Commodore Free 19/Commodore_Free_Issue_19_2008_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/t.iv rb 3

Text File | 2008-01-01 | 10.6 KB | 342 lines

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Tnterview with Robert Bernardo
Commodore enthusiast and C= promoter

Part 3 of 4

CF - Do you own any other "non"
Commodore machines ?

RobertB - I own various classic game
consoles; two Intellivision IIs, a
Colecovision, a Nintendo Entertainment
System (8-bit) , and the one which I
constantly feed with homebrew games,
the Vectrex.  I also have a 1978 Star
Trek pinball arcade machine and am
looking for a Star Trek: Strategic
Operations Simulator electronic arcade
machine and the 1991 Star Trek 25th
anniversary pinball machine.  In the
collection, there's also a Texas
Instruments TI-99 for which I have the
Star Trek: SOS cart (it talks!) and an
Apple IIGS computer.

The IIGS has had an interesting
history.  Other than myself who has
kept 8-bit computers in the classroom,
one of the veteran science teachers at
my school kept Apple II's in the his
room, long past the time when other
rooms and labs had switched to Windows
computers.  He used Apple IIe's, a IIc,
& a GS.  However, by last June, he had
dumped all the Apples onto the
sidewalk; he was replacing them with
slightly newer Mac LC's and Power
Macintoshes (formerly used by the
school, too).  The school janitors
hauled away the remains of the Apples,
but I was able to rescue the GS, due
in no small part to what Jeri
Ellsworth said to me, i.e., that a GS
is a great computer.  When I got to
show her the GS haul, she was amazed
that it even included an accelerator
card.  She said that all I have to do
is find a hard drive for it.

As you can see, in terms of 8-bit
computer longevity in the class, the
Commodore & I have even won out over
the Apple II & the science teacher.

CF - Tell us about Star Trek. What is
the link with Commodore?

RobertB - Star Trek has had a long
history with Commodore.  Before
Commodore was in the computer biz,
Star Trek games were played on
mainframe computers in universities.
Back in the mid-1970's, fellow
students invited me to go to the
computer center at the University of
California in Davis and get onto the
terminal of the mainframe in order to
play Star Trek. Too bad I never had
time because of my English studies!

Then when the Commodore PET came out,
William Shatner, Captain Kirk of Star
Trek fame, started advertising for it.
 I didn't know it at the time.  When
the Commodore VIC-20 came out in the
early 1980's, I may or may not have
seen the television commercial
starring the good captain.  He also
did print advertisements for the
VIC-20.

With the release of the C64, there
were several Star Trek games
developed, many looking like or
improving upon the old mainframe ST
games.  I thought that it was a marvel
that the VIC-20 and the C64 had the
Star Trek: Space Operations Simulator.
 Based on the arcade game of the same
name, these 8-bit versions had the
same, revolutionary, 3-windowed screen
of the arcade version, minus the
vector graphics and certain sounds.

Star Trek games continued being
developed, e.g., there was Star Trek:
25th Anniversary for the Amiga
1200/4000.

These days I still enjoy the
Commodore/Star Trek connection.  As a
member of Shatner & Friends,
International, we get to meet with
William Shatner once a year, have
lunch/dinner with him, & follow him in
his activities, like attending a
filming of his TV show, Boston Legal,
or going to the Hollywood Charity Horse
Show & banquet which he hosts.  And
every year I've brought a Commodore
item for Bill to autograph; first a
1581, then a VIC-20, the next year a
Commodore telephone, another year C64
DTVs, last year a Star Trek: SOS cart &
a Star Trek: 25th Anniversary package.
This year I was thinking of bringing
him a PET 2001 keyboard (but not the
entire case!) & a SX-64.

Then there is the long-planned Star
Trek game that I want to create on the
Commodore or on the Amiga.  Being no
programmer, I would do such a game
with the Shoot 'Em Construction Kit.
Yes, get it made the down-and-dirty
way!  I've already planned a storyboard
for it; now where did I put it?

CF - Would you like to comment on what
you think went wrong with Commodore?
If Commodore did make a comeback, what
should they make and sell and why?

RobertB - I don't like to speculate on
what happened to Commodore Business
Machines nor on what would have been
if CBM were to have gone a certain
way.  I find it fruitless to be
involved in such sort of imaginings...
kind of like political discussions...
nothing is ever decided, but the
argument continues ad infinitum.  I was
never a part of the internal workings
of CBM and thus cannot truly say what
went wrong.  All I can say is that
parent company support for Commodore &
Amiga computers was never really there
and that third party companies & the
users were the people who kept the C=
dream alive.

As for a return of CBM, that would be
more speculation but one on which I
will comment briefly.  In order to
stay profitable, such a returning
company would need products that would
sell well and sell consistently. Would
those products support our legacy
computers or even be new versions of
our legacy computers?  It would be nice
to think so, but as products that sell
well and consistently, no.  The company
would have to have a product or
products that would be the core
business, & hopefully, the company
would have the money to then produce
legacy products that satisfy us legacy
users. Such a company would have to
have deep pockets to afford such market
risks.
 At the end of its product lifespan,
the C64 had less than $5 of parts and
was selling at $90 retail.  Jeri
Ellsworth has mentioned that the C64
DTV had less than $8 or $9 of parts &
was selling for $30 retail, with
600,000 produced & 100,000 of the
Hummer DTVs produced.  If you do the
math, you are talking of large amounts
of money and big production runs.
Would such a company expose itself to
satisfy legacy users?  That is the
question.

