Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!agate!saturn!ssyx.ucsc.edu!hermit
From: hermit@ssyx.ucsc.edu (William R. Ward)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Subject: Re: C128,C128D, and C128C??? Questions
Keywords: Answers
Message-ID: <6664@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Date: 13 Mar 89 03:01:55 GMT
References: <270@dekalb.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@saturn.ucsc.edu
Reply-To: hermit@ssyx.ucsc.edu (William R. Ward)
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz
Lines: 49

In article <270@dekalb.UUCP> you write:
>Hello out there,
>
>	My boss just purchased a C-128D for his home and has had a C-128 at the
>office for some time to do a general ledger and keep up a data base of costumer
>and print shipping lables for packages.  I wanted to know if any one could     
>answer some questions we have had:
>
>	1.  What besides the disk drive is different on the new system(I have 
>read a while back in a product reveiw that the newer machine had 64K 80-col
>video RAM, instead of the 16K on the older models).

The big differences are the built-in drive, detatched keyboard, and extra
video RAM.  It also has the "current" versions of the ROM chips, which may
differ from the office C-128 slightly, but problems due to this seldom occur,
and when they do, it would be because really bizarre programs need a specific
version of ROM.  I've never seen any problems due to this, but it is
theoretically possible.

>	2.  What is Quantom Link and is it worth joinning???  I have read 
>some not so nice comments about Q-link and wanted to know 'The Rest of The
>story'.

QLink is, above all, a source for public domain software.  It has "chat" and
E-mail, but its most valuable feature is the huge public domain library
available for downloading.  The software is pathetic, requiring a specific
disc to run on your computer, and doesn't allow many things as basic as
listing the directory of your disc!  But for getting that utility, SIDPlayer
file, graphics demo, etc. it is a valuable resource, nonetheless.  And for
around $10 a month (plus extra 8c an hour for certain services) it's a good
deal all in all.

>	3.  In reguards to #1(above) how can this video RAM be accesed on the
>newer model.  I have an assembly routine taken from Computes book on said 
>older model, but I want to know if the same will work on the newer model???

The difference between the 16K and 64K is that the 64K lets you do more.  For
example, there are programs (such as BASIC 8) which let you use the 64K to
produce up to 960x400 or some Ghod-awful resolution in monochrome for graphics.
The main advantage is 640x200 color graphics, though, and there are quite a few
programs which take advantage of that.  Any programs designed for the old 16K
128's will work on a 128D as far as I know.  The vanilla 128 can be upgraded
easily to 64K video RAM for around $50 I think.
*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*
| William R. Ward                     |   "Delays created while you wait" |
*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*
| Internet: hermit@ssyx.ucsc.edu      | UUCP: ...ucbvax!ucscc!ssyx!hermit |
| Voice: (408) 688-6547               | QuantumLink: TheHermit1           |
*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*