Ask The Readers

Robert Lock, Richard Mansfield And Readers

If you have any questions (or answers to questions printed below) please write to: Ask The Readers, COMPUTE! Magazine, P.O. Box 5406, Greensboro, NC 27403.

Questions

I have a question. Sometimes, after I type in a long program and run it a few times, my keyboard locks up (after you press RETURN, you can't do anything else). Is there any way I can unlock it — besides powering down? Oh, I have an Atari 800. Jon Chow

This "lock-up" is caused by a bug in the BASIC cartridge. It can occur when editing or deleting long program lines. There is no way to "un-crash" other than turning the power off and back on. It's best to save programs often, and avoid using very long program lines.