What is your C64?
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
My first computer was a Commodore PET, with a whole 8K (!) of RAM. I used it to learn 6502 Assembly Language, and hand-assembled short routines to speed up some BASIC programs. I also remember calculating prime numbers, and calculating e to about 1,000 digits using multiple-precision arithmetic routines that I wrote. A few years later, my father bought a "portable" IBM PC, which was upgraded with a 20MB hard disk to make an XT-compatible. This was built like a tank, and massed about 20kg, so it was more "luggable" than portable. We later added an 8087, which I used for a lot of my M.Sc. research (incomplete, unfortunately). It was much more cost-effecting than using the mainframe at the University...
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.
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First machine was an Amiga 1000 (the original one); Dad got it for us (mostly me), it cost $5000 !!! I wish I still has it.
I'd rather be phishing!
Maximilien wrote:
I wish I still has it.
But why? What was so good about it?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
Atari 400, 4k ram.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 -
In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
Dick Smith in Australia put out a "Super 80" computer which was basically a Radio Shack TRS-80 model II knock off, but at less than half the price. Briefly owned one, smashed it to bits with a hammer (most fun I ever had with it) when I moved onto... a Beeb (BBC Micro) with ISO Pascal ROM because BASIC was for weenies that couldn't write proper programs. (It was a real "structured language!") after that briefly an "IBM-PC clone" - 8086, that was a real CPU with the huge 10MB HDD and 3.5" floppy (I mean 5MB just didn't cut it and 5 1/4 FDDs were just too, well, too floppy - not that they had anything on the flex of an 8".) onto a celeron 386 (XP, multi tasking), i5 4650 (FreeBSD - Unix then win7 for doing work), and now i5-8400 (linux because let's face it, win10 sucks and is a waste on a modern CPU)
Message Signature (Click to edit ->)
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Atari 400, 4k ram.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013Good choice. Still have one sitting on the shelf, along with all the other Ataris.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats. His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
I will be buying my first computer at the end of my current project (when the client finally pays) and it will be the "Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 (14”) laptop" :)
"Coming soon"
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
Netronics Elf II[^], a kit based on the original COSMAC Elf[^] from 1976. Build one yourself to find out why it was so much fun. The little graphics chip is almost impossible to find anymore, but the processor has still been in production until a few years ago. This is a computer from the time when you had to solder if you wanted to have your own computer. The parts list is astonishingly shhort for the time and the little guy could do a lot, even without expansions. Ok, 256 bytes RAM were a little restrictive, but by adding the graphics chip (whopping 64 x 64 pixel resolution) you could already make something happen on a screen. DIY computers and kits often had no graphics at all, so this was really something. Best of all: I still have it and it's still as good as ever. Ok, the bus connectors and the keyboards are worn out, but I want to keep it in its original state and don't want to rip it apart. Instead, I'm designing a new one. Overclocked processor, 16 Mb RAM, PIC32 based graphics chip. Lots of fun. Much more interesting than the antics of Mickeysoft and the like.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats. His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
The first computer I owned wasn't until after I left university, and had enough disposable income (after beer charges, natch) to be able to buy what I wanted when I wanted it. Amstrad PC1640 (the twin floppy version), which I immediately upgraded with a Hardcard: a HDD and controller on a big long PC slot card. 32MB that I thought was amazing, even with an access speed measured in furlongs per fortnight compared to modern stuff.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640 Never throw anything away, Griff Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt -
In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
Mine was a ZX Spectrum[^] 48K. Although it nearly wasn't - when we got it home, the box was empty. They'd given us the display box instead of getting one of the real boxes from the back of the store. :laugh:
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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Netronics Elf II[^], a kit based on the original COSMAC Elf[^] from 1976. Build one yourself to find out why it was so much fun. The little graphics chip is almost impossible to find anymore, but the processor has still been in production until a few years ago. This is a computer from the time when you had to solder if you wanted to have your own computer. The parts list is astonishingly shhort for the time and the little guy could do a lot, even without expansions. Ok, 256 bytes RAM were a little restrictive, but by adding the graphics chip (whopping 64 x 64 pixel resolution) you could already make something happen on a screen. DIY computers and kits often had no graphics at all, so this was really something. Best of all: I still have it and it's still as good as ever. Ok, the bus connectors and the keyboards are worn out, but I want to keep it in its original state and don't want to rip it apart. Instead, I'm designing a new one. Overclocked processor, 16 Mb RAM, PIC32 based graphics chip. Lots of fun. Much more interesting than the antics of Mickeysoft and the like.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats. His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
What are you using to recreate the processor?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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The first computer I owned wasn't until after I left university, and had enough disposable income (after beer charges, natch) to be able to buy what I wanted when I wanted it. Amstrad PC1640 (the twin floppy version), which I immediately upgraded with a Hardcard: a HDD and controller on a big long PC slot card. 32MB that I thought was amazing, even with an access speed measured in furlongs per fortnight compared to modern stuff.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640 Never throw anything away, Griff Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
OriginalGriff wrote:
access speed measured in furlongs per fortnight
I still have that problem. The controllers basically were glorified parallel ports. You were lucky when the CPU did not have to access that port several times to bit bang the signals on the bus. That part probably was already done by about 20 pounds of TTL logic on that board. Still, fetching one 16 bit word after another over the ISA bus (or its XT predecessor) is a slow affair. Or did they really invest another 20 pounds of TTL logic in some DMA feature?
