TIL: The Commodore 64 is undead
Dear retro-freaks,
today I learned, that there is still an active scene, that is coding software and demos for the Commodore 64. Here are some examples:
Fake News (C64 Edition)
This program's release date is June, 11th 2017 and I discovered it through a tweet of the Commodore 64 news feed.
To be able to run this program, I had to install a great emulator called Vice emulator. It runs on Unix, MS-DOS, Win32, OS/2, BeOS, QNX 4.x, QNX 6.x, Amiga, Syllable or Mac OS X machines.
Here are some screenshots of Fake News:
And here is the download link, if you want to run the program by yourself:
Galza-26: Fake News (C64 Edition) [2017]
At the same page I discovered many other cool demos. The top rated demo is from 2014 and is called:
Uncensored
Here is the download link:
Uncensored [2014]
If you don't want to run the demo in an emulator, you can just watch this youtube video:
My Computer History
My first personal computer was the VIC-20 from Commodore with a Datasette. When I later switched to the C-64, I also bought myself a 1541 floppy disk drive, which was fed with 5 1/4'' floppy-discs.
But the best thing I'd bought, had been an Ascom Acoustic Coupler. With this small box, I was able to surf the first mailboxes in the pre-internet era. And I instantly felt, that this is the future.
My old C-64, which I carried in my school-bag sometimes
Me wearing my C-64 retro shirt (on red-nose day)
My Ascom Acoustic Coupler
The software to connect to the early pre-internet network (What was your first computer?
Did you own a Commodore, a TI-99/4A, an Amstrad CPC 464 or a Sinclair ZX81?
Please tell me in the comments!
I hope, you enjoyed this small flashback to the early homecomputer age!
@shortcut (100% Power-Up post)
I bought my first computer in 1980, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
It was literally built in a garage in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
It had a Z80 at 4MHz, 64K or RAM and two 8" diskettes of 600KB.
The operating system was CP/M.
I wrote a Pascal compiler on this machine, that I sold by mail until the end of 1982.
When I returned to France in 1982, I bought a portable Commodore 64 (actually called Commodore SX-64).
With another guy that I met in a computer store (remember those?) we wrote a mini OS, similar to CP/M, and I ported my Pascal compiler on this machine.
Those early computers have disappeared over the years. I had enough junk to keep when moving every two years.
Wow, cool computer history. I guess you're leading the group by being the guy that jumped on the train at first ;-)
I remember to have learned a bit Pascal in school und we used a Pascal-Compiler on an Apple IIc.
I also remember this SX-64. I wanted one desperately, when I saw it in the mall. Never managed to get one, but my old C-64 is still with me.
Thanks for sharing your story!
My first computer was a SNES, with Super Mario World, at age 10. The first ten minutes were spent extremely frustrated from falling down chasms, the next months having so much fun that a young gamer was born. I don't game anymore, but the reflexes and trouble solving that I acquired through gaming still reap their rewards when doing sports such as snowboarding, or basically learning any new practical skill.
It's funny how I first thought, a video game console is not a computer... But you're totally right. It is :-)
I often experienced similiar improvements of real life skills through my early gaming experiences.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Welcome! Keep Steeming bruh!! ;)
Yeah! Keep steeming, too!
I had the commodore with the cassette player. My buddy had the one with the discs, and another friend had the Amiga 500 (which had great sound i remember). I remember biking over to my friend (at the age 7-10), just the excitement of playing computer games. We usually met up at the local candy store and bought some candy for nickels, then we hurried to his parents basement where the commodore was. We hid down there for hours playing, jamming the joysticks. Not even with amazing modern games could I ever relive the feeling I had playing those early games. After a few hours his father usually kicked us out, and we ran around in the forest exploring. As we grew older we played games like heroes of might and magic and diablo on PC. To me those early days of gaming was pure magic. The feeling lives with me to this day. Sometimes when I feel real happy, I suddenly start thinking of those days. :)
Great story. Thanks a lot for sharing. I know exactly what you're talking about! :-))
Thank you so much :) I truly hope kids today (as I have a 3 year old my self) experience the same things. I'm not so sure..but hopefully there are some kids out there who play games togheter, run wild and just are 100% happy and carefree. I rarely see it, but I'm sure they must exist.
