Commodore Free 28/Commodore_Free_Issue_28_2009_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/outro part 1

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* In the Beginning Outro 1 *
*    By Lord Ronin         *
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 Well we finally reached the end of
the 12 parts of our look at the
Commodore user guide. I Hope that you
were able to gain a something from
it, even if it is the fact that I am
a fanatic for the C= system.

 If the user's manual was a fantastic
book that taught you all you needed
to know for doing basic programming,
then not only would I have not
written this series, uncounted
authors would have not written books,
articles for mags, and even some disk
programmes to teach Basic. There
isn't one book to teach the idea.
Everyone has their own way of
presenting the same information. In
out local group for example we found
that this diverse way is the one that
worked. Different members saw the
information, but one type of writer
made it spark for them; different
people and different writers. I would
encourage you to look online as well
as locally for books on the C=.
Thousands upon thousands of books and
magazines were made for the C=. Not
all of them are in the landfill today
many actually are now on line in
different formats for use. Some have
been put on CDs for use, Can't say
the contact places. What I can say is
that if you sign up for the homestead
list at vcsweb.com. You will be in
the same place as my group and  able
to reach the same sources. From that
point you can grow in your own
direction.  Saying all of that, the
users manual is still the first book
to use for a starting point. You may
not get any farther because you
aren't interested in programming at
that time. Yet it is the start of how
to at least use the C=.

 Many times I have said that I am not
really a programmer. Sure I wrote
this series. Wrote it from a lamers
or new users point of view. Because
it makes me only a few steps in
experience than the guy that is just
starting off I am not light years
ahead of you. I Freely admit that
some of my interpretations can and
probably are wrong, my experience has
been the book of this series. The
Commodore Basic trilogy, one that was
used at space camp. A few hundred
type in programmes. Picking other
peoples brains and trying to help the
members of my local group.

 In my work on this series a few
things came to light; speaking with
some programmers of note and long
experience, All of them started on
the same first book: that being the
users manual. From there they did
things like type in programmes from
magazines, bought other books to
learn programming, found a users
group, or created a group of C=
users. Then they learned together.
Apparently one theme of feed back was
the fact of programming is easier to
learn with others. Face to face is
great. I heard stories about phone
calls and logging onto boards for
many hours. Asking and answering
questions.

I also have been told and many times
over, that to do the programming of
big games and demos and most stuff.
You will need to study and practice
with Machine Language. Don't know
this language. I have seen some very
good and enjoyable programmes that
were done in Basic, as well as the
same in ML. Not experienced enough to
say what you should or should not do
in this part. ML is said to be faster
than Basic. It is also said to be
smaller in space than Basic for the
same programme actions. I do know
that you can have Basic and ML mixed
in one programme. There is an
argument about the validity of
learning Basic before going to ML.
Some say that you need the
understanding of Basic, to comprehend
the actions of ML. These are the
majority of those who have discussed
this with me. There are some that say
they wish they had started on ML and
never messed with Basic. Reasons on
the lines of having to re-learn
concepts. I can't tell you what is
the best. Or if you should attempt
ML.

 In fact you can not bother to
programme anything and enjoy this PC.
What I have done in the 12 parts is
show you with my comments the users
manual. They go into the basics of
Basic for most of the book.
Personally I find that the little I
know on programming to be fun and
makes me desire to learn more, as it
is a creative and mind working
subject. But I admit that it isn't a
something for everyone. In fact I
never thought that I would be
interested or good enough to even
attempt the things in the manual for
several years. I only played games
and went online and started to write
for the local group and my game
guild. Things sort of grew on me.

 How many millions of programmes that
are out there is anyone's guess.
Commercial, freeware, public domain
and the lot. Magazine type-ins, book
type-ins and stuff that a guy made
for himself. Floating around in
collections, like what you may have.
Plus in thousands of online web sites
today. Most of them you won't be
interested in at this moment. As you
experience the C= more and more. Your
interests will expand. OK that is
because you will know more on the
spectrum of things for the C=.

 Overall point that I want to make at
this time is now that you have seen a
taste of programming, you can see
that not only is this machine a very
powerful device but it is friendly to
the user. Most of all you are in
control. You can create, You are
doing the programming of the machine.
Not being programmed by a something
that you have no understanding of the
workings or operation. Why in the
industry that system is called "plug
and pray".

 I know of people, one of them the
President of a users group. Who are
not programmers They collect and use
the C= hardware and software. But to
programme something, they are worse
than me. Yet that fact of their
interest in programming, in no way
diminishes their love or interest in
the C=. In fact the one man above,
started a convention/expo for the C=.

 By going through the 12 parts you
gained some understanding of the C=.
Even if you didn't type in single
program you will have seen the
difference between the C= and the IBM
PC platform. I hope that it was a
positive experience. This PC and its
users have outlasted the company, you
don't see that for other PC
platforms. But no I can't tell you
the why of this fact. Why people are
making software and selling it for
low amounts or just giving it to the
C= community, or why others are
making hardware and passing out the
technical detail for others to make.
Like the vid conference thing, and
the Ethernet connections. Nor way on
eBay and other places, the C= is
commanding high prices when compared
to other PC items. The system is
still loved 20 plus years after it
was the worlds #1 PC platform. May
you too find the pleasure and
enjoyment that millions of others
have throughout the world playing
around with the C=.

 As a subnote before ending we have
dealt with the Commodore 64 in this
series. There are other models. You
may have the flat creamish coloured
one called the Commodore 64c. You may
have the Commodore 128, which is the
flat one or the Commodore 128Dcr,
that is the one that has the built in
drive. What has been said in this
series works with those machines.
There is a slight difference with the
sound chip but the rest of the
information, in 64 mode on the 128
models all works the same. In fact
all the programmes from the user's
manual that are in this series where
tested on a 64c and a 128Dcr in 64
mode. OK it was also written on the
same 128Dcr in 64 mode.

 There are other C= PCs. The
Commodore PET came first in the
mid/late 70s. Around 1980 was the
introduction of the VIC-20. The 64
came out in 1982. Later they came out
with the Commodore16. which in my
limited experience is a very cut down
version of the 64 haven't messed with
mine much. Now there is also a black
C=. This is called the Plus/4. I have
two of them one is NTSC and the other
is PAL I don't use them. They seem to
be a great idea that failed. Great
because they added 4 built in things.
Don't worry about those things. If
you have a Plus/4. I can't tell you
how much of this series worked for
you. Never dealt with it at all. But
I can tell you that the reason the
Plus/4 failed is that it was not 100%
compatible to the hardware and
software for the 64. This from other
users, and the fact that I could not
read a disk that was created on the
Plus/4, using a real 64. I find it an
amazing thing that C= users killed
off a C= system because it wasn't
compatible. Yet windows users accept
changes that make their hardware and
software incompatible, as it was the
normal and acceptable thing.

 So saying all the above. Please
enjoy your C= system. Millions have
for decades.

 Lord Ronin from Q-Link
 Chancellor of the
 Anything Commodore Users Group #447
 23/Nov/2007ce

MORE IN OUTRO PART 1A

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