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The C64 Dead Test Font

masswerk.at

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Re: The C64 Dead Test Font

#21

Post by robocat »

masswerk wrote: post #9
phrotoma wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even the glass dishes with tiny bubbles and imperfections, proof they were crafted by the honest, simple, hard-working indigenous peoples of wherever.

Every hand-knotted carpet has some error per design, since only Allah is perfect. But, I guess, "resulation" may be a bit blotchy for a sign of humbleness. :-)

> some error per design

A single minimum error by design would obviously be perfection. And it appears to be a myth story anyways - in truth Islamic carpet weavers do aim for perfection.

I've always thought it would be a catch-22 gotcha rule. Dieties presumably choose to either (A) care about rules or (B) not care about rules. An ambiguous rule is dangerous - especially if intent was what mattered?

The Japanese wabi-sabi is the core behind an equivalent folklore story I heard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

Re: The C64 Dead Test Font

#22

Post by dusted »

Nice writeup! Yeah, that font! :D I didn't have a deadtest cart back in ancient times, but I built one when I built my first C64 (from PCB and up), and the first thing I did with that machine, was to boot it with the dead test cart.. Which didn't work because the PCB I got didn't wire the pins it needed.. I thought on it until I figured that hey! chip select pin!! And then I jumpered that pin and saw for the very first time, a brand new C64 come up and vomit garbage all over the screen because I had gotten a wrong chip! :D

https://dusted.dk/pages/c64/MaxFake64/

Re: The C64 Dead Test Font

#23

Post by flohofwoe »

rob74 wrote: post #2

In Germany (maybe also Austria?), that font is probably best known from the logo of major computer magazine/site CHIP ( https://www.chip.de/ ). Although, for some unfathomable reason, the C in the "dead test font" doesn't have the characteristic "thickening" in the lower vertical part, although the G has it...

...it's been burned into my brain via the KC85 manuals (sroll down for the covers of various manuals): https://www.mpm-kc85.de/html/d001_kc85_3.htm

Re: The C64 Dead Test Font

#24

Post by no-name-here »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #18
daneel_w wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And so many variant typefaces of the same graphical language were seen in a million products during the home computer boom of the late 70s and early 80s. Iconic.

It's a copy of the Westminster font from the 60s which was an adaption of the visual style of MICR digits and symbols to a full symbology (without being machine readable). It was a meme for computerbilia of the era that now seems quaint.

> computerbilia

Google finds 2 uses of this word - yours, and a ~1985 newsletter. However, its AI was able to guess it’s a combination of computer and memorabilia.

Re: The C64 Dead Test Font

#25

Post by no-name-here »

jansan wrote: post #11
krige wrote: post #3

Good ol' It's A Computer (tm) font. A good while back I've been using Westminster in every piece of UI I wrote for myself. Maybe I should start doing that again.

Here is an interesting first hand account about the history of Westminster. Interestingly the creator himself does not seem to know why the (IMO rather unfitting) name Westminster was chosen: https://www.mercerdesign.com/true-story-westminster-font/

For those unfamiliar, the mentioned Berthold is a type foundry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthold_Type_Foundry

> Interestingly the creator himself does not seem to know why the (IMO rather unfitting) name Westminster was chosen

Although it does say maybe it was named for Westminster bank? But yes nothing definite. (Unless it's a joke I don't understand.)

Re: The C64 Dead Test Font

#26

Post by masswerk »

rob74 wrote: post #2

In Germany (maybe also Austria?), that font is probably best known from the logo of major computer magazine/site CHIP ( https://www.chip.de/ ). Although, for some unfathomable reason, the C in the "dead test font" doesn't have the characteristic "thickening" in the lower vertical part, although the G has it...

Regarding the shape of the letter "C", mind that of the 10 digits of the MICR E-18B font, the digits 2, 5, 6, 7, 0 don't have any "thickenings" at all, all thin, even strokes. That's 5 out of 10 or half of the traditional part of the set. So just "C" being similar may be actually an underrepresentation. (Maybe, a "true" MICR inspired font should have actually somewhat more modulation between characters.)

Re: The C64 Dead Test Font

#27

Post by snvzz »

>soldered it into a socket

You... what?

Why would you ever solder a chip into a socket, rather than just insert?

(they clipped the original chip, instead of desoldering it. The socket is then inserted into another socket on the board. Workable trick but... why, just why.)

Re: The C64 Dead Test Font

#30

Post by _the_inflator »

Another secret solved of the C64 mystery. Nice job.

My first association fired up the many letter makers that existed at the time.

Future Project build some great makers. They were common around 1986-87.

They featured a whole bunch of character fonts along with highly popular sounds from Rob Hubbard on their disk, usually 10 to 15.

I used the fonts and muziks as as starting point for my first endeavors into C64 assembly programming.

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