Commodore 128
| Commodore 128 | |
|---|---|
 
|
|
| Manufacturer |
 Commodore
|
| Type | Home computer (C64 mode) Office computer (other modes) |
| publication |
January 5, 1985 (C128) January 15, 1986 (C128D) June 2, 1987 (C128D-CR) |
| End of production | 1989 |
| Factory price |
US $ 300 (1985) £ 269 (1985) DM 1,198 (1985) 
|
| processor | 8-bit MOS Technology 8502
8-bit Zilog Z80A (CP / M mode)
|
| random access memory | 128 kB RAM (max. 640 kB) 16 kB VRAM (C128, C128D) 64 kB VRAM (C128D-CR) |
| graphic | 8-bit MOS 8564 (NTSC) 8-bit MOS 8566 (PAL-B) 8-bit MOS 8569 (PAL-N)
8-bit MOS 8563 (C128, C128D)
8-bit MOS 8568 (C128D-CR)
|
| Sound | 8-bit MOS 6581 (C128, C128D) 8-bit MOS 8580 (C128D-CR)
|
| Disk | 5¼ inch floppy disks (DS, DD) 3½ inch floppy disks (DS, DD) compact cassettes plug-in modules |
| operating system | Commodore BASIC V2.0 (1981) Commodore BASIC V7.0 (1985) CP / M-Plus Version 3.0 (1985) GEOS 128 (1986) |
| predecessor | Commodore 64 (1982) Commodore Plus / 4 (1984) |
| successor | Commodore 256 (not ready for series production) |
The Commodore 128 (short- C128; colloquially " Hundertachtundzwanziger ") is the last brought to market maturity 8-bit - microcomputers of the US technology company Commodore International . The number contained in the model designation indicates the size of the working memory (RAM) installed ex works of 128 kilobytes (KB). Due to the wide range of services, which, according to contemporary perception, combines the properties of home computers with those of workstation computers, the computer cannot be clearly assigned to a device class. The computer can be operated and programmed with the help of a proprietary, interpreted dialect of the BASIC programming language .
The C128, which is the successor to the world's best-selling Commodore 64 home computer , was first presented to the world in January 1985 at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas after a five-month development period. Shortly afterwards, the launch price was US $ 300 in the United States, £ 269 in Great Britain and DM 1,198 in West Germany . With around four million units sold worldwide, the C128, which was produced in three different versions until 1989, is one of the most commercially successful computers of the second half of the 1980s. Nevertheless, the versatile device could not dominate in any market segment: In the high-priced area, the sales figures lagged significantly behind those of the IBM PC-compatible ones , in the middle price segment Atari 520 ST and Amiga 500 dominated the market and in the low-priced 8-bit home computer area, as was ahead of its predecessor, the Commodore 64, the top position in terms of sales.
The relevance of the C128 in terms of technology history is derived primarily from the unusual equipment of the computer with two 8-bit main processors from different manufacturers and three different operating systems.
history
In the first half of the 1980s, home computers had already firmly established themselves as a mass product on the entertainment electronics market . However, in North America and Western Europe there was a fierce battle for market share between primarily US manufacturers such as Commodore, Atari , Apple and Texas Instruments . This is why this era, which was shaped by numerous incompatible models, is sometimes referred to as the “home computer war”.
Inside the company, too, tensions arose between corporate management and the development department at Commodore. Almost all of the engineers involved in the development of the C64, including the chip developers Bob Yannes and Al Charpentier, complained about the lack of salary increases despite the great sales success. There was no agreement on new hardware projects. Charpentier proposed the development of a new computer called the C80 with an 80-character screen, 256 kB RAM, a high-resolution monitor and a faster floppy disk drive for the medium price segment.
However, this idea was rejected by chief executive Jack Tramiel, who is known for his low price policy . Tramiel expected more profit from a cheaper new computer like the C64 that could be connected to conventional television sets. In the summer of 1983, Tramiel's orders began to work on the Commodore 264 series with the aim of developing a competing model for the successful British low-cost computer ZX Spectrum . Yannes, Charpentier and other leading engineers then left the company.
