A free to download Magazine dedicated to Commodore computers.
Issue 85 Interview with Particles BBS Sysop
Interview with Therapsid Creator
C64 Alter Ego
Create Geos App Icon
New C64 Book
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CONTENTS Editorial
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NEWS General Amiga Vic and Plus 4 news Commodore 64
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Commodore Free E-Tape
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Ready. A Commodore 64 Retrospective
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Creating a GEOS application Icon
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Interview with THERAPSID creators
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Transfer Your SEQ Text Files in C64 to Evernote over RS-232
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Bulletin Board System: a Totally Incomplete explanation for Commodore users
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INTERVIEW WITH PARTICLES SYSop
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COMMODORE FREE REVIEW Alter Ego
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Editorial Wow! It’s like another year over already – where did time go? I would like some more writers to join Commodore Free's team of staff. Currently the only staff writer is myself, and this is proving difficult, not to mention time-consuming. If you feel you have the skills and would like to be a permanent writer on the exclusive team of Commodore Free, feel free to get in touch with me. You don’t have to commit to writing “every” month; just submit as and when. Thank you in advance.
EDITOR / Reviews / Text Nigel Parker SPELL CHECKING Peter Badrick Bert Novilla
So this issue sees an interview with an amazing hardware creation called THERAPSID. It’s a SID chip in a box, but this has knobs to tweak the sounds. It not only looks amazing with the SID chip squelching underneath, it also sounds amazing.
TXT, HTML & E-BOOKS Paul Davis
We have a great interview with Particles BBS Sysop and an intro to the history of a BBS, as I know some younger readers will be wondering what a BBS is, and why they were so important to computing and communities way back in the 80s. Back then the Internet wasn’t as it is now and we used BBS systems to download files, email, and chat. Heck, I miss all that modem squealing – I sometimes have to phone up my fax machine to get the squeal fix.
PDF DESIGN Nigel Parker
Terry Raymond shares with us how to create an icon for your GEOS or Wings application, with a walk-through tutorial for you programming types to follow. Let me know your thoughts please. Richard Bayliss proves there is life in the cover-tape with some more programs and applications to load up. I never received anything from Pet, Vic, C16 or Amiga users; please feel free to submit works you own the copyright to for inclusion on this feature. One reader asked me if I would print an article he wrote about transferring files from the C64 into Ever-note. It even has an old-style BASIC listing to type in, although you will need a soldering iron to make the cable, so I hope you enjoy his efforts! More news from around the Internet, and from users emailing in and that’s the issue finished. If all goes to plan you are reading it before the new year! Either way, I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year, and hope you all remain fit and well.
D64 DISK IMAGE Al Jackson
WEBSITE www.commodorefree.com EMAIL ADDRESS commodorefree@commodorefree.com
SUBMISSIONS Articles are always wanted for the magazine. Contact us for details. We can't pay you for your efforts but you are safe in the knowledge that you have passed on details that will interest other Commodore enthusiasts.
NOTICES All materials in this magazine are the property of Commodore Free unless otherwise stated. All copyrights, trademarks, trade names, Internet domain names or other similar rights are acknowledged. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. The appearance of an advert in the magazine does not necessarily mean that the goods/services advertised are associated with or endorsed by Commodore Free Magazine.
COPYRIGHT Copyright (c) 2014 Commodore Free Magazine All Rights Reserved.
Some readers were a little concerned about the slow issue releases; yes I had some health issues, but it was mainly due to workload. Sadly I don’t have enough time in the day to do my work job and write the issue. Anyway, I hope you do enjoy it after waiting for so long for the issue to arrive and thanks for all your emails! Best regards, Nigel (Editor) Commodore Free www.commodorefree.com Commodore Free Magazine
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General NEWS Retro Game Calendar 2015 The Sunteam have created some great calendars for retro computer fans. The website has calendars you can print out and use in an old CD case as the calendar's desk holder. Each calendar has a graphic showing how to cut out and use the CD case to display the calendar in its retro glory. The following retro calendars are available: ZX-81, ZX-Spectrum, Commodore 64, Sega Master System, PC Engine, Sega Mega Drive and Commodore Amiga http://www.sunteam.co.uk/calendars.html TherapSid The TherapSid uses a Commodore 64 SID chip to produce music. Features Compatible with all SIDs, 3 Oscillator, 4 waveforms per oscillator Multimode Filter, turn 35 knobs, press 31 buttons, 100 institutions, 16 Steps Modulator, and the system has an app for the iPad. http://twisted-electrons.com/therapsid/ See interview later in this issue. BEEP documentary Beep is a documentary film and book of video game music and sound. This project is a Kickstarter project, and the end result will be available in March 2016. A few examples of people being interviewed for the project are: Allister Brimble, Chris Huelsbeck, Anders Carlsson, Mike Clarke, Tim Wright, Martin Galway and many more. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/veemix/beep-adocumentary-history-of-video-game-sound TOSEC TOSEC has recently been updated. TOSEC, or The Old School Emulation Center, is a group of people who work on the preservation of games or other software for the home computer and games consoles. In this update: 19 new 369 updated http://www.tosecdev.org/ Cassiopei update A firmware update for the Cassiopei is now available; also, the C128 is now fully supported. You can now quickly get started without even typing anything thanks to the new boot disk functionality. There is also a new release of the Cassiopei manager. http://jderogee.tripod.com/ Commodore Free Magazine
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www.commodorefree.com Particles! BBS Been around since 1992... which is like, an eternity in computer-time. What Is It? It's a BBS running Centipede on a Commodore 128D with message bases dedicated to old computer goodness. Also: [+] 1000s of files for the Commodore 64, Vic-20, 128, Plus/4, CP/M and GEOS [+] Over 90 file areas so far, still adding more [+] 60+ online games (Empire, Nuke'Em, tons more) [+] Lots of message bases
Useless Hardware Info: Running on a Commodore 128D w/640K of RAM (which is enough for anyone) Ports open at 38,400 so it flies. Ever seen an 8-bit transfer at 38.4K? Holy crap. This is done with the magic of a Swiftlink RS232 adapter. Punter, Multipunter, Ymodem, Xmodem xfers. Find one you like. 4GB CMD SCSI drive running off a Compact Flash card using a SCSI to CF adapter. Fast. For 8-bit. See interview in this issue. http://www.particles.org, telnet://particlesbbs.dyndns.org:6400, telnet://particlesbbs.hopto.org:6400
Runs PETSCII, ANSI, ASCII, 40 columns, 80 columns so connect with whatever you want. Speaking of connecting, connect from the website at http://www.particles.org if you don't have a terminal. CBM prg Studio v3.1.0 CBM prg Studio v3.1.0 Arthur Jordison has released an update to the CBM prg Studio. Changes in this version include: Code clippings, improvements for the VICE debugger support, new manual for mixing BASIC and machine language, support for the Plus / 4 screen code builder tool, and BASIC 8 support for C128 projects. http://www.ajordison.co.uk/index.html C64Studio v3.8 C64 Studio is a machine language development environment that works with VICE. You can write machine language and then testing in the VICE emulator. New Features: Fix: Comments with non ASCII characters could break macro insertion Fix: Several DASM pseudo ops have been added and/or fixed Fix: Adding new item could overwrite existing file Fix: !error, !warn and !message pseudo op now properly evaluate expressions as text Fix: Dependencies can now be compiled without opening the file Fix: Running external commands with spaces in path now finally really works (ouch!) Fix: Import of paletted images now works (didn't show up in the preview dialogue) Add: Symbols/tokens of dependencies and included files are now also updated after successful compile Add: !warn pseudo op Add: binary not operator (!) Add: Methods CHARVERT, COLORVERT, CHARCOLORVERT, COLORCHARVERT, CHARSET to !media and !mediasrc for character screen projects Add: Tab Context menu to close, or close all but this http://www.georg-rottensteiner.de/en/index.html Commodore Free Magazine
