Hi all,
Found this via one of the Commodore newsgroups that I infrequently lurk in. Great to see that my favourite eight bit computer is still able to garner so much support! Very surprised to see so much discussion in such a new forum too. Begs the question as to why no one has set up support sites for the 128 before now ? Even more impressed as reading the forums I get the impression that this system is based in Australia!
I'm in Adelaide, South Australia, had my 128D since 1987 and mainly use the CP/M abilities of it - that was one of the primary reasons I bought the computer originally as a replacement for an earlier CP/M computer I had that went to binary heaven. Got a bog standard 128D, the metal case one with 64k video ram. Usual addons, 512k REU and 1581 and Swiftlink.
Rarely use the 64 side of the computer except for the odd game. 40 cols is just too clumsy to do anything serious in IMHO.
Hi Bill,
Quote from: bill.mannRarely use the 64 side of the computer except for the odd game. 40 cols is just too clumsy to do anything serious in IMHO.
Ok, I'll 'fess up - I was really excited when I got my 128 20 years ago (bloody hell, I feel old!) & did my damndest to buy as many native mode programs as i could, but as time went by, I found I was using the 64 side more often.
Since finding this site & reading all the discussions, my interest has fired up again & I've been downloading some of the software from here - I never realised there was so much user written stuff out there!
I'm renewing my original love affair :D
Seems to be a few Aussies coming outta the woodwork! Be interesting to find out where everyone is around the world.
Oz
Im from Tennessee USA, nice area, but pretty hot here lately...just got back from Kansas City, Missouri which is a nice area as well.
I'm from Murfreesboro TN, and just put my old C64 BBS, Fantasia's Retun back online seriously for the first time in 14 years, I had it up for a few months in 2003-2004 but it just didn't get any calls due to it still being dial-up, now I have it telnettable from the Vice 64 emulator, so everyone, including, and especially inernational callers can call away. The address is 65.80.188.195 Port 6400, and please, download a Petscii compatible terminal program like CGTerm! Its well worth the effort!. :)
EFlash - have you tried one of the dynamic IP name thingys (yeah and thats the TECHNICAL name)... Like no-ip.com or dyndns.org? Rather than an IP address. Anyway, glad you could make it in, and congrats on the BBS success.
Perth, WA, Australia
Quote from: OzOneSeems to be a few Aussies coming outta the woodwork! Be interesting to find out where everyone is around the world.
Oz
I'm in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia.
Quote from: BrendonHi Bill,
Quote from: bill.mannRarely use the 64 side of the computer except for the odd game. 40 cols is just too clumsy to do anything serious in IMHO.
Ok, I'll 'fess up - I was really excited when I got my 128 20 years ago (bloody hell, I feel old!) & did my damndest to buy as many native mode programs as i could, but as time went by, I found I was using the 64 side more often.
Since finding this site & reading all the discussions, my interest has fired up again & I've been downloading some of the software from here - I never realised there was so much user written stuff out there!
I'm renewing my original love affair :D
I never really stopped! This was the computer my parents bought for me. At the time I really wanted an Amiga but my dad reckoned the 128 was better because of all the software written for it. He sortaq didn't understand that it was actually the c64 that had all that software.... anyway, I eventually got an Amiga 2000 5 years later and I still have and use that too.
By the way - my parents still have a 128 (flat one) that is still there main machine after all these years.....
Hello, might as will introduce myself. I'm a part-time journalist and have written for a few prominent publications here in the UK. I have also used my Commodore 128 to write some of the articles, thanks to Wheels, geoDOS and my FD2000 disk drive - this was due to the simple fact that I had the worst PC in the office and it's constantly crash... a few seconds and Wheels was booted... a couple more seconds and I could start writing with geoWrite - it was all good. Those were the days :-)
I still have a 128D-Cr; I've removed the internal drive, cut the ATTN line and added an extractor fan as well as an MMU adapter to it. Sticking out of the back is a SuperCPU, RAMLink and 1750 clone and I have a 1581, FD2000, HD and ZIP drive attached, as well as a SmartMOUSE and other such items. It's all fun when it works :-P
Regards,
Shaun.
Quote from: Shaun.BebbingtonHello, might as will introduce myself. I'm a part-time journalist and have written for a few prominent publications here in the UK. I have also used my Commodore 128 to write some of the articles, thanks to Wheels, geoDOS and my FD2000 disk drive - this was due to the simple fact that I had the worst PC in the office and it's constantly crash... a few seconds and Wheels was booted... a couple more seconds and I could start writing with geoWrite - it was all good. Those were the days :-)
I still have a 128D-Cr; I've removed the internal drive, cut the ATTN line and added an extractor fan as well as an MMU adapter to it. Sticking out of the back is a SuperCPU, RAMLink and 1750 clone and I have a 1581, FD2000, HD and ZIP drive attached, as well as a SmartMOUSE and other such items. It's all fun when it works :-P
Regards,
Shaun.
Wow! people do use Wheels :) Didn't think there were many out there.....
Actually I could never buy it. Placed an order over 18 months ago with it from Maurice Randall for Wheels and I'm still waiting. Despite several emails I've never received it. For the amount of money it isn't worth pursuing an overseas business. Bets I'll never buy another thing of him again.
Must be some reliable Commodore sellers out there.
Brendon
Quote from: BrendonActually I could never buy it. Placed an order over 18 months ago with it from Maurice Randall for Wheels and I'm still waiting. Despite several emails I've never received it. For the amount of money it isn't worth pursuing an overseas business. Bets I'll never buy another thing of him again.
Must be some reliable Commodore sellers out there.
Brendon
I wish there was a retailer still operating here in Australia. It's pretty much cost-prohibitive to buys stuff from the Us one item at a time.
What about a group purchase ?
Quote from: BrendonWhat about a group purchase ?
I'd be interested in this as well. I agree that there seem to be few (any?) suppliers of Commodore equipment left here in Australia & certainly agree that it's pretty well "cost-prohibitive" to get single items from the US.
Lance
Hmmm ... I'm tempted to dabble in the whole online Commodore bits shop, in the process of expanding my current company (it's just handling my contract job at the moment), my wife wants me to set up a "computer services" side of things as she wants to get experience in the whole running of it, buying/selling that sort of thing.
Postage shouldn;t be prohibative from NZ to OZ I suppose.
Mark
Hi Mark,
Quote from: strandedinnzHmmm ... I'm tempted to dabble in the whole online Commodore bits shop, in the process of expanding my current company (it's just handling my contract job at the moment), my wife wants me to set up a "computer services" side of things as she wants to get experience in the whole running of it, buying/selling that sort of thing.
Postage shouldn;t be prohibative from NZ to OZ I suppose.
Mark
I think part of the problem would be sourcing a reliable stream of parts in this part of the world. There just aren't many producers of bits and pieces left anymore. There's been some major damage done to the hobby by suppliers like Maurice Randall and a few people have been burnt by experiences with him. Any new shop/trader will need to work hard at building their reputation up and probably need to be prepared for the fact that there'll be some edgy people out there. That being said, I'd love to find a local (and reliable) dealer in Australia. You'd need to consider that it'd never be a big market though and you wouldn't make large amounts of money out of the venture.
Brendon