CBMHISTO.TXT
FILE INFORMATION
FILENAME(S): CBMHISTO.TXT
FILE TYPE(S): SEQ, PRG
FILE SIZE: 17.6K
FIRST SEEN: 2025-10-20 14:31:07
APPEARS ON: 2 disk(s)
FILE HASH
eefe8259ff47fbf257e0b32063534701dc4d9adbcb11c2bce59a11ebba8d00a2
FOUND ON DISKS (2 DISKS)
| DISK TITLE | FILENAME | FILE TYPE | COLLECTION | TRACK | SECTOR | ACTIONS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MASTERMMSOFT | CBMHISTO.TXT | SEQ | Treasure Chest - Klaus Der Suhler | 29 | 17 | DOWNLOAD FILE |
| MASTERMMSOFT | CBMHISTO.TXT | PRG | Treasure Chest - Klaus Der Suhler | 4 | 5 | DOWNLOAD FILE |
FILE CONTENT & ANALYSIS
00000000: 45 76 6F 6C 75 74 69 6F 6E 20 6F 66 20 74 68 65 |Evolution of the|
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00003CF0: 0A 72 65 61 64 2F 77 72 69 74 65 20 6D 65 6D 6F |.read/write memo|
00003D00: 72 79 2C 20 64 65 73 69 67 6E 65 64 20 66 6F 72 |ry, designed for|
00003D10: 20 62 75 73 69 6E 65 73 73 20 61 70 70 6C 69 63 | business applic|
00003D20: 61 74 69 6F 6E 73 2E 20 46 69 72 73 74 20 69 74 |ations. First it|
00003D30: 20 77 61 73 20 61 0D 0A 73 74 6F 63 6B 20 43 42 | was a..stock CB|
00003D40: 4D 20 38 30 33 32 20 20 63 6F 6D 70 75 74 65 72 |M 8032 computer|
00003D50: 20 61 6E 64 20 73 65 63 6F 6E 64 20 61 20 36 38 | and second a 68|
00003D60: 30 39 20 62 61 73 65 64 20 63 6F 6D 70 75 74 65 |09 based compute|
00003D70: 72 20 77 69 74 68 20 74 68 65 0D 0A 6C 61 6E 67 |r with the..lang|
00003D80: 75 61 67 65 20 69 6E 74 65 72 70 72 65 74 65 72 |uage interpreter|
00003D90: 73 20 66 6F 72 20 42 61 73 69 63 2C 20 43 6F 62 |s for Basic, Cob|
00003DA0: 6F 6C 2C 20 46 6F 72 74 72 61 6E 2C 20 50 61 73 |ol, Fortran, Pas|
00003DB0: 63 61 6C 2C 20 41 50 2C 20 61 6E 64 20 61 64 61 |cal, AP, and ada|
00003DC0: 70 74 65 64 0D 0A 74 6F 20 72 75 6E 20 74 68 65 |pted..to run the|
00003DD0: 20 4F 53 2D 39 20 6F 70 65 72 61 74 69 6E 67 20 | OS-9 operating |
00003DE0: 73 79 73 74 65 6D 2E 0D 0A 20 0D 0A 43 6F 6D 6D |system... ..Comm|
00003DF0: 6F 64 6F 72 65 20 69 6E 74 72 6F 64 75 63 65 64 |odore introduced|
00003E00: 20 74 68 65 20 35 30 30 2C 20 36 30 30 2C 20 37 | the 500, 600, 7|
00003E10: 30 30 20 73 65 72 69 65 73 20 61 6E 64 20 61 20 |00 series and a |
00003E20: 43 31 32 38 2D 34 30 20 73 79 73 74 65 6D 20 69 |C128-40 system i|
00003E30: 6E 20 74 68 65 0D 0A 55 6E 69 74 65 64 20 4B 69 |n the..United Ki|
00003E40: 6E 67 64 6F 6D 20 28 6E 6F 74 20 69 6E 20 74 68 |ngdom (not in th|
00003E50: 65 20 55 53 41 2F 43 61 6E 61 64 61 29 2E 20 54 |e USA/Canada). T|
00003E60: 68 65 20 35 30 30 20 61 6E 64 20 37 30 30 20 73 |he 500 and 700 s|
00003E70: 65 72 69 65 73 20 61 72 65 20 6B 6E 6F 77 6E 0D |eries are known.|
00003E80: 0A 61 73 20 74 68 65 20 6F 72 69 67 69 6E 61 6C |.as the original|
00003E90: 20 6D 6F 64 65 6C 20 6E 75 6D 62 65 72 20 66 6F | model number fo|
00003EA0: 72 20 74 68 65 20 42 2D 31 32 38 2F 32 35 36 20 |r the B-128/256 |
00003EB0: 6F 72 20 43 42 4D 2D 31 32 38 2D 2F 34 30 2E 20 |or CBM-128-/40. |
00003EC0: 54 68 65 0D 0A 43 31 32 38 2D 34 30 20 77 61 73 |The..C128-40 was|
00003ED0: 20 6F 6E 20 74 68 65 20 6D 61 72 6B 65 74 20 62 | on the market b|
00003EE0: 65 66 6F 72 65 20 74 68 65 20 43 2D 36 34 20 61 |efore the C-64 a|
00003EF0: 6E 64 20 74 68 65 20 42 2F 73 65 72 69 65 73 2C |nd the B/series,|
00003F00: 20 79 65 74 0D 0A 63 6F 6D 70 61 74 69 62 6C 65 | yet..compatible|
00003F10: 20 77 69 74 68 20 6E 65 69 74 68 65 72 2C 20 77 | with neither, w|
00003F20: 69 74 68 20 6C 65 73 73 20 74 68 61 6E 20 31 30 |ith less than 10|
00003F30: 30 20 65 76 65 72 20 73 65 65 69 6E 67 20 64 61 |0 ever seeing da|
00003F40: 79 6C 69 67 68 74 2E 0D 0A 0D 0A 49 6E 20 4A 75 |ylight.....In Ju|
00003F50: 6E 65 20 31 39 38 31 2C 20 43 6F 6D 6D 6F 64 6F |ne 1981, Commodo|
00003F60: 72 65 20 72 65 6C 65 61 73 65 64 20 74 68 65 20 |re released the |
00003F70: 56 49 43 20 32 30 20 43 6F 6C 6F 72 20 48 6F 6D |VIC 20 Color Hom|
00003F80: 65 20 43 6F 6D 70 75 74 65 72 2E 20 49 6E 20 31 |e Computer. In 1|
00003F90: 39 38 32 2C 0D 0A 43 6F 6D 6D 6F 64 6F 72 65 20 |982,..Commodore |
00003FA0: 72 65 6C 65 61 73 65 64 20 74 68 65 20 37 30 30 |released the 700|
00003FB0: 20 73 65 72 69 65 73 20 73 79 73 74 65 6D 73 2C | series systems,|
00003FC0: 20 69 6E 20 74 68 65 20 55 53 41 2F 43 61 6E 61 | in the USA/Cana|
