Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is a Personal computer built by Commodore Business Machines Inc. used in the Years 1980. It was the first machine sold to several million specimens (from 17 to 25 million according to the estimates), and there remains the model of computer more to date sold.

Description

It used a microprocessor 8 bits 6510 (a derivative close to the 6502 which had the possibility of managing banks of memories by bringing them to the request in the space of addressing of the processor) and had 64 kiloctets of Random access memory. With the the United Kingdom, it competed in popularity with ZX Spectrum and drew benefit from a keyboard from normal size and graphics chips and its more advanced.

The graphics chip, VIC-II, provided 16 colors, eight sprite S, of the capacities of run (scrolling), and two graphic modes bitmap. Standard the text mode provided 40 columns, like the majority of the models FART of Commodore.

The sound chip, SID, had three ways, several forms of waves, modulations sound and capacities of filtering. It was very advanced for its time. It was conceived by Bob Yannes, which will be the cofounder later of the company of synthetizer Ensoniq.

Unfortunately, the built-in BASIC did not offer a means easy to reach the capacities graphic and sound advanced machine, the users were to thus use orders PEEK and POKE to address the memory directly in order to obtain the anticipated result. Or then to use extensions like Simon' S BASIC, or to program directly in Assembler. Commodore had a better implementation of the BASIC, but finally chooses to sell C64 with the same BASIC 2.0 used in VIC-20 for fear C64 does not tarnish the sales of the PET/CBM.

He inherited machines CBM and the VIC-20 a port programmable user (6522) and a port series owner functioning on a principle close to the IEEE-488 and making it possible to connect (and to address) peripherals, in particular one or more units of mono-diskettes of 5.25 inches 1540 (that for the VIC-20), 1541 and 1542.

Of this computer (probably) appeared a known culture underground data-processing under the name of Scène demonstration.

History

Commodore tried in 1984 to replace C64 with the Commodore Plus/4, which offered a more colourful posting, a better implementation of the BASIC (V3.5) and better software installed. However, it missed the capacities of sprite, had a worse sound and a less provided software library. It was a failure.

More powerful computers arriving on the market, like the successor of C64, the compatible completion C128 (fine 1985), Commodore positioned C64 like a computer of line entry, lowering the price significantly.

In 1986, Commodore left the Commodore 64C , which was functionally identical to the original, but with an external design reorganized in the “modern” spirit more of the C128. The C64C was often provided with the graphic Operating system GEOS.

During the summer 2004, after an absence on the market of almost 10 years, Tulip Computers BV (owner of the Commodore mark since 1997) announced a C64-Direct-to-TV, a console-joystick based on C64 with 30 canned titles in ROMANIAN, according to a principle similar to the mini-consoles based on the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision, which had had a rather modest success before.

It is always employed, particularly for the music. Its programs can be used on more recent machines by means of a emulator.

Technical specifications

  • Processor MOS Technology 6510 given rhythm with 0,985 MHz (STAKE)/1,023 MHz (NTSC)
    • 64 Kio of Random access memory (38 Kio available for the programs BASIC by defect; 2 Kio of video memory of nature) or 320 Kio (with Commodore 1764 256 Kio) with the Unit of extension memory , however only 64 Kio directly accessible, the unit intended mainly for GEOS)
    • 20 Kio of ROMANIAN (8 Kio BASIC 2.0,8 Kio Core, 4 Kio of generated natures, producing two whole of 2000 characters)
  • Graphics chip VIC-II MOS 6567/8567 (NTSC) MOS 6569/8569 (STAKE)
    • text Modes: 40×25 characters of 8×8 pixels monochromic (a plan); 40×25 characters half-resolution of 4×8 pixels (2 bitplanes ) multicouleurs
    • graphic Modes: bitmap of 320×200 pixels monochromic; 160×200 multicouleurs
    • 16 colors (black, white, red, cyan, purple, green, blue, yellow, orange, maroon, red clearly, gray dark, gray average, green clearly, light blue, green clearly)
  • sound Chip SID MOS 6581/8580 (Its)
    • Sound: 3 ways ADSR-programmable out of 9 octaves

Video games

Not-exhaustive list of plays having marked history of Commodore 64. Some are original plays, others of the adaptations.

See too

  • Commodore Demonstrations 64

External bonds

  • C64.COM - Programs, Demonstrations
  • C64 Music
  • French Documentations in connection with Commodore 64 - Handbook of C64, etc
  • Power64 - Emulator of Commodore 64 for Macintosh
  • Old Mags Computer - review c64

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