I had a ZX Spectrum and learned Basic and played a ton of pirated games on that. My school had Commodore 64s - but I didn't use them much. They didn't really know how to teach for them and there was no hacking around allowed.
Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
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Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#32Greetings, fellow old people.
Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#33Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#34I credit the C64 for setting down the computing path - fondly recall hours spent using BASIC and making my own games. Managed to stick with it when my mates were all getting Amigas but then finally convinced my parents to fork out (some serious £ back then) on a PC...but it all started with the humble C64, fantastic machine.
Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#35Blog poster's early computing history is remarkably similar to mine in terms of years/ages. Got a C64 (with a 1541 disk drive) around late 1983 (when I was 10). Hooked up to a 13 inch CRT TV at first. Got into games, computer magazines, magazine game listings (like the ones from old Compute!'s Gazette), taught myself MS BASIC and 6502/6510 assembly language, got into cracking games, got a 300 baud 1650 modem, got int…
May your trip continue!
At 15 in 1980, I couldn't afford a computer - but I could afford the books and manuals. So like Ada Lovelace before me, I did all my programming in my head.
Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
My experience was the same. Loved my Spectrum 128 but friends had the Commodore and its graphics were superior. Very expensive though. The magic in the air in those days will never be replicated.
> The magic in the air in those days will never be replicated. You say it “magic”, it wasn’t “better” or “different” or “worse”, it was a kind of magic that happens when tech is new and folks experiment. I’m sure many will look back in 40 years and say the same about AI - we’re living through the magical age of AI. Just as we did when we got our C64’s back in the day ;) EDIT: Perhaps I should clarify what I meant. Th…
Not so sure that that is true.
You have to consider the backdrop/time as well - back then there was no BigTech(TM), there wasn't social media/the pervasive backdrop of everything you do with tech been monetised or commoditised.
Fundamentally you felt like when you bought a computer/OS/Software you were the customer not the product.
Your Commodore 64/BBC Micro didn't do everything it could to gather all your data for targeted advertising, there was no algorithm trying to keep you angry so you'd buy more copies of Crash magazine.
While there will be kids out there having a blast with AI, I suspect the whole experience is flavoured differently because of the world we built for those kids.
Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#37Greetings, fellow old people.
my first internet was on a commodore, on a C128, with a modem hand cut from copper clad, plugged into the user port, and hooked up to pirate radio, that connected to another country. we got insane speeds! seconds per character!
Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#38I had a ZX Spectrum and learned Basic and played a ton of pirated games on that. My school had Commodore 64s - but I didn't use them much. They didn't really know how to teach for them and there was no hacking around allowed.
The Speccy is mostly unknown in the US but in some ways it's more important than the mighty C64.
It was way less capable but much more affordable. In many poor countries, as well in large portions of Europe, the Speccy dominated because people could actually afford one. It was the VW Beetle of computers.
Can you tell which one I had as a kid? :)
Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#39Being behind Iron Curtain I sold (well, my parents, I was too young) my Atari 65 XE + tape reader (which I received as a gift in 1988) and got C64 (the original ovalish one) with 1541 in 1990, it was bundled together with a set of hundreds (pirated of course, that was the reality back then) of 5 1/4" discs with various software and games. It was like receiving internet in a package.
Entering incantations like: "LOAD .... 8,1" (I don't remember the middle part). Or playing with assembly with LDA, STA (or same for X and Y) was fun.
Re: Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
#40When it released, it cost $595 (back then, not in today's money), considering the price dropped to just $229 the following year, that was not a good buy when it came out.
We ordered one of the first batch in Canada. $$$. They gave us a Vic20 loaner until it arrived. We didn't time it well but the family had a history of that. In fact, my accountant dad bought a Wang mainframe for a small fortune right before everyone was switching to ibm clone desktops.