World of C64

Guess i was thirteen I think and totally fascinated with the upcoming microcomputer market. Almost every boy on the “HAVO” (school of higher general secondary education), had one already, mostly a C64. But not me. They were quit expensive, and no way my parents would give me one. I got myself a job for the weekends and holidays in the local zoo (Burger’s Zoo). Worked every free hour which i could, i think for more than one and a half year, to get me that Commodore 64 and disk drive. Guess that the working rate at that age was like 1 euro per hour…

In the meanwhile…there was a little computer shop on the corner of the Cronjestraat and Sonsbeeksingel in my hometown. It’s not there anymore. I think it was spring when there was a notice behind the window that there was a programming contest, in which you could win a Sinclair Spectrum, probably the ZX80/81. But without a computer or actual programming experience it was an impossible task. Remembering my parents asking friends of them, they had some elder sons, if they could write a small program to for fill a certain task. The most compact and shortest online would win. I send in that program, and the whole summer…on a weekly basis i walked in that shop. Closed the door, cause they would publish the winner on that door and prayed that i would have won…

It took months…of visiting….just checking that list. Won’t be guessing what the guys in the shop must have been thinking. And of course i didn’t win 🙂

I think my dad got his first “pc prive” computer from work, a Corona. I remember endless playing of Leisure Suite Larry, programming basic and working in Lotus 123. My dad never worked on his computer, i actually claimed it. The Corona PC was from 1983 on. And not quit sure how this one, and my C64 ambitions fit the timeline correctly anymore.

Anyway, got my Commodore, disk drive and datasette. A small black and white television to connect to it. Started playing games (Boulder Dash, oh yes), copying games, I remember Hong Man, his parents had a Chinese restaurant on the Hommelseweg, and we shared and copied loads of tapes with games. And of course my buddy during those school years, Patrick Peren, my BFF back then 😉

He actually had *everything*, the MPS 802 printer, the Commodore monitor, a Powercartridge etc 😉 We enjoyed those years.

I was fascinated by the digital technology, the electronics, graphics and programming. I couldn’t understand a lot of it, but so much was possible and within reach. Got myself, I think, a Final Cartridge and later the Expert Cartridge. Bought the German magazine, the 64’er, and tried to type over the endless basic and machine language listings.

The freezer cartridges and the sprites, you could actually steal the sprites in those games. And i started working on my first big program, in basic and machine language. Spritehunter was born. I got to version 3.0 and i still have it. A never finished program to steal, manage and manipulate sprites in everyway possible. Decided on never ending new functionalities. The program still works, will publish later on this one. It still starts with a screen with all the bugs still needed fixing and unfinished functionality.

It is that box with floppies which made me started collecting again in 2017. Al those nice childhood memories, and all the tech stuff which was fascinating. There was always a lot on my wishlist what i would love to have, but no money for it. Now, having time and money, I can relive that period. I can actually now try working with all those goodies i can get my hands on and afford, all the Cat & Korsh stuff, eprommers and other exotic hacking cartridges. Fun to do!

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Frank, good whiskey year of ’71, Netherlands. Working in IT field.

It all started back in ’86/’87 with my own Commodore 64. Sold it probably in ’90…and then we’ll hop over to the summer of 2017, clearing some boxes at home to find some  5 1/4 disks, containing my own written programs in basic and machine language from back then. Curious what was on them, I  decided that i should own a Commodore 64 again!

Got myself a nice set…to get caught with a small collecting virus.  Started collecting since September 2017 (see article wishlist).

Since September the collection was growing steadily. I met a lot of nice people, and some weird, while searching through collectors land. Bought a lot of commodores, just to keep some of what was offered, selling the rest. Found out that quit a lot of what was offered needed repairing, so I needed to dust of my electronics knowledge as well. All these stories of collecting might be worth while of writing down, at the least, cause I think it’s fun to do!

I guess there are not a lot blogs with transparency about what they buy, from whom, the stories behind it and what collecting costs. Seems that talking about pricing, the mistakes and the luck is not something a collector writes about. So I  guess it’s more like a diary full of funny, and some weird stories,, about collecting, collectors and those who actually owned a Commodore for over 30 years and decided to sell it.

It’s about how a collection grows, and what it actually costs…because a hobby of an enthusiastic Commodore fan does not make any money..it just costs money and a lot of time!

Hopefully someone enjoys this

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