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World of Commodore 2011 December 3rd In Toronto

Posted by samzenpus on from the playing-it-old-school dept.

Leif_Bloomquist writes "The Toronto PET Users Group (TPUG) is pleased to announce the World of Commodore 2011. TPUG would like to invite everyone to join us for a weekend of all things Commodore. There will be information about and displays of a variety of Commodore computers, demonstrations of new hardware and software projects using Commodore equipment, screenings of Commodore related videos, vendors selling the latest hardware and software available for Commodore computers as well as classic hardware, accessories, applications, games and much more."

142 comments

  1. First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Get a real computer you cheap assholes.

    1. Re:First Post by Jeremi · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Get a real computer you cheap assholes.

      People who still use Commodores in 2011 are many things, but cheap is not one of them. Keeping an antiquated computer running and doing useful work is going to cost them much more than buying a new low-end PC from Walmart would. (and that's not even counting the airfare to Toronto)

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    2. Re:First Post by rubycodez · · Score: 1

      Indeed, curse the chiclet keyboard of the old models; and the video circuits destroyable by POKE 59458,62 on the newer.

    3. Re:First Post by BobZee1 · · Score: 1

      i love the sound of the 1541 drive spinnin that 5.25" floppy. ssic ssic ssic ssic :~)>

      --
      dumber people are doing harder things everyday
    4. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get a real personality you GEN Z freak.

    5. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      World of Commodore... Held in Admiral Inn...

      Someone has a sense of humor.

    6. Re:First Post by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 4, Informative

      The launch price of the original C64 adjusted for inflation is $1141.54. It sure wasn't cheap even back then, especially because many people were still using typewriters. The new C64 PCs range in price from $595 to $895, and the price-competitive Macs smoke them as far as specs go.

      Of course, the smart ones will just take that money and build their own box, and have something capable of running the latest games.

    7. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get a real personality you GEN Z freak.

      What's GEN Z? Never heard of it.

      Is there any chance you might have meant gen Z?

      Or is your shitty 1980s keyboard working like you'd expect it to?

    8. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You understood what i meant, no need to be an anally-retentive pedantic product of Generation Z ;) buddy

    9. Re:First Post by BatGnat · · Score: 1

      1541 Floppy drive was just as expensive as the computer. The 1571 was double the c64 price tag, but by default had no advantage over the 1541. And the 1581 never ever existed, according to CBM Australia.

    10. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      you must be young, if this doesn't ring any nostalgia with you.

      Anyways, I think it's really cool. It's just a club, to have fun, and friendship with like minded people.

      I am not at the level of commitment of any of these folks, but i have all kinds of old computers, apples, commodores, and all kinds of other stuff. i like the feeling i get when i look at them.

      This sounds like fun from their club:

      - The Ultimate Modded Commodore 64C
      Stereo sound, four joystick ports, joystick/mouse switcher, four selectable Kernals, reset switch, IDE, Compact Flash, 20GB hard drive, CD-ROM, USB, Ethernet, and uses a Commodore 128 power supply. But still runs at 1 MHz and has 64K RAM!

    11. Re:First Post by beltsbear · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually the 1571 was double sided so 2x the capacity and much more reliable. The 1541 was single sided though people often notched and 'flipped' their disks to get the same capacity per disk. The 1581 did exist, I had one. They are on ebay as well.

    12. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

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    13. Re:First Post by sheehaje · · Score: 2

      Also, being double sided was more than a convienence, especially for BBS SysOps who couldn't just flip disks 24/7 but needed extra storage for file transfer sections or door games. While IBM PC's took over the BBS landscape early in the 90's, Commodore I remember being an early front runner in the 80's because of decent BBS software and ease of setting one up. It took BBS's from the mainframe systems and let home enthusiasts have some of the fun, or frustration depending how you look at it.

      I really miss those days. Online was way more personal, because it was way more local being confined mostly to an area code.

    14. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Fuck off, troll.

    15. Re:First Post by LocalH · · Score: 2

      By default, the 1571 powers up in 1541 mode, so the GP was correct. Unless used with a C128 in C128 mode, you must manually set the drive to 1571 mode to access double-sided disks (the command to be sent to the command channel was "U0>M1"). Then you can format the disk and get 1328 blocks free instead of the standard 664. The drive must be in 1571 mode to access files on both sides, although AFAIK files physically stored on the front side of the disk will be accessible even in 1541 mode.

      --
      FC Closer
    16. Re:First Post by FPhlyer · · Score: 3, Informative

      If you really, really, really need a retro keyboard you would be better off buying a non-functional Commodore 64 from ebay for about $20 or less with $15 shipping then purchasing a Keyrah board from amigakit.com for about $35 and turning the thing into a USB keyboard. Total cost: $70.00. Plug it into an existing machine and load one of the free C64 emulators (Frodo, Vice, etc.) and enjoy.

