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The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

c256foenix.com

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Re: The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

#11

Post by mmjaa »

digi_owl wrote: post #9
mmjaa wrote: post #5

Its been really interesting for me to observe this re-focus on older technology, having been involved in the retro computing scene for the last few decades .. it has grown and grown, to the point where there are now titles being released for machines in the 80's that are nowhere like what our expectations were, back in the day. We have titles on some systems that are simply mind-blowing these days, in comparison. My…

I wonder if there are two reasons: 1. there is a generation coming to age now that never got to know these computers first hand. 2. More and more "computers" are getting locked down, supposedly for our own good. Even FOSS is bitten by this bug.

Could be both, I think.

Re: The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

#13

Post by lopmotr »

mikeash wrote: post #10
jacquesm wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting quite tired of comments like these. The web was made for computers, not for tablets. If tablets are dumbed down and handicapped to the point that they can no longer partake in the web your beef is with the tablet manufacturer or the browser vendor. Either one or both has all the tools at their disposal to fix these issues. All the webserver does is serve up a bunch of data, the interpretation of that data is…

“Unreadable on tablet/mobile” is almost always a misguided attempt to accommodate those platforms, though. Sites made without even thinking about them tend to work just fine.

Yes. I think this is what people are actually aggravated by. Somebody did extra work, however well-intentioned, that resulted in a worse experience than had they done nothing. On Chrome Android, you can "Request desktop site" which changes the User-Agent to look like a desktop.

Re: The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

#14

Post by dogma1138 »

digi_owl wrote: post #9
mmjaa wrote: post #5

Its been really interesting for me to observe this re-focus on older technology, having been involved in the retro computing scene for the last few decades .. it has grown and grown, to the point where there are now titles being released for machines in the 80's that are nowhere like what our expectations were, back in the day. We have titles on some systems that are simply mind-blowing these days, in comparison. My…

I wonder if there are two reasons: 1. there is a generation coming to age now that never got to know these computers first hand. 2. More and more "computers" are getting locked down, supposedly for our own good. Even FOSS is bitten by this bug.

80’s computers are also much simpler both in hardware and in software. You can actually fix a computer beyond say redoing caps on a motherboard and more importantly you can fix it in a lot of creative ways for example if you have a buggy IO chip you can bypass it, and while you lose some functionality it will work.

The software is also much simpler both in concepts/design and implementation due to the limits of the hardware.

I think this make it much more approachable to many people as a hobby.

Re: The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

#15

Post by dogma1138 »

jacquesm wrote: post #8
Yuioup wrote: post #2

Page is unreadable on a tablet.

Getting quite tired of comments like these. The web was made for computers, not for tablets. If tablets are dumbed down and handicapped to the point that they can no longer partake in the web your beef is with the tablet manufacturer or the browser vendor. Either one or both has all the tools at their disposal to fix these issues. All the webserver does is serve up a bunch of data, the interpretation of that data is…

Them not implementing scaling correctly means one should have a beef with the hardware vendor? really?

It also scales poorly on my 4K display in landscape mode and it’s a unreadable as it is on my phone on my portrait 1440p computer displays.

Who should I blame?

Re: The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

#16

Post by fredsted »

jacquesm wrote: post #8
Yuioup wrote: post #2

Page is unreadable on a tablet.

Getting quite tired of comments like these. The web was made for computers, not for tablets. If tablets are dumbed down and handicapped to the point that they can no longer partake in the web your beef is with the tablet manufacturer or the browser vendor. Either one or both has all the tools at their disposal to fix these issues. All the webserver does is serve up a bunch of data, the interpretation of that data is…

To be fair, it's just not a very good Web site. There's some 3D stuff in the background making it very slow, too.

I usually don't comment like this, because it's noise. I just downvote and move on. But if no-one tells the author, they'll never know.

Re: The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

#17

Post by hansjorg »

mmjaa wrote: post #7
hansjorg wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We have titles on some systems that are simply mind-blowing these days, in comparison. Sounds interesting, could you name any of these?

I sure can! Check out this great collection of games for the Oric-1/Atmos, released in the 21st Century, which nevertheless would have blown several thousand users' minds if they had've been released in the 80's. Titles such as this were never even dreamed of back in the day - yet here we are, in the 21st Century, and the amazing titles just keep coming: http://www.defence-force.org/index.php?page=games For a bonus,…

Never heard of the Oric before. Very interesting, thanks.

Re: The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

#19

Post by [deleted] »

mmjaa wrote: post #5

Its been really interesting for me to observe this re-focus on older technology, having been involved in the retro computing scene for the last few decades .. it has grown and grown, to the point where there are now titles being released for machines in the 80's that are nowhere like what our expectations were, back in the day. We have titles on some systems that are simply mind-blowing these days, in comparison. My…

[deleted]

Re: The C256 Phoenix Project aka What Commodore 256 could have been like

#20

Post by dirtbox »

mlmartin wrote: post #18

A very similar project is nearing completion for the arch rival (in the UK anyway) ZX Spectrum. https://www.specnext.com/ Uses FPGA to ensure backwards hardware compatibility, while providing extra clock speed and new video modes.

I grew up with the ZX Spectrum, initially starting out with the ZX80 and 81 which I soldered together myself with the help of my equally clueless father.

One of the most enduring and engaging aspects of the old micros is the inherent limitation of the hardware. You're constantly battling with extreme optimisation and utilising often quite hacky hardware tricks to do things that would otherwise be impossible to achieve while mastering the arcane arts of assembler. I think above all that's the beauty of them and why people are still supporting these projects.

I'm very sad about missing out on the Spectrum Next which is nearly due to ship their completed cased model after a successful release of only the board. Complete with keyboard and design from the recently late original designer of those same machines I had in the 80s, Rick Dickinson.

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