Who here has started with a Commodore VIC 20 because i just got one, and it works!

[Buxom]

One of my associates is actually titled "Ye Eldest Geek" because of his years of experience with computers. He's got about 40, if I'm correct. He could probably tell you all the ins and outs of this thing in no time.

[retrosurfer1959]

Yeah they were a fun box back then, you'll be lucky to find anything on tape or part's enough to make it do anything but glow, but have fun and good luck. But I still have fun it's amazing how many languages and OS have come and gone though over the last 20+ years I had a basic book out trying to remember some syntax only a few years ago to do some programing on a old phone switch most of them were Unix or a derivative but a few of he small ones were basic for common code and a few are still sitting around especially in public safety buildings because they had a TTY/TTD phone sitting on them and people were afraid to yank them and end up getting a lawsuit or getting a disabled resident hurt.

 

I have lot's of the old computers and other technology sitting around the house my two favorite's are probably my Apple Newton the first handheld consumer tablet like pc (huge flop but cool) and the original Apple's and Mac's mostly because Hypercard was such a cool and HyperTalk was always my favorite fast and dirty development language for RAD development.

 

Who knows what skills like old PC languages are gonna be useful again. so many things get reused and recycled. I mean I learned C++ in college courses and it was out dated even then so hadn't really used it for years then the huge Arduino phase kicked in and all the old c++ developers are in demand at Maker faires and everywhere else geeks hang out again.

 

Us Geeks may not really rule the world yet but it's already so automated that even if we don't rule the world were the only ones that know enough to realize were not running everything.

[milod]

Retro...

 

Yup to all you said.

 

Also, I think it's great that one of the forum's youngest is working hard to learn.

 

Yup to computers, but frankly an inclination to learn anything well is a lifelong habit that goes far beyond old 6502 boxes, and this young guy deserves all of our encouragement toward a lifetime of learning.

 

As for BASIC, even with the somewhat odd Commodore dialect, it is still a good way to get an overall understanding of what needs to be done for any programming language. Assuming, of course, he resists the temptation to write spaghetti code and instead works to develop more structured code.

 

<grin - and a "hint, hint" to our young guy.>

 

m

[Guest farnsbarns]

Retro...

 

Yup to all you said.

 

Also, I think it's great that one of the forum's youngest is working hard to learn.

 

Yup to computers, but frankly an inclination to learn anything well is a lifelong habit that goes far beyond old 6502 boxes, and this young guy deserves all of our encouragement toward a lifetime of learning.

 

As for BASIC, even with the somewhat odd Commodore dialect, it is still a good way to get an overall understanding of what needs to be done for any programming language. Assuming, of course, he resists the temptation to write spaghetti code and instead works to develop more structured code.

 

<grin - and a "hint, hint" to our young guy.>

 

m

 

I think basic rather lends itself to spaghetti code. No ability to set functions or call/include/require external scripts etc. I suspect coding in a linear fashion rather than coding in functional blocks and then jumping around line numbers with goto is probably more efficient to run. I suppose if you can save a good chunk of characters then there's a memory advantage. Further, when basic was being used a lot, memory was ludicrously expensive so it was the bigger consideration.

 

Nate, does the vic have a speaker/buzzer/bleaper? If so they may have included the play command, try play c,d,e,f,g,a,b see if you get a c major scale out of it.

[FenderGuy1]

I might try that farns thanks

[milod]

As I recall, there were a lot of peek and poke commands in Pet-basic too. And I think there was a beeper that would play various stuff once one got away from the Pet and into the more mass market stuff. Anybody else recall the "Pet?" It as a 6502 competitor more or less to the Apple II in schools and such. Apple adding its Z80 card, CPM and Visicalc (not to mention WordStar <grin>) put it into businesses and then IBM came in with something faster, better and easier, and...

 

m

[FenderGuy1]

As I recall, there were a lot of peek and poke commands in Pet-basic too. And I think there was a beeper that would play various stuff once one got away from the Pet and into the more mass market stuff. Anybody else recall the "Pet?" It as a 6502 competitor more or less to the Apple II in schools and such. Apple adding its Z80 card, CPM and Visicalc (not to mention WordStar <grin>) put it into businesses and then IBM came in with something faster, better and easier, and...

 

m

I need a Commodore PET 2001 i would love to have one of them haha, and a lot of other old computers haha