      --
      Brought to you by Frobozz Magic Penguin Fodder.
    17. Re:First Post by FPhlyer · · Score: 1

      My 1541 was actually more expensive than the actual C64 when I got it back in the day.
      Oh... and get your 1581 here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Commodore-1581-Disk-Drive-tested-and-working-/190608048217?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c61200059

      --
      Brought to you by Frobozz Magic Penguin Fodder.
    18. Re:First Post by beltsbear · · Score: 2

      You are nitpicking there. It is incorrect to say 'by default' the 1571 had no advantage over the 1541 because on a C64 it did not do double capacity without a command. If you had a 128, then it did do double capacity be default and on a C64 it could do it with a simple command. That also does not address the huge improvement in reliability that the 1571 had over the 1541, as well as speed advantages. The 1571 was intended for sale for the 128 but would work with other models like the c64.

    19. Re:First Post by Ihmhi · · Score: 1

      Geeks in general have a good sense of humor.

      --
      Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
    20. Re:First Post by Errtu76 · · Score: 1

      I even got a special 'clipper' to create the notch. They sold them right next to the drives even. And then we opened up the floppy, took out the grey disk and put five of 'm together in one, so you could send it through mail. Ah, those were the days. You could say we were uploading 5 x 360k in 2 days, which would comes down to about 10 bytes p/s! Without a modem!

    21. Re:First Post by AlanS2002 · · Score: 1

      I had a floppy drive not made by commodore (can't remember the maker). It was cheaper and faster than the commodore ones.

      --
      Not all conservatives are stupid,
      but it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
      - Hume
    22. Re:First Post by jhalme · · Score: 1

      Oceanic OC-118N?

    23. Re:First Post by 2fuf · · Score: 1

      YMMV

    24. Re:First Post by PhotoJim · · Score: 1

      Isn't that sort of like saying that, by default, a fridge is inconvenient because you have to open a door to get your beer out?

      With the C128, the 1571 gave full capacity by default. With a C64, it didn't - it pretended to be a 1541 drive so that copy-protected games worked. A simple command and the emulation was disabled so that you could have full disk capacity. It was a brilliant, user-friendly move if you ask me, in an era when user friendliness was just beginning (the Mac was just released that year after all).

    25. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not your buddy, pal!

    26. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not me, so shut the fuck up now.

    27. Re:First Post by Ihmhi · · Score: 1

      *cough* "in general". I guess they have a good sense of humor but poor pun detection.

      --
      Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
    28. Re:First Post by 2fuf · · Score: 1

      oh ok :-) YMMV stands here for Yacht Marine Mystery Vessel! :-D

    29. Re:First Post by LocalH · · Score: 1

      "By default" is basically the same thing as "out-of-box experience", as I'm reading it here. Yes, the 1571 was a lot more reliable than the 1541 (so was the 1541-II, however). Let me qualify the statement a bit to make it more accurate.

      By default, the 1571 has no advantage over the 1541-II for C64 users. C128 users do benefit the most of anyone when in C128 mode, and users of any other IEC-based machines benefit when explicitly commanding the drive to switch to 1571 mode.

      You also mention speed advantages, something that absolutely requires either a C128 or a modified C64 in order to utilize fast IEC. A stock C64 can not, AFAIK, transfer data at fast IEC speeds.

      --
      FC Closer
    30. Re:First Post by LocalH · · Score: 1

      Nope, since I never stated anything about the 1571's "convenience", merely the default power-up state of the drive absent any external influence (which is not modifiable without burning new ROMs, since the drive does not store any settings or state when powered off).

      With the C128 even, the 1571 gave no benefits "by default", to be technically accurate. It doesn't do anything special until the C128 sends a fast serial request. One could include this in "by default", since it happens with no user interaction, but that doesn't change my initial agreement that the 1571 offers no real benefit by default, without requiring the user explicitly invoke 1571 mode. Even considering the point another poster made about reliability, the 1541-II offers much of the same hardware quality without the 1571-specific features.

      Note that I am not bashing the 1571 by any means. Counting the one in my C128D, I've owned three 1571s throughout my life and they've all been damn good drives. C128+1571+double-sided formatting = very nice productivity system, especially with the programs available to harness the VDC chip. Commodore was pretty good with user-friendliness back in those days. Look at how well they handled C64 compatibility - even accounting for the C128-only registers that are still accessible from C64 mode, they did a really good job with making C64 mode look and work like a real C64 for almost all people. AFAIK, the only C64 cartridge that wouldn't work was the CP/M cart, which was kinda moot with the C128 able to run CP/M out of the box. Even the Magic Voice, which outright abused the C64's expansion port lines (and thus doesn't work properly on a C128 normally) works if you explicitly boot in C64 mode by holding the C= key. Without the presence of the Z80 to handle system bootup, this would not have been possible. Very ingenious engineers, those guys. Bil Herd et al. are technological geniuses.

