Commodore 64, Commodore 64sx enthusiasts?

['Computer Collector Newsletter']

LOL, I learned that lesson recently while trying to connect my Apple //c to
a 31-inch television.  It works for BASIC, but not in AppleWorks, where the
manual 40/80 column switch doesn't help.  Guess it's time for me to acquire
an Apple monitor.

-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]
On Behalf Of Tony Duell
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 3:30 PM
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Commodore 64, Commodore 64sx enthusiasts?

> I think that commodore went wrong in three areas.
> 
> 1. they never put a standart rs232 port on their stuff. sure you could 
> use 1488's , but that was not the point.  There was no real rs232.

True... I have much the same moan about certain HP machines where the HPIB
port is built-in (or an easy-to-find module), but the RS232 port is almost
impossible to find now.

> 
> 2. The disk drives were basically computers to themselves;

Have you ever opened an HP91xx drive box? There's normally a 68B09 inside...

> 
> 3. 40 columns just ain't cool. 80 is the way to go.

Yes, but rememebr that Commodore were going for the home market, and wanted
to be able to use a normal TV set as a monitor. I've not found a TV that can
legibly display 80 columns if you feed the signal in to the aerial input
(composite video inputs were not at all common then). 

-tony