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  • Montgomery Grant (December 1988)

    Montgomery Grant advertisement for various Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Amiga and Commodore PC computers and peripherals from the December 1988 issue of Commodore Magazine.

    commodore_1988-12_107

    Source: Commodore Magazine – December 1988

    Pictured above is an ad from the December 1988 issue of Commodore Magazine. Montgomery Grant was one of several popular mail order establishments for Commodore and other computer equipment. Featured in this ad are the following:

    • The Commodore 64C which was the “new” version of the Commodore 64. This was primarily a cosmetic update to the original Commodore 64 and was released a year or so earlier.
    • The Commodore 128D which was a Commodore 128 with built-in disk drive. The original Commodore 128 was also still being produced at this time but does not appear in this ad.
    • Various disk drives, including the 1541-C, 1541-II, 1571 and 1581. The 1541-C was just the standard drive you would get for the Commodore 64 but updated to match the styling of the 64C. The 1541-II was a slightly newer model with an external power supply. The 1571 was a faster double-sided drive designed for the Commodore 128 (though it would also work with the Commodore 64, albeit more slowly), and the 1581 was a 3.5″ disk drive. The 1541-II is definitely a better buy here than the 1541-C. It’s only a few dollars more but it comes with an external power brick instead of a built-in power supply which made for a cooler running more reliable drive.
    • Various computer packages that included things like the disk drive, monitor and printer (though there is one Commodore 64 package that apparenly comes with a monochrome monitor which is pretty dumb).
    • Monitors, printers and various other peripherals.
    • The Commodore Colt which was one of Commodore’s PC/XT compatible machines. I think they lost more money than they made on their PC compatibles though it didn’t cost all that more than a complete Commodore 128D system.
    • And if you look close, you can see prices for a couple of hard drives just below the computer packages. $1169 for a 40MB hard drive! Which, according to a converter I used that adjusts for inflation would be equivalent to $2445 today!




  • Compute! (November 1984)

    Compute_Issue_054_1984_Nov-001

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 54 – November 1984

    Throughout the 1980s, Compute! was one of the best multi-format computer magazines. It always had tons of content and covered a huge variety of computers. In 1984 this included but was not limited to the PC, PCjr, VIC-20, Commodore 64, Apple II, TI-99/4A, TRS-80, Color Computer, and Atari 8-bit.

    The November 1984 issue had around 200 pages and included the following:

    Features

    • On-Line Shopping: Today’s Computer Catalogs – Shopping on-line has of course become the norm but in 1984 it was just emerging from the realm of science fiction. Shopping on-line then meant via a service like CompuServe.
    • Understanding Modems – Of course, just going “on-line” felt very science-fiction like in 1984. Do do that, you needed a magical device called a modem that allowed your computer to communicate over the phone lines.
    • The Bulletin Boarding of America – While you could always use one of the big services like CompuServe for your online fix, these were fairly expensive. What was much better was calling a local BBS (or many of them) that were often run by average users and were usually free. They had already been around a while at this point but their popularity was really starting to ramp up.
    • Bulletin Board Basics – To dial a BBS (or any online service) you needed terminal software and to understand the various settings available available.

    Education and Recreation

    • Reflection – A type-in version of Reversi called Reflection for the Atari, VIC-20, TI-99/4A, Apple II, IBM PC, PCjr, and TRS-80.
    • Spiders – A type-in game that is a bit like Space Invaders for the VIC-20, Commodore 64, Apple II, IBM PC, and PCjr.

    Reviews

    • KoalaPad For PCjr – A graphics application that combines software with a drawing pad. The Commodore 64 version had been around for quite a while and this version was virtually identical.
    • OmniWriter & OmniSpell – A workd processor and spell checker for the Commodore 64.
    • WizType – A program for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and Atari that provides an entertaining way to learn how to type.

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – The end of the analog age and the differences between analog and digital.
    • Readers’ Feedback – Letters from readers about reverse video characters, Commodore 1541 head alignment, laser discs, Commodore Plus/4 vs. Commodore 64, and more.
    • The Beginner’s Page – Questions answered about emulators and erasing tapes on the TRS-80 Color Computer.
    • On The Road with Fred D’Ignazio: More Ways Computers Made Me Smarter After Only Thirteen Years of Daily Use – Making a show about robots and making a robot alarm clock.
    • Computers and Society – The psychology of video game.
    • INSIGHT: Atari – Comparing the use of various printers on Atari 8-bit computers. Plus some info on the Atari 1200XL and Atari 1050 disk drive.
    • Machine Language: Stack Tricks – Some tips for managing the stack when using machine language on a 6502 processor, including some sample code.
    • Programming the TI: Algebra Tutorial, Part 2 – Part 2 of a type-in Algebra Tutorial program with detailed explanation.
    • IBM Personal Computing – Info on color printers available for the IBM.

    The Journal

    • PC Monochrome Graphics – Some BASIC code to generate pretty graphics using only a monochrome monitor.
    • Update On COMAL: A SuperBASIC – An overview of COMAL which was an offshoot of BASIC.
    • All About The Status Register, Part 2 – Part 2 of an article on the status register in 6502 processors. Included this month is a sample program for Commodore 64, PET/CBM, Apple and Atari computers (all of which use the 6502 or a variant).
    • Enhanced Commodore 64 DOS Support – Adding APPEND and VERIFY commands to the Commodore 64 DOS Wedge.
    • IBM Screen Formatter – A BASIC programming trick to make it easier to write programs on the IBM that are compatible with both 40 and 80 column screens.
    • Apple Disk Verify – A short program for verifying that BASIC programs are saved on disk correctly.
    • Commodore Potpourri – Some Commodore programming tricks for randomly accessing DATA statements, embedding carriage returns in a string, using graphics symbols in REMark statements, making backups of machine language code on tape, reset the computer, create unlistable programs, and defining joystick functions.
    • Atari Easy Scroll – Some short programming routines for scrolling text on the Atari.
    • FOR-NEXT Loop Etiquette – Proper ways to end loops early.

    …and more!