      --
      FC Closer
    31. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah! And those guys who own 50 year old cars and go to auto shows with them, "Stop being so damn cheap and get something from this century!"

  2. Demonstrations of new hardware? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Commodore is really just about nostalgia now, please don't ruin that one thing we cherish.

    1. Re:Demonstrations of new hardware? by FPhlyer · · Score: 2

      Commodore is not just about nostalgia. A big part of the Commodore community is about seeing just how far you can push 8-bit technology. Ram Expansion Units (REUs) and other cartridges that expand the capabilities of the base machine are simply fun to play with. One of my personal favorites is the Turbo Chameleon cartridge that adds VGA-out, stereo and ethernet to the old C-64. The Chameleon can also be used in stand-alone mode as a FPGA system running c64 and Amiga 500 cores. A cheaper option is the MCC-216 which does not have the ability to act as a cartridge in an actual c64 but does allow the end user to run Amiga, c64, Apple II and Atari 2600 cores.
      If you have an old Commodore lying around that no longer boots you might be interested in the Keyrah: a small board that fits inside the Commodore's case and allows you to use the old system as a USB keyboard. Great for emulators.
      Check out www.amigakit.com for options!

      --
      Brought to you by Frobozz Magic Penguin Fodder.
    2. Re:Demonstrations of new hardware? by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      What do you mean, "adds stereo"? Does this company have a stockpile of 6581s? Where did they get them?

    3. Re:Demonstrations of new hardware? by FPhlyer · · Score: 1

      Perhaps the proper term is "simulated stereo."

      --
      Brought to you by Frobozz Magic Penguin Fodder.
  3. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are confused by Charles Chaplin and the IBM PC Jr. No C= had chicklet keys and none had a poke that did that. And it's not even Commodore. It ceased to exist before you were even born !!

  4. Great timing! by Osgeld · · Score: 2

    That gives me a whole day to come up with transportation and hotel and move from the southern USA to Canada! (if I could afford to do such anyway)

    Ok I get it if this is really your thing one would know about this months in advance but thanks for the ultra short notice.

    1. Re:Great timing! by Hartree · · Score: 1

      Wish I woulda known about this a while back. I'd have gotten a couple of geek friends together for a retrocomputer road trip.

      But alas with age also comes needing to get time off approved, schedules matched up and arrangements made. No longer can we just say "Screw it, we're going." at 2 am the night before.

    2. Re:Great timing! by westlake · · Score: 1

      Ok I get it if this is really your thing one would know about this months in advance but thanks for the ultra short notice.

      You might have Slashdot's snail-on-a-salt-lick editors to thank for that.

    3. Re:Great timing! by Osgeld · · Score: 1

      it was just announced today

    4. Re:Great timing! by Yvan256 · · Score: 2

      With great age comes great responsibility.

    5. Re:Great timing! by PhotoJim · · Score: 1

      Fly out Friday night, fly home Sunday. I'll be there.

      Granted I planned a month ago but I could still go this weekend if I'd just read about this and didn't have any plans tomorrow.

      (1,200 miles away, but we have non-stop Toronto flights, which helps.)

    6. Re:Great timing! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And alzheimer disease.

    7. Re:Great timing! by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      And great responsibility.

    8. Re:Great timing! by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      And alzheimer disease.

      Damn! I forgot about that.

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
  5. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by Osgeld · · Score: 1

    the poke would kill newer PET machines, in the first revisions it would make text appear faster, in later models it funked up the line analog circuitry causing failure of the CRT.

  6. Are you serious? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Some people really don't have anything useful to do or contribute to our society...
    You've got to be really in "limbo" to even think about organizing an event like this. Not even talking about getting all excited at the thought of assisting that lame event.
    HELLO! Grow up and do something productive you little nerds.

    1. Re:Are you serious? by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      For instance, I haven't seen a UNIVAC-CON announced in a while... maybe the vacuum tube costs got too prohibitive.

    2. Re:Are you serious? by wierd_w · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why do you equate "productive" with "grown up"?

      This fallacy, that when you reach the age of accountability you suddenly must become a dour and sour minded automoton that spends all their time woring, is a very serious problem these days.

      Really, what is so wrong with wanting to get together with a group of people that share similar interests, and just have some old fashioned, totally nonproductive fun?

      Tell me, mr. "Grownup", what exactly does watching weekend football accomplish? What product gets produced? What's that you say? Nothing? Oh, I see... ok, how about having a beer with your friend? What does that accomplish? Oh? Nothing again? By your logic, you shouldn't do those things. Instead you should be spending all your time toiling in obscurity to produce a product... but for whom?