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Amiga News Petro Tyschtschenko's Video from Saku 2014, Over One Hour of Amiga Memories ‎ Finnish Amiga User's Group hosted the traditional Saku 2014 retro and vintage computer event in Tampere, Finland on September 20th, 2014. International guests of honour were former Commodore/Amiga president Petro Tyschtschenko from Germany and Cloanto/Amiga Forever's Michael Battilana from Italy. Over 200 people attended the successful event. Petro (and Michael) were interviewed in front of the audience by Finnish Amiga Users Group's Janne SirÊn and the video is now on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L9w...rQN6_GUgwnM4JA New Amiga.org Design Mugs and Mouse Mat Available The new official Amiga.org mugs are now in stock and available from AmigaKit.com now (and other authorised A-EON Technology resellers very soon). The mugs are available in two designs: the blue mug, and the special-edition white mug with the anniversary notation. http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/ New Amiga.org Mouse Mat Available The new official Amiga.org mouse mat is now in stock and available from AmigaKit.com now (and other authorised AEON Technology resellers very soon). Commodore Amiga: a Visual Compendium After the successful C64 Kickstarter, now the Amiga is about to receive it's own book. It was successfully funded within 12 hours! A book that celebrates the beauty of the Commodore Amiga. Full of pixel art, iconic box art, and contributions from industry legends. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...al-commpendium AROS Vision 2.8.1 uploaded. New: -Themeing works -Transparent menu -No error when AREXX is started -Playlists for Web-Radio added Conditions for download: http://www.aros-platform.de/html/dis..._download.html direct download-link: http://www.aros-platform.de/downloads/Aros_Vision.zip
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www.commodorefree.com New Wazp3D Driver – Beta56 Wazp3D is a library intended to be compatible with the famous Warp3D.library (AmigaOS 68020-40 or OS4-PPC or AROS or MorphOS)
Full Documentation, FAQ, and grabs at http://thellier.free.fr/Wazp3D.htm Unlike QuarkTex you can run multiple Warp3D applications concurrently Built-in debugger
Demo-program http://aminet.net/dev/src/Cow3D.lha to MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES use with Wazp3D - Compatible with the famous Warp3D.library for AmigaOS - StormMesa compatibility http://www.os4depot.net/?function=sh...ics/wazp3d.lha - The 97 functions from the latest Warp3D.library v5 are presents:-) - Sources included (...so Wazp3D has been ported to AROS) - Software only (=slow): no need to have 3D hardware - Works in UAE, so it can serve to test your 3D software inside UAE - Wazp3D can lie and pretend to have a "perfect hardware driver" so the 3D-softwares will not fail due to a lacking feature. - Full Documentation, FAQ and grabs at http://thellier.free.fr/Wazp3D.htm - Unlike QuarkTex you can run multiple Warp3D applications concurrently - Built-in debugger - Inside WinUAE & AROS can also render in hardware - Demo-program http://aminet.net/package/dev/src/StarShip to use with Wazp3D (StormMesa libraries needed ARES II available now The Ares II is available now and is more or less a Raspberry Pi on steroids. http://www.ares-shop.de/product_info...products_id=46 Features: - compatible with Raspberry Pi extensions (GPIO Port is placed at the I/O-Shield on the back) - Ethernet - Video-Out - HDMI - 3,5mm Audio-Out - 900MHZ Armv6 CPU - 512MB RAM - 4x USB 2.0 - RTC - RS232 Serial Port - 60W PSU - 16GB SD-Card with AEROS Plus (AROS hosted + Raspbian + XBMC)
If you have a Pi (not "B-Plus") the price can be reduced by 25€. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmUxs-fjQ8k (The video shows an older beta, AEROS for Pi has 2d acceleration)
REV'n'GE – Retro Emulator Vision and Game REV'en'GE! is a small PDF Retro Magazine (Italian-language only) about any kind of games and platforms from the Acorn to the arcade machines. The creator says his preferred platforms are Amiga, PC, and Atari ST. He also says: From my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/REVnGE-RetroEmulator-Vision-and-Game/337899556381162 You can download the first 16 issue in a zip archive and download the new Issue 17
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www.commodorefree.com New Game: Voxelnoid (AmigaOS4 and MorphOS)
- laser-beam to blast away those bricks and boost your score - unique 2-player simultan split-screen duel-mode - send penalty bricks to your opponent in duel-mode VoxelNoid 3D – Duel EditionThe 3D break-out game with - support for all joypads / joysticks that extra twist! - two joypads / joysticks supported This non-stop action arcade game will challenge your reflex- - Facebook integration (Android / iOS only) es and nerves. Or play the unique duel-mode and challenge your friends. VoxelNoid takes the classic break-out theme to Amiga System requirements: MorphOS 3.x a new level by integrating NG Amiga with AmigaOS 4.x, Warp3D an amazing 3D voxel appearance into the game-play. The game is free, however donations are welcome. Use your bat to deflect the ball and destroy all the voxelbricks. Destroyed bricks break into lots of voxel debris http://cherry-darling.net/voxelnoid which charge your laser-beam when collected by your ball. Use the laser to blast away even those harder bricks that would withstand a hit by your ball. And punish your opponent in duel-mode by sending penalty-bricks to his playfield whenever you blast away 2 of your own bricks... - fast paced gameplay - 30 different maps to discover - unique 3D voxel graphics - old-school chip-tunes and -sounds - local and online high scores - lots of achievements to unlock - easy / normal / hard difficulty levels - lots of extras (enlarge bat, slow down ball, multi-ball, etc.) ShowFiles (sf) 0.960 released 28 September 2014, 22:25:35 | amoskodare New version of ShowFiles (sf) now released for AmigaOS 4. ShowFiles (sf) is a DIR command (written in C). It displays a sorted and text-formatted list of files, drawers (dirs) and soft/hard-links on disk or other storage medium. It displays additional information such as size, date, possible comment, executable header type (68k or PPC program), protectionbits, etc., etc. It supports a number of different options/switches, after installation in the Shell, please type "sf HELP" (or "sf --help") for listing all options/switches. Or look in the .doc-file in the archive. Download: http://os4depot.net/index.php?function=showfile&file=util ity/shell/showfiles.lha Features - Abbreviated as SF or just sf, fast and easy to type in the shell. - Dirs/drawers are displayed in blue colour (pen 3). - Hard/Softlinks are displayed underscored (underlined). - Shows where any Hard/Softlinks points to. - Possible comments are displayed in italic. - Displays the "primitive" file type of files. - Fetches and identifies executable headers. 68k, PPC (ELF), EXE, among others. - Displays the Amiga file protection bits of files. - Shows free disk space and sizes in KiB (1024), kB (1000) Commodore Free Magazine
and bytes. - Options SIZE and TIME, for sorting by size and time/date. - Option REVERSE, for reversing the output list. - Options (FILES, DIRS & LINKS) for displaying only files, dirs or links. Or intermix them. - Option 68K, for only listing m680x0 (68k) executables (AmigaOS 3.x). - Option PPC, for only listing PowerPC (PPC) executables (ELF headers). - Option ALL, for showing all files and dirs in directories and subdirs. - Option to "trail" files with an initial character ('/', '*' or (at)char). - Possibility to specify a path to display. - Option BARE, for listing without heading/summary information. - Shows OwnerUID, OwnerGID, UseCount and ObjectID (as reported by DOS). - Supports the? switch, for showing the Template. - Supports multiple formats of options/switches (f.ex: TIME --time -t /T). - Supports automatic updates through AmiUpdate. - Written (in C) and developed on Amiga, for Amiga and Amigans.
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www.commodorefree.com Melbourne #Commodore Club Meeting COMMODORE FREE Yep... its outdated, but I left the text here for reference. It is, however, advertising yet another club, so if you are in the area, why not check them out! ---------------------------- Original Message --------------------------Subject: Melbourne #Commodore Club meeting tomorrow From: Kevin T. Date: Sat, September 20, 2014 4:00 am ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is ample parking at the rear. Fee: $2.00. (This is to cover some of the rental costs.) Hope to see you there.... BYO gear, anything Commodore goes :-) AUG – Where We Meet http://www.aug.org.au/where.htm The Amiga User Group meetings are held on the 3rd Sunday of every month of the year.
