Comments on: The Commodore 64 turns 25 and CNN notices http://www.cydeweys.com/blog/2007/12/07/the-commodore-64-turns-25-and-cnn-notices/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:39:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Kelly Martin http://www.cydeweys.com/blog/2007/12/07/the-commodore-64-turns-25-and-cnn-notices/comment-page-1/#comment-11599 Kelly Martin Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:24:24 +0000 http://www.cydeweys.com/blog/index.php/2007/12/07/the-commodore-64-turns-25-and-cnn-notices/#comment-11599 I was never a C64 user; I grew up on the much more "respectable" Trash-80, which had far suckier graphics and sound, but a better storage architecture. However, I was a fond Amiga user for several years. One of the things I regret losing when I moved to Chicago was my Amiga 2000. I was never a C64 user; I grew up on the much more “respectable” Trash-80, which had far suckier graphics and sound, but a better storage architecture.

However, I was a fond Amiga user for several years. One of the things I regret losing when I moved to Chicago was my Amiga 2000.

]]> By: Gregory Maxwell http://www.cydeweys.com/blog/2007/12/07/the-commodore-64-turns-25-and-cnn-notices/comment-page-1/#comment-11566 Gregory Maxwell Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:28:06 +0000 http://www.cydeweys.com/blog/index.php/2007/12/07/the-commodore-64-turns-25-and-cnn-notices/#comment-11566 Don't forget inflation: $600 in 1982 dollars, corrected by CPI, is roughly $1283 today. It was still something like half the price of the Apple II, though the Apple II still sold like hot-cakes in 1982. If you'd like to play with a C64 you should consider using an emulator. Sure, it's fairly inexpensive to purchase a C64 today, but without some extra hardware (i.e. a 1541) you won't get the complete experience, and adding it may increase that cost a lot. The biggest reason you should emulate is because getting software onto a real C64 is a pain, while it's trivial to get software into an emulator. ;) Besides, by not buying a C64 you won't deprive someone who needs one to extract its SID chip for a synthesizer. (For example, http://www.hardsid.com/) I owned a C64 myself, although in 1985 rather than 1982. One of the first things I did with it was take it apart, much to the dismay of my mother. It went back together trivially enough. One of the things that was interesting about the C64 was the thriving user community (which included a lot of software cracking and piracy, in my experience :) ), something you can't recreate while using a C64 today, not with a real c64 or an emulator... I'm sure the current C64 collectors culture is different from what I experienced as a child. Don’t forget inflation: $600 in 1982 dollars, corrected by CPI, is roughly $1283 today. It was still something like half the price of the Apple II, though the Apple II still sold like hot-cakes in 1982.

If you’d like to play with a C64 you should consider using an emulator. Sure, it’s fairly inexpensive to purchase a C64 today, but without some extra hardware (i.e. a 1541) you won’t get the complete experience, and adding it may increase that cost a lot. The biggest reason you should emulate is because getting software onto a real C64 is a pain, while it’s trivial to get software into an emulator. ;)

Besides, by not buying a C64 you won’t deprive someone who needs one to extract its SID chip for a synthesizer. (For example, http://www.hardsid.com/)

I owned a C64 myself, although in 1985 rather than 1982. One of the first things I did with it was take it apart, much to the dismay of my mother. It went back together trivially enough. One of the things that was interesting about the C64 was the thriving user community (which included a lot of software cracking and piracy, in my experience :) ), something you can’t recreate while using a C64 today, not with a real c64 or an emulator… I’m sure the current C64 collectors culture is different from what I experienced as a child.

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