      This is the reason why your post was modded down. Even FOSS developers are not slaves. The joy in creation for creation's sake is destroyed when people bitch, moan, and demand more free shit. Expecting "nerds" to do nothing but work so you can have neat toys you didn't work for, and telling them to grow up when they want to have some fun is perverse.

      If somebody is in need of understanding reality, and growing up, I would say it is you sir. Everyone needs to simply have fun from time to time. Especially adults.

    3. Re:Are you serious? by Maljin+Jolt · · Score: 1

      My Sperry-Univac U90/30 had no vacuum tubes inside, you insensitive clod. It was built out of TTL chips.

      --
      There you are, staring at me again.
    4. Re:Are you serious? by jeremyp · · Score: 2

      Some people really don't have anything useful to do or contribute to our society...

      That is exactly what I thought, after reading your post.

      --
      All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
    5. Re:Are you serious? by idlehanz · · Score: 1

      Getting older is mandatory. Growing up is optional. I have decided to never act my age.

      --
      Changing the world... one research project at a time.
    6. Re:Are you serious? by PhotoJim · · Score: 1

      Yes, because slashdot is productive and useful. :)

      Maybe you should get off the Internet and go do some coding or something productive.

    7. Re:Are you serious? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      You mean like posting derogatory comments on slashdot?
      I know maybe they can start an online campaign to get Firefly put back on the air.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    8. Re:Are you serious? by GSwarthout · · Score: 1

      Have fun eating fiber and watching The Mentalist!

      --
      It is the 21st century and the time for Klax has passed.
  7. She's a brick house by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do they have a special guest concert featuring The Commodores?

    1. Re:She's a brick house by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With a Holden Commodore show afterwards.?

    2. Re:She's a brick house by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hope the organizers clarify what the event is about. There could be trouble if a crowd of rowdy middle aged folks wearing leather jackets, platform shoes and liberal doses of cologne/perfume shows up.

  8. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by rubycodez · · Score: 3, Informative

    Let me help make your ignorant head a little more fact filled:
    The Commodore PET 2001 article which mentions its chiclet keyboard, pictured here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PET_Keyboard.svg


    The "killer poke" for the Commodore PET later models:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_poke#The_Commodore_PET

    I was born before the IBM 360 was introduced, sonny boy.

  9. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1
    "Let me help make your ignorant head a little more fact filled"

    Says the unrepentant Space Nutter who completely ignores reality when it conflicts with his space religion.

  10. Why is this here? by whereissue · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    this isn't news... does it matter or is this just a blatant plug that slipped through!? PS this is my first post!!

    --
    where is sue? sue is idle.
    1. Re:Why is this here? by abigor · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It qualifies as "news for nerds" in a big way. I think you're in the wrong place, sunshine.

    2. Re:Why is this here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You know, every single article posted on slashdot includes posters who say "this doesn't belong here." This valueless contribution is usually modded down to oblivion very quickly, and with good reason.

      Not only have you joined their ranks, with your very first post, but you choose one of the most clearly "news for nerds" articles you could find. I would be tempted to think you were trying to be ironic...but I don't see enough evidence of this.

      Wow. That is really a first post to be proud of. Way to get things started.

  11. **** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by olsmeister · · Score: 5, Funny

    64K RAM SYSTEM 38911 BASIC BYTES FREE
    READY.
    10 PRINT "Hello, I'm the Commodore 64 - What is your name ";:INPUT A$
    20 PRINT A$ "is stupid!"
    30 GOTO 20

    1. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by Rockoon · · Score: 3, Funny

      20 PRINT A$ "is stupid!"

      ?SYNTAX ERROR

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    2. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by andrewa · · Score: 1

      Works fine....

      --
      :(){ :|:& };:
    3. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *20 PRINT A$ "is stupid!"*
      Should be:
      20 Print A$ " is stupid!" - you forgot the space.

    4. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by Sleepy · · Score: 1

      I was going to post the same exact thing. It's not a syntax error, but the mistake still flew over everyone else's head.

    5. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *20 PRINT A$ "is stupid!"*
      Should be:
      20 Print A$ " is stupid!" - you forgot the space.

      That wouldn't error out though.

    6. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This mistake is that it should be " is stupid" not "is stupid" Need a leading space.

    7. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by camperdave · · Score: 1

      Shouldn't there be a semicolon or comma or even a plus sign between the A$ and the " is stupid" part? Every BASIC I've ever used needed something there.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    8. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      From the 4.0 manual http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=commodore%20basic&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CFEQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.commodore.ca%2Fmanuals%2Fpdfs%2FCommodore_Basic_4_Users_Reference%2520Manual.pdf&ei=dHPYTrvvBaeWiAK5g_jHCg&usg=AFQjCNHYQokHvhY1FQG6LzCwiaHYLNJIdw&cad=rja

      "The position of each printed item is determined by the punctuation used to separate the items on the list. ... A semicolon casues the next value to be printed immediately after the last value. Typing one or more spaces between expressions has the same effect as typing a semicolon."