CommodoreClub – Melbourne meeting tomorrow (Sun 21st Sep) The Group meets at the Wadham House Craft and Hobby Centre, 52 Wadham Parade, Mount Waverley. (It's the double-story, pale grey, weatherboard building.) The meeting starts at about 2pm and lasts until about 6pm.
AHX plug-in for Hollywood released Airsoft Softwair is proud to present an AHX plugin for Hollywood. Once this plugin is installed, Hollywood will "automagically" be able to play these stylish AHX (Abyss' Highest eXperience) and HivelyTracker modules. The plugin is based on HVL2WAV by Xeron/IRIS, source code is also included. Additionally, there is a demo applet which demonstrates the playback of an AHX module. This applet can also be run using the freely available Hollywood Player so people who don't own the full version of Hollywood can check it out as well. You can download the plugin from the official Hollywood portal. http://www.hollywood-mal.com/ Thanks to Hollywood 5's cross-platform plug-in system versions for AmigaOS3 (Classic), AmigaOS3 (FPU), AmigaOS4, MorphOS, WarpOS, AROS (Intel), Linux (PowerPC), Linux (Intel), Mac OS (PowerPC), Mac OS (Intel), Windows and Google's Android platform are provided.
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For more information on HivelyTracker and AHX visit http://amigascne.org/abyss/ahx/ and http://www.hivelytracker.co.uk/
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VIC and COMMODORE PLUS 4 NEWS The Real Commodore Vic-20 Prototype The website says: You’ll note in the photo that the Vic-20 prototype is styled similarly to the original Commodore PET from 1977, complete with funky calculator-style keyboard. Naturally, upon its actual retail release, the Vic-20 would receive its own, larger case, the iconic “breadbox” design and a full stroke keyboard, both of which would also be found in the best selling Commodore 64 just a few years later (and similarly found on all PET computers after the original models). Head to the link for more information http://armchairarcade.com/perspectives/2014/10/29/thereal-commodore-vic-20-prototype/ YAPE Commodore plus 4 emulator Updates
Head on over to the official page for the download. Link: http://yape.homeserver.hu
YAPE 1.0.6 While 1.0.5 has become the Windows Vista of YAPE, this new release hopefully becomes its Windows 7. in development for 10 years its available in Windows as well as multi-platform editions, NEW! Yape (PAL/NTSC), Native Win32 and x64 (XP/Vista/Win7/Win8) versions: yape1.0.6.zip -Yape, open source SDL version (Linux, Solaris, BeOS, Mac, etc.): yapeSDL-0.32.5.tar.gz -direction controllers (D-PAD or 'POV' buttons) can now, too, be used as joystick -fullscreen mode made ALT+TAB friendly -occasional crashes on some machines with small border mode on -assembler bug in 64 bit build ironed out (thanks to Luca for pointing it out) -minor fixes Club Info 135 This is a German-language disk based magazine for the Commodore C116, C16 and the Plus/4 the following articles are included: Tips and Tricks, Computer Spaß, Hardware, Termine, Szene, Ghost Town, Notepad +4, SD2IEC SID Player, Floodit, Indoor Soccer, Whack C16, Note Game, Shack, Saboteur C16, Total Eclipse, SVS-Calc 2.0 and other systems. http://plus4world.powweb.com/software/Club_Info_135 TedPlay V1.2.3 released
GUI - playlists - volume setting TedPlay is a Commodore plus4/c16 music player for - channel mute Windows/Unix written in C++ using WTL and SDL. The program supports the following formats: PRG, PSID/RSID and C8M, - adjustable speed - adjustable replay a new versatile 8-bit computer music file format. Changes in sample rate this version: Individual channel selection for SID tunes, imadjustable replay provements for the play list view and the elapsed time. buffer length - system wide Features hotkey to skip bePlayer tween tracks - virtual machine with full 8501 CPU emulation - full Commodore 16 and plus/4 (264 family) TED music support http://tedplay.co - full Commodore 64 SID chip support (both 6581 and 8580) deplex.com/ - support of PRG, PSID, RSID and C8M music formats
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Commodore 64 News Reformation C64 Remixes Reformation will be a definitive set of Matt Gray C64 games soundtrack remakes, produced by the acclaimed C64 musician himself. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1289191009/refor mation-c64-track-remakes-by-matt-gray-last-ni
international karate + http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/133459/International_K araoke+_Digital_Excess.zip Interesting, this title – I haven’t really reported about “music” releases but this one is different. It’s a Christmasthemed affair with various favourites you have to select. Not only are the musical renditions of these holiday favourites well executed, the application displays the words to sing along (in time) with the music. Something similar has been attempted before, but to my knowledge, not on this scale! (did you get the pun there?)
Dust layer coding tutorials These are published tutorials on dustlayer.com. The tutorials sometime come with example code which can be downloaded using DUST or you clone the code from my github repository. The appropriate link is provided with each tutorial. http://dustlayer.com/tutorials/ Digital Excess Tools Digital Excess have released a number of tools recently: -Roll Over Level Editor -Polonäse Level Editor V1.1 -Addgar Level Editor V2.0 -Detonators Level Editor ‐JOSH Level Editor http://csdb.dk/group/?id=413 Pic2spr V1.2E Released by: Seanser (at the time of writing has hit version 1.2E). This program can take a a picture (.png, .jpg,. bmp) and turn it into sprite data. The to-be-converted picture doesn't need to be exactly 24x21 pixels in size; however, if the picture is too large it will be resized automatically. http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/133197/PIC2SPR12e.7z
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www.commodorefree.com Attitude Issue 15 Attitude is a disk magazine released by Triad, now up to issue 15. In this issue Editorial News Tutorials – Irq loader compile/ Loader usage Review – framemeister Causeries – Attitude story/ Attitude online Interviews – BHF /Hoaxers /Radiantx /Panda Des / Randall/Arise http://www.triad.se/releases/attitude-15 MP3 plugin v6 [IDE64] The Singular crew have released an updated MP3 player plugin for the IDE64 and MP3 Module The docs say: MP3 player plugin for IDE64+MP3@64 Please note that 32/16/8 KHz sampling rates are not supported by the hardware, and only silence is played. http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/132461/MP3_plugin_v0.6.zip Air Sea Battle (C64) released
http://www.melon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=2 44#p2255
While you may criticize the 1982-style graphics and lack of sound output, Air Sea Battle is a simple game that has been developed for the C64 in the language of C. The same author has also released UFO Attack and Looter. So, as these are programming exercises into C rather than just standard games releases, I will just point you to more information. And, while most will pull a face that C is used rather than machine code, the game does feel slicker and a lot faster than a similar game programmed in BASIC, and as C is a portable language, skills learnt can be easily transferred to other hardware. Revolution V Released
http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/133080/RevolutionV.d64
Lord Crass has released Revolution V R5 is a program designed to copy disks written in the V-Max! format. Only a C64 and 1541-compatible disk drive are required to use the copier. Extra drive RAM, parallel cable, or speed adjust are not necessary (or utilized). Features -Copies V-Max! versions 2, 3, and 4. There is no support for older versions, as copiers for those already exist. -Support for one or two disk drives. -Optional index-alignment for copies using a stock 1571 or an IHS-equipped 1541. -Can fix illegal GCR on copies to improve compatibility with drives. -1700/1750 RAM expansion support. Third party REUs should also work, as long as they are 256kB or larger. Be sure to load the REU version of the copier. GeoRAM/SuperRAM is not supported. Commodore Free Magazine
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www.commodorefree.com Ultimate Opus V0.2 http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/133229/u-opus-0.2.prg This program requires a 1541 Ultimate-II with the Ultimate Command Interface enabled. The program is being developed by Lft and is used for managing files on SD cards or the USB connection.
