• Tag Archives VIC20

  • Enter (September 1984)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment


    enter_issue_10_1984_sep-01

    Enter is a computer magazine that was targeted towards kids and published by Children’s Television Workshop (later Sesame Workshop). What computer loving kid could resist a cover with the Enterprise on it? While it did have some gaming content its emphasis was on education, including programming and general computer use. It covered all of the popular computers of the day that you might find in a home including the Commodore 64, VIC-20, TI-99/4A, TRS-80, Apple II, the Atari 8-bit line, PCs (DOS), Coleco Adam, Timex and possibly others. The September 1984 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Empire’s Computer Secrets – This article is pretty nifty bit of history. Part of it is an interview with Ed Catmull, at the time responsible for many of the computer effects in early Star Trek and Star Wars movies among others. He would later become co-founder of Pixar. In the image below (from this issue of Enter), Ed can be seen showing of some of the computer equipment being used for movie making circa 1984. This article also covers the game coming out of Lucasfilm including Ballblazer and Rescue On Fractalus, both initially developed on Atari 8-bit computers.

    • Rock on the Road – An article about how computers are used to control light shows for various concerts including those of Genesis, Duran Duran, The Police, The Jacksons, ZZ Top, Culture Club, and Van Halen among others. Some specific equipment is covered including Var-Lites which were first used by Genesis.
    • The Write Stuff – An overview of the word processing software available for different computers along with their capabilities. Software covered includes Apple Writer IIe (Apple IIe), Atariwriter (Atari 8-bit computers), Bank Street Writer (Apple, Atari, Commodore 64, DOS), Cut & Paste (Apple IIe, IIc, Atari, Commodore 64, DOS), Easy Script 64 (Commodore 64), Electric Pencil (TRS-80 Models III and IV), Homeword (Apple, Atari, Commodore 64), Leading Edge (DOS), Letter Wizard (Atari), Oniwriter (Commodore 64), Quick Brown Fox (Apple, Atari, Commodore 64, VIC-20, DOS), Smartwriter (Coleco Adam), The Write Stuff (Apple II, DOS), and Wordvision (DOS).
    • Portable Power – An overview of a few of the newer portable computers available at the time. These include the Epson HX-20, NEC 820, Radio Shack Model 100 (I had one of these for a while), and the Olivetti M-10. These weren’t like today’s notebooks. They were typically all in one units with a built-in 4 to 8 line black and white LCD screen above the keyboard.
    • The Making of an Arcade Game – Behind the scenes at Bally Midway factory in Franklin Park, Illinois. This shows the process of assembling a Spy Hunter arcade machine.
    • Contest #4 – A contest involving renaming computer parts in which you could win an Apple IIc.

    Departments

    • Feedback – Readers respond to a previous article about software piracy, a very hot topic at the time.
    • Bits – The news section, this month featuring: the Pac-Van, a mobile arcade that holds 25-30 games that could be rented for birthday parties and such; two students hack the electronic scoreboard at the Rose Bowl; Plaqueman, a new game from Home Computer Software; a sheep shearing robot…and more.
    • Ask Enter – Readers ask about compatibility, how disks work, if games are bad for your TV, and more.
    • Random Access – A high school student complains that while her school does a good job teaching computer programming, that doesn’t mean that you know how to actually use a computer.
    • User Views – Game Reviews
      • The Seven Cities of Gold (Apple II, Commodore 64, Atari) – A graphical adventure game by Electronic Arts that features the exploration of North and South America through 400 years of history.
      • Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (Atari 2600, ColecoVision/Adam, Atari 5200, Atari computers, Commodore 64, DOS) – A sequel to Pitfall. This was an excellent game for the time that I had for my Commodore 64.
      • James Bond: 007 (Atari computers, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, Atari 2600) – An action game by Parker Brothers based on scenes from four different Bond films.
      • Gumball (Apple, Atari) – An action/puzzle game in which you must catch different colored gumballs in the correct cart.
      • Bump ‘N’ Jump (Intellivision) – A port of the arcade classic that is part race part destruction derby.
      • Bruce Lee (Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari) – Work your way through the fortress with your martial arts prowess.
      • Zaxxon (Commodore 64) – An excellent conversion of the classic arcade shooter.
      • Boulder Dash (Atari, Commodore 64, DOS) – Somewhat like Dig Dug but with its own unique twists.
    • Software Scanner – Various software reviews.
      • Run for the Money (DOS) – A game in which you have to fix your spaceship but its more about business planning than anything.
      • Peripheral Vision (Commodore 64, Atari, DOS) – Drawing software that works with a light pen.
      • Flight Simulator II (Commodore 64, Apple, Atari) – The original Flight Simulator was written for DOS based machines. The sequel is really an enhanced version of the original for various other 8-bit computers.
      • M-SS-NG L-NKS (Commodore 64, Atari) – An educational fill in the blanks puzzle game featuring classic literature.
      • Coco-Notes (Atari, Commodore 64) – Compose songs by catching notes.
    • Newsbeat – The latest in computer news, featuring the new Commodore 16 and Plus 4; the new Okimate 10 dot-matrix printer; various robots and robot software; new software including Breakdance, Archon II, and more; the Atari 780 Prosystem; the MindLink system; and voice controlled laser discs.
    • Showbeat – Including a preview of a new movie featuring Atari computers, Cloak & Dagger. This movie starred Henry Thomas (Elliot from E.T.). While some will no doubt argue that this was no E.T., it was a movie I loved as a kid and probably had a bigger impact on me.
    • Pacesetters – An article about One on One featuring Larry Bird and Dr. J as well as the 17-year old programmer that wrote it.
    • Connections – Info on a Commodore 64 music contest, BBSes, new Timex hardware and software, and where you might find out of print books.
    • Pencil Crunchers – A maze created with the help of a computer (Apple II) and a computer related crossword puzzle.
    • Next – What’s coming up next month (‘Life On-Line’, ‘Computers Go To College’, and more).

