software designed to solve the lack of printing and loading/saving of charts:

 

Graph It in Action

Boots to BASIC.  Use CLOAD to load the desired plotting program from cassette or run it from disk if it has been converted.  There is no menu for choosing.

Bar Charts and Pie Graphs

Menu

 

Bar Charts

Give the chart a title:

 

Define the number of factors:

 

Enter the column labels:

 

Enter the values for each factor:

 

See the result.  Chart using 1 factor (episode size in MB):

 

Exiting the chart:

 

See the result.  Chart using 2 factors (episode len in minutes and seconds):

 

Pie Graphs

Entering the graph title:

 

Setting the Pie slice labels:

 

Setting the Pie slice values:

 

Setting the graph sub title:

 

See the result.  Graph for categorized episode lengths:

 

Exiting the graph:

 

Two Dimensional Plots

Plot splash banner:

 

Define the number of functions for the plot:

 

Enter the function(s) for the plot:

 

Choose the plot speed (plot resolution – faster is lower resolution):

 

Enter the limits for the function variables:

 

Specify auto scaling (in case it may plot beyond screen range):

 

Seeing the result:

 

Exiting menu:

 

Returning to graph (Do Not Exit):

 

Using the joystick to find values along the plot:

 

Polar Plots

The polar plot splash screen:

 

Entering the X function:

 

Entering the Y function:

 

Entering the Theta values and increment:

 

Choosing to auto scale or not:

 

See the result.  Simple circle plot:

 

Using the joystick to find values along the plot lines:

 

Exit menu:

 

Polar flower plot using Graph It (plot time = 2 minutes).  Function definition, parameter values, and result:

 

Same polar flower plotted using a Casio fx-9750G Plus (plot time = 20 seconds):

 

Same polar flower plotted using web based FooPlot (plot time = instantaneous):

 

Three Dimensional Plots

The three dimensional plot splash screen:

 

Defining the function:

 

Choosing the plot speed (plot resolution: fast is low resolution):

 

Defining the X values:

 

Defining the Y values:

 

Choosing to auto scale or not:

 

Defining the Z value limits:

 

Options to remove hidden plot lines and turning the display off during plot (roughly 30% increase in speed):

 

Plotting started:

 

Result:

 

Exit menu:

 

Same plot using FAST option (lower resolution, fewer plotted points):

 

Replotting and not removing hidden lines:

 

Result:

 

Files

Contents

Normally there are no files since the program ships on cassette.  Graph It, when converted to disk, uses Atari DOS 2.0.  The contents of the disk can be seen in this screenshot:

 

The files are:

• CHARTPIE.BAS is Bar and Pie Chart program.
• POLAR.BAS is the Polar plot program.
• XY.BAS is the 2D plotting program.
• XYZ.BAS is the 3D plotting program.

Printing

There is no provision for printing.

 

Instructions

You can find the manual in multiple locations on the internet.  Check the AtariMania site as one example.

 

Show Links:

• Atari Mania: http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-graph-it_26990.html
• AtariWiki: https://atariwiki.org/wiki/Wiki.jsp?page=Atari%20Graph%20It
• Foo Plot: http://www.fooplot.com/
• Foo Plot (Polar Flower): http://fooplot.com/plot/q2qepy971e

 

Intro music is an excerpt from a chip tune by Wizwars named 8 Bit Raceway.  It is used under Creative Common license Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.