SID Duzz' It V2.1.7 This is a music tracker system for the Commodore 64 written by Geir Tjelta and Glenn Rune Gallefoss. Features: Sequencer, tracker and a sound editor. Load, Save, and Dump menu, DOS commands, vibrato, pulse, filter, arpeggio, and tempo. Changes in this version: Improvements for the filter cutoff routine and the play routine had a problem with the gate timeout setting. http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/133177/Sid_Duzz_It_v2. 1.7-shape.zip Audiotap and Wav to PRG Two applications released by Fabbo that allow you to convert to and from TAP files using standard cables and a PC. Audiotap 2.1 audiotap.exe, an application to read and write Commodore tapes. ‎ http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/133124/audiotap-2.1win32.zip WAV-PRG 4.1 http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/133121/wavprg-4.1win32.zip
WAV-PRG is a program for converting Commodore 64 tapes to PC and back. It is designed so it doesn’t require any custom-built cables: transfers between PC and tape are done by means of a tape player/recorder connected to the PC's sound card by a standard audio cable
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AMIGA FOREVER AND COMMODORE 64 FOREVER Amiga Forever http://www.amigaforever.com http://www.facebook.com/AmigaForever C64 Forever http://www.c64forever.com http://www.facebook.com/C64Forever RetroPlatform Project http://www.retroplatform.com
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COMMODORE FREE TAPE #16 (November 2014) by Richard/TND
The Commodore Free cover tape is back! This month it is probably the BIGGEST and the BEST cover tape so far. There's loads of great programs in store for you. There's the prize version of the SEUCK game 'Double or Nothing', which consists of a loading picture, new front end, extra music, and
also some great power ups. There's also a few puzzle games to blow your brain away. If you are bored with playing games, then feast your eyes on this month's PD Demo Extravaganza, which features some stunning demos past and present from the demo scene :)
Double or Nothing – Redux (C)2014 Alf Yngve Programming: Martin Piper, Richard/TND Graphics: Alf Yngve, Shine/Delysid Music: Richard/TND
these up to change the weapon type. Some power ups will be strong, others are weak. Can you fight bravely, put an end to the war, and return back to the real reality?
Yeah, yeah. I know, this game was released on Issue #80's E-Cover tape, but now you get the ULTIMATE edition of the game, featuring plenty of enhancements. This is the game that 'Won' the SEUCK Compo 2014, and features a brand new front end, a loading screen, in-game music, and power ups. This enhances game play even more – and the game will get even tougher The world is at war against invaders. Your mind begins to drift. You find yourself in two realities. You are going mad. Which reality is the real one? Are you trying to save planet Earth by fighting against an army of robots, or fighting a swarm of aliens? Using a joystick in port 2, help control your protagonist through both worlds, fighting against the enemies. The further you progress, the two realities will come together. During play you will come across some power up objects. Pick 5x5 (C)1997 Super High Inventive Technologies Programming: Didi/Laxity Graphics: Didi/Laxity Music: Red Devil/Fairlight This is a fun English word game, with nice presentation and some great music, all created from the Demo Scene. The game consists of different options (which enhances the gameplay) such as a timed game, or highlighting correct letters in wrong places, etc The object of the game is to simply guess a five-letter word which the computer has stored into memory. Type in some letters to see if it will form the correct word. If it doesn't then you'll get another chance at writing the missing word. Fail on that another three times and the game is over. If, however, you do get the correct word, you'll move on to the next level; a new word will then be randomly selected. Keep on guessing as many different words as possible, and reach the high score table. Can you manage this, or will you fail? Commodore Free Magazine
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www.commodorefree.com Coins (C)2011 IceOut Games/Avatar Programming: Charles Grey Graphics: Charles Grey, Flower/Avatar Music: Fredrik/Avatar Time for a fun puzzle game which involves money. The idea is quite simple: you need to flip your coins round and eliminate each set. You have a set time limit to get eliminate as many coins as possible. To get rid of the coins simply move your cursor over four coins, hold Fire, and the direction in which you wish to rotate the four coins on-screen. Should four coins all match together in a square, they will be removed from the board. Keep on playing until you have run out of time, then see what high score you can achieve. Snake Bite (C)2013 Public Domain Software Programming: Alan Bond Graphics: Alan Bond Music/SFX: Alan Bond
Can your snake escape from all of the mazes, or will it become trapped in an unmovable situation? Good luck – and don't get stuck!
Hands up – who remembers the worm/nibbly games? Well, Snake Bite is something quite different. One way or another (as a treat for worm fans), here's something a little different: 'Snake Bite'. Using a joystick plugged into port 2, you must guide your snake around the maze, eating fruit to make your snake group. Then flee to the exit, which will appear after the fruit has been eaten Try to avoid getting stuck in situations where you can't move as you won't be able to get anywhere – and you'll have to re-load the game (unless you are carrying a gun and shoot yourself with it). As each level progresses you must work through and solve puzzles to try and escape from the maze.
C64 PD DEMO EXTRAVAGANZE Delirious 9 (C)1990 Genesis Project Programming: Raistlin/G*P Graphics: Artline Designs, Marius Skogheim Music: Deek/Crest, Fun Fun/Triangle, Lars Hoff/Prosonix, Ole Marious Pettersen/Prosonix To end this issue's cover tape, we have a stunning old single file demo called 'Delirious 9' by G*P. This demo features four parts in total, with some breathtaking music, colourful graphics, and some classic old-style demo effects, and plenty of scroll text to read as well.
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www.commodorefree.com Skull Tour (C)1989 Danish Design Programming: Brian Hansen, Thomas Beha Graphics: Brian Hansen, Thomas Beha Music: Drax/Vibrants Skull Tour is a simple classic scroll text demo featuring really nice colour graphics and animations. There's nothing really special effect-wise, but the demo looks pretty stunning anyhow. Real Acid (C)1989 Paramount Programming: Scratcher/Paramount Graphics: Scratcher/Paramount Music: Markus Schneider To end this issue's classic demo round-up comes Real Acid, a very old contact demo by Scratcher/Paramount. It consists of some nice graphics, scroll text, and excellent music.
Scorelative (C)2014 Score Programming: Mate/Score Graphics: Mate/Score, Shine/Code7 Music: Nyarla, Odysseus/Reflex, Ozone This is the latest one-file demo from a new demo group which names itself 'Score'. The demo is split into three different parts, and consists of some nice presentation and effects. To move on to the next part, press the space bar and the next part will de-crunch for you NEXT TIME We'll be bringing another balanced E-Tape, where we'll be Thank you. adding more great stuff on to it. We'd like to try and have a See you on the next cover tape cover tape that doesn't consist of any SEUCK games or any TND stuff the next time 'round. Are you able to help out? If the answer is yes, then please submit your cover tape submission to the usual email address, which is on the scroll-text of the tape loader.