00003FD0: 64 61 2C 20 72 65 66 65 72 72 65 64 0D 0A 74 6F |da, referred..to|
00003FE0: 20 61 73 20 74 68 65 20 4C 6F 77 20 50 72 6F 66 | as the Low Prof|
00003FF0: 69 6C 65 20 42 2D 20 31 32 38 20 26 20 42 2D 32 |ile B- 128 & B-2|
00004000: 35 36 2C 20 61 73 20 77 65 6C 6C 20 61 73 20 74 |56, as well as t|
00004010: 68 65 20 68 69 67 68 20 70 72 6F 66 69 6C 65 20 |he high profile |
00004020: 42 2D 31 32 38 0D 0A 26 20 42 2D 32 35 36 2E 20 |B-128..& B-256. |
00004030: 54 68 65 20 42 2D 31 32 38 2F 32 35 36 20 68 61 |The B-128/256 ha|
00004040: 73 20 61 6E 20 65 6E 6C 61 72 67 65 64 20 62 61 |s an enlarged ba|
00004050: 73 69 63 20 34 2E 30 2B 20 52 4F 4D 20 69 6E 74 |sic 4.0+ ROM int|
00004060: 65 72 70 72 65 74 65 72 0D 0A 61 6E 64 20 31 32 |erpreter..and 12|
00004070: 38 4B 20 6F 66 20 72 65 61 64 2F 77 72 69 74 65 |8K of read/write|
00004080: 20 6D 65 6D 6F 72 79 2C 20 65 78 70 61 6E 64 61 | memory, expanda|
00004090: 62 6C 65 20 74 6F 20 31 20 4D 45 47 20 6F 66 20 |ble to 1 MEG of |
000040A0: 6D 65 6D 6F 72 79 2E 20 41 20 42 2D 31 32 38 43 |memory. A B-128C|
000040B0: 0D 0A 63 6F 6C 6F 72 20 63 6F 6D 70 75 74 65 72 |..color computer|
000040C0: 20 77 61 73 20 61 6C 73 6F 20 61 76 61 69 6C 61 | was also availa|
000040D0: 62 6C 65 20 62 75 74 20 6E 6F 74 20 70 72 6F 6D |ble but not prom|
000040E0: 6F 74 65 64 20 69 6E 20 74 68 65 20 55 53 41 2F |oted in the USA/|
000040F0: 43 61 6E 61 64 61 2E 20 54 68 65 0D 0A 42 2D 31 |Canada. The..B-1|
00004100: 32 38 2F 32 35 36 20 77 61 73 20 61 20 68 69 67 |28/256 was a hig|
00004110: 68 6C 79 20 76 65 72 73 61 74 69 6C 65 20 63 6F |hly versatile co|
00004120: 6D 70 75 74 65 72 2C 20 61 62 6C 65 20 74 6F 20 |mputer, able to |
00004130: 75 74 69 6C 69 7A 65 20 6D 61 6E 79 20 62 75 69 |utilize many bui|
00004140: 6C 74 20 69 6E 0D 0A 66 65 61 74 75 72 65 73 2C |lt in..features,|
00004150: 20 69 6E 73 65 72 74 20 6D 6F 64 65 20 6F 6E 2F | insert mode on/|
00004160: 6F 66 66 2C 20 77 69 6E 64 6F 77 73 2C 20 77 72 |off, windows, wr|
00004170: 61 70 20 6D 6F 64 65 20 6F 6E 2F 6F 66 66 2C 20 |ap mode on/off, |
00004180: 72 65 76 65 72 73 65 20 76 69 64 65 6F 2C 0D 0A |reverse video,..|
00004190: 65 72 61 73 65 20 6D 6F 64 65 2C 20 6E 6F 72 6D |erase mode, norm|
000041A0: 61 6C 2F 67 72 61 70 68 69 63 73 20 6D 6F 64 65 |al/graphics mode|
000041B0: 2C 20 61 6E 64 20 6D 61 6E 79 20 6F 74 68 65 72 |, and many other|
000041C0: 73 2E 20 4D 75 6C 74 69 74 61 73 6B 69 6E 67 20 |s. Multitasking |
000041D0: 77 61 73 20 61 6C 73 6F 0D 0A 70 6F 73 73 69 62 |was also..possib|
000041E0: 6C 65 20 77 69 74 68 20 74 68 65 20 42 2D 31 32 |le with the B-12|
000041F0: 38 2F 32 35 36 2E 20 20 49 6E 20 4A 75 6E 65 20 |8/256. In June |
00004200: 31 39 38 32 2C 20 43 6F 6D 6D 6F 64 6F 72 65 20 |1982, Commodore |
00004210: 72 65 6C 65 61 73 65 64 20 74 68 65 20 43 2D 36 |released the C-6|
00004220: 34 0D 0A 63 6F 6D 70 75 74 65 72 2E 0D 0A 20 0D |4..computer... .|
00004230: 0A 49 6E 20 31 39 38 33 2C 20 74 68 65 20 53 58 |.In 1983, the SX|
00004240: 20 36 34 20 61 6E 64 20 74 68 65 20 53 58 31 30 | 64 and the SX10|
00004250: 30 20 77 61 73 20 72 65 6C 65 61 73 65 64 20 61 |0 was released a|
00004260: 73 20 74 68 65 20 43 36 34 20 70 6F 72 74 61 62 |s the C64 portab|
00004270: 6C 65 20 75 6E 69 74 0D 0A 77 69 74 68 20 62 75 |le unit..with bu|
00004280: 69 6C 74 20 69 6E 20 6D 6F 6E 69 74 6F 72 20 61 |ilt in monitor a|
00004290: 6E 64 20 64 69 73 6B 20 64 72 69 76 65 2E 0D 0A |nd disk drive...|
000042A0: 0D 0A 49 6E 20 31 39 38 34 2C 20 74 68 65 20 50 |..In 1984, the P|
000042B0: 6C 75 73 20 34 20 61 6E 64 20 74 68 65 20 43 2D |lus 4 and the C-|
000042C0: 31 36 20 63 6F 6D 70 75 74 65 72 73 20 77 65 72 |16 computers wer|
000042D0: 65 20 72 65 6C 65 61 73 65 64 2E 0D 0A 0D 0A 49 |e released.....I|
000042E0: 6E 20 4A 61 6E 2E 20 31 39 38 35 2C 20 43 6F 6D |n Jan. 1985, Com|
000042F0: 6D 6F 64 6F 72 65 20 72 65 6C 65 61 73 65 64 20 |modore released |
00004300: 74 68 65 20 43 2D 31 32 38 20 63 6F 6D 70 75 74 |the C-128 comput|
00004310: 65 72 2C 20 77 68 69 63 68 20 77 61 73 20 61 6C |er, which was al|
00004320: 73 6F 20 61 0D 0A 43 2D 36 34 20 61 6E 64 20 61 |so a..C-64 and a|
00004330: 20 43 50 2F 4D 20 63 6F 6D 70 61 74 69 62 6C 65 | CP/M compatible|
