Firstly, I'd like to give a big thanks to Julian 'Jaz' Rignall, (formally of Zzap!64 and Mean Machines magazine) for giving me the heads via Twitter that it is 30 years this week since the C64 made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1982.
It is certainly hard to believe that the C64 has been around that long, I wouldnt say it 'feels like yesterday' when they were the norm...but maybe last week! It has been the machine that I have grown up with (well, a C128) and provided many happy times throughout that period, whether it be shooting down helicopters in Fort Apocalypse, sneaking around in the Last Ninja, writing out my homework in Mini Office II or just trying to program something.
When the C64 was born, nothing has been seen like it before, not only did this come equipped with the MOS6510 processor, VIC-II for graphics, it also had the killer SID sound synthesis chip! Bleeps and boinks were a thing of the past with the SID, such a thick sound could be made with it, it really was the start of real gaming coming home(your home!). The SID is still such a popular sound that musicians actually use them and come in certain 'real' synthesizers and software synthesisers (QuadraSID I believe). In the future, we shall probably look more into the SID, especially as I am getting quite carried away here with it!
So, 30 years on, what has happened in the computer industry? Things have certainly changed - back then, it felt like everything was brand new and there was a big urge to explore and embrace it all. Now it seems like everything is already there and part of the norm - "it's just a computer" is the general attitude to anything with a keyboard attached to it - no one seems to even get slightly excited about fast processors anymore (ok, ok, some people do). Did the whole home computer movement of the 1980's produce better computer users/programmers/scientists? It will be interesting to hear peoples comments regarding this.
For myself, it seemed that even up until the mid-late 1990's, if people knew you had a computer. or heaven forbid, used it for anything else than writing a letter, you were slightly odd and VERY uncool. Now, the roles have been reversed - these people now own computers, use facebook and any other rubbish that they can waste their time on, then try and convince YOU that they are experts...yet they know nothing.
It's a funny old world Put your thoughts below and anything else you think relevant - don't forget, you can use the forum to go into some depth!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY C64!
:links:
Julian 'jaz' Rignall @ Twitter @jazrignall
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