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C64 book Announcement ----- Original Message ----From: Roberto Dillon To: Commodore Free Subject: C64 book
http://www.springer.com/engineering/computational+inte lligence+and+complexity/book/978-981-287-340-8 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ready-A-Commodore-64Retrospective/dp/9812873406
Hello Nigel, Hope this email finds you well.I have some updates about the book I'd like to share with you. According to the latest news from Springer, "Ready. A Commodore 64 Retrospective" should be available by January 2015. While the price has not been fixed yet (the one currently listed on Springer's website is a placeholder, I'm doing everything I can to have this priced like similar books in the market and not as a high profile academic book like the placeholder price suggests), the cover has been finalized and is attached here as a preview. This will be the introductory text printed on the back cover: How did the Commodore 64 conquer the hearts of millions and become a platform people still actively develop for even today? What made it so special? This book will appeal to both those who like tinkering with old technology as a hobby and nostalgic readers who simply want to enjoy a trip down memory lane. It discusses in a concise but rigorous format the different areas of home gaming and personal computing where the C64 managed to innovate and push forward existing boundaries. Starting from Jack Tramiel's vision of designing computers "for the masses, not the classes," the book introduces the 6510, VIC-II and SID chips that made the C64 unique. It briefly discusses its BASIC programming language and then proceeds to illustrate not only many of the games that are still so fondly remembered but also the first generation of game engines that made game development more approachable − among other topics that are often neglected but are necessary to provide a comprehensive overview of how far reaching the C64 influence was. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, readers will relive the dawn of modern technology and gain a better understanding of the legacy that was built, bit by bit, in those pioneering days by computers that had only a tiny fraction of the power modern machines have and, yet, were used to create the technological world we are now living in. Feel free to use the cover, publishing date and the above back cover text for the news section in Commodore Free, if you like (but simply say that list price has not been finalized yet. I'll let you know when it gets defined). Cheers! Roberto Roberto Dillon about.me/roberto.dillon
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Creating a File Icon by Terry Raymond To create a file icon, there is an easier way other than using icon editors. When I was learning this Werner Weicht of Denmark (a GEOS/Wheels programmer) created a simple icon template (which is what I would like to demonstrate here) for Commodore Free readers. I am working with someone on a website and I might be able to have this icon for download. (Currently I don’t have a website or even a domain. However, I will talk you through the process). Only the black marked area can be used for a file icon: Okay. So to get started, we need to **Include the black border only** make sure you have the Icon Template copied to your GEOS/or Wheels work To copy the icon into a photo scrap disk etc. mark the entire GREEN marked area and no more, don’t get into the bottom part that is outside the black border because this is reserved for the text info Start the process by Boot the GEOS or for your application Wheels operating system:
Then select CUT. Now the entire template is gone and is saved as a GeoPaint Scrap image file:
Now you need to Run GeoWrite:
Once in GeoWrite, you now need to open your header file code as an existing file:
Then you need to load GeoPaint
On the upper top left-hand side of the screen click on the broken-lines icon box. This will select the black border; your cursor is on now a cross-hair icon. Select the border now:
Then you need to Load an existing document: in this case it's called “Icon Template”
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www.commodorefree.com Now PUT your icon in the header file code here:
Now your header file is ready, so you can also test all the header file code to see if the icon image looks okay. If it doesn’t, then you did something wrong and that means you need to keep tinkering with the template border. Once it all looks right you now need to assemble the header file code. This is done with GeoAssembler or Concept or Concept+. In GEOS 8-bit code the assembled code; once assembled is now “Relocatable Object Code”. This is in the GeoProgrammer user manual in Appendix-A. Once the code is assembled you can then create small link files; in this case a link file for now (for the header file). Use the file name that is assembled: MYAPP.LNK
From within GeoWrite, go to the TOP MENU and then select EDIT:
Then select PASTE and PICTURE: The image is then placed in the header
I won’t go into that in this article (this will be another small article), but you have an idea. Now run the linker and load the header file object code file, then press the icon to start the linking process. Hopefully you won’t get any errors, but if you do look, it's best to first look for simple typos, etc., but it should be okay! Now you should see your icon assembled, so at this point you can see if you’re happy with how you edited your app file icon. This may take a few tries (it did when I first tried it). The icon size for the code is:
(this is in the header file code at the beginning) ;icon width 3 ;icon height 21 I may write another article for creating a link file. If anybody has any questions please feel free to ask me by email: Traymond20@gmail.com Thank you and have fun with GEO or Wheels programming. J -Terry Raymond
file code
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INTERVIEW WITH THE CREATORS OF THE THERAPSID
SID under full control Q. Please, would you introduce Named after a vicious dinosaur, its yourselves to our readers? sound is no less aggressive. TherapSid has evolved to create roaring noises Hello Commodore Free readers, I'm that will cut through your mix like Alex Smith. I am UK. born and currently razor-sharp claws through a mammoth living in the south of France. I spent the steak. So why do you need another last 5 years working as a sound synth, since they already take 90% of engineer in LA. I have been very the space in your room and your passionate about music for as long as I girlfriend keeps complaining about it? can remember. I Began as a choir boy Well, what sets TherapSid apart from at the tender age of 10 and have loved other SID based synths is its focus on music of all genres ever since. I control. Instead of getting confused by currently have a particular obsession LCDs and damaging your eyesight for old video game music/sounds, trying to read tiny sub menu fonts, this (nostalgia?!)... instrument features no less than 35 knobs and 31 buttons to give you full Q. Could you give our readers a power over your sound. little history about yourselves and how the company started, and why? FEATURES -Compatible with all SIDS I got into electronics in the early 2000s -3 Oscillators, 4 waveforms per osc. when I discovered the midibox -Multi-mode Filter platform (www.midibox.org) and became obsessed with hacking random -35 Knobs devices into midi controllers (old toy -31 Buttons pianos, speak and spell, etc). I was -SID PCB isolated from main PCB (less introduced to CAD, the CO2 laser cutter noise) and various other cool tools by my -Switched audio input for running fellow hacker friends at the CrashSpace signals through the filter! hackerspace during my recent years in -100 Presets LA and that was a game changer for me, -3 Lfos: 4 waveforms, 12 target knobs -16 Step Modulator: sequence up to 20 as I found myself able to produce knob positions, per step in a snap! Also instruments of commercial quality. modulate Ring Mod, Sync and Q. How many staff do you have, and Waveform for all voices. is this a full time project? -Pedal Glide: enable/disable glide with the sustain pedal I design and program the machines -Compatible with our free app for iPad myself, but my father works with me at (pending app store approval), Mac, Pc the assembly line. I'm grateful to say & Linux it’s currently a full time project! -Fully midi automated -Future proof: Firmware updates via Q. Of course you make other items sysex as well as THERAPSID. Can you quickly explain what services you do provide?
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I currently also have the AY3 synth available. It is a stereo desktop synth based on the AY3-8912 chips found in the Intellivision and Vectrex video game consoles
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General _Instrument_AY-3-8910) I also have a variety of iPhone/iPad synths in the app store. Q. The Commodore Free readers will be really interested in THERAPSID. So, the main selling point of the device is the knobs and buttons? Yes, indeed I made TherapSID to provide the hands-on control. There are several good SID-based synths out there, but they all send the user digging through LCD menus/submenus. The idea of the TherapSID was to make these menus “hands on”. Q. Why a physical machine and not a soft synth, or virtual machine? A virtual machine could have virtual buttons, so why a physical machine? The SID chips are very cool and are becoming increasingly rare. They have so much sonic character (mainly because of their flaws) which could not be fully emulated in software. Also the physical machine is something you can feel and physically twist and turn knobs in real-time Q. Can the device record the knob twiddling over midi, and therefore play it back during recording sessions?
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www.commodorefree.com Unfortunately not, as the TherapSID has no midi-out as of now. Q. So with the SID chips so rare, do you find it difficult to obtain SID chips for the device, and does it just use one SID or can multiple SID chips be installed?
Q. You sell the device without the SID chip. What are the cost differences and how difficult is the device to open and install the SID chip?
TherapSid currently retails for 399 Euro with SID (while limited supply lasts) and 333 Euros without, It is indeed difficult to find SID chips; in worldwide shipping included. fact my supplier has run dry. My small stash is all that I have left :/ TherapSID Q. Can you tell our readers about just uses one chip as of now, although I other devices you supply (or are in have been considering a stereo mod ,as the pipe line)? I have had many requests. You can, however, install any type of SID and the The AY3 is a fun little device that is a necessary parts for all types are cheaper alternative to the SID. You can provided. hear some demos on my website (twisted-electrons.com/ay3). I'm also Q. Some readers coming from Other currently working on an 8-bit chip Commodore hardware may not be tune-y drum machine/groove box, and aware of the SID chip. Could you a desktop FM synth. enlighten them on why this chip is Q. You list the device compatible such a classic item? with All SIDS. Would you personally Yes, of course. The SID chip is the voice consider one SID chip superior to of your Commodore C64 to whom you another and if so why? owe the music you love! If you are This is a matter of taste, but my really interested: here is an Interview personal preference is for the older with Bob 6581. I really like the sound of the filter, Yannes http://archive.today/RZjdw especially for basses. It has tube-like Bob created the SID chip 33 years ago, distortion to it . However I know many and later he co-founded the people prefer the later 6582 for its synthesizer company Ensoniq. cleaner sound, higher filter resonance.
