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World of Commodore 2011 December 3rd In Toronto
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."
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.
World of Commodore... Held in Admiral Inn...
Someone has a sense of humor.
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 $895, and the price-competitive Macs smoke them as far as specs go.
Of course, the smart ones will just take that money and build their own box, and have something capable of running the latest games.
That gives me a whole day to come up with transportation and hotel and move from the southern USA to Canada! (if I could afford to do such anyway)
Ok I get it if this is really your thing one would know about this months in advance but thanks for the ultra short notice.
Let me help make your ignorant head a little more fact filled:
The Commodore PET 2001 article which mentions its chiclet keyboard, pictured here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PET_Keyboard.svg
The "killer poke" for the Commodore PET later models:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_poke#The_Commodore_PET
I was born before the IBM 360 was introduced, sonny boy.
64K RAM SYSTEM 38911 BASIC BYTES FREE
READY.
10 PRINT "Hello, I'm the Commodore 64 - What is your name ";:INPUT A$
20 PRINT A$ "is stupid!"
30 GOTO 20
It qualifies as "news for nerds" in a big way. I think you're in the wrong place, sunshine.
I was wearing a "Happy 1st Birthday OS/2 Warp" tee-shirt.
Gee, didn't I get some funny looks.
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.
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.
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
The red screen of death
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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?
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
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.