      The problem is in the output format detail: LET A$ = "John", PRINT A$ "is stupid!" > "Johnis stupid!"

    9. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by spongman · · Score: 1

      he's referring to english syntax. hence the funny.

    10. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      40 ???
      50 PROFIT!

    11. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by PhotoJim · · Score: 2

      Commodore BASIC was pretty lax in some of its form. You could get away with a lot of things that strictly speaking shouldn't have worked. Dropping the semicolons was one, e.g.

      PRINT A$;B$;C$;D$
      PRINT A$B$C$D$

      Both functioned the same, but

      PRINT 4;5;6;7

      would require the semicolons to separate the numbers properly.

      Creative BASIC programmers took advantage of this as a way to save memory. Similarly, strictly speaking for/next loops were structured like FOR T=1 TO 100:[ACTION]:NEXT T but typically Commodore programmers dropped the spaces and the variable in the NEXT statement so you would see things like FORT=1TO100:[ACTION]:NEXT ... harder to read but more efficient memorywise.

      I learned a weird trick back in the day that Commodore BASIC parsed "." as zero faster than it parsed "0" which ended up with even sneakier for/next loops like FORT=.TO99:[ACTION]:NEXT ... :) Not very user-friendly but every cycle mattered!

      I'm sure the source code to my BBS looks like a dog's breakfast as a result, but all those little steps let it fit in under 30K of RAM and it ran pretty fast, for what it was and for that on which it ran.

    12. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by camperdave · · Score: 1

      [shudder]

      Still, I remember porting over a date validation subroutine on an old WANG computer to a more modern PC. The heart of the code centered around the calculation 94.49-63.36 (or something similar). For the life of me, I couldn't understand what the code was doing. 94.49-63.36 = 31.13. Then, in a fit of desperation I typed in PRINT 94.49-63.36 at the WANG's prompt. It replied 31.129999, and the validation routine suddenly made sense.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    13. Re:**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 **** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ?SYNTAX ERROR

      You kids and your fancy-schmancy error messages. In my day, we only had:

      ?SN ERROR

      and we had to look it up the names of the errors in the manual.

  12. FUCK YOU MODERATOR! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Why the fuck am I getting a stupid "-1" score?
    Am I playing something here?

    1. Re:FUCK YOU MODERATOR! by ThePeices · · Score: 1

      Because you swore at the moderator.

      What? You think people like being sworn at?

      *shakes head*

  13. All the best ... Not much of show by Lieutenant_Dan · · Score: 1

    Kudos to them for organizing this, but this looks like an affair that could be held in a school's gym or a local legion. Half-dozen vendors and the same number of presentations.

    I loved my c64 and even though i have the time to kill, i will most likely not cross the gta to make it to mississauga.

    May have been better if this was a larger retro-computing thing ...

    --
    Wearing pants should always be optional.
    1. Re:All the best ... Not much of show by PhotoJim · · Score: 1

      For what it is, it's pretty large. Why not come out and have some fun? I'm crossing half the country, surely you can brave the 401.

      I agree that it might be fun to have a huge retro-computing festival with all sorts of computer platforms supported. Maybe one day someone can put that together.

  14. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by Warren416 · · Score: 1

    The very first Commodore PET model did indeed have a "calculator" keyboard that is more like the PC Jr Chiclet keyboard, than like a regular typewriter keyboard. Warren

  15. Last time I went to a Commodore show... by BatGnat · · Score: 2

    I was wearing a "Happy 1st Birthday OS/2 Warp" tee-shirt.

    Gee, didn't I get some funny looks.

    1. Re:Last time I went to a Commodore show... by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

      So, when is the next WarpStock?

    2. Re:Last time I went to a Commodore show... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the project to port OS/2 to the Commodore 64 v1 is born! Careful what you say here, given how seriously these guys take the spacing in text strings a suggestion like that could send thousands of enthusiasts into action.

  16. I Want To Go! by echusarcana · · Score: 1

    Of the 7 or so working computers in my house right now, sitting right behind my new six-core workstation, is my Commodore PET 4032. It has not one but two 4040 double floppy disk drives. Sadly, the neither of the 4040 disks seem to work - the last one seems to have just died this year. I think there is a matching Commodore line printer around here too. Fortunately, the vast majority of my cassettes still work after lovingly been stored in a metal box for the last 20 years. I expect the cassettes (Canadian Tire brand worked best) will still be good for decades.
    Now, If I can just convince my girlfriend we really should drive out to Mississauga on Saturday. Back in the 1980s she was selling CP/M machines so it is not an impossibility.