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats. His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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What are you using to recreate the processor?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
The real thing. I have a brand new CDP1802BCE for that, but maybe I will need a second one on the graphics card. I want 3D graphics on an 8 bit processor :-)
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats. His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
The company I worked for gave me and DEC LSI-11/23 running some flavor of unix, with the cc compiler and a vt100 to take home as it was destined for scrap. This was the day of the C64, Amiga and others. This was entertaining until I got one of those new fangled 8088 XT PC clones from Taiwan - the ones with the flip top metal case that were seemingly everywhere and ran DOS 3.31. In between the family bought a TI994a that had BASIC and went composite to the TV but frankly, that didn't count for much of anything. We made basic loops that send expletives to the TV. Ah-ha, see what we made the computer say. Today fortunately for everyone, our Echo Dot is hip to our tendencies and won't play ball.
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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Maximilien wrote:
I wish I still has it.
But why? What was so good about it?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:
What was so good about it?
Imagine a multitasking windowed-OS, on 880Kb.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:
What was so good about it?
Imagine a multitasking windowed-OS, on 880Kb.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
Like GEOS? I had that on 64Kb too :-)
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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Maximilien wrote:
I wish I still has it.
But why? What was so good about it?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
Very good (for the time) graphics, sound chip, motorola 68000, OS. And there was a game on it that I really liked, [The Four Crystals of Trazere - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYLlS4AcJfY) , I still think about it. and others like Eye of the Beholder.
I'd rather be phishing!
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Mine was a ZX Spectrum[^] 48K. Although it nearly wasn't - when we got it home, the box was empty. They'd given us the display box instead of getting one of the real boxes from the back of the store. :laugh:
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer
Richard Deeming wrote:
when we got it home, ... from the back of the store.
Now, that's dating you! (And me, of course!)
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640 Never throw anything away, Griff Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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In the late 70s and early 80s (that is 1970s/1980s) there was a big rush in the home computer market, that concludes in our time with computers everywhere... I had some discussions about that time and was wondering... * Was that really that good? * What was so good (or bad) about it? * Do we have it somewhere today? * What is/was your C64? I wasn't aware of it then (no other experience), but what is most amazing while looking back is the total control, the work without any mediator between you and the computer, between the software and the hardware (which was of course a source some interesting smell/smoke/noise)... I could sit down after-school and within a few seconds was in the computer, hacking it away... What is your experience?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
At first there was the PET, 25 lines by 40 columns with character graphics and all the green screen fun you might want. I spent a fortune to increase the memory from 8k to 16k. Then I spent another fortune on twin floppy-disk drives. The equivalent of $2,000 for 1.02Mb Commodore format 5 1/4" floppies. Then I got a second-hand "business class" PET fairly cheap with 25 lines and 80 columns and a very pale green (they claimed white) screen. Amazing - except the lines didn't join vertically as there was a couple of pixels gap between lines, presumably to improve readability on lines of business stuff - but no good for games. I then started a home PC rental company and supplied ZX-81s, Dragons, BBC-Bs, TRS-80s and the brand new ZX-Spectrum! We set up the option to rent before you buy and most people ended up buying, thank goodness. It didn't last long as a couple of friends of mine I partnered with wanted to concentrate on ZX-81s and I wanted to just do the BBC-B. They were married and outvoted me 2 to 1 so we got a bunch of ZX-81s (and Spectrums) which luckily sold quickly bringing almost no income or profit. At the same time we got dozens of requests for the BBC micro but we ran out after we sold both we had in stock and my partners didn't want to admit they were wrong so we didn't buy more - and closed down the business after the last PC we had, the one and only Dragon, sold. Then, PCs, and the rest is history. Note: We also had a VIC 20 but never had a C64.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