00004340: 20 73 79 73 74 65 6D 2E 0D 0A 0D 0A 4F 6E 20 4A | system.....On J|
00004350: 75 6C 79 20 32 33 2C 20 31 39 38 35 2C 20 74 68 |uly 23, 1985, th|
00004360: 65 20 41 6D 69 67 61 20 31 30 30 30 20 77 61 73 |e Amiga 1000 was|
00004370: 20 72 65 6C 65 61 73 65 64 20 77 69 74 68 20 61 | released with a|
00004380: 20 32 35 36 4B 20 52 41 4D 20 31 36 20 62 69 74 | 256K RAM 16 bit|
00004390: 0D 0A 6D 75 6C 74 69 74 61 73 6B 69 6E 67 20 6F |..multitasking o|
000043A0: 70 65 72 61 74 69 6E 67 20 65 6E 76 69 72 6F 6E |perating environ|
000043B0: 6D 65 6E 74 2E 0D 0A 0D 0A 49 6E 20 46 65 62 2E |ment.....In Feb.|
000043C0: 20 31 39 38 37 2C 20 74 68 65 20 41 6D 49 67 61 | 1987, the AmIga|
000043D0: 20 35 30 30 20 61 6E 64 20 74 68 65 20 41 4D 69 | 500 and the AMi|
000043E0: 67 61 20 32 30 30 30 20 77 65 72 65 20 72 65 6C |ga 2000 were rel|
000043F0: 65 61 73 65 64 2E 20 54 68 65 20 70 6F 77 65 72 |eased. The power|
00004400: 0D 0A 61 6E 64 20 61 62 69 6C 69 74 69 65 73 20 |..and abilities |
00004410: 74 68 65 73 65 20 6D 61 63 68 69 6E 65 73 20 68 |these machines h|
00004420: 61 64 20 77 6F 75 6C 64 20 73 75 72 70 72 69 73 |ad would surpris|
00004430: 65 20 79 6F 75 2E 20 54 68 65 79 20 77 65 72 65 |e you. They were|
00004440: 20 61 6E 0D 0A 65 78 63 65 6C 6C 65 6E 74 20 6D | an..excellent m|
00004450: 61 74 68 20 6D 61 63 68 69 6E 65 2C 20 65 64 75 |ath machine, edu|
00004460: 63 61 74 69 6F 6E 61 6C 2C 20 62 75 73 69 6E 65 |cational, busine|
00004470: 73 73 20 6F 72 69 65 6E 74 65 64 2C 20 61 6E 64 |ss oriented, and|
00004480: 20 67 72 61 70 68 69 63 0D 0A 75 6E 69 74 2E 20 | graphic..unit. |
00004490: 20 57 65 20 63 61 6E 20 6D 61 6B 65 20 50 45 54 | We can make PET|
000044A0: 2F 43 42 4D 20 70 6C 61 79 20 6D 75 73 69 63 20 |/CBM play music |
000044B0: 61 6E 64 20 65 76 65 6E 20 74 61 6C 6B 2C 20 65 |and even talk, e|
000044C0: 76 65 6E 20 77 68 65 6E 20 74 68 65 73 65 0D 0A |ven when these..|
000044D0: 6D 61 63 68 69 6E 65 73 20 6E 65 76 65 72 20 68 |machines never h|
000044E0: 61 64 20 61 6E 79 20 73 6F 75 6E 64 20 61 62 69 |ad any sound abi|
000044F0: 6C 69 74 79 20 62 75 69 6C 74 20 69 6E 74 6F 20 |lity built into |
00004500: 74 68 65 6D 2E 20 20 54 68 65 20 42 2D 31 32 38 |them. The B-128|
00004510: 2F 32 35 36 20 77 61 73 0D 0A 74 68 65 20 6F 6E |/256 was..the on|
00004520: 6C 79 20 6F 6E 65 20 74 68 61 74 20 68 61 73 20 |ly one that has |
00004530: 26 20 53 49 44 20 43 68 69 70 20 62 75 69 6C 74 |& SID Chip built|
00004540: 20 69 6E 2E 20 0D 0A 0D 0A 4D 61 6E 79 20 6D 6F | in. ....Many mo|
00004550: 64 65 6C 73 20 77 65 72 65 20 6E 6F 74 20 6D 65 |dels were not me|
00004560: 6E 74 69 6F 6E 65 64 20 69 6E 20 74 68 69 73 20 |ntioned in this |
00004570: 61 72 74 69 63 6C 65 20 62 65 63 61 75 73 65 20 |article because |
00004580: 6F 66 20 76 65 72 79 20 73 69 6D 69 6C 61 72 0D |of very similar.|
00004590: 0A 66 65 61 74 75 72 65 73 20 6F 72 20 73 6F 6D |.features or som|
000045A0: 65 20 69 6E 20 77 68 69 63 68 20 43 6F 6D 6D 6F |e in which Commo|
000045B0: 64 6F 72 65 20 64 69 64 20 6E 6F 74 20 73 75 70 |dore did not sup|
000045C0: 70 6F 72 74 20 6F 72 20 77 65 72 65 20 74 6F 6F |port or were too|
000045D0: 0D 0A 65 6D 62 61 72 72 61 73 73 65 64 20 61 62 |..embarrassed ab|
000045E0: 6F 75 74 2C 20 6C 69 6B 65 20 74 68 65 20 43 31 |out, like the C1|
000045F0: 32 38 2D 34 30 2C 20 6F 72 20 74 68 65 20 43 2D |28-40, or the C-|
00004600: 31 36 2E 0D 0A 0D 0A 28 69 6E 20 4D 61 79 2C 20 |16.....(in May, |
00004610: 31 39 39 30 2C 20 43 42 4D 20 75 6E 76 65 69 6C |1990, CBM unveil|
00004620: 65 64 20 74 68 65 69 72 20 6C 61 74 65 73 74 20 |ed their latest |
00004630: 63 6F 6D 70 75 74 65 72 2C 20 74 68 65 20 41 6D |computer, the Am|
00004640: 69 67 61 20 33 30 30 30 29 0D 0A 0D 0A 0D 0A 1A |iga 3000).......|
00004650: 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A |................|
00004660: 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A |................|
00004670: 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A |................|
EVOLUTION OF THE DISK DRIVE..BY JOEL ELL
IS REA....FROM GEORGE'S DEN BBS ..VIA GR
EATER OKLAHOMA COMMODORE CLUB NEWSLETTER
, 6/88..VIA THE INTERFACE, NEWSLETTER OF
FRESNO COMMODORE USER GROUP/64UM 12/89.
