Some other users mentioned new 8 bit/retro computers, and another one that comes to mind is the Agon Light. I've never used it and I don't know too much about it, but it looks like it costs only about $58 US, which makes it quite a good deal.

Neat! Thanks for the informational write-up. If it runs an MSDOS clone it must be unrelated to those other Atari personal computers.

Last year I went on an ebay buying spree of vintage 8 and 16 bit computers. I think generally the cheapest I typically found were for TI-99 4/A's.

However, I would agree with the other suggestions to buy a Commodore 64, if you are looking for an actual vintage system, that is. This is still such a popular platform, with good parts availability, lots and lots of documentation, active communities, etc. You mentioned BASIC, and while it might not have the very best BASIC, there are lots of books and online documentation and countless thousands of BASIC programs written for this platform. I think overall it is just the most sensible starting point.

I thought that was the rationale behind the additional registration fee that EV owners have already been paying for a number of years now?

No, my work experience is in the system/network administration and software development fields. So you could say it is adjacent to that somewhat. I've just always loved computers and have wanted to understand how they work and what they can be used for. I get to do a lot of that in my job, but I guess there is a part of that itch which isn't scratched by what I do in the office.

Neat! This is a new one to me. Were these compatible with any of the other Atari 8 bit or 16 bit computers?

Some other channels I like which probably aren't all exactly in line with your stated interest (e.g. vacuum tube computers), but I believe produce good content in the retro computer (and adjacent) arena:

8 bit show and tell (mostly commodore stuff) Ben Eater CuriousMarc Tech Time Traveler

I've left out some that I like (Cathode Ray Dude comes to mind) which are just too far afield of what I think you are asking for, but are still, in my opinion, good retro computer channels (more or less). Of the ones I mentioned I'm thinking maybe CuriousMarc probably fits best with exactly the kind of thing you are looking for.

You're welcome.

In retrospect I sort of got over excited and rather than answering your exact question I just shared a bunch of my favorite channels. But hopefully you can still find one or two that fits the bill. :)

Hey, be nice to that poor P500!