Tramiel himself had to vacate his position as managing director on January 13, 1984 due to irreconcilable differences of opinion with the main shareholder and chairman of the supervisory board Irving Gould after a good thirty years with the company. He was replaced on February 21, 1984 by Marshall F. Smith, who had previously worked in the steel industry. Although the market-leading C64 still sold excellently, the computers of the Commodore 264 series, which were not compatible with the C64 and which were brought to market at the beginning of 1984, turned out to be slow-moving.
development
Project planning taking into account customer requirements
In order to get clarity about the customer's wishes regarding a C64 successor, Commodore employees carried out a survey among the trade fair visitors who owned a C64 on the occasion of the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. This resulted in great satisfaction with the graphics capabilities, the sound generation options and the comparatively low price of the C64. In addition to the most frequently mentioned C64 software compatibility, an improved BASIC, more RAM, the ability to display 80 characters per line, a numeric keypad, a faster floppy disk drive and the native ability to use professional CP / M software were among the most urgent requests for improvement.
In September 1984, managing director Smith finally commissioned the development of the C128, taking into account the improvement requests mentioned. The new computer should be ready in time for the Winter Consumer Electronics Show scheduled for January 1985 in Las Vegas. This meant that only four months of development time were available. Project management was taken over by Bil Herd, who was appointed head of the hardware development department in 1983 at the age of 24. The knowledge that the C128 Commodore would be the last representative of the 8-bit home computer pioneer generation was a special motivation for the development team.
planning
A development team headed by Robert Russell had been working on a new home computer model called the D128 since 1983. The D128, for its part, was based on considerations made in connection with the planning of the CBM-500 series , which included the B128 as an office computer model and the P128 as a home computer model. Similar to the P128, the D128 should also be equipped with the 8-bit main processor MOS Technology 6509 (MOS 6509 for short), which is capable of managing more than 64 kB of RAM, as well as the MOS Technology 6581 sound chip (MOS 6581 for short) already built into the C64. Since Russell's engineers did not venture to develop the fuel-capable and very complex 40-character graphic chip MOS Technology VIC II (VIC II for short) after Charpentier's departure , the screen output of the D128 was problematic. Last but not least, the use of two graphics chips working in parallel in the form of the tried and tested VIC II and a color-capable 80-character graphics chip still to be developed was considered.
Since the planning either way did not provide for C64 compatibility or CP / M capability and thus contradicted the specifications made by the company management, the D128 project was ended by Herd without further ado. Herd's own development team took up some of the considerations made in connection with the D128 when planning the C128, for example with regard to the use of two graphics chips. In order to be able to implement the desired improvements in performance without losing full C64 compatibility, the chipset built into the C64 since 1982 with the main processor MOS Technology 6510 (MOS 6510 for short), the graphics chip VIC II, the sound chip MOS 6581 and other components should also be used for the C128 can easily be further developed. In order to implement the required CP / M capability, the widespread CPU Zilog Z80 A (Z80A for short) was used as a second processor.
In order to achieve the set goals, the C128 should also be provided with three completely independent operating modes. In order to develop the extensive software library that already exists for the C64, the hardware of the new computer in C64 mode should emulate the previous model completely . A higher working speed, a more comfortable BASIC and an enlarged main memory should be available in the C128 mode, which was intended as the main operating mode. Finally, the CP / M mode was primarily intended for serious professional applications and the use of the tried-and-tested and abundant CP / M software. While the original operating system kernel of the previous model could be used unchanged for the C64 mode, a new operating system kernel and a more powerful dialect of the Commodore BASIC had to be programmed for the C128 mode .
implementation
In order to be able to achieve the desired higher operating speed in the C128 mode, the well-known 8-bit main processor MOS 6510 from the C64, which works with a clock frequency of around 1 MHz, has been revised and further developed. This task was taken over by the group's own semiconductor development department. It was called the Commodore Semiconductor Group (CSG for short) and emerged from the semiconductor manufacturer MOS Technology, which was taken over by Commodore in 1976 . The revision finally led to the completion of the MOS Technology 8502 (short MOS 8502) with a clock frequency of around 2 MHz twice as fast and with additional functions.