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Q. How many have you sold, and what sort of feedback from people have you had? How would our user order one, and what are the delivery times? I hadn't intended to make more than 100 units but am getting close to that goal. The feedback has been very positive and constructive. It's really fun to be able to release new firmware updates based on the user's feedback. It is available online (twistedelectrons.com/therapSid), hand-built to order with a 20 day lead time. Q. Do you have any other comments you would like to add? Thanks Nigel for sharing this info with your readers! Have fun. See it here being Tweeked http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3_ 3pWIvdg4
http://twistedelectrons.com/therapsid/
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Transfer Your SEQ Text Files in C64 to Evernote over RS-232 From Ilker Ficicilar To commodorefree@commodorefree.com Hi,
* I added the following line to Linux's /etc/inittab to be able to use Linux through C64. and, I executed 'init q' command in Unix shell (as root) to activate this new inittab that makes Linux to listen the serial port.
Thanks for your Commodore Free efforts. I really enjoy reading C=Free using my ebook reader, and thanks to this curS0:123:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS0 1200 dumb rent lively Commodore scene/atmosphere my commodore-enthusiasm was resurrected through inspiring * In the C64, I opened a RS232 port as in here: articles... http://cbm.ficicilar.name.tr/commodore/a-method-to-usecommodore-basic-programs-remotely-over-rs232 and Therefore, I've attached a tiny article for your consideration. logged in Linux: Recently, I was trying something new with my Commodore computers and I came up with this idea: Transferring my text files in Commodore to Evernote in real-time. The following article deals with this idea. Best regards, İlker Fıçıcılar http://cbm.ficicilar.name.tr/ ==================================== Commodore Free Article Submission ==================================== Title: Transfer Your SEQ Text Files in C64 to Evernote over RS-232 Author: İlker Fıçıcılar (= Ilker Ficicilar in ASCII) Date: October 21, 2014 Tags: Document Management, Commodore 64, Evernote, Linux, Serial Communication ====================================
Transfer Your SEQ Text Files in C64 to Evernote over RS232 This method helps transferring PETSCII text from a running Commodore platform to Evernote over an RS-232 connection. Evernote is a nice multi-platform application to organize notes that I use actively. It is also compatible with Linux under the Wine emulator. In addition, there is an Evernotecompatible NixNote program, and Evernote apps. for Android, iPad etc. I do use Evernote to keep my notes and tips on Commodore as well. And, I've just found a practical way to transfer old notes in sequential files kept in Commodore diskettes.
100 OPEN 1,2,0,CHR$( 8 )+CHR$(0):GET#1,A$ 110 print#1,chr$(10);:print#1,"USERNAME"+chr$(10);:fori=1to1 000:next 120 print#1,"PASSWORD"+chr$(10):fori=1to1000:next:rem upper case PETSCII chars should be changed with ASCII equivalents 130 print#1,chr$(10);:print#1,"CD CBM"+chr$(10);:fori=1to1000:next (This code segment is not included in the program below) * I wrote a small program on the C64. The program finds the seq files on a diskette; opens them one by one; executes CAT > FILENAME command in Linux over RS232; and, dumps this SEQ text file onto FILENAME through PETSCII-ASCII conversion. At the end of file, the program sends CHR$(4) character to notify Linux, and this EOF closes the CAT command. * Program exits after repeating this procedure for all SEQ files in the diskette. * And, NixNote synchronizes the files in that directory with Evernote servers. * And, I can happily watch 20-year-old SEQ notes appear ('beamed' as in Palm Pilot terminology) in the Evernote in my tablet connected to Internet over WiFi. * That's all. I used the same program to transfer its own listing, as well:
That is to say: * Evernote has an "Import Folders" option. First, we select a directory for this. I used, /home/ilker/cbm/ . * Then, I connected C64 and Linux using a null-modem** cable (with 3 wires: RX, TX and GND).
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www.commodorefree.com 10 rem seq2enote 20 rem sequential file to evernote 30 rem 100 open1,2,0,chr$( 8 )+chr$(16):get#1,a$:rem rs232 1200bps 8n1 open 110 dimi,a$,as(255),a,s$,d,ds$,z$,b$:z$=chr$(0) 120 gosub520:rem prepare ascii table 200 open2,8,0,"$0:*=s":d=0:ds$=" 210 get#2,a$,a$,a$,a$,a$,a$:rem dir prg-start and disk name start 215 get#2,a$:ifa$<>"thengoto215:rem skip disk name 216 get#2,a$,a$:ifa$="goto260 220 get#2,a$,a$:rem number of blocks. we don't need this info here 230 get#2,a$ 232 if(d=1)and(asc(a$+chr$(0))=34)thend=0:printds$:gosub570 234 if(d=0)and(asc(a$+chr$(0))=34)thend=1 236 if(d=1)and(asc(a$+chr$(0))<>34)thends$=ds$+a$ 240 ifa$<>"thenprint";:goto230 250 get#2,a$,a$:ifa$<>"thend=0:ds$=":goto220 260 close2 270 close1 499 end 520 fori=32to63:as(i)=i:as(65+i)=33+i:as(33+i)=65+i:next 530 as(7)=7:as(13)=10:as(19)=10:as(17)=10:as(20)=8:as(29)=32: as(64)=64 540 as(10)=13:as(127)=8:return:rem petscii to ascii table 550 rem print#1,chr$(10); 555 fori=1tolen(s$):a=as(asc(mid$(s$,i,1))):print#1,chr$(a);:next 560 print#1,chr$(10);:return
570 s$="cat > "+ds$+".txt":gosub550 575 open3,8,3,ds$+",s,r" 580 get#3,b$:ifst<>64thenprint#1,chr$(as(asc(b$+z$)));:goto580 585 print#1,chr$(4);chr$(10); 590 close3:return 700 get#1,a$:ifa$<>"thenprinta$:goto700 710 return 800 geta$:ifa$<>"thenprinta$;:print#1,chr$(as(asc(a$))); 810 get#1,a$:ifa$<>"thenprintchr$(as(asc(a$))); 815 remget#1,a$:ifa$<>"thenprintasc(a$);" ";as(asc(a$)) 820 goto800 5000 rem functions list 5020 rem 520: petscii to ascii table 5030 rem 550: send s$ string in ascii 5040 rem 570: save seq file over rs232 5050 rem 700: listen input channel 5070 rem 800: simple terminal 9999 end 10000 rem ============================ 10010 rem = 10020 rem = seq to evernote 10030 rem = 10040 rem = sends seq files in a disk 10050 rem = over rs232 to a linux pc 10060 rem = for further import to 10070 rem = evernote via nixnote prg. 10080 rem = 10090 rem = (c) ilker ficicilar 10100 rem = ilkerf AT geocities dot com 10110 rem = version: 20141021b 10120 rem = 10130 rem ============================
I don't know how to perform this procedure in Windows. It may be possible in DOS mode using x/y/z modem transfers. However, a simple null-modem cable will not suffice (Windows requires RTS, DTR etc. lines).