    1. Re:I Want To Go! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And you're about as "productive" with your 6 core machine today as you were with the PET. Proof? You work as many hours a week today as then.

    2. Re:I Want To Go! by FPhlyer · · Score: 2

      It's not how much time you spend... it's how much you can accomplish in the time you are given.

      --
      Brought to you by Frobozz Magic Penguin Fodder.
    3. Re:I Want To Go! by accessbob · · Score: 1

      See you there. I'll be the one wandering round looking for a PET I can play Star Trek or Civil War on... Bus route 13 from Clarkson Go station if she won't drive you there :D

    4. Re:I Want To Go! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Why is it that the work week went from 80 hours a week to 40 from the 19th century to the 20th century, but now that everyone is sooooo priductive, we still work 40 hours a week so we can spend 25 years paying for a house that took six weeks to build? What are we producing, for whose benefit, and why?

    5. Re:I Want To Go! by camperdave · · Score: 1

      Why is it that the work week went from 80 hours a week to 40 from the 19th century to the 20th century, but now that everyone is sooooo priductive, we still work 40 hours a week so we can spend 25 years paying for a house that took six weeks to build? What are we producing, for whose benefit, and why?

      All explained here

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    6. Re:I Want To Go! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of the 7 or so working computers in my house right now, sitting right behind my new six-core workstation, is my Commodore PET 4032. It has not one but two 4040 double floppy disk drives. Sadly, the neither of the 4040 disks seem to work - the last one seems to have just died this year. I think there is a matching Commodore line printer around here too. Fortunately, the vast majority of my cassettes still work after lovingly been stored in a metal box for the last 20 years. I expect the cassettes (Canadian Tire brand worked best) will still be good for decades.

      Now, If I can just convince my girlfriend we really should drive out to Mississauga on Saturday. Back in the 1980s she was selling CP/M machines so it is not an impossibility.

      It sucks to be you!

  17. Leaderboard FTW! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's the bet that Leaderboard C64 is running on one of the demos - still one of the finest games ever written for its day. What an awesome game.

  18. Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by Lev13than · · Score: 3, Funny

    64K RAM SYSTEM 38911 BASIC BYTES FREE
    READY.
    10 POKE 52380,2
    20 POKE 52381,1
    30 PRINT "HELLO, HOSER"
    RUN

    --
    When you have nothing left to burn you must set yourself on fire
    1. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      That should be 53280 and 53281 :)

    2. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fact that I still know exactly what that does, and what colors those poke values represent, almost brings a tear to my eye, literally. I pretty much owe my entire current way to life to the C64. If there was ever a product that deserved to succeed and carry on but didn't....sigh.

      PS: Poke 646,0 would probably be a good idea too. ;)

    3. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by Billlagr · · Score: 1

      SYS64738

    4. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by LocalH · · Score: 3, Informative

      The fact that I still know exactly what that does, and what colors those poke values represent, almost brings a tear to my eye, literally. I pretty much owe my entire current way to life to the C64. If there was ever a product that deserved to succeed and carry on but didn't....sigh.

      Commercially, the C64 was a huge success worldwide. According to Wikipedia (and cited), the C64 is the best-selling single computer of all time. Here's a blog post with some heavy analysis of the numbers.

      --
      FC Closer
    5. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess I should have wrote "succeed in carrying on", that was closer to my meaning. The Amiga lost a lot of momentum, they really dropped the ball (hehe) on that one...

      Ted

    6. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by tsa · · Score: 1

      Yes, it could hardly do any better than it did. It sold very well for five years if I remember correctly. No electronic product launched today can match that.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    7. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by FPhlyer · · Score: 2

      Those are the Canadian memory addresses. Just like Canadian Bacon... it's just wrong.

      --
      Brought to you by Frobozz Magic Penguin Fodder.
    8. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      ?SYNTAX ERROR, EH?

    9. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      The Amiga lost a lot of momentum, they really dropped the ball on that one

      Maybe if they didn't spend all their time going around in circles they would have taken over the market.

    10. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you are talking about that horrendous thing Americans call Canadian bacon then yes, it is just wrong. There's nothing Canadian about it. Peameal bacon on the other hand is just awesome.

      A proud Canadian.