The graphics chip VIC II from the C64 was further developed by Dave DiOrio and could now process graphics data with the same basic clock rate as the MOS 8502 with the video signal switched off. However, the resulting MOS Technology VIC IIe (VIC IIe for short) did not show any significant improvements in terms of image resolution , color depth or the fuel capability, which is important for the games industry.
Frank Palaia took on the task of successfully completing the integration of the Z80A into the proven 8-bit computer architecture from Commodore in December 1984. For this purpose, the clock frequency of the Z80A, which is actually twice as fast, was throttled to 2.04 MHz. For operation under CP / M, a porting of the current operating system version CP / M-Plus version 3.0 (CP / M 3.0 or CP / M-Plus for short ) had to be developed that was tailored to the hardware of the C128 . This task was entrusted to the programmer Von Ertwine. Terry Ryan wrote the new BASIC dialect for programming and operation of the C128, henceforth called Commodore BASIC V7.0. Fred Bowen was entrusted with the programming of the operating system routines.
The working memory of the new computer has been increased to 128 kB RAM, which gives it its name. Since the 16-bit address bus structures of the MOS 8502 were not sufficient to manage such a large main memory, a memory management module and an address manager also had to be newly developed. Dave Haynie's experience in emulating the address manager and the conception of the time control later flowed into the development of the Commodore Amiga . In accordance with customer requirements, the VC1541 5¼ inch floppy disk drive of the previous model C64, notorious for its extremely slow data transfer, was to be replaced by a newly developed device with a significantly higher data transfer rate. Greg Berlin was responsible for planning the hardware of the new 5¼-inch floppy disk drive VC1571 , while Dave Siracusa programmed the associated floppy operating system Commodore DOS 3.0.
The C128 also received a completely new design that, in contrast to the bulky bread box shape of the C64, aimed at professionalism, office suitability and improved ergonomics . The case has been significantly flattened compared to the previous model in order to save users the tiresome lifting of the heels of the hands when operating the keyboard. In addition, the keyboard received a numeric keypad and additional function keys. It is not known who exactly designed the case of the C128. It is assumed that the award-winning industrial designer Ira Velinsky, who had already designed the cases for the Commodore Max , SX-64 and Plus / 4 models before he left Commodore International with Tramiel in 1984, was involved.
Problems with the integration of the 80-character graphics chip
At the time the C128 was being developed, the hardware development department at Commodore already had experience with graphics chips capable of displaying 80 characters per line. For example, CSG had already further developed the Motorola 6845 for the office computers of the CBM-8000 series to become the MOS Technology 6545 (MOS 6545 for short) that serves as the control circuit for the cathode ray tube of the permanently installed screen. The MOS 6545, also known as Cathode Ray Tube Controller (CRTC for short) in English-speaking countries, was only able to display texts in two colors. Therefore, the graphics chip for the D128 as well as a 16-bit was Workstation designed, but also never to series production brought Commodore 900 under the leadership of Kim and Anne Eckert from the beginning of 1983 in approximately one and a half years for using a palette of 16 colors and dedicated graphics working MOS Technology 8563 (short MOS 8563) further developed. Since the MOS 8563 was primarily intended for word processing, the ability to display sprites was dispensed with.
In order to implement the capability of the C128 to display 80 characters per line, the development department decided to install the MOS 8563 in the new computer. When trying to integrate the MOS 8563 into the system architecture of the C128, however, there were communication problems between the stove and the independently working CSG. Herd knew that the MOS 8563 represented a further development of the Motorola 6845 and the MOS 6545, which were already being considered for use in the D128. However, the C128 project manager had not been informed about changes to the address bus structures, the timing and the handling of the read / write line from the colleagues in the semiconductor development department. The 80-character graphics chip of the C128, which was basically usable from September 1984, therefore repeatedly caused problems for the hardware developers, especially with its tendency to overheat resulting from stove ignorance and its clocking, which deviates from the 40-character graphics chip VIC IIe.
