ÓÕÂÊ: HARDWARE IDEA.. (Ò6) ÆÒÏÍ: ÍICHAEL65 05/12/93 Ó#: 444829 É THOUGHT É MIGHT BOUNCE THIS IDEA AROUND AND GET SOME COMMENTS ON IT. ÃOMMODORE HAS ABANDONED THEIR 8-BIT COMPUTERS, AND ALMOST ALL THIRD PARTY SUPPORT HAS SLOWLY DISSAPEARED OVER THE YEARS. ÐEOPLE ARE UPGRADING TO ÐÃ, ÍAC, AND ÁMIGA PLATFORMS LEFT AND RIGHT. ×HY NOT MAKE THESE COMPUTERS RUN SOME Ã=64/128 SOFTWARE? (ÔHE ÁMIGA HAS PROGRAMS THAT WILL EMULATE THE Ã=64 ENVIRONMENT, BUT AS FAR AS É KNOW, THERE IS NOTHING FOR THE OTHER TWO.) ÈOW ABOUT A CARD FOR ÐÃ TYPE COMPUTERS THAT WOULD BASICALLY BE A Ã=128 (WITH Ã=64 MODE, OF COURSE)? ÁCCESS TO DISKS COULD BE EITHER THROUGH THE ÐÃ HARD AND FLOPPY DRIVES (BY RE-DEFINING FLOPPY DRIVES TO EMULATE 1571 AND 1581 DRIVES), OR THROUGH A Ã= SERIAL PORT ON THE CARD. ÐRINTING THROUGH THE ÐÃ'S PRINTER PORT, AND EMULATING THE 320X200 SCREEN ON ÅÇÁ OR ÖÇÁ MONITORS. (ÃÇÁ ONLY SUPPORTS 4 COLORS AT A TIME, SO IT WOULD BE A STEP DOWN) ÏBVIOUSLY, THIS WOULD TAKE QUITE A BIT OF WORK. ÍAYBE EVEN SOME SUPPORT SOFTWARE TO CONFIGURE THE CARD TO THE REST OF THE SYSTEM, BUT É THINK IT WOULD MAKE THE TRANSISTION FROM OUR BELOVED 64/218 MACHINES TO CONTEMPORARY MACHINES A LITTLE SMOOTHER. ÂÔ×, A FEW YEARS AGO THERE WAS A CARD THAT MADE ÐÃ/ØÔ COMPUTERS EMULATE AN ÁPPLE][ COMPUTER, SO THIS IDEA ISN'T THAT FAR FETCHED. -::- ÓÕÂÊ: ÓUPPORT.... (Ò) ÆÒÏÍ: ÒIDGEÒUNR 05/13/93 Ó#: 415994 É GUESS IT DEPENDS ON WHAT AREA YOU LIVE IN FOR ÃOMMODORE SUPPORT. ÏUR USER GROUP MEMBERS ARE GETTING CATALOGS, MAILINGS, AND FLYERS ON A REGULAR BASIS FROM A VARIETY OF 3RD PARTY SUPPORTERS. ÃOMMODORE IS STILL PRODUCING THE Ã64 AND SELLING THEM IN THE ÕË, AS WELL AS STILL PROVIDING PARTS AND (THROUGH ÃOMMODORE ÅXPRESS) SERVICE. ÃÏÍÐÕÔÅ ÇAZETTE CARRIES ADVERTIZING FROM A NUMBER OF THIRD PARTY VENDORS, AND COMPANIES LIKE ÃREATIVE ÍICRO ÄESIGNS AND ÐARSEC CONTINUE TO BE INNOVATIVE IN THEIR SUPPORT OF ÃOMMODORE. ÁFTER 10 YEARS, É THINK THAT'S PRETTY DARN GOOD, CONSIDERING HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED IN THAT TIME. ÉT'S NOT THE FLODD AND ONSLAUGHT IT USED TO BE, BUT IT IS ÓÔÉÌÌ THERE AND TOP NOTCH, YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE THE APPROPRIATE CONNECTIONS É