• C= Free Magazine, Issue 98 - Part 3

    From C= Free Magazine@39:901/280 to All on Sun Feb 25 19:23:20 2024
    and VDC), and a built-in 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. It could run Commodore
    64, C128, and CP/M software.

    - The **C128D**, which was a desktop version with a separate keyboard and a built-in 1571 disk drive. It also had an internal cooling fan, a reset button, and a 6502 processor in the disk drive for faster access. It was compatible with the C128 software and hardware.

    - The **C128DCR**, which was a cost-reduced version of the C128D, with a smaller case and a 1571CR disk drive. It also had a different motherboard layout, with some chips replaced by ASICs. It was compatible with the C128 software and hardware, except for some minor differences in the disk drive.

    - The **C128CR**, which was a cost-reduced version of the C128, with a smaller case and a different motherboard layout. It also had some chips replaced by ASICs, and a different power supply. It was compatible with the C128 software and hardware, except for some minor differences in the video output and the disk drive.

    Commodore 65

    The Commodore 65 was a prototype computer created by Commodore in 1990-1991.
    It was supposed to be an improved version of the Commodore 64, and it was also meant to be backwards-compatible with the c64, while still providing some advanced features. However, the project was cancelled by Commodore's chairman in 1991, and only a few prototypes were known to be made.

    Some of the features of the Commodore 65 were:
    - A CSG 4510 processor, which was a 16-bit version of the 6502 chip, running
    at 3.54 MHz.
    - 128 KB of RAM, expandable to 8 MB.
    - A built-in 3.5-inch floppy disk drive.
    - A VIC-III graphics chip, which supported 256 colors and resolutions up to
    1280x400 pixels.
    - Two SID sound chips, which provided stereo output and 6 sound channels.
    - A Commodore BASIC 10.0 operating system, which had some enhancements over
    the C64's BASIC.


    The Commodore PET Educator

    Also known as the PET 64 or the Model 4064, was a released in 1983 and sold to schools as a replacement for ageing Commodore PET systems The Educator 64 was based on the same hardware as the Commodore 64, having a MOS 6510 processor,
    64 KB of RAM, a SID sound chip, and a VIC-II graphics chip. However, it used
    a monochrome monitor and a PET-style keyboard, which made it look like a PET. It also had a built-in Datasette (tape deck).

    The Educator 64 was intended to be compatible with both the PET and the C64 software, but it had some limitations. For example, it could not display
    color graphics or use sprites, and had no joystick ports or user ports. It
    also had a different ROM, which included a modified version of Commodore BASIC 4.0 and a PET emulator, The Educator 64 was not very successful, as it was
    more expensive and less capable than the C64. It was also soon replaced by
    the Commodore 128, which offered more features and modes.

    Commodore 16/plus 4

    The Commodore Plus/4 and the Commodore 16 were released in 1984 forming part
    of the 264 family, along with the Commodore 116, which was only available in Europe. based on two new MOS chips: a 6502 compatible 8501 CPU and TED, an all-in-one sound, video and input/output chip. Both had superior BASIC than previous Commodore models. The Plus/4 had 64 KB of RAM and a built-in office suite with a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a graphing
    program. The C16 had ony16 KB of RAM without built-in software. They were incompatible with the Vic 20 and 64's software and hardware, lacked sprites
    and high-quality sound. intended to replace the VIC-20 and competing with
    other low-cost home computers, both were discontinued in 1985

    Commodore CDTV

    Called a multimedia device that combined a Commodore Amiga 500 computer with
    a CD-ROM drive and a remote control. It launched in March 1991 The CDTV was intended to be an all-in-one home entertainment system that could play games, music, videos, and educational software. However, it faced several challenges that led to its commercial failure.

    - A high price of $999 in the US and 499 pounds in the UK, which made it too
    expensive for most consumers and gamers.
    - A lack of software support, as only about 100 titles were released for the
    CDTV, many of which were ports of existing Amiga games or CD-ROM versions of
    books and encyclopedias.
    - A poor marketing strategy, as Commodore did not emphasize the Amiga brand
    name or the computer capabilities of the CDTV, and instead focused on the
    multimedia aspects that were not very appealing or innovative at the time.
    - A strong competition from other CD-based consoles, such as the Philips
    CD-i and the Sega Mega-CD, as well as from the PC market, which offered
    more powerful and versatile machines with CD-ROM drives

    The CDTV was discontinued in 1993, after selling less than 60,000 units worldwide while considered a flop, it was a very ahead of its time as a concept.

    Amiga

    Commodore bought the rights from the designer Jay Miner, a revolutionary computer that featured a 32-bit processor, a multi-tasking operating system,
    a graphical user interface, and advanced graphics and sound capabilities. The Amiga was ahead of its time, and was widely used for video production, animation, music, gaming, and desktop publishing. The Amiga line of computers included models such as the Amiga 500, the Amiga 1000, the Amiga 2000, and the Amiga 1200.

    Despite the success of the Commodore 64 and the Amiga, CBM faced several challenges in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as the rise of
    BM-compatible PCs, the internal conflicts between Tramiel and his main
    investor Irving Gould, the lack of marketing and innovation, and the poor management of the company. In 1994, CBM declared bankruptcy, and its assets were sold to various companies, including Escom, Gateway, and Cloanto.

    There were several models and variants of the Amiga, each with different hardware specifications and capabilities.

    Amiga 1000: The first Amiga model, released in 1985. It had a Motorola 68000

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