    11. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by mgabrysPDX · · Score: 0

      ipad - 3 million in 80 days. 14.8 million in 2010. 15 million by March 2011. 40 million by september. Estimate to sell another 40 million plus next year. Those numbers are beyond the C64. By a factor of 2.5x in one year for the entire product lifespan for commodore. I think it's not just matched - it's crushed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipad

    12. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by tsa · · Score: 1

      Four years from now nobody will buy an iPad 2 because they're not sold anymore. The C=64 sold steadily, unchanged, for 5 years, which was a long time even then. And that was in a time when many people didn't even know why you should have a computer in your home.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    13. Re:Don't forget to Canadianize your C64 by FPhlyer · · Score: 1

      No pun intended, but this is an apples and oranges comparison. The iPad is not a personal computer, it's a tablet computer and is therefore in a different category than the Commodore 64.

      That said, the boast that the Commodore 64 is the "best selling computer model of all time" may not be entirely accurate. It's important to note that the sales figure quoted actually includes a number of different models of the Commodore 64:
      the Commodore Max,
      Commodore 64
      Commodore SX64
      C64GS
      and the Commodore 64C.

      That's actually five different models, not just one.

      --
      Brought to you by Frobozz Magic Penguin Fodder.
  19. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ah there's the trusty Nutter modding me -1 as soon as he can. If you lived on Mars, you couldn't mod me down as fast. Oh wait, you'll never live on Mars so it doesn't matter!

  20. I am so going by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    30 years ago.

    1. Re:I am so going by JoeCommodore · · Score: 1

      Back to the VIC-20 and PET age - as the Commodore 64 debut was in 1982.

      --
      "Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield
  21. Guru Meditation by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 2

    The red screen of death

    1. Re:Guru Meditation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean the blinking red screen of dead

  22. new specs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Has anyone bothered to see what the new specs of a commodore are?
    http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx

  23. The best C64 POKE type-in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh the joy of going to the shop and running this type-in on their display Commodore 64s.... then sitting back and watching the fun.

    10 POKE649,0
    20 POKE808,234
    20 SYS64767

  24. Don't forget SYS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SYS 64738

  25. Theres always the Commodore Vegas Expo in July by JoeCommodore · · Score: 1

    There's always the Commodore Vegas Expo in July as well as several regional US and other world wide gatherings of Commodore and other classic computerists.

    Closer to Canada would be the Emergency Chicagoland Commodore Convention (no listed 2012 date yet, There's one I think in Lousville KY in the spring, but cant find a link. And in the fall there's the AmiWest Expo in Sacramento for the Amigans out there.

    (that's all I can recall off the top of my head.)

    --
    "Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield
  26. Get ready to party! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Get ready to party like its 1985!!! Seriously, I haven't started my Amiga 1000 since the death of Jay Miner. It was seriously wicked hardware in 1985, but years later I went to running PC's with faster clock speeds and OS/2. Then I started buying faster PC's and running Linux. I've gone all 64 bit multicore. Its like having the 68000 with the 3 co-processors, but with hyperthreading, And the graphics co-processor isn't one of them, its actually a complex of processors on the NVIDIA video card. Likewise the audio (now in the motherboard). I/O is done by the APIC, and where AmigaDOS was somewhat flaky, Linux is 7 9's stable at the worst of times, and 9 9's when you are careful. Amiga still holds fond memories though.

  27. OMG! Memories of the Transactor!!! by Obstin8 · · Score: 1

    And typing in all those freaking hex codes from Compute! Wonder what Jim Button is up to...

    1. Re:OMG! Memories of the Transactor!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Jim Button wrote PC-File...

      Jim Butterfield passed away a few years back. :-(

  28. Where is the invitro?! by Deus.1.01 · · Score: 1

    Ah fuck it...this will have todo.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wu8cnIpdLY

    oh and...just because...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rscllvMFbfE

    --
    My -1 Troll is actually a +1 funny. And my -1 flame is actually a +1 insightfull.
    1. Re:Where is the invitro?! by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      stardust memories (stardstm.mod)
      http://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=59344

  29. Dazed & Confused by kodiaktau · · Score: 1

    Ubuntu installed on the boxes, but the sales pages are in ASPX? I loved my c64 and still have it in my workshop. Drive and tape loader are still in good shape, but haven't checked media in 10 years - probably all bad. The 1702 monitor was awesome and I used the display to hook to simple video editing on an old camcorder for a while. Not sure I would make a trek to go to this but sounds like it would be kind of fun.

  30. Reset by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SYS64738

  31. you FAIL =it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    being GAY N6IGGERS.

  32. FUCK YOU ANONCOW by Niscenus · · Score: 1

    I opted out of a free, "Don't knock my Karma," option to definitively identify the problem with people like you, and I'm pretty sure that problem has something to do with your misplaced love for Amiga or OS/2. Since you swore, maybe it's Windows related? Either way, fuck you, Dude.

    --
    "Yeah...it was the numbers that were irrational, not the murderous cult of vegetarians...." -- Hippasus of Metapontum
  33. Wrong. by CountBrass · · Score: 1

    It was announced on the 13th of October.

    So the gp's comment about the snail-like qualities of /. editors is spot on.

