"Compute!"s original goal was to write about and publish programs for all of the computers that used some version of the MOS Technology 6502 CPU. It started out in 1979 with the Commodore PET, VIC-20, Atari 400/800, Apple II+, and some 6502-based computers one could build from kits, such as the Rockwell AIM 65, the KIM-1 by MOS Technology, and others from companies such as Ohio Scientific. Coverage of the kit computers and the Commodore PET were eventually dropped. The platforms that became mainstays at the magazine were the Commodore 64, VIC-20, Atari 8-bit family, TI-99/4A, and the Apple II. Later on the 6502 platform focus was dropped and IBM PC, Atari ST, and the Amiga computers were added to its line-up. It also published a successful line of computer books, many of which consisted of compilations of articles from the magazine.