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Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

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Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#51

Post by vidarh »

mikecane wrote: post #22

Apple was cool, but Commodore was affordable. Thanks, Jack, for that $199 C=64. Rest in peace.

In Europe the difference was staggering - in many countries Apple was pretty much a total unknown until the Mac. I don't remember ever seeing an Apple computer in any of my local computer stores in Norway, for example, while VIC 20 and C-64, and even some PET's were all over the place.

I started with a VIC 20, then got a C-64. Pretty much all my friends had C-64's at some point or other in the '83-'88 time frame. Nobody I knew had an Apple computer...

Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#52

Post by VonGuard »

I found a "lost" article I wrote about Jack from 2007. He was an Auschvitz survivor, almost died in a plane accident, and was an unsung visionary that, perhaps, was the first to truly commoditize compute power.

http://www.sdtimes.com/blog/post/2012/04/09/Jack-Tramiel-Com...

Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#53

Post by daniel_iversen »

inovica wrote: post #20

My very first computer was a Commodore 64. My grandfather, the day before he died, said to me that I needed to get into computers as they are the future. He gave me some money that day and that evening he passed away peacefully in his sleep. I bought a C64 with this money and I still have it now.

Wonderful. My grandfather likewise bought me my first computer - also a Commodore 64. That was truly my entry into the world of IT. Jack Tramiel really made a difference to the world I think by speeding up affordable home computing!

Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#54

Post by wvenable »

inovica wrote: post #20

My very first computer was a Commodore 64. My grandfather, the day before he died, said to me that I needed to get into computers as they are the future. He gave me some money that day and that evening he passed away peacefully in his sleep. I bought a C64 with this money and I still have it now.

My first computer was also a Commodore 64. We had Commodore 64s in our school and my grade 3 teacher called my parents in for a meeting and told them they need to buy me a computer. My family pooled together and I got one for Christmas -- best present event.

I used it for many many years and I wish I still had it.

Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#55

Post by rbanffy »

ssdsa wrote: post #46
rbanffy wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3583 BYTES FREE

No matter if it is 3583 BYTES FREE or 38911 BYTES FREE or some other number - the start-up text was an important message to all users: There's this language (BASIC) available right here at the prompt, ready for you, just type away. And there are N bytes free, available for you to do whatever you want to do.

I was raised on the ]█ (later the ]▒) prompt, but I agree with you. We lost a lot when computers started greeting people with OS prompts and mouse pointers.

Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#56

Post by mjwalshe »

anigbrowl wrote: post #24

I learned BASIC on a Commodore PET. Thanks, Mr. Tramiel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET

In my first job i used to develop for PETs did a project with the BSI that went towards the research for applying iso 9000 to software amongst others

And I can still remember the quirks of the different disk drives that you had to use to get them to work effectively :-)

Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#57

Post by ekianjo »

dgallagher wrote: post #14

Jack did some amazing things while owner of Atari Corporation too (his son, Sam, was CEO). They helped bring the Lynx to market, developed by Epyx, which was "miles" ahead of other consoles at the time. It had amazing sound, color graphics, and 3D graphics, on a portable in 1989!

Yeah, but they did an awful job marketing the Lynx, that's why RJ Mical and Dave Needle left to form a new startup, which would become the next platform for the 3DO.

Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#59

Post by siavosh »

I remember I would beg my dad to drive me around on the weekends looking for garage sales to find Commodore 64 software. Sometimes we would get them by the box full, on unlabeled floppies, and spend the whole weekend trying each one. Every once in a while you found a disk filled with a bunch of games. Good memories.

Re: Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore, dies at age 83

#60

Post by mikecane »

waterlesscloud wrote: post #30
hub_ wrote: post #8

TOS stood for Tramiel Operating System. Yes, he is the one who brought in the Atari ST.

Ah, the ST. My first major purchase with my own money, made from working a billion godawful hours of overtime at my summer construction work job in college. And worth every damn penny of it.

Hahahaha. I laugh because I put in the OT too in order to buy one. Mine was in an office, though, as a Mac(!) temp.
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