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
    1. Re:Wrong. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Was there a time at which, even with Taco still here, news was indeed timely?

  34. OMG! I didn't know TPUG was still around!!! by BitterOak · · Score: 2

    The first computer games I ever played were TPUG tapes full of games for the Commodore PET computer. Years before the Commodore 64, I first learned programming on a Commodore PET model 2001 with 8K of RAM and a cassette tape drive built right into the unit. A few years later, all the schools in our area acquired PET 4032 computers for the computer science classes, and my dad, who was a teacher, used to bring one home for the holidays. I still remember how exciting it was when he brought home a Commodore 2031 disk drive for the first time, and I bought my first floppy disk. (Yes they were sold singly back then!) I fit the contents of all my old TPUG tapes on two floppies!

    We had a local chapter in my home town of Windsor called PEG (for PET Educators Group), and I remember attending meetings regularly. One of the most exciting days of my childhood was when we had Jim Butterfield as a guest speaker! Sadly, I heard he passed away a few years ago.

    I still remember fondly my days of playing Adventure, Miser, Miner, Space Invaders, Dungeon, and other games on the old PETs. I'm glad to hear TPUG is still around.

    --
    If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
  35. Call me SID by ME-tan · · Score: 1

    So how do we get all these commodore user groups to persuade someone to start manufacturing 6582A SID chips again? I want to build an 8 SID Midibox without having to take out a mortgage...

    1. Re:Call me SID by Leif_Bloomquist · · Score: 1

      There's a the Nano SwinSID, a pin-compatible SID replacement made with an Atmel microcontroller.

      http://www.nightfallcrew.com/05/04/2011/nano-swinsid-prototype-unboxing-and-first-impressions/

      Buy yours here:

      http://retro-donald.de/sinchai-shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=90

  36. I Still Use a 1541 II & a Disk Notcher by bedouin · · Score: 2

    I have an E-Mu SP-12 Turbo sampler/drum machine that saves its data to a 1541 drive. It's my favorite sampler/sequencer and many other people's as well.

    I have three 1541s in my basement as backups.

  37. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ahhhh the 360. . . .

    DOS/360, DOS/VS, DOS/VSE, DOS/VSE SP. . . .Good times!

    Bus and Tag, FEP's, Pams, Tams, midnight IPL's, Printer wiring, printer control tape, forms control buffers, JCL, Assembler,
    PL1, RPG, Cobol, Printing thousands of pages of a core dump . . , DITTO

    God, I miss the heavy metal!

    Too bad there still isn't a single hardware/ OS platform that can parallel the reliability, ease of debugging, and speed.

  38. Fast Load Cartridge! by na1led · · Score: -1

    That's what my PC needs right now! - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epyx_FastLoad :)

    --
    -- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
  39. Thanks for nothing, Slashdot. by snarfies · · Score: 1

    This was announced on October, and you only post about it NOW, a day before the event is to occur? I could have actually made plans to go if this had been mentioned in any sort of timely fashion.

    1. Re:Thanks for nothing, Slashdot. by PhotoJim · · Score: 1

      This happens every year. Plan now for 2012.

    2. Re:Thanks for nothing, Slashdot. by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      Slashdot. News for nerds, stuff that's two months old.

  40. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by rubycodez · · Score: 1

    The heavy metal is still around, the hardware more reliable than ever. the 360 code still be run on their evolved descendants of the System/360.


    System 360 -> System Z
    DOS -> Z/VSE

  41. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by rubycodez · · Score: 1

    the point is the PET of 1977's keyboard was called the "chiclet keyboard" first, the PC Jr came out six years later and that sarcastic name used again

  42. Here's some serious for you by JoeCommodore · · Score: 1

    Yeah, Mac fanboys, we were here first.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaXVdwWuU-A

    Satire aside, A lot of skilled folks that made computers what they are today was thanks to Commodore computers in the home or school. Many folks have just have decided that they are still just as cool today.

    --
    "Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield
  43. Re:Greatest computer game ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There was an Amiga "game" that replaced the mouse cursor with a knife. Using the mouse, you "stabbed" off the memory-mapped screen, overwriting system memory with the cursor image, thus overwriting the OS. The entertainment was finding out how many stabs you could do before you crashed the computer!

  44. Re:First Post IN THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE THOUGHT ! by Toonol · · Score: 1

    You're modded down because you consistently sound insane and obsessive. Trying to win a one-man crusade on a website where people disagree with you at a rate of probably 100,000::1 is tough; made tougher by your inability to articulate any sort of decent argument.

    It was certainly a good idea on your part to always post as anonymous coward. Everybody still knows it's you, but at least you don't have karma loss to deal with. If you stay away from your obsession with your real account, that might not get modded to oblivion.