October 21, 2014 ==================================== End of Article CHR$(4)
In short, the procedure is as follows: . Run the seq2enote program in the C64 for each diskette. . The PETSCII SEQ text files in diskettes appear in the given directory in Linux as ASCII .txt text files. . And, NixNote synchronizes them with Evernote servers. Notes: ** Null modem cable schematics: http://cbm.ficicilar.name.tr/uncorrec ted/nullmodem.txt ** Simple RS-232C interface for C64: http://cbm.ficicilar.name.tr/uncorrec ted/rs232c24.txt
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Bulletin Board System: a Totally Incomplete explanation for Commodore users As the title suggests, this is in no way a full history of the BBS system (Bulletin Board); it's more a quick and dirty history guide. If you haven’t heard the term BBS then this document will provide you with enough information so you can see how the system worked. Other readers may find some information or history they hadn’t seen or heard of before – old-timers will class the whole document and indeed the magazine as LAME. Way before the internet, and back in the midst of time, Commodore users would connect to Bulletin Board Systems. Some were commercial, and others were just people with a spare phone line and basement with some computer hardware lying around. Ward Christensen apparently termed the phrase Bulletin Board in reference to the cork pin boards found in schools and colleges, where people would pin on messages or items for sale onto the cork board The first public BBS was developed by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, and went online on February 16, 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. Quite simply, a bulletin board system, or BBS for short, is a computer with a phone line connection running software permitting users to connect with terminal software program running on their computer and with their modem connected to a phone line. The computer would “dial” the bulletin board and send information over the phone line. Depending on the system the user connected to, you (as the user) were able to upload or download files, post and read messages, and some of the more sophisticated systems even had “online gaming”. The systems were accessed only over a standard phone line using a modem. Problems on the system would be dealt with by the SYSOP (an abbreviation for system operator). By the late 90s the systems had reached their peak, with the Internet threatening them and offering the same features, but with better graphical content and (some
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say) easier navigation. With the aid of web browsers and point and click, the days of old-fashioned typing and the traditional BBS were doomed.
Since early BBSes were frequently run by computer hobbyists, they were typically technical in nature with user communities revolving around hardware and software discussions.
Because a modem was used to connect to a BBS and the user had to dial a phone Although mostly monitored by the SYSOP number, you would more likely to dial a for shareware rather than commercial local number, and so local communities software, some BBS systems were wellwould emerge, with people wanting to known for having warez or commercial meet up and chat face to face. Some software that had the protection meetings would be arranged by the removed (you would more commonly systems SYSOP in local pizza places or know this as pirated software). coffee shops, for example. BBS systems also had their own language The BBS also gave way to something (or slang), with new users being called called ASCII art, where coloured LAMERS. Some systems could also route characters would be arranged to form a email through the Internet to other BBS crude picture. With the onward march of systems (using Fidonet) via something progress the humble modem started to called nodes, so a user could reach faster and faster speeds, leading to communicate with another user from the larger, faster file transfers. Much of the other side of the world. Although this BBS software was customised by the doesn’t sound like a bid deal by today’s SYSOP to tailor it to their needs and add standards, I think the postal services features and tweaks. became rather concerned about the potential demise of common snail mail Popular commercial BBS programs were (letters placed into the postal system). Of course BBS systems could send and programs like Blue Board, Ivory BBS, Color64, and CNet 64. In the early 1990s receive email to other users on the same BBS. a small number of BBSes were also running on the Commodore Amiga, with Lamers were classed as anyone who popular BBS software for the Amiga like ABBS, Amiexpress, C-Net, StormforceBBS, came on the board but wasn't part of the 'scene' so a none (cracker, phreaker, Infinity, and Tempest. supplier, sysops, etc) or only 'leeched' (that is downloaded warez or other Commodore BBSes supported PETSCII. software but didn’t contribute in any PETSCII was also supported by the nationwide online service Quantum Link. other way) they were considered a lamer. Also, you could just generally be Due to character set customisation, annoying and be called a lamer. Standard dissimilar systems such as a Commodore BBSes, which were more like home town 64 user calling into a DOS BBS would just see plain ASCII rather than the machine's gathering spots, didn't have terms such native character set. Over time programs as that for their users. began using the ANSI standard, but could You may like to view this series: use their native character set if it was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJg available. RHYw9-fU&list=PLgE-9Sxs2IBVgJkY1ZMj0tIFxsJ-vOkv Skyline BBS for the Amiga (1987) was the first software to feature a script BBS The Documentary its listed as being mark-up language communication in 8 parts. protocol called Skypix which was capable of giving a graphical interface, feature rich graphic content, changeable fonts, mouse-controlled actions, animations, and sound.
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INTERVIEW WITH PARTICLES BBS SYSOP Brian Green http://www.particles.org/particlesbbs/ some days you were able to download, some days you weren't because of the Long Before the internet and way back line quality. in the midst of time, Commodore users Q. When did you set up your first from around the world were “dialing” into the BBS or bulletin board systems. system and how long did it run? One such system still running today is What hardware and software did you run? ParticlesBBS. I took some time out to talk to the SYSOP about his love of all My first BBS board, which is things digital. surprisingly still backed up on disk here, was Arctic Games and put online Q. Hi. Can you please introduce in 1990 on a Commodore 64 running yourself to our readers? Ivory BBS software. Arctic Games was a sort of combination of the names of the Hi, my name is Brian Green, and I live in the US. Some might know me as Ice two sysops who ran it.. myself and my Breaker, icbrkr, IceB-[B], or something friend Scott, Gamesmaster. It ran for maybe a couple of months since we along those lines. were only able to run it during evening hours at his house as he only had a Q. When and why did you become single phone line. involved with Commodore computers? Q. How long has Particles BBS been running, and was that constantly, or I saw my first Commodore 64 in 1984 have you had (should we when I was 11 years old. My sister's say) Configuration breaks? Was it boyfriend brought over an original always called Particles BBS? bread-bin and 1541 one day and we spent it playing Spy Vs Spy, Pitstop, and other games. Unfortunately, at 11 I Well Particles! was put online May 25th, was broke. In 1988 I started saving my 1992. It ran constantly from 1992 to newspaper-route money and picked up 2008 until my daughter was born. The birth of my daughter and some a shiny new Commodore 64C from a hardware failures made me take it Best Department Store. The reason I down until my life was in a better spot got into the C64 was a no-brainer at to support it. It came back online in the time. Most of my friends had November 2013. Commodores, they were cheap (mine cost $129 new), and for a few bucks It's always been called Particles! you could copy all the games you though it's run on everything from a wanted to onto floppy disks. It sure beat the $20-40 for an Atari/Nintendo Commodore 64, to an Amiga 600, to a PC, and then back to a Commodore cartridge. system again. The name 'Particles!' was a joke name thought up from my Q. How, when, where, or why, was friend Scott. Back in the day, it was your first experience of a Bulletin common to name your BBS, or Bulletin Board System? 'Board', with the word 'Board' in it. In I called my first BBS in 1989, a Colour 64 board, on a lowly Vicmodem. It was terribly outdated even in 1989 – 300 baud, manual dial (you had to dial it on your phone, then disconnect the handset cord and plug it into your modem) and it dropped carrier constantly on a bad line. We didn't have clean lines back in the day, so
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my local area we had the Circuit Board, the Surf Board, etc. So the joke was to name it 'Particle Board'. We dropped the 'Board', added an 's', and the rest is history. Q. What hardware and software does the Particles BBS system use? The board is currently running on the following hardware configuration: - A Commodore 128D with 640K of RAM - Centipede BBS running in 2Mhz 80 Column Mode - CMD HD with the mechanical HD replaced with an AztecMonster running a Compact Flash card. - Swiftlink set to 38,400 baud - 1750 Clone 512K RAM expansion - One of Jim Brain's 3+1 cartridge expanders - 1581 drive for quick backups - BBS Server 1.4a for modem emulator running on Windows Q. Of course some will pull their faces at the mention of the Windows PC. Realistically, could the system still be run on Commodore hardware without the PC? If so, why use the PC -- what does it add to the system setup? I'm sure there's other ways of doing it, but I use a Windows computer to run BBS Server 1.4a. BBS Server is a modem emulator and routes all telnet traffic to and from the BBS automatically. Also, the same box runs a web-interface so you can connect via an HTTP 5 enabled web-browser. Besides those two tasks, the Windows box doesn't do anything else for the BBS.
