Commodore Free 27/Commodore_Free_Issue_27_2009_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/iv david

Text File | 2023-02-26 | 16KB | 556 lines

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 Cincinnati Commodore Computer Club

   www.geocities.com/c64-128-amiga

COMMODORE FREE
Please introduce yourself to our
readers

DAVID WITMER
My name is David Witmer, I am the
President of the Cincinnati Commodore
Computer Club. My day job is a
computer desktop repair technician
for a national computer chain store.
Repair certifications I hold include
Apple Desktop, Dell Desktop & Laptop,
Toshiba Satellite, Lenovo/IBM Desktop
& Laptop. I graduated from Ohio
University with a Bachelor of
Business Administration, with
emphasis in Organizational
Communications. Scuba Diving is
another of my hobbies, & I hold a
certification in Advanced Open Water,
& a variety specialties including
Rescue Diver which is my most recent
training. I also like photography &
78rpm record collecting.

CF. Can you tell our readers about
your first Computing Experiences

DW. The college mainframe computer
the IBM 370 was to give me my first
exposure to computers & programming.
The programming I did learn
officially was SPSS, COBOL, &
unofficially BASIC (and hacking the
mainframe via a dialup terminal my
roommate brought home from work-study
at the Engineering Department at the
university).

My girlfriend at the time was a
Computer Science Major. I failed to
understand what the big deal of
computers was going to be farther
down the road. Often we would study
together when we had the same
classes, but she did get one class
that I decided to learn on my own:
BASIC. I went to the computer lab to
watch her do her homework on the
monstrous sized equipment that was
really more than a stand alone
terminal to the mainframe. What brand
of computer this was escapes me, but
I remember her bringing the huge 8
inch floppy disks. On these she
stored her homework, not on punch
cards as I was doing. That was what
intrigued me, that information could
be saved on something other than a
mainframe computer's hard drive, or a
stack of cards. This was something I
had to look into, but didn't really
want to spend the time going through
a class. In retrospect, I probably
should have taken that class for the
credit of learning basic, & to learn
better programming skills to boot.

I bought one floppy from the College
bookstore to hold my programming
examples, figuring I'd never need
more than that, I didn't. I learned
the basics from my girlfriend like
how to format the disk, how to erase
the current program in memory without
turning off the machine, probably her
instructions to me were simple, but
also helping her to learn to make
sure she understood what she was
being graded for! I followed along
some of the programming examples she
had from her class, then decided I
wanted to do something fun. So I
found a type in program for a game
called WUMPUS. Yes, I typed it all in
from BASIC, on a computer that wasn't
mine, just to learn the fundamentals
of BASIC. When I finally got it all
typed in & tried to run it, of course
it had some errors from mistyped
commands, but troubleshooting didn't
seem any harder than the other
computing classes I had taken. I
finally had the program debugged &
played several games of WUMPUS
without any errors. I felt so
accomplished.

My first home computer purchase
didn't happen until after I graduated
from college, on September 27, 1982.
I had a friend from my high school
days that owned a Vic20 for several
months, & he allowed me access to it
to play around on & see how much fun
owning a personal computer could be.
So, the two of us decided to take a
trip to Columbus Ohio & buy my own
computer setup. I knew I wanted a
Vic20, & a tape drive, so the dealer
at Tech HiFi didn't have a hard sale
trying to get me to buy anything. He
did try to get me to buy some
programs, which I did pass on, since
I wanted to first learn how to
program & use my new found
acquisition. Anyway, I could always
borrow programs from my friend. I
followed the Vic20 User's Guide
through the learning process of the
computer, & I typed in programs from
Compute magazine. These activities
kept me busy for hours.

It wasn't until several years later,
that I bought a Commodore 64. Vic20
software was shrinking from the
marketplace, being replaced by the
more powerful C64 software. When I
tried to type in a program that took
up all of the Vic20 memory, I knew at
that point I needed to upgrade to the
C64.

CF. Now your handle Snogpitch? Can
you tell our readers where this name
came from?

DW. This is a question I get asked a
lot. It was happening whenever anyone
saw my handle on the online services
such as GEnie, Compuserve, Q-Link, &
Prodigy. I finally decided when I
knew enough to put up a personal
website, I would tell the story
there, & let everyone read it for
themselves.

Once I logged on to GEnie for the
first time in 1992, I realized I
would need an "Online Personna" in
order to participate on the live chat
channels. What would I choose?
Various ideas came to mind, ranging
from a Super-hero, to a fictions Star
Trek character being the most likely
candidate. I remembered a word that
was coined, back in my high school
days, when Alice & her Adventures
through the Looking Glass was
discussed. A poem in that story
called Jabberwocky held some strange
words & names as part of its prose.
We were inventing similar words. One
word that I "created" was SNOGPITCH.

