57 replies to this topic

[HammR25]

Curt has put up with a lot of crap. Part of that comes with the territory of taking people's money. Other parts of it have been ridiculous though. I'd just like to thank Curt for taking on the XM project, heading it up, coordinating with others in the community and seeing it through to completion. Oh and btw your site says there are 23 XM units left for preorder. If you started with 250 units that would mean there have been 227 preorders. That's pretty awesome for a homebrew project.

[save2600]

Curt rocks. Plain and simple. Always has. Always will.

[Atari_Bill]

I had great dealings with Curt when purchasing my awecade unit from him. He helped on multiple occasions to resolve issues. Outstanding guy!

[DracIsBack]

Yes - THANK YOU Curt! You had the joy and passion to "complete" the 7800" in a way the Tramiels did not. You found a way to distribute the sound enhancements that GCC intended but the Tramiels were too cheap to pay for. You found a way to add more memory and mapper chips, similar to what Nintendo was doing, but the Tramiels were too cheap to pay for. You found a way to make the high score cart that the GCC made and the Tramiels cancelled to live on. And you found a way to add peripherals that GCC intended but the Tramiels cancelled.

You put it all in one package, saving the cannibalization of many cartridges. You took tremendous care ... from casing, to manuals, to box design to ensure it felt like a real Atari product. You sacrificed countless hours of your perosnal time and boatloads of your own money to bring this labour of love to life. To collaobrated with 7800 talent galore (new and old) and you did it all while killjoys in the peanut gallery cajoled, insulted, accused, blamed etc.

All so 7800 fans could have something truly and ambitiously special.

Thank you Curt. Thank you dearly!

[Trebor]

I had nothing but pleasant dealings and great experiences with Curt. I knew he was a standup guy, and was dedicated, but this post...

http://www.atariage....ost__p__2334585

...really drives the point home. He has gone above and beyond what most would do for a community and a hobby. He deserves nothing but our support and respect.

Thank you Curt for all you have done and continue to do for the community. It is greatly appreciated.

Edited by Trebor, Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:31 PM.

[gorfcadet]

I hope to be one of those 23. The first payday of the school year takes forever!

[raskar42]

i appreciate curt vendel and everyone at legacy engineering.

[toiletunes]

It's about time there was a Curt Appreciation Thread. I love my FB2, and I am contentedly awaiting the XM.

[Atari Joe]

I started on a thread like this yesterday but instead chose to post my thoughts here:

http://www.atariage....85#entry2334585

I believe it's worth a read.

[Curt Vendel]

This wasn't necessary, but thank you to everyone.

[Random Terrain]

Curt Vendel, on Tue Jul 26, 2011 2:02 PM, said:

This wasn't necessary, but thank you to everyone.

That sidewalk spit is delicious!

[Retro Rogue]

Is this a luncheon? I think I ordered the fish.

[Atari Joe]

Atari7800.com has a new splash page up..

http://www.Atari7800.com

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

This was done per my suggestion btw and it 20 mins later it was done.

Attached Thumbnails

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[Gabriel]

Yes. Thank you Curt.

[jaybird3rd]

Random Terrain, on Tue Jul 26, 2011 2:07 PM, said:

That sidewalk spit is delicious!

Silly goose! Don't you know that was a perfectly innocuous and innocent remark that didn't affect anyone's actions in any way whatsoever?

But seriously, I can only echo what others have already expressed in their appreciation of everything that Curt has brought to the classic video game and computing hobby. It probably wouldn't have become a hobby--certainly not one with as much materials and information to work with--had it not been for the numerous contributions Curt has made over the years, either on his own or in collaboration with people like Marty Goldberg and the Legacy Engineering team or the team behind the XM. It's easy for us to take these contributions for granted now because they've become so much a "part of the Atari canon", as it were, but stop and think about them for a moment. He has conducted extensive research and interviews in order to construct a more complete picture of Atari's history and decision-making processes, he has rescued countless pieces of history (prototype hardware, game source code, paperwork, you name it) from oblivion, and he has been instrumental in commercializing the classic Atari assets through the Flashback consoles, the USB joysticks, and all the other projects he's had a hand in ... and all that doesn't even include the one-on-one assistance he has generously offered to other hobbyists like myself. There aren't too many among us who can claim the same level of accomplishment.