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www.commodorefree.com Q. If you could have a custom piece Q. You mention the system runs on of hardware or software made for Centipede BBS Software. Is this the BBS what would it be and why? customised in any way and have you tried any other BBS software? If so, There is a custom piece of software I why have you stuck with Centipede wanted written for the BBS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so I'm in BBS Software, and when was this the process of writing it. I'm re-writing software released? the Legend of the Red Dragon as a door (online game) for the BBS. Legend of Centipede BBS is based on the original the Red Dragon (LORD) was huge in Colour 64, but rewritten to take the PC world back in the day, and is advantage of all the upgrades to the still played by thousands today. I'm Commodore 128, such as expanded probably about 80% done with the memory, networking, 80 column mode, basics, and would like to say I'll have it etc. The version of the software that I done 'soon' but I know I'm pretty lazy. run was released into he public It's probably going to be a rainy day domain in 2000 and is completely project that I finish next year sometime. stock. Have I tried other software? Sure! Up until August, Q. Do you think (in Commodore the board ran off of C*Base 3.1. realm) there is still a market for a However, I found C*Base to be a bit new piece of BBS software? limited for what I wanted to do. I wanted to have a BBS that supported Sure! As the time of this interview, lots of download directories to support there's over 30 active Commodore multiple computers, supported the BBSes, and I think because of expanded abilities of the 128, Commodore's push into the world of supported ANSI reliably so that anyone telecommunications back in the day, could connect into the board, not just that more Commodore users are BBSCommodore users. Centipede fits the savvy than many other classic bill on this and much more. machines. A well written piece of software could bring more people back into the fray like Synchronet has done for the Windows world.
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Q. Although the BBS were (back in the day) a dial up-only system, what would our readers need to connect to Particles, as you offer a host of connection options bringing the BBS more up to date? Well, it depends on how you're trying to connect. If you want to see what it's all about, you can connect via the website's web-interface. The best way though is connecting via a real Commodore 64 or 128. To do this, you'll need to have your Commodore connected to the Internet somehow and have a piece of software (terminal software) to interact with the BBS. While there are a LOT of ways to hook your Commodore up to the Internet, for someone who is new, the easiest way is to visit Alwyz page at: http://1200baud.wordpress.com. Alwyz offers the Strikelink userport to PC adapter, and Striketerm to connect to BBSes, as well as a 'how-to' page. Q. Would you consider yourself to be the best BBS? Best BBS? No. Actually I don't think there is such a thing. Every BBS is
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www.commodorefree.com different, and most sysops have different visions for their board. In the Commodore world we have boards that range from warez boards, to boards running on experimental BBS software, to boards running on emulators because the sysop is travelling the world and isn't able to take their Commodore equipment with them. Each board is a reflection of the sysop's personality. Originally boards were viewed as visiting someone's 'home'. There is no best 'home'. Q. How much data is hosted by the system? CMD's hard drive's operating system has a hard limit of '4GB' regardless of how big your hard drive or memory card is. So, while the memory card is 8GB, only 4GB is viewed. So by the numbers its '4GB'. That 4GB though is currently partitioned into a little over 100 file areas that hold files for the Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Vic20, Plus/4, GEOS, CP/M and more. The file areas are constantly expanding. If I were to take a guess, I'd say we have well over 10,000 files online. Total space is something around 32 million blocks. I'd say less than a quarter of that is used currently.
Q. What does the system cost you to run and do you manage to recoup any of that outlay via the system?
Just the price of electricity and a lot of Well I haven't any plans to emulate the time keeping it updated and backedsystem, though it would be infinitely up. I don't recoup anything monetarily easier if I did. I always like the feel of unless you're readers are offering to 'real' hardware. send me cash... Q. How long will this stay up or can Q. Why do you run the system? remain up? Probably for the same reason why I collect old hardware and hang out on classic computer forums. I enjoy letting other people experience my little part of the world, and I also enjoy meeting other people who are interested in the same hobbies as me. Q. What enhancements do you plan for the system? I might customize Centipede some, but for the most part, I'm pretty maxxed out on what I can add to the system hardware-wise. I'll continue expanding the file areas to include more systems, and add more online games as I find time. There's been some talk about linking all the BBSes together through some sort of network, but that's in future quite a ways. Q. Do you plan to keep the system just running on Commodore
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hardware, and how long (realistically) do you think the system can remain up?
As long as people are interested, I'll keep it online. As it stands right now, we're fairly busy as far as boards go in 2014 and more new people are calling all the time. As for as long as it can stay up, I think it's fairly safe to say I'm in good shape hardware-wise. I have 3 Commodore 128Ds, a couple of C128s, 3 Commodore hard drives, and lots of parts. I haven't had a Commodore system die on me yet and I don't imagine that it will happen any time soon. Q. Do you have any final comments? Thanks for the interview and I hope people will give it a try! If anyone has any questions, you can reach me via the BBS or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/particlesbbs
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COMMODORE FREE REVIEW Alter Ego http://www.retrosouls.net/c64/aec64_source.zip http://www.retrosouls.net/ RetroSouls is a small team based in Altay (Russia). Apparently the term “Team” is overstated as this is actually just one person – Denis Grachev. This game was first released on the Spectrum (by this developer) and then ported over to the C64. Other than that, I know very little history about the game; however, what I do know is that there’s a mobile version from the same developer for Android and Windows mobile phones or tablets. Alter Ego is an addictive puzzle-platform game, and is a first release from this developer on the C64. It's exciting to see what else this developer will release, especially with an initial release of such quality. To play the game you need a joystick plugged into port 2. No instructions are supplied (the The game is simple but frustrating – you also need to avoidgame is simple to pick up). ing the marauding skulls. The swap of characters between yourself and the phantom transforms the game into someThe game looks like a standard old-school, 8-bit “collect items” platformer. However, looks can be deceiving, and the thing more unusual than a standard platform game. Some of the levels require some extensive forward planning (reclever part to this game is that you also control a phantom version of yourself on the opposite side of the screen. When member, you only have a limited number of swaps). From a user the game's difficulty curve is just right, it nicely guides the hero moves, the alter ego moves too, but in a mirrored you in and slowly gets more difficult, with the hook to come fashion. In some levels the movements are mirrored horiback for more being intense. You will find hours “rolling by”, zontally; in others they are mirrored vertically. You can unable to pull yourself from the immersion into the game. switch at anytime between the hero and his alter ego by pressing the Fire button. You are limited on the number of swaps on each level, and this number of swaps is shown on Simple, but perfectly executed, sound could do with a techthe bottom-right of the screen. There are evil skulls around, no or even arty-styled new age SID soundtrack. This would and you don't want to touch them or its life over, and do not lift the game further, as would a password system to start fall into the water or outside of the level, or you'll also lose a on further levels without having to start from Stage 1 each time. I would have preferred more of the screen real estate life. taken over on the Commodore 64 version, as it looks a little To complete a level, you need to collect all the pixel squares. small on-screen. I do like the shadow effects on the platforms, and everything looks so cutesy. Usually you can take them only with the hero, but on some levels there are pixels of another color; these can only be collected by the alter ego.
6/10 Graphics
A bit small on-screen 3/10
Sounds
Some clicks and blips 7/10
Gameplay
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Overall
7/10 Lovely platform game, with a great hook!
Frustrating but in a nice way Page 33
Commodore Free Magazine www.commodorefree.com Editor Nigel Parker Spell Checking Peter Badrick Text , HTML & Ebook Conversion Paul Davis D64 Disk Image Al Jackson ISSUU formatting Alessandro Di Nepi PDF Design /Editor /webhost /text collector Nigel Parker Website www.commodorefree.com Email Address commodorefree@commodorefree.com Submissions Articles are always wanted for the magazine. Contact us for details .We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay you for your efforts but you are safe in the knowledge that you have passed on details that will interest other Commodore enthusiasts. Notices All materials in this magazine are the property of Commodore Free unless otherwise stated. All copyrights, trademarks, trade names, internet domain names or other similar rights are acknowledged. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. The appearance of an advert in the magazine does not necessarily mean that the goods/services advertised are associated with or endorsed by Commodore Free Magazine.
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