Download or read book Back Into the Storm written by Margaret Gorts Morabito and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2021-07-28 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Back into the Storm: A Design Engineer's Story of Commodore Computers in the 1980s brings you on a journey recounting the experiences of working at Commodore Business Machines from 1983 to 1986, as seen through the eyes of a young hardware engineer, Bil Herd. Herd was the lead design engineer for the TED series of home computers which included the Plus/4 and C16. He was also the lead designer for the versatile C128 that sold in the millions and was known fondly as the last of the 8-bit computers. In this book, Bil tells the inside stories that he and his extraordinary team, called "the Animals," lived through at Commodore. These were years when the home computer wars were at their height, technology moved ahead at a fast pace, and Commodore was at its pinnacle. The best-selling computer of all time, the Commodore C64, was in full swing and had blown past the sales numbers of its competitors, such as Apple, Tandy, Atari, and Sinclair, to name a few, in the home computer market. Commodore's founder, Jack Tramiel, was the head of the company when Bil began working there. This book describes with intricate detail how Herd and his team designed and built the computers that they were charged with creating for Commodore. It brings you through the design cycles of the computers that Herd headed up, categorized in the book in three stages--early, middle, and late--starting with the TED series of computers that he inherited in his first week at Commodore. The TEDs are known mostly as the Plus/4 and C16 computers, but there were other models that were designed, such as the C364 with a first-of-its-kind desktop interface that actually spoke, but which never made it into production. The TED series was followed by the Commodore C128, which was Herd and the Animals' invention from start to finish, and amazingly had an unheard of three operating systems. This was a high pressure time, a unique time in computer history, when a handful of (mostly) young individuals could craft a computer using the resources of one of the largest computer manufacturers at the time at their disposal, and yet there were no design committees nor management oversight groups to get in the way of true progress. As corny as it sounds (and it does sound corny), they designed from their hearts and for the five-month period that it took to get a computer from paper to the Consumer Electronics Show (the Super Bowl for the computer industry), they lived, breathed, and ate everything dealing with how to get their computers done. They added features that they thought were good ideas and did their best to dodge the bad ideas from middle management that were thrust in their direction. They had that cockiness that came from knowing that they would outlive these bosses in the Commodore corporate culture, if they were successful, and providing they survived the highwire, design cycle themselves. They worked hard, they played hard. Come for an insider's ride with Bil Herd and the Animals in this fun adventure!
Download or read book Machine Language for the Commodore 64 128 and Other Commodore Computers written by Jim Butterfield and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book On the Edge written by Brian Bagnall and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 572 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book tells the story of Commodore through first-hand accounts by former Commodore engineers and managers. Reliving the early years of an icon in the personal computer revolution turns out to be a fascinating and improbably hilarious journey. This gripping tale of ambition, greed, and inspired engineering gives readers a front row seat at the dawn of the personal computer. Engineers and managers relate their experiences through personal first-hand accounts, vividly recalling the most important moments of Commodore's entry into computers in 1976 until its demise in 1994. The Commodore years are tumultuous, owing to their volatile founder, Jack Tramiel. He pushes his team to extreme limits, demanding that they almost kill themselves to meet his lofty expectations. Against all odds, his engineers deliver more color, more character, and more value than either Apple or IBM. While other companies receive more press, Commodore sells more computers. They cut a path of destruction through the competition, knocking out Sinclair, Tandy, Texas Instruments, and Atari and almost mortally wounding Apple. Unfortunately, Tramiel's cut throat tactics also prove to be his undoing. He uses up his managers and employees like disposable ink cartridges, producing the highest employee turnover rate in the industry.
Download or read book The Complete Commodore Inner Space Anthology written by Hildon, Karl J. H and published by Milton, Ont. : Transactor Pub.. This book was released on 1985 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Commodore 64 Graphics with COMAL written by Len Lindsay and published by Reston. This book was released on 1985 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Commodore written by Brian Bagnall and published by . This book was released on 2016-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Filled with first-hand accounts of ambition, greed, and inspired engineering, this history of the personal computer revolution takes readers inside the cutthroat world of Commodore. Before Apple, IBM, or Dell, Commodore was the first computer manufacturer to market its machines to the public, selling an estimated 22 million Commodore 64s. Those halcyon days were tumultuous, however, owing to the expectations and unsparing tactics of founder Jack Tramiel. Engineers and managers with the company between 1976 and 1994 share their memories of the groundbreaking moments, soaring business highs, and stunning employee turnover that came with being on top in the early days of the microcomputer industry. This updated third edition includes additional interviews and first-hand material from major Commodore figures like lead engineer Jeff Porter, engineers Bob Welland, Michael Sinz, Hedley Davis and Electronics Arts founder Trip Hawkins.