...REPRINTED IN THE NYCIG NEWS..THOMAS T
ROCCO, EDITOR & COMPUTER DEPT. CHAIR.. S
T. HILDA'S & ST. HUGH'S SCHOOL.. 619 W 1
14TH STREET.. NEW YORK, NY 10025.... 212
-932-1987 (VOICE)....FIRST THERE WAS THE
COMMODORE 2001 PERSONAL ELECTRONIC TRAN
SACTOR (PET)...IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST P
ERSONAL COMPUTERS ON THE MARKET. IT HAD
A..WHOPPING 4K OF RAM, AND 8K BASIC IN
ROM, AND A KERNAL TO CONTROL..INPUT/OUTP
UT AND OTHER SYSTEM OPERATIONS. IT USED
COMMODORE BASIC..VERSION 1. THERE WERE N
O DISK DRIVES THEN, BUT PROVISIONS WERE
MADE IN..THE FORM OF AN IEEE-488 GENERAL
PURPOSE INTERFACE BUS. IT ALSO HAD THE
..FUNNIEST LITTLE KEYBOARD YOU EVER SAW!
.. ..COMMODORE THEN INVENTED THE 2040 DU
AL FLOPPY DISK DRIVE. IT WAS AN..INDUSTR
Y FIRST. PREVIOUSLY THE MAIN COMPUTER HA
D TO CONTROL EVERY TINY..DETAIL OF DISK
DRIVE OPERATION, NOT TO MENTION LOADING
A LARGE DISK..OPERATING SYSTEM (DOS) INT
O THE COMPUTER'S RAM IN ORDER TO USE THE
..DRIVE. THE 2040 WAS AN INTELLIGENT DR
IVE, WITH ITS OWN COMPUTER SYSTEM..INSID
E, AND ITS OWN DOS IN ROM! BY SIMPLY PRI
NTING COMMANDS TO ITS..COMMAND CHANNEL,
BASIC USERS COULD SCRATCH, RENAME, AND C
OPY FILES, AND..DUPLICATE AN ENTIRE DISK
WITHOUT ANY FURTHER HELP FROM THE COMPU
TER...ONLY PROBLEM WAS, THEY COULD NOT S
AVE OR L0AD PROGRAMS, OR USE DATA..FILES
. ....THE PROBLEM WAS BASIC V1. IT DID N
OT KNOW ABOUT THE TIMING INVOLVED WITH..
ACTUALLY TRANSFERRING DATA BACK AND FORT
H BETWEEN THE COMPUTER'S RAM AND..THE DI
SK DRIVE'S COMPUTER. SO, COMMODORE CREAT
ED UPGRADE BASIC (NOW..KNOWN AS BASIC V2
), AND PUT IT INTO A NEW PET, CALLED THE
2008. IT HAD..ONLY 8K OF RAM, A REAL KE
YBOARD (UNLIKE OTHER COMPANIES, COMMODOR
E NEVER..TRIED A RINKY-DINK KEYBOARD AGA
IN!), AND IT COULD USE THE DISK DRIVE!..
..BUT THE 2040 DRIVE HAD ITS FAULTS AS W
ELL. IT COULD NOT HANDLE RANDOM..ACCESS
FILES (ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVANTA
GES OF A DISK DRIVE OVER..A TAPE DRIVE)
WITHOUT A LOT OF EFFORT ON THE USER'S PA
RT. IT COULD NOT..TRAP ERRORS CORRECTLY,
AND IT REQUIRED THE USER TO TYPE OPEN 1
5,8,15,.."I":CLOSE 15 EVERY TIME A DISK
WAS CHANGED. IT COULD NOT SEEM TO..CENT
ER THE DISKS PROPERLY. .. ..SO ABOUT THE
TIME COMMODORE CAME OUT WITH THEIR 3008
PET COMPUTER..(INCLUDING BASIC V3, WITH
VERY MINOR DIFFERENCES FROM V2), THEY..
INTRODUCED THE 3040 DUAL DISK DRIVE. THI
S HAD DOS V1.2 IN IT, WHICH..CORRECTED T
HE ERROR TRAPPING PROBLEMS. BUT THEY DID
NOT FIX MUCH ELSE...ALSO, PEOPLE WERE G
ETTING TIRED OF HAVING TO TYPE OPEN 15,8
,15 ETC. WHEN..THEIR APPLE-OWNING BUDDIE
S COULD DO THE SAME WITH RENAME OLDFILEN
AME,..NEWFILENAME... ..ALMOST IMMEDIATE
LY THEREAFTER, THE COMMODORE 4016 PET CA
ME OUT. IT HAD 16K,..EXPANDABLE TO 32K,
AND BASIC V4. THIS VERSION HAD NICE DISK
..COMMANDS LIKE CATALOG, SCRATCH, DLOAD,
DSAVE, BACKUP, COPY, ETC. THESE..COMMAN
DS SIMPLY TRANSLATED THEMSELVES INTO THE
OLD COMMANDS THAT THE..DRIVE COULD UNDE
RSTAND. ....ALONG WITH THE PET 4016 CAME
THE 4040 DISK DRIVE. IT HAD IT ALL! BE
SIDES..FIXING THE HARDWARE PROBLEMS, IT
HAD DOS V2.1, WHICH SUPPORTED RELATIVE..