Official presentation
.jpg)
According to Herd, the shortage of time when planning the C128 was so great that the sinks in the development laboratory had to be used as temporary showers. The overheated floppy disk drives were used to keep the ready meals consumed at work warm. The night before the opening of the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES for short) from January 5 to 6, 1985, work had to be done on the prototype of the C128 until two in the morning in order to be able to present the computer to the public in good time. On top of that, the hotel room reservations made by the presentation team in Las Vegas had been canceled by an unknown person in the run-up to the fair. It was possibly an act of sabotage by the former Commodore manager Tramiel.
At the time of its official presentation, the C128, announced with a list price of under US $ 300, was not yet really reliable. An average of two copies of the 80-character MOS 8563 graphics chip burned out per day. The presentation team secretly replaced the defective graphics chips behind the scenes with functional replacement modules. This gave the trade fair audience the impression of an already perfectly functioning, ready-to-use computer. Only in the course of the next few months did the Commodore developers succeed in implementing the MOS 8563 in the overall system in a technically reliable manner, even in continuous operation, by changing the layout of the motherboard.
In addition to the C128, Commodore also presented the new, CP / M-compatible 5¼-inch floppy disk drive VC1571, the 1902 color monitor, a monochrome monitor and the 1350 computer mouse and announced the release of a more expensive desktop version of the computer called the C128D with an integrated VC1571 without giving a specific date for the market launch. In addition to various memory expansions with the model 1660 a 300 baud modem and the model 1670 a 1,200 baud modem for the C64 and C128 were announced.
The C128 was presented to the continental European public at the Hanover Fair from April 17 to 24, 1985. It was a prototype with a German keyboard. The new computer advertised as “super thing” now worked technically flawlessly and attracted a lot of attention. New software developed for demonstration purposes, however, remained a rarity at this point, to the disappointment of the trade fair visitors - with a few exceptions such as the Superscript word processor . The porting of CP / M-Plus was not yet completed and the test version presented was also very slow. The West German introductory price was DM 1,198. In addition to the C128, a prototype of the desktop version C128D was also on display.
In Great Britain, the C128 was officially introduced on the occasion of the International Commodore Computer Show from June 7th to 9th, 1985. The introductory price for the C128, which was not yet announced by the manufacturer for Great Britain at that time, was estimated at £ 300-350 and for the not yet market-ready C128D at £ 500-600.
Desktop model variants
At the Which Computer Show, which was held from January 15 to 18, 1986 in the National Exhibition Center of the English industrial city of Birmingham , Commodore presented the C128D, which had already been announced last year, to the European trade audience with a space-saving plastic housing, fold-out handle, separate keyboard and integrated 5¼-inch VC1571 floppy disk drive officially before. The suggested retail price for the new, business-oriented model was initially £ 499 or £ 538.85 including VAT. A monochrome monitor should also be included in this price. The whole package ended up costing £ 599.
Despite initial sales successes in Western Europe in the course of 1986, the C128D was not sold in the US because, in the opinion of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) responsible for the approval of electronic devices, the computer was not sufficiently interference-free. In order to still meet the strict FCC standards and not to lose market share, the company developed the C128D-CR, another desktop model with a metal housing and revised electronics, which should replace the C128D. The new device was presented to the North American audience at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas from January 8-11, 1987. The suggested retail price was US $ 550.
Probably as early as the end of 1985 the Commodore development department was also working on another variant of the C128D with an integrated 3½-inch floppy disk drive. However, the development of a functional, but never beyond the planning stage, NTSC prototype remained. This contained the circuit board and drive mechanics of the 3½-inch diskette drive VC1563, which was also never ready for series production, with its own diskette operating system already programmed for the later VC1581 on a temporary EPROM chip, a heavily modified motherboard, several improvised additional boards, a plastic housing with ventilation slots and one fold-out handle. In order to distinguish it from other model variants, this prototype is unofficially referred to as the C128D / 81, as there is no clarity about the project name used internally by Commodore (the term “Kentron” may have been used for this).