SUPPOSE. -::- ÓÕÂÊ: * (Ò) ÆÒÏÍ: ÍICHAEL65 05/14/93 Ó#: 430216 ÓO PERHAPS THERE IS MORE SUPPORT OUT THERE THAN WHAT É THOUGHT, BUT WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT MY IDEA? É KNOW THAT ÃÍÄ STILL IS ACTIVE IN THE Ã= MARKET, BUT ASIDE FROM THEM, É HAVEN'T SEEN MUCH WORTH BRAGING ABOUT. ÇRANTED, WHERE É LIVE (ÄES ÍOINES, ÉÁ), THERE IS ALMOST NOTHING FOR SUPPORT. ÔHE ONLY STORE THAT STILL CARRIES ANYTHING AT ALL FOR THE Ã= 8-BIT COMPUTERS ONLY HAS OLD PROGRAMS THAT NOBODY WANTS ANYWAY. ÔHE ONLY OTHER Ã= OWNERS É KNOW LOCALLY HARDLY USE THEIR MACHINES, AND THEN ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY FOR GAMES. ÂESIDES, WHAT É'M PROPOSING WOULD BE TO EASE THAT TRANSITION BETWEEN THE Ã= TO A ÐÃ/ÍÁÃ PLATFORM (UPGRADING IS INEVITABLE, THE Ã= JUST CAN'T KEEP UP ANYMORE) SO THAT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO BUY ALL NEW SOFTWARE, AND COULD HANG ON TO THE FEW (IF ANY) PROGRAMS THAT WERE WRITTEN ONLY FOR THE Ã= MACHINES (OR FOR WHICH THE Ã= VERSION IS SUPERIOR). ×OULD ANYONE BESIDES ME EVEN BE INTERESTED IN THIS? -::- ÓÕÂÊ: ... (Ò) ÆÒÏÍ: ÂREADSTICK 05/14/93 Ó#: 435681 ÉT HAS BEEN THOUGHT OF, BUT THERE IS THE IMPENDING FACT THAT THE CARD WOULD COST MORE THAN A NEW C64 OR EVEN C128... AND THAT KIND OF DEFEATS THE PURPOSE. ×HY BOTHER PLAYING AN 8 BIT GAME ON A $2000 MACHINE, WHEN YOU COULD JUST RUN IT OFF OF YOUR $35 Ã64C AND A ÔÖ? ÂESIDES, ONCE MOST PEOPLE "UPGRADE" TO THE OTHER PLATFORMS, THEY TEND TO LOSE INTEREST IN OUR ÃOMMODORE WORLD. ÉT'S A GOOD IDEA, BUT THE BETTER WAY TO GO WOULD BE TO UPGRADE THE C64 AND 128'S MICROPROCESSORS, RAM, AND VIDEO/AUDEO COMPONENTS (ÉT IT POSSIBLE TO RUN A Ã64 AT 8MHZ IWTH A 16BIT CPU, AS ÃOMMODORE WAS TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE WITH THE C65 AND A COUPLE OTHER PROTOTYPES THAT NEVER MADE IT OFF THE GROUND). ÂUT ONCE AGAIN, ANYTHING LIKE THIS WILL COST GROSSLY MORE THAN BUYING COMPUTERS OF THE "OTHER" PLATFORMS, AND STILL AT A MUCH REDUCED EFFECTIVENESS. ÔHERE'S ALWAYS HOPE, THOUGH, DON'Ô LET MY PESSIMISM DISTRACT YOU IF YOU INTENT TO FURTHER THIS Ã=/ÐÃ CARD. É KNOW É WOULD PROBABLY BUY ONE IF IT WAS COMPATIBLE... -::- ÓÕÂÊ: ... (Ò) ÆÒÏÍ: ÊOHNÓ10173 05/14/93 