Replies to stuff... - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

30 Apr 1997

From: hellige &lt;jeffh(a)eleventh.com&gt;
To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: Atari prob, etc.
...
  One thing about Atari 8bit stuff is a lot of it tended
to use it's own
 power rating on the power supply, and not really interchangeable
 between most of it, it seems. 
I'll check the ratings on the 1200 xl in the FAQ maybe that was the
problem... :/
---------
From: Sam Ismail &lt;dastar(a)crl.com&gt;
Subject: yo
...
 First Annual Classic Computer Collector Conference
Why? BECAUSE!  Does any hacker need a reason (well maybe the tried and true,
"Because they say it's impossible.")
...
  Next question...
 Where?
 Livermore, California (tentative...actual venue TBD) I could handle that.  Hey
that's were alot of the companies started.
...
  When?
 Late Summer 1997 (possibly August)
 Who?
 Organizer: Sam Ismail
 Sponsors: Pending (targeted sponsors will be 
 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and 
 other computer manufacturers in the local area 
 and Silicon Valley). Apple could use a little more good P.R...  (wink, wink, nudge,
nudge)
...
  What?
  The Classic Computer Collector Convention is 
  slated to be the premier computer faire to 
  attend to meet with fellow classic computer 
  collector geeks, buy/sell/trade classic computer 
  stuff, exchange classic computer software and 
  classic computer hints and tips, attend 
  workshops on classic computer preservation and 
  restoration, and of course see classic 
  computers.
 Some show features:
  Classic Computer Spotlight - every year a 
  legendary system is chosen to be heralded as the 
  classic computer of the year (nominees for the 
  first show are Altair 8800; Apple ][; Commodore 
  PET; ???). Hey how about a demo contest too?  Have you ever seen those european
groups' parties, (search the web there are some good pages about them)
looks pretty cool to me.  Kinda like a hackerfest.
...
  Classic Computer Pioneer - every year an 
 individual from the annals of computer lore will 
 be chosen as the Classic Computer Pioneer of the 
 year.  This would be someone who had a lasting 
 legacy or made a historical impact on the 
 computer industry, but is not necessarily active 
 anymore (ie. this precludes Bill Gates from 
 qualifying).  Nominees: Gary Kildall, creator of 
 CP/M; Steve Wozniak; ??? As I said Apple could use the P.R. (maybe get the
Steves...)
Unfortunately Gary Kildall (creator of CP/M) died a couple years back
(but would be a kick to honor him), Chuck Peddle was the creator of the
6502 microprocessor and Commodore PET among other things.
...
  Classic Computer Museum -  A classic museum will 
 be set-up on-site to allow interested public to 
 see what classic computers are all about.  
 Attendees will be encouraged to submit their 
 favorite classics for display during the show. Better have tight security there if
we bring our 'babies' to sow off.
...
  The success of the show will depend on 
 attendance.  Admission will be enough to cover 
 the costs of running the show (including lease 
 of the venue, advertising, etc).  Although there 
 won't be much of a vending atmosphere (unless 
 people want to haul their stuff from all over 
 the country) space will be sold for such 
 purposes. That sounds reasonable.
...
  More details as I come up with them.  I would 
 really appreciate feedback from the patrons of 
 this discussion group.  Any ideas, comments, 
 suggestions are welcome (please suggest a better 
 name!) The only computer show I attended was the World of Commodore in San
Francisco in 1987, since then most of the shows have been feeding
frenzies for developers and not at all interested in the computer
classics.  I would attend and I'm sure I could get others in the area
interested.
----------
From: Doug Spence &lt;ds_spenc(a)alcor.concordia.ca&gt;
Subject: Re: Old Computer Books (was Re: Pets & Silly Game)

...
  ...But the only PET books this library has are things
like
 collections of type-in programs for the PET, and books on using the PET in
 an educational environment.  Nothing good and technical.   The technical ones are
some of the hardest to locate, some of mine
came from a Commodore Group weeding out their library, I bought them via
mail.  The most PET books I've come across are old college and school
textbooks (anyone see "Hands-On BASIC with the Commodore PET?" yuk.)
 ---
Subject: BBSes on old hardware and SuperVIC

