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As a huge retro fan with a collection of over 30 systems, I thoroughly encourage you to pick up C64 coding and give it another go. And for anyone else thinking

As a huge retro fan with a collection of over 30 systems, I thoroughly encourage you to pick up C64 coding and give it another go. And for anyone else thinking about this subject, consider this: every year for the last decade now the following systems have had new programs written for them by thriving communities: Amstrad CPC6128, C64, ZXSpectrum, BBC Micro B, Oric Atmos, Jupiter Ace (!), Apple II .. actually, never mind. Lets just try this experiment: dig out the old computer from your attic, dust it off, get your docs together, and go find the .. rather eager, I'm sure .. community of hackers that are keeping these machines alive. Honestly, I have a ton of iDevices with App Store crap on them. The only releases I get really excited about lately are for the Amstrad CPC6128 and Atmos, though .. its just so fun to see crazy new stuff being made for these 'ancient' machines .. So yeah, please get to coding. Docs for some of these systems are easier now than ever!

omarhaneef 6y ago
"They" should just have an emulator for all these machines on the raspberry pi, with a shell keyboard that makes it look like these machines.
- hnlmorg 6y ago
  There's a lot of enjoyment to be had actually using these retro systems. A large part of it is nostalgia, I wont deny that. But the way those systems directly interfaced with the hardware does bring some enjoyment too. I think of it like playing vinyl, some people enjoy the colourisation that vinyl adds to the sound but other people enjoy the tactile nature of the medium. Typing your code directly on an Amstrad, BBC Micro or Apple II is a bit like that in that there are technically better ways to do it these days but using the original machines gives you an irrational sense of enjoyment.
  - dhosek 6y ago
    I used to explore what happened reading/writing to memory locations connected to the expansion cards on the Apple ][. I later had a Spectravideo PC and one of the first things I did was explore the memory by writing into different locations to see what happened. I also wrote a Z-80 disassembler to try to reverse engineer how much of the system worked (unfortunately, I never got around to properly decoding multi-byte opcodes).
- fit2rule 6y ago
  Oh, the Open Pandora, which is literally loaded to the gills with all of the emulators, is a regular treat. But the joy of sitting on an old machine and putting it through its paces is quite something else ..
- the_af 6y ago
  A Raspberry Pi with BMC64 is almost there. It feels like the real deal: you boot it up in seconds, and shut it down by unplugging it. But I want the C64 look & feel with its keyboard. If someone made a USB replica of a fully functional C64 keyboard I'd be in heaven. (I'm aware of the TheC64 project, but it seems sold out at the moment, and not easy to get in all parts of the world).
the_af 6y ago
> Lets just try this experiment: dig out the old computer from your attic, dust it off I would... but my dad sold it decades ago, in order to buy me my PC XT clone. It seemed like a good move at the time (and I learned to program with GWBASIC for the PC), but today I want to go back in time and tell my dad to keep the C64! Of course I've used VICE and other emulators. BMC64 on the Raspberry Pi feels like the real thing, computer-as-appliance. But I really, really want the beige "breadbin" C64 keyboard for the full experience. I'm looking into buying a used C64 from my local eBay clone (note: I'm not from the US or the UK). But I keep fearing someone will sell me a defective C64 or that I won't be able to plug it into a modern LCD. Thanks for the encouragement!

omarhaneef 6y ago

"They" should just have an emulator for all these machines on the raspberry pi, with a shell keyboard that makes it look like these machines.

hnlmorg 6y ago
There's a lot of enjoyment to be had actually using these retro systems. A large part of it is nostalgia, I wont deny that. But the way those systems directly interfaced with the hardware does bring some enjoyment too. I think of it like playing vinyl, some people enjoy the colourisation that vinyl adds to the sound but other people enjoy the tactile nature of the medium. Typing your code directly on an Amstrad, BBC Micro or Apple II is a bit like that in that there are technically better ways to do it these days but using the original machines gives you an irrational sense of enjoyment.
- dhosek 6y ago
  I used to explore what happened reading/writing to memory locations connected to the expansion cards on the Apple ][. I later had a Spectravideo PC and one of the first things I did was explore the memory by writing into different locations to see what happened. I also wrote a Z-80 disassembler to try to reverse engineer how much of the system worked (unfortunately, I never got around to properly decoding multi-byte opcodes).
fit2rule 6y ago
Oh, the Open Pandora, which is literally loaded to the gills with all of the emulators, is a regular treat. But the joy of sitting on an old machine and putting it through its paces is quite something else ..
the_af 6y ago
A Raspberry Pi with BMC64 is almost there. It feels like the real deal: you boot it up in seconds, and shut it down by unplugging it. But I want the C64 look & feel with its keyboard. If someone made a USB replica of a fully functional C64 keyboard I'd be in heaven. (I'm aware of the TheC64 project, but it seems sold out at the moment, and not easy to get in all parts of the world).

the_af 6y ago

> Lets just try this experiment: dig out the old computer from your attic, dust it off I would... but my dad sold it decades ago, in order to buy me my PC XT clone. It seemed like a good move at the time (and I learned to program with GWBASIC for the PC), but today I want to go back in time and tell my dad to keep the C64! Of course I've used VICE and other emulators. BMC64 on the Raspberry Pi feels like the real thing, computer-as-appliance. But I really, really want the beige "breadbin" C64 keyboard for the full experience. I'm looking into buying a used C64 from my local eBay clone (note: I'm not from the US or the UK). But I keep fearing someone will sell me a defective C64 or that I won't be able to plug it into a modern LCD. Thanks for the encouragement!