Let's take it a different way. Mammoth
Toys produced the C64 DTV & the Hummer
DTV.  When she worked for Mammoth, Jeri
proposed a $40-45 laptop computer,
ostensibly marketed to children, based
on the DTV ASIC chip. Think of it... a
new C64-compatible computer!  Mammoth
turned down her proposal.

CF - Commodore Gaming. Would you like
to comment on this venture?

RobertB --  When I've tried to contact
them after the Commodore Gaming Party
of July 2007, they've either been
extremely slow to respond or haven't
responded at all.  Though the company
does not really support our legacy
computers, I have nothing against
them, and I wish them the best in
their ventures.  At least they have a
C64 emulator and a selection of games
in their Windows gaming computers.

CF - Many items of Commodore hardware
are now failing for users (due to the
age). What would you do if all your
machines and hardware suddenly stopped
working.

RobertB - Ha, that would take a long
time, because I have plenty of C=
systems in storage.  Also with repair
craftsmen as Ray Carlsen and Charles
Gutman, any repair needs are satisfied.
 As for Amiga computers, that is more
difficult; fewer systems in storage but
thankfully there is a repairperson in
the TOGA club.

CF - Commodore is available in an
emulated format on various systems.
Would you like to comment on emulation?

RobertB -- I've seen a few emulators
running on Windows, Mac, and Amiga
computers.  They are interesting, but
they are not for me.  I prefer to use
the real thing.  However, there are
those who are big into emulators, & if
it fits their needs, then more power to
them.

CF - Have you any projects in the works
or meetings/conventions you will be
shortly attending? Would you like to
promote any meetings/conventions users
can attend?

RobertB - Naturally, there are the
monthly FCUG meetings that I have to
attend.  In addition, I try to get to
the TOGA meetings, though those are
about 3 hours away.  Then there are
the bi-monthly SCCAN meetings, & those
are less than 3 hours away.

I have a slew of events that I've
attended or will attend this year; just
one in the Midwest United States this
year, because all monies are being
devoted to Europe and the events over
there.  First up was the small MossyCon
4 in Astoria, Oregon on March 16. Then
there was the BlockParty 2008 in
Cleveland, Ohio on April 4-6. I'm going
to try to make it to the June 13 South
Essex Amiga Link meeting in Wickford,
England.  Then I will be at the
Netherlands Commodore Show in Maarssen
on June 21 (I've been asked to give a
presentation.).  There is a tentative
Commodore Scene meeting in Bradford,
England, but the June or July date for
that has not been finalized.  Then I'll
be at the Monastery Party 2008 in
Opava, the Czech Republic on June 28-29
After that is the Diengestraff C=
meeting in Bochum, Germany on July 1.
A few days later I'll be at the
Amigaclub meeting in Antwerp, Belgium
on July 5.  On July 27-28 there is the
Commodore Vegas Expo which is hosted
by our club and the Clark County
Commodore Computer Club of Las Vegas,
Nevada.  In October I'll be at the
AmiWest Show in Sacramento, California.
The final show of 2008 for me will be
the Vintage Computer Festival 11.0 the
first weekend of November in Mountain
View, California.

CF - Some Commodore users are very
passionate to the point they almost
reject other users who don't know as
much.  Can you comment?

RobertB - I suppose you are speaking
of the "elite" or the elite wannabes.
They are totally opposite of what I
try to promote; they want to exclude
people; I want to include people.  As
Commodore chairman Jack Tramiel said,
"Computers for the masses, not the
classes".  The elite take it upon
themselves to set up a class of people
who are above everybody else.

CF - Why would users reject others
with less knowledge?  Shouldn't we all
stick together in the common cause?

RobertB - In the elite mentality, such
people think of themselves as being
too good, at a higher plane than all
others.  Haven't done a demo? Then you
are not elite.  Haven't programmed?
Then you are not elite. Haven't cracked
a game?  Then you are not elite.

Then there are the cyber-bullies.
Unfortunately, the Commodore community
has them, too.  Whereas, the elite
tend to ignore those who don't meet
their standards, these cyber-bullies
like to socialize and get their
jollies by fear, intimidation, threats,
& insults.  The unmoderated C= news-
groups have them; the C= chat rooms
have them.  The cyber-bullies reject
others, because they want to feel
superior, to feel in control.  These
cyber-bullies love to corner a victim,
& they are most obsessive in causing
emotional pain to their victim.  They
revel in wreaking havoc; they are quite
proud of their dubious accomplishments.
 Sorry to say but these people have
severe behavioral problems.  Best thing
to do is to ignore them but document
everything they say.  Maybe one day,
there will be laws to curtail the worst
of their behavior.

         CONTINUED IN PART 4