Hi there Kevin!

 TM> Yes, Brett, there is such a thing. It is called "64NET".
Ask Russell
 TM> Alphey (on this conference) to tell you more.

 KP>  Yeah i remembered somebody talking about such a thing a couple
 KP> of days later OPPS... 8^(

Not a problem! Where are you located? I'm sure either I or Russell would be
able to upload the PD version of 64NET somewhere close to you...

 KP>>  There are some kick ass little carts getting around, imagine coding
 KP>> the software within the cart..  what a nightmare that would be.
 TM> Not really. :)

 KP>  Yeah well, its a little less complex than freezing tasking
 KP> systems with WRITE/READ only hardware. YUCK.

Like an REU or something? Hmm, wouldn't think it could be done.. then again
you learn something everyday (so they say).

 TM> I believe that figure is closer to 10-12 million.

 KP>  Peter ?? from CBM GERMANY (raves in COMP.SYS.AMIGA.PROGRAMMER)
 KP> said that figure ??...

I have no idea! I got that rough figure from an issue of Commodore Format.
I don't read any Amiga echoes so I can't comment.

 KP>  oh well 6 million less door stops & book ends then .. 8^)

hehe.. just as a bit of trivia, did you know that in Poland and other
eastern block countries, the C64 is in demand? And I believe that
CBM-Germany is still making them, to cover this demand? Which might be why
the figure was quoted higher than I thought by that Peter guy...

 KP>  They really didnt put in the development time it needed to stay
 KP> actively afloat for all these years... but i guess they simply thought
 KP> it didnt warrant it. pity

Hopefully the new owners will put a bit more time into the development part
of it, though if Samsung or whoever get hold of it, this probably won't
happen :(

 KP>  The C64 was a great learning tool, the games industry owes this
 KP> machine more than any other, My real concern with the c64 fading out is
 KP> that where do entry level programmers begin these days , 16/32 bit
 KP> systems just aint as forgiving as the good old c64 was. 8^(

In definate agreement. Also people aren't learning how to program in
6502/Z80/ any lower class cpu anymore, which makes it a little difficult
for engineers to use these chips for small projects. Hey, I might even be
in demand one day ;)

 KP>  Well yep, im also of the same opinion i dont think it (c65)
 KP> could have saved CBM. well not it they had of released it within the last
 KP> couple of years. it might have made a diference like in 88-89 but they
 KP> were boom amiga years .. so again as you say this is very unlikely.

Yep, if Commodore had of done things right, they'd still be alive today. If
they'd delayed the release of the Amiga for a few years, released the C65,
then made the Amiga C65 compatible, we might have had a different story.

 KP>  hmmm its hard to say really, I had my original machine (c128)
 KP> way back in 85 (maybe late 84 now ?) at that time i WANTED and was VERY
 KP> willing to produce C128 only software . But i couldnt get any hardware
 KP> info what so ever, the only stuff we really hit upon was the $d030
 KP> toggleing the 2 meg mode in 64 mode .. wow impressive stuff hey ... 8^)

(: Well, the 128 Programmers Reference Guide is VERY good as far as info on
the 128's concerned... Perhaps if you got a copy you could write that 128
only game!?...

 >  One thing i didnt like about the C128 was not being able to
 > read the current vertical beam position.... from memory theres only a
 > frame refresh bit ?? whatever .. it made doing rasters lots of fun at
 > the time.

?? You could use the same registers as the C64 to find this out.. using
either $d012 or $d013 to find and steady the display, then switch to the
8563...

 KP>>  For there now exists a computer generation that will look upon this
 KP>>  time as their woodstock - something truely special.
 TM> Ok, who's the poet? Woodstock? No, I think the computer generation is
 TM> something totally different.... :)

 KP>  heheh . You must be a lot younger than me .. 8^)

Probably ;) how old are you?

 KP>  For i can smell the eproms burning now.... far into that haze...
 KP>  As if it were only yesterday... 8^)

... Drifting into the night, with my soldering iron in hand,
    I open up my 64, and survey the digital land;
    My fears have changed throughout the years,
    My knowledge focusing into a tight band;
    I make the change, and go to bed;
    And forget if there was any point to this poem at all.
    Ho hum.

:-/

Tarragon

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