FILES (ALSO REFERRED TO AS RANDOM FILES)
THE NEW DOS ALSO PERFORMED AN..AUTOMATI
C "I" (INITIALIZATION) EVERY TIME IT DET
ECTED A DISK WITH A..DIFFERENT ID, SO TH
E USER DID NOT HAVE TO TYPE THIS COMMAND
UNLESS HE..HAD TWO OR MORE DISKS WITH T
HE SAME ID. IT ALSO USED A SLIGHTLY..DIF
FERENT DISK FORMAT FROM THE 2040'S AND 3
040'S, SO THAT A DISK MADE ON..A 2040 CO
ULD BE USED ONLY BY COPYING ITS FILES TO
A 4040 DRIVE.....LATER, COMMODORE CAME
OUT WITH THE CBM 8032. IT HAD BASIC V4,
32K OF..RAM, A 12-INCH 80-COLUMN MONITOR
(THE OLD MACHINES HAD 40 COLUMN..SCREEN
S), AND A MORE BUSINESS-LIKE KEYBOARD. I
NDEED, IT WAS A BUSINESS..MACHINE... ..A
BUSINESS MACHINE NEEDS A BUSINESS DISK
DRIVE. SO COMMODORE PRESENTED..THE 8050
DISK DRIVE. IT USED A DOUBLE DENSITY FOR
MAT THAT ALLOWED OVER..TWICE AS MUCH DAT
A ON EACH DISK. IT ALSO COULD TELL IF A
DISK DRIVE DOOR..HAD BEEN OPENED, AND AU
TOMATICALLY DID AN "I" COMMAND WHEN THE
DOOR WAS..SHUT AGAIN. ....LATER CAME THE
8052 DOUBLE-SIDED DRIVE, AND THE D9060
AND D9090 HARD..DISK UNITS THAT COULD ST
ORE 2, 5, AND 7.5 MEGABYTES (1 MEG=1024K
).....THEN CAME THE VIC20. COMMODORE MAD
E MANY ADVANCES ON THIS ONE. LOW PRICE!.
.GRAPHICS! LOW PRICE! COLOR! LOW PRICE!
THREE-CHANNEL SOUND, RS232, EIGHT..USER
PROGRAMMABLE FUNCTION KEYS, AND A GAME C
ARTRIDGE SLOT. NOT TO..MENTION LOW PRICE
! EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE PRODUCING A COMP
UTER TO COMPETE..WITH HOME VIDEO GAMES,
THEY LEARNED THEIR LESSON WITH THE PET 2
001 AND..GAVE THE VIC 20 A REAL KEYBOARD
.....BUT FOR THE SAKE OF LOW PRICE, COMM
ODORE TOOK SEVERAL MAJOR STEPS..BACKWARD
S. ONLY 5K OF RAM, 22-COLUMN SCREEN, BAC
K TO BASIC V2. AND WORST..OF ALL, THEY S
CRAPPED THE WONDERFUL IEEE-488 BUS THAT
COULD SHOVE ALL..EIGHT BITS OF A BYTE DO
WN THE WIRES AT ONCE, AND REPLACED IT WI
TH A.."SERIAL BUS" THAT HAD TO SPOOL THO
SE BITS OUT ONE AT A TIME.....COMMODORE
THEN PRODUCED THE 1540 SINGLE FLOPPY DIS
K DRIVE. IT WAS..BASICALLY A ONE DRIVE,
SERIAL BUS VERSION OF THE 4040. IT HAD L
ESS RAM,..SO THAT FEWER FILES COULD BE O
PEN AT ANY ONE TIME. IT USED THE NEW..HA
LF-HIGH DISK DRIVE UNITS. INSTEAD OF TWO
MICROPROCESSORS (ONE FOR THE..DRIVES AN
D ONE FOR THE INTERFACE), IT HAD ONE PRO
CESSOR CONTROLLING THE..SINGLE DRIVE AND
THE INTERFACE.....ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER
COMMODORE INVENTED THE COMMODORE 64. (E
VER HEAR OF..THAT ONE?) I WILL NOT GO IN
TO ALL OF ITS NICE FEATURES, BUT IT STIL
L HAD..THE SERIAL BUS AND BASIC V2. ALON
G WITH IT OF COURSE CAME OLD SLOW AND..P
OKEY, THE MUCH HATED, MUCH LOVED 1541 TH
AT SO MANY OF US USE AND CUSS..DAILY...
..======================================
=================================..FILE:
CBM30.SEQ..FROM: GROUP HOST 02/23/89..S
UBJECT: COMMODORE HISTORY..AUTHOR: AZ US
ER GROUP....A RECOLLECTIVE 30-YEAR HISTO
RY OF COMMODORE, PROVIDED BY THE ARIZONA
..COMMODORE USER GROUP, WITH ANNOTATIONS
BY OTHER USER GROUP LEADERS. MY..COMMEN
TS IN BRACKETS [GH:...] ARE INTENDED TO
AUGMENT THE ORIGINAL TEXT,..WHICH I FOUN
D TO BE A VERY NICE HISTORY.....WITH 19
88 BEING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF COMMODO
RE BUSINESS MACHINES, WE..THOUGHT WE WOU
LD START 1989 BY LOOKING BACK AT OUR ROO
TS. COMMODORE..STARTED OUT AS A TYPEWRIT
ER REPAIR COMPANY IN TORONTO CANADA IN 1
958. BY..THE LATE 1960S IT WAS SELLING C
ALCULATORS AND ELECTRIC ADDING MACHINES.