It's a bit different these days: The pace is much higher and the kids are easily getting impatient, because there is so much of this stuff right now. I guess, times have pretty much changed. But I pretty much hope, that todays kids will have their own great memories one day :-)
This was my first computer:
1k of RAM. When I ran out of RAM writing a program, it crashed. So we got a 16k expansion. It was so wobbly it would crash if it came loose. We eventually used masking tape to keep it on.
Was this version also with the rubber keys?
The build quality wasn't up to standards compared to the Commodore 64, but it still was an impressive machine. And the memory to all those tapes with programs. How far we have evolved since (3D engines ad Blockchains running in browsers )...
No, this had even worse preasure pad keys. The zx spectrum had 16k, 48k and larger versions. The zx81 was its predecessor and horrible.
The advantage was, that it was pretty much affordable :-) But the keypad was really horrible...
It was only because a single key press entered an entire command that it was even possible to write programs on the thing! Still it kept me amused for hours and I created a number of programs on it.
Ah, ok. This was too long ago for me to remember exactly. We had the 48k ZX Spectrum which was a decent machine (but the keyboard sucked). C64 reigned king though, especially with a floppy drive.
I guess you're talking about the ZX Spectrum, this was the one wit the rubber keys. And yes, the evolution is unbelievable ;-)
Great! I remember that one as well, although I never owned one. We used to play around with it at the mall ;-) Ah, those memories!
My second computer was one of these:
I was sad at first, because my uncle, who was teaching me programming, had a c64. But learned to love it when Elite was released...
I remember chess software Elite. What was this computer called again?
The BBC Model B. Elite was this game:
Damn, you are right :-) I even bought that game for PC in the late 90's because it really set a standard in this genre.
I remember Elite II: Frontier on the PC. Occupied a number of my hours...
I could be wrong, but I think the Chess program was called 'White Knight'.
I guess, I've mixed it up with the Elite chess computers... The Rom, I had for my C-64, was called Sargon II.
dont seem to understand this but upvoted it anyways...
Don't worry, that means you are still young (as opposed to us).
;-)
Never heard of Commodore 64? The most sold homecomputer from the 80s.
was born on thw 80s but never heared of it... started seeing computers only in thw 90s
Maybe the hype was only in America and Europe. You missed a great era, but many more to come ;-) Steem on!
My first computer was a C64 too. Then I switched to C128, but only for a short time. After that I was infected by the ATARI ST fever because it was the first homecoputer with an functioning and usable MIDI interface.
Hmmm, good old times ;-)
Yeah, Atari ST was really great because of the music production possibilities. I never owned one, though...
My first personal computer was a Radio Shack TRS-80 Pocket Computer.
It had BASIC, iterated and a small printer. I used it in college instead of an engineering calculator. I really missed it alot when it gave up the ghost. I forgot about it when I graduated to a Commodore 64. It was like getting a new cat to replace the old one;)
Wow, that's a really cool thing. I've never heard about "Radio Shack" before, but this looks like it had been a cool gadget. Thanks for sharing with us!
They used to have a Radio Shack store on every corner, here in the states. I'm exaggerating, but they were quite common. You could get that adapter for pin plug to phono plug, walkie-talkies, coaxial cable; all kinds of fun electronics.
For some reason, they are not doing well and seem to be going the way of the dinosaur, but if you ever get the chance, I recommend visiting one to see what interesting stuff you might find.
Thanks for clarification :-) We have this kind of electronics-stores in germany, too. (They are called "Conrad".) And I love to go there, because I always find some cool stuff.
Ha,Ha, I remember my Vic 20. With its 3k memory. I thought I was a right coder when i wrote those codes from the back of the book. Go forward Yes/No and then you ran out of memory and had to figure out to save it to a tape. Thats as far as i got. Nice one man.Peace.
Yeah, thanks! That's how it all started: Some took the red pill and some took the blue and now we're all back together in this fantastic cryptoland ;-) Thanks for sharing your experiences. Peace!
My first was the VIC-20 followed by the C-64; WITH memory extension of 64KB I believe it was. Fun times! Pokes and Peeks.
I'm glad that I could bring back memories :-)
The best C64 joke has been: God SAVE "THE QUEEN",8,1
Hasn't it?
Like the "20 GOTO 10" as well :)
There was even an art gallery with that name ;-)
Super! :)
Have you seen the prices of these machines lately ??
Yes, about 100$ for the original version. We should start a business selling those ;-)