ATBW Blog Update History

This page contains the update history of ATBW Blog, which was released on April 4, 1990 before becoming an actual website on October 1, 1992. Since then, it has seen 17 major revisions throughout the site history, and the layout was changed consistently throughout.

Version 1 (April 4, 1990)
Version 1 is the first version released when the software was released before being upgraded to an actual site a few years later. It ran on a floppy disk containing the software, though these disks no longer work anymore as it was shut down after the launch of the site.

Version 1.0
The first version was released when the program came out on April 4, 1990 as a program on a floppy disk in which multiple users could access the application and play games between computers provided that it was hooked to the same destination folder as other computers. The File Directory showed the latest additions that were added by other users, and they can be opened by other users using the disk, while the entire program is over a blue background.

Version 1.1
Version 1.1 was released on September 27, 1990 and it added interchangeable colors to the background and text using a color wheel to customize the layout specifically for the user's disk, while at the same time retaining the original background by default.

Version 1.2
Version 1.2 was released on January 11, 1991 and it added tabs to separate Games, Videos, and Photos from Blogs. Previously, all of these were in one tab that required the user to scroll up and down the File Directory to search for what they needed. In addition, a search bar was also added so that users could search for a specific type of media or account they wanted to find without having to scroll up and down as in previous versions, which was difficult and even tiresome.

Version 1.3
Version 1.3 was released on March 25, 1991 and it added many different languages upon use, which is completed by going down to the bottom and selecting the preferred language., and it also fixed a bug that would randomly occur when searching.

Version 1.4
Version 1.4 was released on June 8, 1991 and it removed the "User:" prefix from the user's account, which was previously added. This is also the first version to receive support for Mac, DOS, and Amiga computers interchangeably, without having to buy a separate floppy disk for each one. Previously, a user who had more than one of these computers would have to buy a separate disk for each. As a result, an entirely new floppy disk was released with all three readers for each system.

Version 1.5
Version 1.5 was released on August 25, 1991 and it added improvements to the front page, such as a calendar, clock, and a top three chart, which showed the top three most trending accounts on the software at the time. The colors for those could be changed separately and each one could have a different color to it based on user preference. Even the outlines could be changed to a different color in the same manner as anything else at the time.

Version 1.6
Version 1.6 was released on November 13, 1991 and it added a refined file directory in the menu, which removed the corners and made the interface in the shape of a rounded rectangle. At the time, this was supposedly to make it look modern, though this change did not make any difference in reality. This also extended to the calendar, clock, and top three chart boxes as well.

Version 1.7
Version 1.7 was released on February 2, 1992 and it updated the site layout to add a separate button for the user account, which in prior versions was just clickable text. Users were also able to customize this button like with other ones in the settings page.

Version 1.8
Version 1.8 was released on May 14, 1992 and it was the last update for the Floppy Disk format of ATBW Blog prior to the launch of the site. This version added the settings button directly beside the user account button on the right, which made it easier to change their settings. Previously, users had to go to their account to change their settings.

Version 2 (October 1, 1992)
Version 2 was released on October 1, 1992 after it was converted into an actual website, but the World Wide Web was not generally available until later in 1993-4, in which the floppies served as a cheaper method and were made until 1993, though support continued until 1995. However, this site was launched and easily accessible within ATBW City primarily for tourists and staff members via Internet Cafes that existed at the time. In addition, an Internet Cafe for ATBW Blog opened up around November 1992, which was how popular users at the time were able to publish their content on it.

Version 2.0
Version 2.0 is the first website version that imported the physical floppy disk software onto the World Wide Web for online use without having to use the floppy disk medium to gain access. The website colors were changed to the default web browser colors at the time, which was gray or white.

Version 2.1
Version 2.1 was released on November 7, 1992 and it fixed compatibility issues from version 1 upon migrating.

Version 2.2
Version 2.2 was released on December 18, 1992 and it added additional security protection.

Version 2.3
Version 2.3 was released on January 14, 1993 and it fixed bug issues in terms of character rendering, and it also added improved models for more creativity.

Version 2.4
Version 2.4 was released on April 8, 1993 and it made the ATBW Blog Studio Builder a separate downloadable program and it added a simple music maker to make songs with.

Version 2.5
Version 2.5 was released on June 7, 1993 and it added support for the ATBW A64 at the time.

Version 2.6
Version 2.6 was released on September 8, 1993 and it added more polygons and pixels to the studio, as well as adding additional colors in many more shades. Previously, there were only very few colors to choose from, which were red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, magenta, brown, gray, white, pink, and black and all were only in one shade of color. This advancement allowed for Signature Studios to make an improved version of Signature Deer, which was released the next year.

Version 2.7
Version 2.7 was released on October 23, 1993 and it added parental controls for user accounts under 18 years old. As Beavis and Butt-Head gained a lot of success, some short clips were published to the site by authors and the series itself generated a lot of controversy and infamy despite its success, and games started becoming more realistic as updates to the site played a partial role in it. These parental controls blocked content inappropriate for minors and required all authors to set restrictions on the content they post if it is deemed inappropriate. This mechanism however was also controversial because it was overly restrictive in what users could view and it also rendered the program a regime. In fact, because of the mechanism's controversy and issues, it had to be re-done in the next update afterwards to only block content that is actually inappropriate and illegal.