..AT THAT TIME A COMMODORE HAND-HELD CA
LCULATOR SOLD FOR WELL OVER $1000...IN O
CTOBER OF 1976 COMMODORE BOUGHT MOS TECH
NOLOGY, A MICROCHIP COMPANY,..AND INTROD
UCED ITS FIRST PERSONAL COMPUTER, THE KI
M [GH: I BOUGHT MY..KIM-1 WITH 1 K OF ME
MORY) FROM MOS BEFORE THEY WERE BOUGHT O
UT BY..COMMODORE, SO CBM COULD USE THEIR
CHIP PRODUCTION FOR THE PET, WHICH I..U
NDERSTOOD WAS THE FIRST COMPUTER ACTUALL
Y MARKETED BY CBM] . HOW MANY..OF YOU HA
VE EVER HEARD OF A KIM, MUCH LESS SEEN O
NE? THE KIM-1 USED THE..NOW FAMOUS MOS 6
502 MICROPROCESSOR USED IN THE PET AND T
HE VIC-20, AS..WELL AS MANY NON-COMMODOR
E COMPUTERS. [GH: SUCH AS THE APPLE COMP
UTER]...AT THE FIRST WEST COAST COMPUTER
FAIRE IN SAN FRANCISCO IN THE SPRING..O
F 1977, COMMODORE INTRODUCED THE PET (PE
RSONAL ELECTRONIC TRANSACTOR). IT..CAME
OUT AT THE SAME TIME AS THE APPLE II [GH
: THE FIRST APPLE WAS JUST..THE "APPLE"]
. TANDY RADIO SHACK'S BEAT BOTH TO MARKE
T. THE NAME PET WAS..ACTUALLY CHOSEN TO
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE "PET ROCK" CRAZE O
F THE DAY...THE FIRST PETS HAD AN 8K MEM
ORY [GH: THE VERY FIRST PETS DELIVERED H
AD..ONLY 4K OF MEMORY. THE 8K VERSION CO
ST ME $795] AND MONOCHROME MONITOR..AND
BUILT-IN DATA CASSETTE [GH: AND A CHICKL
ET KEYBOARD] BY THE TIME THE..PET LINE E
NDED, IT HAD BECOME THE SUPERPET WITH 96
K AND AN EXTREMELY..POWERFUL VERSION OF
MICROSOFT BASIC. ON THE HEELS OF THE SUC
CESS OF THE..SUPERPET, COMMODORE RELEASE
D THE VIC-20, COMMODORE'S FIRST COLOR..C
OMPUTER [GH: AT $299]. THE VIC HAD 8K OF
MEMORY [GH: 3K BASIC RAM..BUILT-IN] AND
COULD BE EXPANDED TO 32K. .. ..IN EARLY
1982, COMMODORE UNVEILED ITS REVOLUTION
ARY C-64 COMPUTER WITH 64K..OF RAM AND A
40 COLUMN COLOR DISPLAY [GH: FOR $595 W
ITHOUT MONITOR]...UNLIKE THE PET LINE, T
HE 64 CAME WITH A VERSION OF BASIC WITH
VERY..LITTLE DISK DRIVE SUPPORT. COMMODO
RE REASNED THAT MOST 64 OWNERS WOULD..NO
T WANT A DISK DRIVE [GH: PET 4040 DUAL D
ISK DRIVES COST $1295!!!], AND..VERY FEW
1541 DRIVES WERE INITIALLY AVAILABLE. C
OMMODORE MARKETING..STRIKES AGAIN. EARLY
64 OWNERS SPENT MANY HOURS TYPING IN PR
OGRAMS FROM..MAGAZINES OR CONVERTING PET
PROGRAMS, SINCE THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO.
.[COMMERCIALLY] SOFTWARE AVAILABLE FOR T
HE FIRST TWO YEARS. THE SX-64..PORTABLE
WAS INTRODUCED IN 1983. THE SX CAME WITH
A BUILT-IN 5-INCH..COLOR MONITOR, DISK
DRIVE AND POWER SUPPLY........ .....MANY
SX-64 OWNERS WAITED PATIENTLY FOR THE S
ECOND BUILT-IN DRIVE..[VERSION] THAT NEV
ER APPEARED [GH: MODEL DX-64 THAT WAS NO
T..DISTRIBUTED]. ALTHOUGH TOUTED BY COMM
ODORE, THE SX WAS NEVER PHYSICALLY..ABLE
TO USE A SECOND BUILT-IN DISK DRIVE; TH
ERE WAS NEVER ENOUGH SPACE..AND THE POWE
R SUPPLY WAS BARELY ABLE TO HANDLE THE R
EST OF THE SYSTEM. ..WHILE THE 64 WAS SE
LLING WELL, COMMODORE RELEASED THE ILL-F
ATED PLUS/4..AND COMMODORE-16. [GH: WITH
BUILT-IN WORD PROCESSOR, DATABASE, AND.
.SPREADSHEET SOFTWARE IN ROM]. BY BEING
SOFTWARE INCOMPATIBLE, AND FOR..THE MOST
PART, HARDWARE INCOMPATIBLE, THEY LIVED
A SHORT LIFE. COMMODORE..RELEASED TWO N
EW MODELS IN 1985. THE ANSWER WAS THE NE
XT LOGICAL STEP...ADVERTISED AS THREE CO
MPUTERS IN ONE (C-64, C-128, AND CP/M),
THE 128..WAS THE MOST POWERFUL 8-BIT MAC
HINE COMMODORE HAD EVER BUILT. IT..FEATU
RED 40 AND 80-COLUMN TEXT AND GRAPHICS,
A FASTER SERIAL BUS AND..EXPANDED SOUND
AND GRAPHICS COMMANDS FROM BASIC. [GH: A
ND IT MADE GOOD..CBM'S EARLIER ABORTIVE
ATTEMPT TO IMPLEMENT CP/M FOR THE C-64 A
S A PLUG..IN MODULE]. ON THE HEELS OF T
HE 128 CAME THE RELEASE OF THE AMIGA 100
0...COMMODORE PURCHASED A SMALL CALIFOR
NIA JOYSTICK COMPANY IN 1984 [GH:..THEY
WERE INTO MORE THAN JUST JOYSTICKS] AND
USED THE COMPANY'S NAME AND..ITS PROTOTY
PE 68000-CPU SUPER GAME MACHINE FOR WHIC
H EX-CBM CEO JACK..TRAMIEL'S NEWLY ACQUI
RED ATARI CORP WAS ALSO BIDDING FOR ITS
NEWEST LINE..OF COMPUTERS. MORE RECENTLY
, COMMODORE RELEASED THE AMIGA 500 AND 2
000..AS WELL AS LINE OF MS-DOS COMPATIBL
ES INCLUDING THE PC-10, PC-20 AND..COLT.
