Paperweight, an April Fool's Prank from 40 years ago

In April 1986, ANALOG Computing published a prank program called 'Paperweight' that claimed to use a 'Self Destruct Vector' to turn Atari 8-bit computers into decorative objects.

Paperweight, an April Fool's Prank from 40 years ago

Get some use out of that obsolete 8-bit Atari

Back in April 1986, ANALOG Computing ran an article on page 113 called Paperweight by Curt Cox. This was a clever machine language submission that, as the article described, used the newly released SDV (Self Destruct Vector) to destroy an 8-bit Atari, turning it into a cool-looking paperweight.

Read on to learn how this program caused some controversy in the Atari computer world and to watch a video of it in action.

Source: Hacker News

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