[PacManPlus]

Thanks Curt - you are one of the hardest working people I know, as well as someone who does so much for this hobby, simply because of the love of it.

Thank you X 100,000
Bob

[Atari Joe]

PacManPlus, on Tue Jul 26, 2011 4:31 PM, said:

Thanks Curt - you are one of the hardest working people I know, as well as someone who does so much for this hobby, simply because of the love of it.

Thank you X 100,000
Bob

Bob I was just thinking the same about you and all you've done and put up with. I said to Nathan Allen that I should make you a publix cake or something with the space invaders guys aliens on it and bring it to your house.

Joe

[kskunk]

Curt is my role model! I've only released one tiny Atari-related product to his dozens, but his efforts have always been inspiring. Who knew one person could support such a diverse community so thoroughly?

I've probably read every document shared at the Atari History Museum and many more documents and lines of source code that all exist due to Curt's efforts.

It would be much harder to gather both the information AND the enthusiasm to keep this hobby alive without the efforts of Curt Vendel. (I won't cheapen it by saying 'people like Curt Vendel', because to my knowledge there isn't anyone else in the community who does as much to support geeks like me.)

Thank you Curt!

- KS

[TwiliteZoner]

With all of the issues Curt has had regarding his health; stressing out over a hobby project is really the last thing he needs. Hopefully once the project is complete Curt can recharge and at some point come back.

Thanks again Curt for everything.

[nathanallan]

Curt's a great guy and yeah, works really hard (almost to death!) for this awesome hobby/passion. CHEERS to Curt!

[DEBRO]

I know Curt said this wasn't necessary but since it was started I thought I'd jump in too.

I've worked with Curt in the past and have nothing but good things to say about him. He is definitely trust worthy and a man of his word. I really wish I could comment on a situation where he helped tremendously but out of respect of his wishes, I'll leave it at that.

Curt, thank you again for all you have done and I will continue to support you in the future.

[Animan]

Curt is totally metal!

[Atari Joe]

DEBRO, on Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:03 AM, said:

I know Curt said this wasn't necessary but since it was started I thought I'd jump in too.

I've worked with Curt in the past and have nothing but good things to say about him. He is definitely trust worthy and a man of his word. I really wish I could comment on a situation where he helped tremendously but out of respect of his wishes, I'll leave it at that.

Curt, thank you again for all you have done and I will continue to support you in the future.

Hey Dennis, while we're on the subj of appreciation I want to tell you that Climber 5 is one of my all-time favorite video games for the 2600 and that whenever someone says "hey Joe who is your favorite programmer for the 2600" sure I can never pick just one, but you're always up there at the top of my answer with gentlemen like Howie Warshaw and David Crane. Not to mention other awesome homebrew guys like Eduardo on CV, Bob & Marc on 7800, Cafeman on 5200, so on and so forth. You're always up there with the best of all time and I was so pleased to see your game on the Flashback when I brought it home that was bad to the bone. Thank you sir for your hard work and your artistry.

Sincerely,
Joe

[ntavio]

Thank you Curt.

[Random Terrain]

Animan, on Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:40 AM, said:

Curt is totally metal!

Do you mean he has long girly hair, a voice like Cookie Monster, and likes to shake his head up and down to induce brain damage or do you mean that he's a robot? If he's a robot, how does he poop? Can robots poop? Wouldn't they get all rusty inside? Humans have iron in them, but they don't get rusty. Or maybe they do. I've seen a lot of old people who look like they need a squirt of oil.