Download or read book The Future Was Here written by Jimmy Maher and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2012-04-13 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the often-overlooked history and technological innovations of the world's first true multimedia computer. Long ago, in 1985, personal computers came in two general categories: the friendly, childish game machine used for fun (exemplified by Atari and Commodore products); and the boring, beige adult box used for business (exemplified by products from IBM). The game machines became fascinating technical and artistic platforms that were of limited real-world utility. The IBM products were all utility, with little emphasis on aesthetics and no emphasis on fun. Into this bifurcated computing environment came the Commodore Amiga 1000. This personal computer featured a palette of 4,096 colors, unprecedented animation capabilities, four-channel stereo sound, the capacity to run multiple applications simultaneously, a graphical user interface, and powerful processing potential. It was, Jimmy Maher writes in The Future Was Here, the world's first true multimedia personal computer. Maher argues that the Amiga's capacity to store and display color photographs, manipulate video (giving amateurs access to professional tools), and use recordings of real-world sound were the seeds of the digital media future: digital cameras, Photoshop, MP3 players, and even YouTube, Flickr, and the blogosphere. He examines different facets of the platform—from Deluxe Paint to AmigaOS to Cinemaware—in each chapter, creating a portrait of the platform and the communities of practice that surrounded it. Of course, Maher acknowledges, the Amiga was not perfect: the DOS component of the operating systems was clunky and ill-matched, for example, and crashes often accompanied multitasking attempts. And Commodore went bankrupt in 1994. But for a few years, the Amiga's technical qualities were harnessed by engineers, programmers, artists, and others to push back boundaries and transform the culture of computing.
Download or read book The Home Computer Wars written by Michael Tomczyk and published by Compute Publications International. This book was released on 1984 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Programming the Commodore 64 written by Raeto Collin West and published by Compute Publications International. This book was released on 1985 with total page 644 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Commodore written by Brian Bagnall and published by Commodore. This book was released on 2019-04-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concluding the Commodore trilogy, this book takes a look at Commodore's resurgence in the late 1980's and then ultimate demise. This was a period of immense creativity from engineers within the company, who began "moonshot" projects using emerging CD-ROM technology. Get to know the people behind Commodore's successes and failures as they battle to stay relevant amidst blistering competition from Nintendo, Apple, and the onslaught of IBM PC clones. Told through interviews with company insiders, this examination of the now defunct company traces the engineering breakthroughs and baffling decisions that led to the demise of Commodore.
Download or read book Commodore 64 Interfacing Blue Book written by V. J. Georgiou and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Library of Congress Subject Headings written by Library of Congress and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 1536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Beginning Programming Using Retro Computing written by Gerald Friedland and published by Apress. This book was released on 2018-12-10 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn programming using the Commodore 16/Plus 4 system. Following this book, you and your children will not only learn BASIC programming, but also have fun emulating a retro Commodore system. There are many ways to bring the fun of learning to program in the 1980s back to life. For example, downloading the VICE emulator to a Raspberry Pi allows for the classic “turn on and program” experience and also provides some retro computing project fun. Many parents learned programming in this same way and can have fun helping their children follow the same path. You can also use this book as an opportunity to dust off your computing skills or learn programming concepts for the first time on a system that’s easy, approachable, and fun with a nostalgic twist. Commodore computers were the most sold computing devices before the iPhone. Nowadays, the Commodore system can be run using freely available emulation on modern computers. This book uses VICE, which is available for PC, Mac, Linux, as an online app, and on the Raspberry Pi. Beginning Programming Using Retro Computing offers simple programming concepts to give children and adults alike a sense of wonder in seeing that words they write have the power to do things, like play sounds, draw graphics, or finish math homework.
Download or read book Vintage Commodore 128 Personal Computer Handbook 2019 Survival Edition written by Margaret Gorts Morabito and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-03-12 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Vintage Commodore 128 Personal Computer Handbook is written in easy to understand, non-technical language, to help answer your questions about the C-128. Aimed specifically at present day users, this book will teach you how to use and equip your vintage C-128, even if you don't have the original peripherals and software disks. Practical hands-on information is included, such as how to set up the computer, how to access and use the three operating systems, how to set up and use certain modern peripherals such as the SD2IEC, how to go online through Ethernet or by wireless or with a traditional modem. Also included are technical specifications, an introduction to BASIC 7.0, how to use CP/M, maintenance, troubleshooting, repair services, where to get modern day peripherals, where to look for sources of information on hardware, software, support, and communication with other Commodore computer users, among other topics of interest and need. This will be one of your main C-128 reference books, one that you will come back to again and again
Download or read book Library of Congress Subject Headings written by Library of Congress. Office for Subject Cataloging Policy and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 1580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book InfoWorld written by and published by . This book was released on 1981-11-30 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: InfoWorld is targeted to Senior IT professionals. Content is segmented into Channels and Topic Centers. InfoWorld also celebrates people, companies, and projects.
Download or read book Commodore 64 Programmer s Reference Guide written by and published by Prentice Hall. This book was released on 1983-01 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces the BASIC programming language, shows how to incorporate graphics and music in programs, and discusses the machine language used by the Commodore 64 computer