CF. So a Handle is a "nickname" but
Why still use a handle,

DW. About the same time I joined
GEnie, I was also getting introduced
to the local BBS scene. Of course
handles were used there as well, & my
Snogpitch handle came with me to that
community. On the BBS, folks did not
want your real name for all to see,
especially if the BBS was doing
illegal stuff.

Back in the 70's in the United States
of America, there was a big thing
called the Citizen's Band Radio.
Everyone had a handle to identify
themselves to other radio
enthusiasts, without giving their
real names. Folks would chat about
various things, but if you were on
the trucker's channel, you would get
things like where the local law
enforcement officers were hiding for
catching unsuspecting motorists in
"speed traps". Knowing this, you
could slow down before getting into
the range of the local Constapole's
RADAR gun, & not get caught. My Dad
loved this technology, but I didn't
participate in it.

Snogpitch is a rather unique
nickname, one that I have not seen
elsewhere. So far, I have not been
confronted by someone claiming I used
their nickname. If you open the
dictionary, you will find the
definition as:

nickname n
1.  an invented name for somebody or
something, used humorously or
affectionately instead of the real
name & usually based on a conspicuous
characteristic of the person or thing
involved Encarta

CF. You are the president of
"Cincinnati Commodore Computer Club"
can you give a brief history of the
club. How long has the club been
running?

DW. I wasn't around when the club was
formed. Our club has been in
existence since 1983 & grew to a
membership of about eighty in 1985. I
joined the club in the early 90s, so
I can say I've been around for the
majority of it's existence. Just this
past September, I noticed we had a
quiet anniversary of our web-presence
(September 1998 was when I created
the club's official website on the
Geocities community, now 10 years
old).

CF. What Commodore Machines do you
cater for?

DW. We cater to all systems that
Commodore made, up to it's
bankruptcy. The newer offerings such
as the C64-DTV & Hummer have been
added to the list, as they are
recreations of the original hardware.
The club is however primarily a C64
club.

CF. How many members does the club
have

DW. The club currently has 24 in it's
membership list.

CF. What would membership entail Is
there a joining fee, & what would our
user get for joining?

DW. Membership entitles you to:

1. Full use of our public domain
library of Commodore 8 bit & Amiga
software. Our Librarian has
maintained a complete catalogue
summary of all disks in our library
by disk content & category. You may
obtain a copy of any library disk by
providing the Librarian a blank
diskette & the number of the disk you
desire copied. Fees for copies are
$0.50 per side for 8 bit disks &
$1.50 for Amiga disks. Fees for
non-members are twice this price.

Providing a disk of PUBLIC DOMAIN
software or SHAREWARE for the library
entitles you to a disk of your choice
from the library. NOTE: copyrighted
software WILL NOT be accepted in the
library unless the company that
produced the software is out of
business & the software is no longer
available from any other source.

2. A Library Catalogue
Disks containing files listing the
contents of each 8 bit library disk
are provided to new members along
with a program that will print the
files to the monitor or a printer.
Disks containing files of disks added
after you become a member may be
obtained by providing the librarian
with a blank disk(s). Our Librarian
is currently putting the disks in
.d64 format on a PC hard drive with
the idea of being able to put the
library on one or two CD-ROMS. A
listing of the project so far can be
found at:
http://members.iglou.com/thunderbird/C
CCC.txt

3. A Monthly Newsletter
Newsletters contain lots of helpful
information & usually an article on a
specific topic. The FOR SALE items
are a good way to expand your
hardware or software inventory. Help
line numbers are also available. We
all went through the experience of
having problems. If you are
encountering difficulties in all
likelihood someone in the club has
had the same problem. Please make
your request for help at a reasonable
hour. If you did not receive your
newsletter by the next meeting,
Please contact the newsletter editor
or membership person as soon as
possible.

Providing an article to the
newsletter on any computer related
subject entitles you to a disk of
your choice from the library free of
charge (this includes ads of "For
Sale" items).

4. A starter disk.
The starter disk contains a variety
of public domain programs for the C64
on Side One & the C128 on Side Two.
Or if you have an Amiga, you will
receive an Amiga Starter Disk.

5. The club has 1000's of used
commercial items for sale at very
reasonable prices. The list includes
software, hardware, accessories,
books, manuals & magazines. The items
are in separate files by category
available free on a double-sided 5
1/4" disk or on our web site at
http://www.geocities.com/c64-128-amiga
/sale/. Members receive a 50%
discount on all items listed.

6. Tractor feed items are also
available to members:
address labels 3.5" x 15/16" in
pastel shades of blue, green, pink &
yellow, plus white $1.00/100. 2.75" x
1 15/16" white labels for 3.5" disks
$1.50/100. And 3.5" x 6" postcards -
$1.50/100

7. Yearly dues are $24.00. New
members receive a $48.00 credit
towards the purchase of any item in
our used items inventory at the 50%
member discount.

