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Commodore Free Magazine
http://www.commodorefree.com/
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Issue 83

Free to download magazine
dedicated to Commodore computers
Available as PDF, ePUB, MOBI, HTML,
TXT, SEQ and D64 disk image


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CONTENTS
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* Editorial
* General News
- RECOIL 3.1.0 Released
- C&A Games Issue 9 Released
- RetroWiki Magazine 9 Released
- Bil Herd Talks: LCD Computer
- RGCD Update
* C64 News
- Commodore Free in Polish!
- FRODIGI
- ArnoDash 21
- C64 Endings Updated
- Mini Mag Issue 09 Released
- C64 Emulator - Arduino
- Protovision News
- C64 Cartridge Dumper
- USB C64
- Infinity Tape SD2IEC Update
- 16Mhz Reset Switch & ROM Selector
- Exploring the SID 8580
- Drumo in Adventureland
- C128 File Integrity Tool V1.1
- SID-Wizard 1.7
- MiST C64 Core
- C64 Studio 3.6 Released
- Lotek64 Issue 49 Released
- Scene World Issue 23 Released
* Plus/4 News
- Indoor Soccer Brasil
- Notepad+4
- Evo Lution
* Amiga News
- USB Adapter Girlfriend
- EvenMore v0.81+
- Picasso II For The A500
- Donkey Downfall
- Xump Amiga Released
- Worm Wars v8.86 Released
- AmigaKit.com 10 Year Anniversary
- SoundBankster for MorphOS 3.6
- Los Chinos
- Hollywood Player 5.3 Released
- GenesisPlus v1.7 for MorphOS
- Boings World Episode #53 Is Out
- AROS Vision 2.7
* Access the Internet Using VICE
* Jargon Free - DUMBO MUSIC!
* Review: Shack for the Plus/4
* Review: Roll (C64 - final version)
* Review: The Vice Squad (C64)
* Review: Shoot 'Em Up Destruction
Set 3
* Interview With Michal Pleban

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EDITOR
Nigel Parker

SPELL CHECKING
Peter Badrick
Bert Novilla

TXT, HTML & E-BOOKS
Paul Davis

D64 DISK IMAGE
Al Jackson

PDF DESIGN
Nigel Parker

WEBSITE
www.commodorefree.com

EMAIL ADDRESS
commodorefree@commodorefree.com

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COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2014
Commodore Free Magazine
All Rights Reserved.


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EDITORIAL
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Greetings,

I was surprised with both watching TV and some experiences from fiends and colleagues that people don't regard items as highly as they used to. What
do I mean? Well, take this example.

A few friends convinced me to attend a gaming get-together. It was mainly
IBM compatibles, Play Stations - the odd Xbox, and to be honest, I was like
a "fish out of water", an odd experience, and I wandered round wondering
why I had been convinced to attend. I spoke to a few people and asked,
"Oh, what machine is this running on?" The answerer was just the same, "Oh
it's just an Xbox" or "Oh, it's a Play Stations 4," etc. They seemed blasé about the equipment with many people swapping between Playstation, IBM and Xbox, and it seemed they didn't realise or care about the platform.

I spoke to a guy who proclaimed, "Things aren't like they used to be, are they?" He then said, "I remember on my C64 even getting the game to load
would be a wonder." I carried on talking and realised this guy was a real
c64 user (although he was playing on a ps4). He spoke about the Commodore
64 as if it was a mystical beast and full of magic, then proclaimed with
these things (pointing at the play station) when they need more grunt they
just upgrade the console. "It will be a ps5 soon, won't it?" (he joked),
but back in the day the only way to speed up a game was to optimise the
code!

In a way I feel he is right. If a game runs badly you just up-spec the machine. Now this is a tenuous link I know, but I watched a program about recycling furniture, and they claimed the "older items" are better made,
and were a labour of love and not just mass produced by a machine like they
are now. They lovingly restored the item, and it was a very unique piece
of furniture made of solid wood - not MDF or chipboard.

Then I suppose the question is: Have we lost something? Have we lost some sort of magic now that everything is mass produced in China? Has each
country lost its input or personalisation for the items, and do we just end
up with a clinical piece of electronics - without as some claim, a soul?
If an item breaks it's just thrown away, so what's the point in repairing
an electronic item that's over 3 years old? The item would have been
upgraded several times by now!

People all around the world are still resorting older items, and a line
from a famous American TV show claims "things just aren't made like they
used to be, these things were built to last." Think about today where items
are tested to destruction in a period of usually 3 years - then the thing
will just self-destruct. Heck, my wife convinced me to buy a well know
vacuum device as it looked cool; it worked as well as any other device we
have ever bought. The suction was the same (granted it didn't need bags)
but throwing the bag away was little more than opening the machine. With
this device I had to open the canister at the base with a fiddly clip and
it would suddenly shoot open without notice, sending dust all over my arms (with most of the rest not entering the bin but blowing up into my face).
Then I had to shake the canister to remove the residue, remove all the
filters, and either wash them (if I could) or buy new ones that cost more
than the price of a paper bag! Anyway, the device started to go faulty
after 3 years of use (the on-of trigger started to work only
intermittently) so I bypassed it so the vacuum was always on. Then the
motor became faulty as did various clips holding the machine together. A replacement motor cost more than a new machine, so it went into a recycle centre and we vowed to never buy anything again just because it looked
nice. Interestingly, most of the items I pulled apart from the machine
said "Made in China" even though this model is "Made in Britain." I guess
they mean assembled in Britain

Yes we all love the new shiny things, but when gaming it's always the
Commodore machines I come back to. It's nice to look at new shiny things,
but the playability is in the older hardware. Graphics and a CD-quality soundtrack do not make a great game - the only thing a game needs is
gameplay. You may see this in my reviews. I may be harsh on the sonics
and graphics of a game, but if the gameplay is solid this always bumps up
the score in the review.

So after all that ranting I have run out of space. I leave you with a
magazine assembled from my inner soul, and hope that in some way you enjoy
it. I won't even tell you about my holiday hunt with the half-price deals
that seem to work out as more expensive than when it wasn't actually in the sale, and me asking if I could buy the holiday package without the sale attached to it so I can have it cheaper!

Oh and this month Bert is taking a well-earned rest (his brain is about to explode from all the technical knowledge he has shared with the assembler programming series?!?), but rest assured he will be back soon. That gives
us all time to digest the

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.01 (GNU/Linux-i386)
* Origin: Dragon's Lair ---:- bbs.vk3heg.net -:--- (39:901/280)