The following topic is to comment and discuss the article Introduction to the 1571 & 1581 posted by admin

The following topic is to comment and discuss the article An Introduction to C128 CP/M posted by admin

Quote from: xlar54I used to have a 128D - loved it.  Sold it somewhere along the way, and I do regret it.  Right now Im back with a regular 128. Would have been nice if Commodore thought ahead with the internal 1571 and just made it a swappable bay instead that would house either a 1571 or a 1581.

There are pictures floating around of a prototype Commodore mocked up with an internal 1581 - as well, I'm pretty sure I saw a hardware hack someone did that had a 1581 & a 1571 internal to a 128D.

Lance

This software has the ability to integrate with mailing list software - if there's enough interest, I can build that in - that way members can have alternate methods of accessing the forums. Comments ?

Quote from: HidekiHihi

I'm pretty sure they didn't, the video handling was very odd on that machine, as was the memory for the display, any 40 column hack would probably have involved a memory expansion and a completely new video generator...

I'd have to check my references, but pretty sure there was a 40 column option for the VIc (via software) using modified screen fonts - dunno about 80 colums though.

Lance

Quote from: plbyrdThe mailing list goes in fits and spurts.  Some days nothing, then you'll get a flurry of activity for weeks at a time.  However, much of the activity on the mailing list deals with non-128 related stuff.  The 128 is just one of several platforms supported by CC65.

Ok done & added an area in the files section too.

(I'm guessing the way this conversation is going that a shout box might be an option too)

Lance

Quote from: plbyrd

QuoteWhat about as a basis for say a Speccy emulator ?

Why???

Well, on a flat 128 it wouldn't be toooo alien as a doorstop emulator.

Ok ZX80 or ZX81 emulator then, with rubber keyboard overlay

Quote from: plbyrd

QuoteWouldn't the generic Programming forum be the spot to start with ?

CC65 is pretty alien to the majority of C= development.  Plus, there's no good central source for CC65 info other than the mailing list which has block yahoo.com email addresses.  Since we're starting something new here, why not aim high?  This place could be a central repository for sample code, compiled apps, etc.

Complete with file area ? Sounds reasonable. How actrive is the mailing list ?

Quote from: plbyrdI think any alternative OS for the Z80 will suffer the same performance penalty that CP/M suffers on the 128 platform.

What about as a basis for say a Speccy emulator ?

Lance

Quote from: plbyrdPlease add a forum for CC65 programmers!

Wouldn't the generic Programming forum be the spot to start with ? Certainly if there's a lot of conversations around a particular topic it would ultimately make sense to start a new forum, but I'm a little iffy about creating a lot of forums to start with. Just a thought

cheers,

Lance

Added a download/upload manager & set up some base categories - I'll be adding my own collection into it over the coming days. Members can also upload files too.

If you think I've missed a category, feel free to let me know :-)

Important! the extension of the filename IS important - you can upload a file called FILE.sfx or file.sfx , but the system will reject FILE.SFX or file.SFX - remember! lower case for extensions!

Also added in another forum - 'Tips & tricks' for posting 128 tips & snippets.

Lance

Alan Kotok, a computer designer who helped create the first video game program as a member of a small group of M.I.T. students in the early 1960's, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on May 26. He was 64.

The cause was a heart attack, his daughter, Leah Kotok, said.

As a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. Kotok developed an interest in computers after joining the M.I.T. Model Railroad Club in the late 1950's. Its membership included several other young men who shared his interest, and the organization became a kind of incubator for the computer design field.

The students were the original computer hackers, at least as they defined the term. Today it also refers to a computer outlaw, but the term originally described a member of a subculture of passionate hardware and software designers. A "hack" was a project without constructive end, according to a dictionary compiled by the Model Railroad members.

Their original video game, Spacewar, was designed in 1962 as a hobbyist project on an early Digital Equipment PDP-1 computer.

Spacewar was the original "twitch" game, requiring lightning reflexes. Each player used keyboard controls or a joystick to maneuver a tiny ship able to fire a stream of torpedoes as it slid across the screen.

The leader of the group, Steve Russell, was a procrastinator, and although the group passionately discussed a video game with a science- fiction theme, he delayed writing the necessary code until Mr. Kotok drove to Digital Equipment and returned with a paper tape containing the necessary math subroutines.

Though Mr. Kotok did not write any part of the original code, he was an inspiration to the group and contributed to the game's design, Mr. Russell said yesterday.

Neither man foresaw the creation of an entertainment medium that would one day be a ubiquitous aspect of popular culture.

"The only money I made from Spacewar was as a consultant for lawsuits in the video game industry in the 1970's," Mr. Kotok said in an interview in 1990. "I have all this fame, but it's in a very narrow circle."

Mr. Kotok was born in Philadelphia. He entered M.I.T. as a 16-year old prodigy, having skipped two grades. He received a bachelor's and a master's degree in electrical engineering there. As an undergraduate he was involved in the design of chess-playing computer programs with the computer scientist John McCarthy, and his work became the basis for his thesis.

He went on to spend 34 years at Digital Equipment in a number of roles. He was the chief architect of the PDP-10 family of computers and a senior consultant to Digital's Alta Vista project, an early Internet search engine. More recently he was the associate chairman of the World Wide Web Consortium, an Internet standards organization.

Besides his daughter, of Ashburnham, Mass., he is survived by a stepson, Daryl Beck, of Greenfield, Mass.; and a stepdaughter, Frederica Beck, of Prescott, Ariz.

Quote from: xlar54Can we get an upload/download area going? Ive been trying to build a 128-only collection of software, and this would be a great place to share.

Yep - it is coming, I'll be working on adding that in over the next few days.

Lance

Quote from: HidekiEep, why is this on the front page, lol

I'm currently using this forum as one of the feeds to the Index page - that's why you were published :-) There is the ability for the software to randomly select the most recent topic from any of the forums, once the other areas get a little busier, I'll kick that in.

regs,

Lance

Quote from: HidekiIt works and there's no C128D option -.o

Sorry ;-) Did a catch-all for both models.....

Added an RSS feed to the forums - if your browser supports it, you'll see the RSS logo to the far right of the URL.

Ok - forum is up & running following some tweaks around the edges. I still have a fair bit I want to add to it (for example, gallery, more avatar packs & most importantly a download section.

If you spot any issues, leave a message in this area - also, if you would like to suggest any improvements or additions, leave a note to that effect.

Lance

First poll to test some functionality...... but on topic anyway ;-)

Welcome to my Commodore 128 forums - created in response to the fact that there aren't many forum sites specifically set up for the what is (IMHO!) the best Commodore 8 bit computer (the best 8 bit computer even ?).

The forum installation is based on a modified PunBB install & has a few extras - calendar, articles, polls & a few more.

The articles menu will allow you to write articles that can be commented on or amended by other users - sort of like a mini Wiki. Feel free to use it as a knowledge base & post your own (topical!) articles to it.

Enjoy your stay & feel free to contribute.

Remember once you've registered to customise your profile.

As part of the effort to make this a community driven site, I'd like to appoint seperate moderators to each individual forum - drop me a line if you're interested & I'll reply back with details of what I expect from mods.

Lance