.. ..AS COMMODORE BUSINESS MACHINES BEG
INS ITS 31ST YEAR, WE CAN ALL LOOK..FORW
ARD TO MORE OF THE COMMODORE TRADITION O
F GREAT HARDWARE AND POOR..MARKETING DEC
ISIONS. 1989 SHOULD BE AN INTERESTING YE
AR.....---------------------------------
------- ....GROUP HOST: THANKS TO ACSG E
DITOR FAYE THORNTON FOR THIS HISTORY. IF
..ANYONE HAS ANY ADDITIONAL HISTORICAL H
IGHLIGHTS OR COMMENTS TO ADD,..PLEASE PO
ST THEM HERE, TO MAKE THIS HISTORY AS CO
MPLETE AND ACCURATE AS..POSSIBLE. A GOOD
ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY COMMODORE YEARS IS
IN THE BOOK.."COMPUTER WARS" BY TOMCZEC
K(SP?), WHICH IS OUT OF PRINT.....SUBJ:
ORIGINAL PET..FROM: EMILV1 01/21/89..
GARY, I THOUGHT THE HISTORY WAS PRETTY W
ELL DONE AND THINK I WILL..PUBLISH IT IN
OUR NEWSLETTER (OBVIOUSLY, WITH THE APP
ROPRIATE CREDITS)...HOWEVER, THERE IS ON
E THING I NOTED THAT I WOULD QUIBBLE ABO
UT; NAMELY..THE WORD PET. I AM NOT SURE
THAT PET ROCKS HAD BEEN INVENTED IN 1976
..WHEN THE DECISION HAD TO BE MADE BY CO
MMODORE ON WHAT TO CALL THEIR..ALL-IN-ON
E PRODUCT. I DO KNOW THAT THE WORD WAS A
N ACRONYM:.. PERSONAL.. ELECTRONIC..
TRANSACTOR..SINCE I STILL HAVE COPIES OF
THE LITERATURE THAT LED ME TO CHOOSE TH
E..PET OVER THE APPLE OR THE TRS-80 MODE
L 1, I CAN ATTEST TO THE ABOVE.....BUT,
DID THE ACRONYM COME FIRST AND THE DEFIN
ITION LATER????....SUBJ: COMMODORES IN C
ANADA..FROM: STEVE N55 01/22/89 ..COMM
ODORE ACTUALLY PUT OUT A PC-LO, PC-30 AN
D PC-40 IN CANADA AND EUROPE..ABOUT THRE
E YEARS OR MORE BEFORE THE US WAS GIVEN
THE SHOW OF THE..PC-SERIES. THE PC-10 AN
D 20 WERE ONE AND TWO DRIVE MACHINES BAS
ED ON..AN 8088 PROCESSOR, WHILE THE PC-4
0 IS BASED ON THE 80286 AT ARCHITECTURE.
..MIND YOU, COMMODORE PULLED ANOTHER GOO
F, AND HAD TIMING PROBLEMS WITH..THE FIX
ED DISK CONTROLLER, SO THAT ONLY THEIR H
ARD DISK CONTROLLER WOULD..WORK (DID I S
AY GOOF, OR MARKETING DECISION??). AT LE
AST WESTERN DIGITAL..HAS A FIX FOR THAT
AS WELL. THE NEW PC SERIES THAT THE US H
AS IS FIXED..FROM THE TIMING PROBLEM. AL
SO, THE OLDER PC SERIES THAT WAS FIRST..
INTRODUCED IN CANADA FOR TESTING WERE VE
RY LARGE DESKTOP MACHINES...A BIT OF CAN
ADIAN HISTORY...STEVE N. - PRESIDENT NOV
A SCOTIA COMMODORE COMPUTER USERS ASSN..
...SUBJ: PET ROCKS..FROM: GROUP HOST 01/
25/89..EMIL,..YES, I TOO BOUGHT AN EARLY
PERSONAL ELECTRONIC TRANSACTOR, AND AT
THE..TIME I HAD NO AWARENESS OF THE ASSO
CIATION WITH THE PET ROCKS CRAZE...UNTIL
THAT TIDBIT CAN BE CONFIRMED, I'D ADD "
(SIC)" AFTER PET ROCKS IN..ANY REPRINT O
R USE EDITORIAL LICENSE AND OMIT THAT RE
FERENCE WITH..ELLIPSIS ("...") :) ..I AP
PRECIATE THE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THIS
HISTORY...DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE C-64
CP/M MODULE THAT DIDN'T WORK AND GOT CB
M IN..TROUBLE WITH THE FTC? TO SOME EXTE
NT THE C-128'S CP/M CAPABILITY IS..FULFI
LLMENT OF THAT ORIGINAL, PROBABLY OVERLY
OPTIMISTIC PROMISE OF CP/M..BY COMMODOR
E. ..REPRINTED IN THE NYCIG NEWS/KIDS CO
MPUTER NEWS..THOMAS TROCCO, ED. & COMPUT
ER DEPT. CHAIR.. ST. HILDA'S & ST. HUGH'
S SCHOOL.. 619 W 114TH STREET.. NEW YORK
, NY 10015.... 212-932-1987 (VOICE)....=
========================================
==============================..PET: TH
E ORIGINAL COMMODORE COMPUTER..BY CHARLE
S F. BURNS....FROM THE FILE, COMMO-HAWK
CUG, CEDAR RAPIDS IA, 11/89; REPRINTED I
N THE..INTERFACE, NEWSLETTER OF FRESNO C
OMMODORE USER GROUP/64UM 8/90;..REPRINTE
D IN: NYCIG NEWS, THOMAS TROCCO, EDITOR
& COMPUTER DEPT. CHAIR.. ST. HILDA'S & S
T. HUGH'S SCHOOL .. 619 W 114TH STREET..
NEW YORK, NY 10025 :.... 212-932-1987 (
VOICE)....WHERE IT ALL STARTED: THE JACK
TRAMIEL TYPEWRITER SHOP IN TORONTO CANA
DA.......THE FIRST OF THE COMMODORE BUSI
NESS MACHINE (CBM SERIES) WAS RELEASED..
JAN. 1977, THE PET 2001 (PERSONAL ELECTR
ONICS TRANSACTOR). THE PET 2001..WAS A S
ELF CONTAINED UNIT WITH A COMPACT GRAPHI
C KEYBOARD, NUMERIC..KEYPAD, AND BUILT I
N TAPE CASSETTE UNIT. THE PET 2001 HAD 8
K BYTES OF..READ/WRITE MEMORY, WITH 16K
AND 32K MEMORY EXPANSION OPTIONS. (A 4K.
