From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!GEOF@mit-xx.arpa Newsgroups: net.micro Title: Re: commodore 64 info requested Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.276 Posted: Fri Jan 14 07:12:27 1983 Received: Thu Jan 20 05:42:10 1983 From: Geoffrey H. Cooper I have looked at the commodore 64, although I don't have one (or any micro) yet. I have gone so far as to play with one in a dealer's display. The machine looks like a VIC-20 with a darker case. In fact, it's the same case, same keyboard, same plugs in the rear. The keyboard, while not what I would call "A-1" rated, is very good -- I wouldn't mind typing on it all day if it was what I had. The positioning of the arrow keys is a bit funny, but the only real screwup I saw was the lack of {}'s. I believe that brace's were left off the keyboard because the computer uses a character generator which is compatible with some older machines, and which has no braces. It is obviously the <> character generator for this machine: half of the characters are just the alphabet in inverse-color, and the video hardware of the C-64 is capable of inverting any character without changing the code. The graphics are not super resolution -- something on the order of 256^2 -- but provides 16 colors, all of which are color-mapped (so that you can dynamically choose any 16 of 256 colors to be displayed at a time). There are also sprites. An interesting feature of the machine is the sound generator. It provides 4 voices, and attack-decay functions. The waveforms are hardwired which is a pity, or you would really have the effect of that casio soundbox they sell. The video output is "composite" for a monitor, or, i believe, it can be hooked up to a TV set. The disk drive available for it is the same as for the VIC-20, and I'm told it is slow. There is a modem for $100. The dealer told me that Commodore is bringing out a Z-80 processor card, which is supposed to cost about $100, CP/M included. This is supposed to be available very soon. There is also an Apple simulator in the works (the C-64 is a 6502 machine, so that's not hard) by several companies; no word on when that will arrive. There is currently available a $50 adaptor for that IEEE standard ''lab net'' to which many disks and what-not connect. Also, Atari joysticks fit into the machine's joystick ports. The weak point of the machine is software. I don't know how data formatted for apple or CP/M will get into the machine, but if that problem is solved, the software problem might be OK. I have seen no useful software for the machine from commodore. When you add up all the features that you get, and then tally up the retail prices for disk drive, modem, etc., you get a price of about $1500. This is less than an apple, but the apple has (as I understand it) a high-res mode that gives much higher resolution than the commodore. I would think that much of the "fun" software that has been written for the apple will never run on the 64. There are certainly others on the net that have more experience with the machine than I, so I would welcome any corrections or additions. - Geof Cooper MIT -------