Action!

Action! is a procedural programming language and integrated development environment written by Clinton Parker for the Atari 8-bit family.

The language, which is similar to ALGOL, compiles to high-performance code for the MOS Technology 6502 of the Atari computers.

Action! was distributed on ROM cartridge by Optimized Systems Software starting in 1983.

It was one of the company’s first bank-switched 16 kB “Super Cartridges”.

The runtime library is stored in the cartridge; to make a standalone application requires the Action! Toolkit which was sold separately by OSS.

Parker, working with Henry Baker, had previously developed Micro-SPL, a systems programming language for the Xerox Alto.

Action! is largely a port of Micro-SPL concepts to the Atari with changes to support the 6502 processor and the addition of an integrated fullscreen editor and debugger.

Action! was used to develop at least two commercial products—the HomePak productivity suite and Games Computers Play client program—and numerous programs in ANALOG Computing and Antic magazines.

The editor inspired the PaperClip word processor.

The language was not ported to other platforms.

The assembly language source code for Action! was made available under the GNU General Public License by the author in 2015.