Never have kept it a secret. Started out with the Commodore 64, First release, many, many years ago. Always wanted to see it go on, but narrow sightedness and of course the eventual MS take over pretty much squashed it. Was excited to see that a company obtained the rights to "bring" them back. Yes, modern components in the recreated shell, but I'd expect it to be modern. Along with that it was stated they would be releasing their own OS. Linux kernel. From what I can tell from what I downloaded today and installed, it is based on Linux Mint/GNome. All in all very nice. Some of the sound effects are a bit much, but then again, Commodore to me lead the way there and always used sound for various functions (depending on what software was being run). Very smooth. Initial install crashed, but second time around after changing a few VM settings it went though fine. Installed VB guest additions and not a hitch. Desktop Effects look good. All in all for a start it is very nice and functional. Wish them all the luck. Wish I had the money to actually purchase one of their recreations. Screen-shot attached.
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The family cut our teeth on first the Timex Sinclair ZX-81 then the C-64. I published my first books on a C-64 using GEOS and my oldest boy, the programmer, wrote his first programs on the Timex and then the 64.. We had three rigs en toto and he still has one.
Very nostalgic.
woodsmokeLast edited by woodsmoke; Apr 01, 2012, 12:05 AM. -
I've got a Sinclair X81 with a 16K (IIRC) module and a bit of associated collectibles. It's just part of my vintage collection and I have never fired it up. Although I stick pretty much to IBM (both PC and x86), I'm right with you in seeing the fun in both re-living and learning the history. It always amazes me how often people don't get it when it comes to computers. They'll say "wow" when they see a Chrysler Valiant but give you a blank stare if you mention even something as classic as an Amstrad 1512. It just goes to show that we're really a car culture and not a computer culture.
However, for those who want Commodore stuff, why buy a new reproduction when there is a thriving marked with the real thing? Check out the Vintage Computer Commodore Forum to meet others who use this stuff daily. There's lots of gamers, but I'm pretty sure if you look around you will find a couple of BBSs running on a Commodore - the real thing.Comment
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Hi Ol Juul! lol
BTW, here is some trivia about the Timex, long haul truckers used it extensively for route maps in the U.S. They would type in the route as they were going, or fill in in from a printout, and since it was completely waterproof, and a tape player it was almost impervious to coffee spills, shocks etc. They just used a different tape for each route ( I think) but it was fascinating to learn that.
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Ole Juul,
Thanks for the link. Will look through that. I actually still have my C64. Missing one cable though and a vital one at that. Don't know what happened to it.Comment
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Ressurecting an old thread.
I just discovered that there is a Wikipedia page for the old 8 bit GEOS operating system for Commodore 64.
I published my first books on that system, and after printing them on an HP at the high school using the below noted cable, I mailed the file to a place in Chicago where it was printed in the best res of the time and sent the first one off to the printer. The next ones, the printer had me send me the file, All in all several hundred thousand copies of books printed and sold "education stuff'.
But.......I did not remember the "full significance" of the "cable" until I read the article.
Via Berkeley's special geoCable interface converter or other third-party interfaces to connect standard RS-232 or Centronics printers to the Commodore serial bus, GEOS supported a wide variety of printers, including HP PCL printers and the Apple LaserWriter. This ability to print to high-end printers was a major factor in making GEOS a desktop publishing platform.
As one can see from the screenies to the right, I had "a color MAC"..... really, and it was really very snappy fast because it was all held in external ram, the hard drive/floppy was only used to store data....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEOS_%2...ting_system%29
aaahhh fond memories! lol
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Yeah, I used GEOS to do a school report. The teacher said I didn't do it myself as I used a 'computer" and gave me a "D" unless I rewrote it and used a typewriter. She also did not like how the print looked from the MPS801 printer. Looked good to me and was easy to write and edit. Of course that was really before computers were used as such and as you can see how it was treated. I never did understand that reaction. Because I used a computer I didn't write it? Laughable now but perplexing then. As you can see I never forgot that!Comment
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MoonRise....
That you never forgot that.....that is one of the reasons why students like me as a teacher, I think, because I never forgot that kind of thing.........and I relate things like that in class....
and.....
They have come up to me and said something to the equivalent of:........"I remember something like that.......and......... you. a geeky old science teacher...you............remember stuff like that
"......... and they get this dreamy look in their eyes........and some of them.......
decide to go into teaching, or music, or science.....or art or welding or house painter or secretary.........as a vocation.........when, before............they had dismissed it as something "for those people...I could never do that.."...
Just one of the reasons...........and many of them have a story like you...........that a teacher gave them the "you really are kinda stupid"..look about something that they did........
I remember that I SAVED money........to get one of the absolutely REVOLUTIONARY Schafer "long pens" very long with a cap, and the only color was......torquoise........very enjoyable......I had handed in several papers to my SENIOR english teacher using that pen and he had said nary a word, I had an A and we had a "final report" to write by hand, there were typewriters in the secretarial classes.........and I was the ONLY ......boy in that class with girls with my wrists "arched" over the mechanical typewriter......and could do about.......70 WOPM..... lol.... my mother actually bought me a remington portable.......and I practiced.......... the girls were at 120 WOPM....lol......
But we had to WRITE the paper in "black or blue" ink...........and I just never connected the dots........
He has accepted the turqouise papers with nary a nod except to dash an A on them......
I handed in my VERY GOOD, and laboriously produced paper at the beginning of class and he glanced through the stack, stopped at mine, called me up to the front..........
"The rule is black or blue ink for the paper."
"Yes it is blue, torquise blue."
"No, redo it."
And handed it back to me then and there and pointed at my desk.........
While everybody else got to relax and read a book I got to RECOPY a huge paper, in........black ink.........
But, I got an A on it........
and........ 11 years later..........he hired me on as a science teacher because he had been hired on as a superintendent........lol
Good on! my man!
woodsmokeLast edited by woodsmoke; Jan 15, 2015, 07:54 PM.Comment
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This is cool. Before I went to pcs, I had a commodore 64 and a 128. Both of which I ran a BBS from. Wonder how many people hereknow/remember what that isComment
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lol Bulletin Board System.
All text based..... problem with this area was that we were the second largest club in the U.S. but the BBS was only withing a certain city. I lived in the country and so could not even dial up because of the copper wire service. But... great fun!
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