...
  (re: VIC-20) I'd put at least 32K in it, with a
memory
 protection toggle on the RAM so that it could run images of cartridges
 from disk. There is a file I think on funet.fi's FTP that describes and
internal
mod that does just that.  :)
 ---
Subject: PETs etc.
...
  If only I could find such things.  I suspect that if I
took a trip to
 Toronto I'd have much better luck in all of my searches for old computer
 hardware, software, and books, but the chances of finding PET stuff in
 particular would go up a hundred fold. (What with TPUG, the Toronto PET
 Users Group, etc.) True, that was a very good Commodore region.  
...
  I have a feeling that computer ownership wasn't
nearly as common in
 Montreal in the early days as it was in most other major North American
 cities... I would believe that, I think it depnds on what stores, groups were in
the area as well as what computers were first brought in.  (Keeping up
with the Jones')
...
  (re-piggybacking chips)
 Uh... was he looking for data redundancy or something? ;) No he had some dead RAMS
and got tired of swapping chips, and figured if
he piggybacked two he would at least get one good one out of it.  :/
...
  I intend to write the software on my own, but fast
serial routines might
 come in handy.  I want to at least get 2400bps out of the thing. Most of the BASIC
boards I have is up to 1200 baud, I know for 2400 you
probably have to tweak the timing registers, cause the computer does not
provide decent numbers.
...
  I don't think that'll be a problem for the
VIC-20, as it's faster at I/O than the
 64.  I'll probably have to put in a lot of RAM, though, to act as buffers
 for the slow disk drives. :) There have been a bunch of articles for adding 256k to
1 meg internally
to the 64 and bank-switching, not sure if that's possible on the VIC
though, they may be adaptable.
...
  Do you mean the music teacher's programs, or the
Cursor tapes? :) YES! YES!
...
  I think I have copies of tapes #1 to #8, plus a couple
of games from later tapes.
 I wish I had the originals... but these were copies made from the high
 school music teacher's subscription. :) Mine are also from High School and I
can say I have programs from 13 to
into the 20s I think.  No originals here either *sniff*
...
  Ouranos! is an awesome game, BTW.  I had the PET print
up the listing and I
 intended to port it to the Amiga, but I never got around to it.  I don't
 think it'd be the same, though, on anything but another PET with glaring
 white screen. Weather War II for the Commodore-64 is a re-write of Ouranos! nifty
little character graphic castles, SID sound, sprites were used to add
some foliage (just for looks)
...
  What's the serial number on that machine?
Gotta go to storage and read it...  Not in the 'original documentation'
envelope.
...
  I have a feeling it's a lot older than this PET. 
Both of my PETs have quite
 ordinary-looking ROMs.
 (The one with the mini keyboard has the 1.0 BASIC ROMs, with the '***
 COMMODORE BASIC ***' message and the other one has upgrade ROMs.) My
'calculator keyboard' PET has 1.0 too.  I have the schematics and
diagnostics for it too...  Has been modified with a reset switch has
ability to use a skyles add-on keyboard (you have to load and run a
program first), and of course, expandamem.
...
  Um... hold it... how are the 4116's arranged?  You
probably said, but of
 course I can't go back into my mailbox to read that while I'm replying to
 this one (I knew there was a reason I should my system to do this
 locally!).  If they're 16K by 4, then that certainly WOULD be more than
 8K. :) I think those are only 8kx1.  I did look at my expandamem board and the
chips with the plates on them had (c)Mostek written. 
...
  (RE: Visible Memory Board deveoped for KIM-1 first.)
 Wow, that's incredible.  Not only did I not think that PETs that old could
 do high-res graphics in any way, but to learn that one could do so on the
 KIM-1!  I'm flabberghasted. ;)
 The KIM is something I'd really like to find somewhere. So would I.
...
  I have this terrible fear, though, of coming across
one in some electronic surplus
 shop and not recognizing it. :) I had nightmares about coming across an incredible
Commodore stash in
some store and not having any money.  *gasp!*
...
  (re: MTU visible memory ad)
 BTW, I'd love a copy of that ad.  Send it to:
   Doug Spence
   85 Devon Road
   Baie d'Urfe, Que.
   H9X 2X3
   CANADA Heck I'll toss in some disks full of other goodies too.  But don't
hold
your breath I tend to froget doing things (like mailing stuff) for a
spell.
----------
From: "Mr. Self Destruct" &lt;more(a)camlaw.rutgers.edu&gt;
Subject: Re: weekend additions
...
  The plus/4 could run *some* very simple basic programs
from 64/vic-20 land
 but even that was a chore if I remember correctly because of the different
 ways the computers "tokenized" basic. I think the main difference was
between the 128 and the Plus/4s extended
BASIC, but was compatible with the 64.
...
  There was also a "parallel" drive for this
 computer (well I think there was) called an SFX-1??? something or other. The
parallel one was the 1551; the SFX 1001 was a 1 meg floppy drive the
the PET using an IEEE-488 interface (esentally an 8250 with only one
disk drive.)
----------
From: "Mr. Self Destruct" &lt;more(a)camlaw.rutgers.edu&gt;
Subject: Funky looking mouse and other TCF stuff...
...
 1 CBM 8032                  $5
  (this things got some kind of memory board that plugs into the CPU
     socket and a parallel interface) Wait a minute here, are you sure it's not
a RS-232 interface?
It could be an 8032 upgraded to a SuperPET.  If it is a SuperPET there
would be a 6809 processor as well as the 6502 in there and you have 96k
of RAM accessible (via bank switching).  Keyboard my have some odd
characters on it too (to support the languages it could run such as APL,
Fortran, COBOL, etc.)  Of course to run the languages you would need the
disks and a drive.  (I don't have them)
Otherwise the daughterboard could be memory to bring it up to 96k (via
bank switching) or as I mentioned a visible memory board - the
indication for it is that the monitor will plug into the daughter board
and then the daughterboard plugs into the motherboard's video output
connector. -  :)  BTW REALLY GOOD PRICE!

          Larry Anderson

P.S. I think I'm gonna start writing a FAQ about the Commodore PET. 
Will let you guys now when I get it on-line.

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