All of that is a bargain! Get with
our membership officer Roger Hoyer if
you are interested in joining our
club. [e-mail]

CF. Does the club still meet
regularly,

DW. We meet on every 3rd Sunday of
the month, with the exception of June
which is the 4th Sunday.

CF. what do users do at meetings?

DW. A typical meeting itinerary
includes a brief business meeting,
followed by a demo, or previewing the
latest LoadStar diskmag. New
inventory acquisitions are also
brought to the meeting for members to
get first choice before allowing
"non-members" the opportunity of
purchase. Programming assistance or
program support is offered to those
who have a need for additional
instruction.

CF. I notice you are listed as
"official Commodore Club #292." What
does this mean

DW. When Commodore was still in
business, it gave computer clubs
official recognition of its status.
We continue to acknowledge this
alliance long after the bankruptcy of
the company in the 90s.

CF. You arrange Commodore expos or
conventions like "C=4Expo" what is
"C=4Expo" where are they held?

DW. Expos today are not the expos you
might have read or attended in years
past. Instead of large corporations
showing their latest program, or
gadget for the computer, we now have
individuals or small businesses
showing their "wares" to the
hobbyist. Instead of attendance in
the hundreds or thousands, attendance
at expos today are lucky to get an
attendance ranging between 25-100
people. They tend to focus on the
social part of the community more
than the commercial activities. Our
club started it's first expo in 2006,
when we found out there was not going
to be a spring expo that year, unless
someone stepped up to the plate &
held one.

Back in the 90's a user group in
Okemos Michigan held a spring expo
for many years. I attended a few of
them up to the last one. The next
year, the Louisville Kentucky group
(LUCKI) grabbed the torch & held
expos for the next several years.
When they decided to discontinue, we
started it back up. It's been like a
relay race, one club runs it for a
while, & another one picks it up
after a while. One of these days, our
club will probably pass it on to
another club. We will be doing a show
in 2009, contract details are not yet
set, but we are planning the Memorial
Day weekend for our expo. It will be
held at the Drawbridge Inn, in Fort
Mitchell Kentucky, same locations as
our previous 3 expos. Official dates
will probably be announced when your
readers have this interview in their
hands.

CF. We have started C.C.C.(U.K.)
Commodore Computer Club U.K. note the
U.K. to distinguish ourselves from
your club, does this naming cause
your club any problems?

DW. Not any more than CCCCC or 5C's
from Nevada, or another club,
Colorado Commodore Computer Club.

Q. Do you think there is still a lot
of interest in Computer clubs, or has
the internet removed the needs for
local meetings?

DW. I view computer clubs in general
as a dying breed, much like the
telephone booth, & the milkman
bringing bottles of milk to your
doorstep in the morning. There will
be those few that will still be
around, but it will be more of a
curiosity, & public demand. The clubs
today are more social clubs,
especially for the "old timers" that
seem to know everything. When is the
last time you tried to find a PC user
group for the modern personal
computers? Did they have anything to
offer their membership? Allowing
people to tap the knowledge of a
fellow member, beats reading an
impersonal FAQ any day.

CF. Has the CCCC received a renewal
of interest in younger users?

DW. That is a rather difficult
question to answer as it seems youth
is relative to the age of that
person's observations. Our membership
is family oriented, thus the children
of the primary member are also a part
of our club. If you looked at some of
the photos taken at our expos, you
might see kids playing with the
various machines around the expo
room. We are not selling expensive
items, we expect people to use the
machines, & encourage everyone to
have fun with their Commodores.

CF. What do you think is or was the
most exciting piece of Commodore
hardware to be released?

DW. For me the most exciting piece of
Commodore hardware was the C128 &
128D. It was 3 computers in one. It
had its native mode, with Basic 7. 64
mode for those who started with the
64, but wanted to keep using the
software they had started with on
that machine. CP/M mode for the users
that were migrating from other
platforms. If only the Amiga could
have had that flexibility, I might
have been more excited when that line
of computers made its debut.

CF. Do you have any comments you
would like to add?

DW. If you would like to discuss
Commodore in real time, visit me, my
fellow CCCC members, & Commodore
friends on #c64friends on irc using
the server on irc.eskimo.com on
newnet network. Use your irc client
of choice, or Q-Link, & join us on
Saturday nights at 9PM EST for the
next 3 hours. I am usually there
during that time. Others might be
available at various times during the
week. Visit the webpage at:
http://www.c64friends.com for a link
to the java chat client if you do not
wish to install a program on your
computer. Transcripts of previous
chats are available at the website
mentioned above.

Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to introduce your readers
to our Commodore club. Perhaps, after
reading this, more of your readers
will feel encouraged to start their
own local user group. If our group
wasn't around, I know it would be
missed in my life.

..end..