    Programming

    • BASIC Training – Featuring Micro Mind Reader, a type in program that can read your mind for Apple, Adam, Atari, IBM, TRS-80 Color Computer, and Timex Sinclair.
    • BASIC Recommends – A recommendation for a BASIC programming book: ‘More BASIC: A Guide to Intermediate-Level BASIC Programming’

    …and more!


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  • Interfacing With Commodore

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    Doug Crawford & Chris Fala demonstrated Commodore 8-bit machines performing similar tasks to Arduinos (or any other microcontrollers).  I always like the VCF East exhibits that mix the retro with the modern to provide perspective and a point of reference for the younger generation.

    Starting with a PET 4016, working its way through the VIC-20 and C64, all though the C-128.  Oh, and with an SX-64, C16, C64C, C128D, and Plus/4 thrown in for good measure.  Each machine was interacting with hardware just like an Arduino counterpart – both machines did the same thing.

    For the most part, the demonstration machines were simply running banks of LEDs in unique configurations.  However, the C128D was hooked into a 40 column composite display, an 80 column RGBi display, and a tiny 20 column vacuum florescent display, all operating at the same time.

    Everything was running BASIC, operating on simple peeks and pokes to interact directly with the user ports for I/O.  BASIC does a fantastic job of providing a non-intimidating coding environment for first time programmers.

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/159562580401/commodorez-doug-crawford-chris-fala






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  • Commodore Power/Play (January 1982)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    commodore_power-play_1982_issue_01_v1_n01_premiere_issue-01

    Source: Commodore Power Play – Volume 1, Number 1 – January 1982

    Commodore Power/Play was one of a few different magazines published by Commodore over the years (Commodore Magazine was the last). Commodore Power/Play focused on gaming and other fun or hobby related things you could do with your computer as opposed to business or productivity uses. The January 1982 issue would have been out before the Commodore 64 was released so its focus was on the VIC-20 with some coverage of the more business oriented PET line.

    The January 1982 issue (which was the premiere issue) of Commodore Power/Play includes:

    • Braindrops – An introduction to the brand new Commodore Power/Play magazine.
    • We’re Glad You Asked – Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the VIC-20. Why do I sometimes have problems loading programs from cassette tapes? How is a modem hooked up to the VIC? Answers to these questions and much more…
    • And Now A Word From Our Sponsor – An intro to the magazine by Kit Spencer, Vice President of Marketing for Commodore at the time.

    Fun…

    • Access: Commodore User Groups – Contact information for Commodore user groups around the U.S. and Canada.
    • The VIC Magician – Short little programming tricks for the VIC-20.
    • Play Blackdragon – Blackdragon was an online role playing game available on The Source, one of the online services that were available at the time. This particular game happened to work well with the VIC-20. This article takes you through a session.
    • A Little VIC Music – A type-in program that plays a song on the VIC-20. The song itself is not given so that it will be a surprise.
    • VIC 20 Helps Deliver the News – A story about a kid who wrote a program on his VIC-20 to help with his paper route. It keeps track of customers, money owed, and even includes an animated map.
    • Maryland “VIC-ar” Computerizes Sermons – A story about a minister who keeps track of his sermons using a VIC-20. I think this is the father of the kid in the story above.
    • No More Pencils, No More Books – Educational software that (supposedly) makes learning fun.

    Games…

    • Joystick Control on the VIC – A technical article on reading joystick input with a VIC-20. Program samples are included.
    • Great Cartridge Games for the VIC-20 – An overview of the best cartridge based games available for the VIC-20. Titles mentioned include VIC Avenger, Jupiter Lander, VIC Super Alien, Lord of the Skies, Gorf, Omega Race, Wizard of Wor, Midnight Drive, Radar Rat RAce, Raid on Fort Knox, Super Slot, Draw Poker, Adventureland Adventure, Pirate Cove Adventure, Mission Impossible Adventure, The Count Adventure, Voodoo Castle Adventure, Sargon II Chess, and more.
    • Flip Out with VICFLIP-IV – A type-in program that gives you a game similar to Othello.

    …And Beyond

    • Tele/Scope – The VICMODEM brings mainframe computing home. This article gives an overview of the types of services you can access with your VIC-20 and a modem.
    • JINSAM Gives a Golden Anniversary Party – Using the JINSAM database management system to organize an anniversary.
    • Best Books – A list of some of the best Commodore related books as determined by the editors of Commodore Power/Play. Titles include Hands-on BASIC with a PET, VIC 20 Programmer’s Reference Guide, BASIC from the Ground Up, and more.
    • Book Review – A review of the VIC-20 Programmer’s Reference Guide. I have the Commodore 64 version around somewhere…
    • Program Review – A review of Commodore’s Introduction to BASIC software package written by someone who used it to learn BASIC
    • Get Serious – New products for “serious” computer usage including new hard drives (the D9060 and D9090), a new dual floppy drive (8250), Cobol for the SuperPET, UCSD Pascal, CMAR Multi-Key File Access System, and ATLAS 1200 Equipment Maintenance System.
    • Future File – News about the upcoming Commodore 64 and Commodore MAX. The Commodore 64 would go on to become the best selling home computer in history. The Commodore Max was on the opposite end of that scale.

    …and more!


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