.VERSION WAS ALSO AVAILABLE). THE PET 20
01 HAD A 2.0 READ-ONLY MEMORY..(ROM) WHI
CH GAVE THE COMPUTER ITS MODEL PERSONALI
TY. AN EXTERNAL..CASSETTE TAPE UNIT COU
LD BE CONNECTED TO THE PET 2001 COMPUTER
, BUT IT..DID KNOW WHAT A PRINTER AND/OR
DISK DRIVE WAS UNLESS IT HAD REVISION..
LEVEL 3 ROMS. ....COMMODORE RELEASED THE
PET2001 WITH 3.0 ROMS AND AN EXPANDED F
ULL SIZED..GRAPHIC KEYBOARD AND NUMERIC
KEYPAD. A PET 2001/B,(CBM 2001/B) WAS..R
ELEASED WITHOUT THE GRAPHIC SYMBOLS DISP
LAYED; ON THE FRONT OF THE..KEYS, THE 20
01 SERIES COMPUTERS HAD A CRT DISPLAY OF
40 COLUMNS WIDE...THE NORMAL TYPING MOD
E FOR THE 2001 WAS IN UPPER CASE LETTER
GRAPHIC...THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THE PE
T 2001/B NORMAL MODE WAS UPPER/LOWER CAS
E..LETTERS. WITH A (POKE 59468,12) YOU C
OULD SWITCH FROM AN UPPER/GRAPHICS..MODE
TO AN UPPER/LOWERCASE MODE. POKE 59468,
14 WOULD RETURN BACK AGAIN...THE 2001/B
DID HAVE A GRAPHICS MODE, EXCEPT THE SYM
BOLS WERE NOT ON THE..FRONT OF THE KEYS.
....THE CBM 4000 AND THE CBM 8000 SERIE
S WAS ALSO RELEASED WITH A 4.0 ROM..AND
16K (CBM8016 AND 32K (CBM8032) OF READ/W
RITE MEMORY. A CBM 8096..COMPUTER WAS AV
AILABLE WITH 96K OF READ/WRITE MEMORY. T
HE MAIN..DISTINGUISHING FEATURE THE 8000
SERIES SYSTEM HAS FROM THE 2000 SERIES.
.BESIDE THE LACK OF A GRAPHIC KEYBOARD I
S THE ENLARGED 80-COLUMN CRT..DISPLAY, O
R SCREEN. ....IN 1981, COMMODORE RELEASE
D THE SUPERPET 9000 SYSTEM, WITH 96K OF.
.READ/WRITE MEMORY, DESIGNED FOR BUSINES
S APPLICATIONS. FIRST IT WAS A..STOCK CB
M 8032 COMPUTER AND SECOND A 6809 BASED
COMPUTER WITH THE..LANGUAGE INTERPRETER
S FOR BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, PASCAL, AP,
AND ADAPTED..TO RUN THE OS-9 OPERATING
SYSTEM... ..COMMODORE INTRODUCED THE 500
, 600, 700 SERIES AND A C128-40 SYSTEM I
N THE..UNITED KINGDOM (NOT IN THE USA/CA
NADA). THE 500 AND 700 SERIES ARE KNOWN.
.AS THE ORIGINAL MODEL NUMBER FOR THE B-
128/256 OR CBM-128-/40. THE..C128-40 WAS
ON THE MARKET BEFORE THE C-64 AND THE B
/SERIES, YET..COMPATIBLE WITH NEITHER, W
ITH LESS THAN 100 EVER SEEING DAYLIGHT..
...IN JUNE 1981, COMMODORE RELEASED THE
VIC 20 COLOR HOME COMPUTER. IN 1982,..CO
MMODORE RELEASED THE 700 SERIES SYSTEMS,
IN THE USA/CANADA, REFERRED..TO AS THE
LOW PROFILE B- 128 & B-256, AS WELL AS T
HE HIGH PROFILE B-128..& B-256. THE B-12
8/256 HAS AN ENLARGED BASIC 4.0+ ROM INT
ERPRETER..AND 128K OF READ/WRITE MEMORY,
EXPANDABLE TO 1 MEG OF MEMORY. A B-128C
..COLOR COMPUTER WAS ALSO AVAILABLE BUT
NOT PROMOTED IN THE USA/CANADA. THE..B-1
28/256 WAS A HIGHLY VERSATILE COMPUTER,
ABLE TO UTILIZE MANY BUILT IN..FEATURES,
INSERT MODE ON/OFF, WINDOWS, WRAP MODE
ON/OFF, REVERSE VIDEO,..ERASE MODE, NORM
AL/GRAPHICS MODE, AND MANY OTHERS. MULTI
TASKING WAS ALSO..POSSIBLE WITH THE B-12
8/256. IN JUNE 1982, COMMODORE RELEASED
THE C-64..COMPUTER... ..IN 1983, THE SX
64 AND THE SX100 WAS RELEASED AS THE C6
4 PORTABLE UNIT..WITH BUILT IN MONITOR A
ND DISK DRIVE.....IN 1984, THE PLUS 4 AN
D THE C-16 COMPUTERS WERE RELEASED.....I
N JAN. 1985, COMMODORE RELEASED THE C-12
8 COMPUTER, WHICH WAS ALSO A..C-64 AND A
CP/M COMPATIBLE SYSTEM.....ON JULY 23,
1985, THE AMIGA 1000 WAS RELEASED WITH A
256K RAM 16 BIT..MULTITASKING OPERATING
ENVIRONMENT.....IN FEB. 1987, THE AMIGA
500 AND THE AMIGA 2000 WERE RELEASED. T
HE POWER..AND ABILITIES THESE MACHINES H
AD WOULD SURPRISE YOU. THEY WERE AN..EXC
ELLENT MATH MACHINE, EDUCATIONAL, BUSINE
SS ORIENTED, AND GRAPHIC..UNIT. WE CAN
MAKE PET/CBM PLAY MUSIC AND EVEN TALK, E
VEN WHEN THESE..MACHINES NEVER HAD ANY S
OUND ABILITY BUILT INTO THEM. THE B-128
/256 WAS..THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS & SID CH
IP BUILT IN. ....MANY MODELS WERE NOT ME
NTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE BECAUSE OF VERY
SIMILAR..FEATURES OR SOME IN WHICH COMMO
DORE DID NOT SUPPORT OR WERE TOO..EMBARR
ASSED ABOUT, LIKE THE C128-40, OR THE C-
16.....(IN MAY, 1990, CBM UNVEILED THEIR
LATEST COMPUTER, THE AMIGA 3000).......
........................................
........
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