Version 2.8
Version 2.8 was released on November 8, 1993 in response to the controversy of the Parental Controls mechanism. In the previous version, it blocked all content deemed unsuitable for all users under 18 years old. This version revised it to only block content that is actually inappropriate and even illegal rather than just assumption of it being inappropriate, and it also allowed for 14 year olds to view certain content so long as it is age appropriate.

At the same time, some clips of Sonic Says were published by authors on the site that pertaining to the issues caused by Beavis and Butt-head as well as localized PSA's such as Know From Turbo Bull from Merrill Studios and Safety With Signature Deer from Signature Studios were also partial reasons for the slight leniency update for the site's Parental Controls, making it less restrictive.

Version 2.9
Version 2.9 was released on November 23, 1993 and it added a new Content Rating Board (CRB), in which content meant for everyone was given the GA rating, those suitable for 14 years and older were given GA-14 rating, and mature content was given R-17, while content with adults-only content that did not violate the site's rules was was given the NC-21 rating, provided that no illegal content was present and that it still followed the site's rules. Content meant for preschoolers were given the EC-2 rating. The parental controls were also updated again to reflect this.

Version 2.10
Version 2.10 was released on January 8, 1994 and it fixed technical security problems with the main page.

Version 2.11
Version 2.11 was released on March 3, 1994 and it improved compatibility for Mosaic Web Browser. The program on floppy disk format was also shut down that same time.

Version 2.12
Version 2.12 was released on May 21, 1994 and it added a content rating system, in which users can rate content from 0 to 5 using stars.

Version 2.13
Version 2.13 was released on July 5, 1994 and it allowed for users to put all of their content on a floppy disk.

Version 2.14
Version 2.14 was released on September 5, 1994 and it added support for online gaming before it was practical.

Version 2.15
Version 2.15 was released on December 18, 1994 and it added a voting system for blogs in which users can vote up or down. It did not replace the rating system.

Version 2.16
Version 2.16 was released on January 23, 1995 and it allowed for users to add custom text colors for content, as well as wikitext, which included bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, superscript, subscript, indent, big, small, and computer coding texts for blogs, as well as adding bullet lists and numerical, roman, and lettered lists, uppercase or lowercase. This was also the last version of Version 2 to be released.

Version 3 (February 25, 1995)
Version 3 was released on February 25, 1995 and it added an optional opaque white background website, but users could leave the site transparent or change the color of the opaque background. It also improved the user account interface and made it easier to publish content and gave users the ability to edit their account. It was also the first version to add compatibility for Internet Explorer as it was released, and was also the last version to support floppy disks.

Version 3.0
Version 3.0 changed the site interface and made it more accessible in both internet cafes and at home. It also allowed for users to subscribe to their favorite authors and follow up on what they post.

Version 3.1
Version 3.1 was released on April 18, 1995 and it fixed minor bug issues when publishing content.

Version 3.2
Version 3.2 was released on June 20, 1995 and allowed for 3D games to be published onto the site. More colors were also added to ATBW Blog Studio Builder.

Version 3.3
Version 3.3 was released on September 8, 1995 and added support for Internet Explorer, and as such was modified to be more useable on more web browsers. Support for the ATBW Blog Portable was also added.

Version 3.4
Version 3.4 was released on November 15, 1995 and it fixed bugs caused by polygons in ATBW Blog Studio Builder.

Version 3.5
Version 3.5 was released on February 10, 1996 and it added features that would allow for content to be shared by users via by email.

Version 3.6
Version 3.6 was released on May 28, 1996 and it added features that would allow for video files to be published to the site from home cameras. While this was previously possible on the site, this version made it even more easier at the time because users could open their computer's file explorer and drag files onto the site with the publisher tab open.

Version 3.7
Version 3.7 was released on July 8, 1996 and added galleries for users to add content in.

Version 3.8
Version 3.8 was released on September 18, 1996 and it added new features that made it easier for users to publish content. Blogs were also updated to be easier to use.

Version 3.9
Version 3.9 was released on November 16, 1996 and it added more instruments to ATBW Blog Studio Builder's music programs.

Version 3.10
Version 3.10 was released on January 27, 1997 and it allowed for users to create real gradients to use on polygons and pixels. Previously, this was not possible and users had to blend other colors to make gradients themselves.

Version 3.11
Version 3.11 was released on March 14, 1997 and it removed the ability to write content onto floppy disks, and added the ability to write content onto compact discs, this was due to floppy disks being phased out at this point.

Version 3.12
Version 3.12 was released on May 18, 1997 and it allowed for users to reply to comments by using the "@" symbol with their name typed after it. However, users still had to post separate comments for this to work.

Version 3.13
Version 3.13 was released on September 9, 1997 and it fixed bugs on the home page.

Version 3.14
Version 3.14 was released on January 8, 1998 and it fixed security issues on the site.

Version 3.15
Version 3.15 was released on March 17, 1998 and it improved compatibility for home cameras.

Version 4 (April 21, 1998)
Version 4 was released on April 21, 1998 and it removed the transparent background but still kept the customizable opaque background. New features such as e-mail were also later added to this version.

Version 4.0
Version 4.0 was the first version, removing the transparent background and making the opaque background default, but still kept the customizeable color background.