Ó#: 442299 É THINK IF COMMODORE THOUGHT OF THIS IDEA AND PRODUCED SUCH A CARD A FEW YEARS BACK, THEY WOULD HAVE MADE A MINT. Á LOT OF C= 8 BIT USERS THAT UPGRADED TO PC'S SURELY WOULD HAVE SPENT THE $200 OR SO TO KEEP THIER SOFTWARE. É HAVE AT LEAST 350 COMMERCIAL GAME TITLES. ÁS FAR AS UPGRADING TO A PC, É WORK FOR A MEDICAL PRODUCTS COMPANY AS A HARDWARE/SOFTWARE TECHNICIAN IN R+D. É GET TO PLAY WITH TOP OF THE LINE 66MHZ PC'S DAILY. ÓURE, IF YOUR RUNNING A STOCK 64, WITH JUST A 1541, IT ISN'T FUN. ÂUT ADD A RAMLINK, ÈÄ, JIFFYDOS, 1581 OR ÆÄ, ETC. AND IT BECOMES QUITE TOLERABLE. ÁDD PERFECT PRINT, AND YOUR GEOWRITE PRINT OUTS ARE TOP QUALITY. ÉF ONLY CMD WOULD MAKE A 4MHZ SPEEDUP BOARD! É CAN REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN IT TOOK 2 MINS TO LOAD A PROGRAM. ÉF IT STILL DID, É WOULD HAVE UPGRADED BY NOW. -::- ÓÕÂÊ: ÃARD? (Ò) ÆÒÏÍ: ÊEANÎ1 05/16/93 Ó#: 485967 ÁT THE PRICE THAT USED Ã-64S AND Ã-128S ARE SELLING FOR, WHY NOT JUST KEEP YOUR OLD MACHINE AND USE IT WITH THE SOFTWAR YOU HAVE FOR IT THAT YOU STILL VALUE? ÁS TO ÃÏÍÍÏÄÏÒÅ ÅØÐÒÅÓÓ, É'M AFRAID IT IS NOT OF ANY USE. ÁLICE ÓHIPLEY, ÅDITOR OF THE ×HEELING, ×.ÖA USER GROUP NEWSLETTER, ÃÈÕÇ ÂULLETIN, HAS AN ARTICLE IN THE ÁPRIL ISSUE. ÓHE SPENT TIME AND MONEY ON PHONE CALLS TO SEVERAL PLACES THAT HAD PROMISED REPAIRS AND TRADE-IN OR SALES ON Ã-64S. ÓHE WAS TOLD BY ÃÏÍÍÏÄÏÒÅ ÅØÐÒÅÓÓ THAT THEY NO LONGER HAVE ANY Ã-64S OR ANY Ã-64 ÃS, AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHEN, OR EVEN IF, THEY WOULD EVER GET ANY MORE. ÔENEX REPORTED THAT THEY NO LONGER Ã-64ÃS, AND THAT ÃOMMODORE HAD STOPPED PRODUCING THEM. ÏH WOE! -::- ÓÕÂÊ: É ÁÍ ÎÏÔ ÆÏÒ ÁÂÁÎÄÏÎÉÎÇ ÔÈÅ Ã=64 ÆÒÏÍ: ÍICHAEL65 05/20/93 Ó#: 401775 ÁND WILL EVERYONE PLEASE STOP SENDING ME HATE E-MAIL! (É'VE GOTTEN QUITE A FEW LETTERS SAYING É SHOULDN'T ADVOCATE GETTING RID OF THE Ã=64 MACHINES!) É LOVE MY Ã=, BUT É NEED TO GET A ÐÃ BECAUSE THE Ã=64 JUST CAN'T HANDLE MY ÍÉÄÉ FILES ANYMORE, AND É CAN'T FIND ANYTHING THAT RESEMBLES MULTI-TASKING, FAX CAPABILITY, OR 'ÃÏÍÍÁÎÄÅÒ ËÅÅÎ' FOR THE Ã=64. ÔHERE IS ALSO ONLY ROOM FOR ONE MACHINE ON MY DESK, SO KEEPING MY Ã=64 AROUND WOULD BE A HASSEL (ONE THAT É WILL PROBABLY PUT UP WITH, THOUGH).