Guest guest Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Wow, I can't believe there isn't mention of one of the very first home computer systems here, and the Radio Shack is who sold and PIONEERED them for home use.(Wish Radio Shack was like they used to be where you could get all kind of Electronic parts and kits. Those were the better days of the Radio Shack in my opinion. Today they are so lame with the electronic parts in store and usually no kits to be had either, anyway I digress, on to the old computer systems). I even had to "special order mine", purchased when they were first announced and then came out in 1976, forget the exact date, but this computer with its cassette tape drive, whopping 4k of ram,(eventually to be expandable to 16k WITHOUT an expansion system) monochrome monitor was the VERY FIRST system for home use, all those others came later, even IBM DID NOT, in 1976, have a home system only busness computers for commercial businesses. But with the popularity of the Radio Shack system, IBM eventually (and was the second company) did release a HOME computer system. But it cost a lot more than a Radio Shack system.And back then I believe I paid around $1,500.00 for that old Model I TRS-80 and I even had to take out a loan to buy it, at $1.80/hour in '76 working for Krystal paid for this 3 piece monster (cassette, monitor and keyboard), and if you don't know what it was called by now, it was the TRS-80 Model I (Tandy-Radio Shack), then later came the 5-1/4" floppy drive, then the exapnsion base to get it up to 32k, then 64k a wee bit later. Then finally a Hard Drive, also external and I think the first was something like 2MB!Then along came the other additions until the Radio Shack Color Computer came onto the scene, not sure of the exact year, but it was a few years down the road, early 1980's if I recollect. That's when all the other "color" systems like the Apples, Commodores, etc. all started appearing around the same time frame.And I had the TRS-80 Model I, then the Color Computer, Color Computer 2, TRS-80 Model III and then finally when the IBM Clones started coming out, an HP something or other, have had so many HP's I lost count of model # of each one. Even had two of those Osbourne luggables, sort of the forerunner of the laptop.Yes, I recall those old TRS-80 systems well, I actually ran out of that 4k memory in less than an hour after I got it home and set up.But they are what we used in college when I was taking computer courses in 1980. In high school we just used a glorified calculator that had a "punched card reader" attached to it and they called that "computer programming 101", I now look back on that and have to laugh, compared tow hat we have and can do with these systems today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Jim Saul wrote: Commodore is trying to make a comeback, here is the Intel powered beloved c64 all in one unit.I guess it is true if you wait long enough everything does come back into stylehttp://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx$250, $595, $695, $795 or $895 for a computer that doesn't even come with a monitor, mouse, speakers, ethernet port or much of anything in my opinion! And has to be connected to a TV, at those prices???? Someone has rocks in their head!!!!Don't believe it, here's the link to the "canned" configurations you can get and the pricing;http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64Select.aspxNO THANKS! Just too much for a keyboard with a couple of peripherials tossed(built) in. Not even an Ethernet port to connect to the internet!?!!!At least not that I could see or find on their website.[align=left]I can get better deals on laptops or even other type systems over one of these.[/align][align=center] I think Commodore has really lost their marbles on this one with those prices![/align] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Orville wrote: Jim Saul wrote: Commodore is trying to make a comeback, here is the Intel powered beloved c64 all in one unit.I guess it is true if you wait long enough everything does come back into stylehttp://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx$250, $595, $695, $795 or $895 for a computer that doesn't even come with a monitor, mouse, speakers or much of anything! And has to be connected to a TV, at those prices???? Someone has rocks in their head!Don't believe it, here's the link to the "canned" configurations you can get and the pricing;http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64Select.aspxNO THANKS! Just too much for a keyboard with a couple of peripherials tossed(built) in.I can get better deals on laptops or even other type systems over one of these. I think Commodore has really lost their marbles on this one with those prices!Not really, it is nothing more than a Linux PC in a C64 shell. has VGA, HD video, blu-ray drive, and 1TB hard disk so price is sorta in line with other computer mfg configs. Not overly useful to the C64 buff until the C64 emulator is released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulXmas Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Orville wrote: Jim Saul wrote: Commodore is trying to make a comeback, here is the Intel powered beloved c64 all in one unit.I guess it is true if you wait long enough everything does come back into stylehttp://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx$250, $595, $695, $795 or $895 for a computer that doesn't even come with a monitor, mouse, speakers, ethernet port or much of anything in my opinion! And has to be connected to a TV, at those prices???? Someone has rocks in their head!!!!Don't believe it, here's the link to the "canned" configurations you can get and the pricing;http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64Select.aspxNO THANKS! Just too much for a keyboard with a couple of peripherials tossed(built) in. Not even an Ethernet port to connect to the internet!?!!!At least not that I could see or find on their website.[align=left]I can get better deals on laptops or even other type systems over one of these.[/align][align=center] I think Commodore has really lost their marbles on this one with those prices![/align]I see a ethernet port ! : 0I went from a Vic20 2 weeks later C64 then ran a BBS got a huge 20mega byte hard drive for $1,500 and a separate phone line to run the BBS. Attached files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 PaulXmas wrote: Orville wrote: Jim Saul wrote: Commodore is trying to make a comeback, here is the Intel powered beloved c64 all in one unit.I guess it is true if you wait long enough everything does come back into stylehttp://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx$250, $595, $695, $795 or $895 for a computer that doesn't even come with a monitor, mouse, speakers, ethernet port or much of anything in my opinion! And has to be connected to a TV, at those prices???? Someone has rocks in their head!!!!Don't believe it, here's the link to the "canned" configurations you can get and the pricing;http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64Select.aspxNO THANKS! Just too much for a keyboard with a couple of peripherials tossed(built) in. Not even an Ethernet port to connect to the internet!?!!!At least not that I could see or find on their website.[align=left]I can get better deals on laptops or even other type systems over one of these.[/align][align=center] I think Commodore has really lost their marbles on this one with those prices![/align]I see a ethernet port ! : 0I went from a Vic20 2 weeks later C64 then ran a BBS got a huge 20mega byte hard drive for $1,500 and a separate phone line to run the BBS.That's what I get for looking at photo's after just getting up and NOT having my coffee first! LOLAside from that, I ran a BBS off the ol' Model I, then off the Coco, and finally off the IBM clones for many years. Once the internet became public, that was basically the end of the BBS circuit.Remeber Fido-Net? the fore-runner of what we have as e-mail today? Then there were some other mail type programs that linked the BBS circuit together. Those were the FUN days of BBS'ing, right alongside the CB radio and police scanners way back when. I always enjoyed chatting with the users of my board 1 on 1, unlike the chat rooms on the 'net that get so cluttered and overrun. Ah yes, those WERE the days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyfunk Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Do any of you remember Bob's Term Pro for ther C-64?I actually ran a BBS on the C-64 on software I wrote. I then moved into the real world and ran TBBS on a TRS-80 Model III running NewDos/80. I had modified the Model III to have four internal floppy drives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 garyfunk wrote: Do any of you remember Bob's Term Pro for ther C-64?I actually ran a BBS on the C-64 on software I wrote. I then moved into the real world and ran TBBS on a TRS-80 Model III running NewDos/80. I had modified the Model III to have four internal floppy drives.and back then we thought that was all we would ever need!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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