By early summer 1986, all C128 model variants intended for Western Europe were manufactured in Commodore's branch in Corby , England . After the closure of the only British production facility of the global group, production of the computer was relocated to the West German branch in Braunschweig for cost reasons . At the end of 1986 the company management decided to have the new Amiga 2000 manufactured in Braunschweig in the future , while the C128 production was relocated to the parent plant in West Chester in the US state of Pennsylvania and to the Far East.
Successor models without series production
Chief developer Bil Herd left Commodore shortly after the market launch of the C128. Dave Haynie and Frank Palaia from the former development team worked on possible successor models based on the C128 from 1986, despite the obvious loss of importance of the computers with 8-bit architecture.
Several design studies resulted from this collaboration. One of them was the desktop model Commodore 256 (C256 for short), which at least made it to the stage of a demonstrable prototype and is also mentioned in a maintenance manual for the C128 from 1987 as a planned successor to the C128. The C256 prototype had an integrated 3½-inch floppy disk drive and an internal hard disk with a storage capacity of 25 MB, a more generous working memory of 256 kB RAM and a second processor Z80A clocked at full 4 MHz. The higher clock rate should lead to a significant increase in the working speed in CP / M mode compared to the C128.
Another design study aimed at a stripped-down version of the basically overly complex C128. Without any C64 compatibility, it should only have the 80-character graphic chip MOS 8563 and should therefore be significantly cheaper to manufacture.
However, both concepts were flatly rejected by the company's management. Since the C128 already had memory expansions from our own company, with the help of which the main memory could be expanded to up to 640 kB RAM, there was no need for another model based on the C128 with a storage capacity of only 256 kB. Even the renunciation of any C64 compatibility and the fuel capability of the 40-character graphics chip VIC IIe did not convince the top management, who knew about the importance of the game software. Haynie and Palaia then concentrated entirely on the development of the still unfinished 16-bit high-end computer Amiga 2000.
Although Commodore did not bring a C128 successor model to market maturity, the completely redesigned design of the computer including the flattened case shape, beige case color and ergonomic keyboard was made by the development department when planning the C64C - a 1986 revision of the C64, which was originally made in a gray bread box shape accepted.
marketing
Launch in North America and Western Europe
The original plans were for the C128 to be available in the United States by April 1985 at the latest and in Europe by the following summer. The series production of the C128 did not start until the summer of 1985, so that these deadlines could only be partially met. From the end of July 1985, the first copies of the calculator were available in West German department stores. At the end of August 1985, the big US department store chains such as Kmart or Sears Roebuck followed , while the C128D, which was planned to be launched a little later, but did not receive FCC approval, should be reserved for specialist retailers. In Canada, the computer was initially only available in small numbers from September 1985, because there were problems with the acceptance of the power supply by the responsible authorities and each copy had to be checked individually before being sold.
From September 1, 1985, the C128 should originally also be available in Great Britain. However, delivery there was delayed in order to gain time to develop a cheaper, only £ 199 alternative to the relatively expensive VC1571, which eventually came with the 5¼-inch read / write head housed in the previous model's VC1541. Floppy disk drive VC1570 was implemented. Since British consumers were less willing to spend on a new computer than customers in more affluent North America, the marketing department hoped that the cheaper VC1570 would have greater sales opportunities for the C128 itself. The VC1570 is therefore practically unknown in the United States. From the beginning of October 1985 the calculator was finally also available in Great Britain - initially only a few in independent specialist shops, then also in large department stores.
Production delays on peripherals and desktop models
Commodore initially only delivered the C128. The peripheral devices should follow some time later. However, there were delays of several weeks in the production of the VC1570 and VC1571 floppy disk drives and the newly developed RGBI-capable color monitor in 1902. In the United States, the VC1571 and 1902 NTSC color monitor became available in smaller quantities in November 1985. Around the same time, the cheaper VC1570 floppy disk drive and the PAL color monitor 1901 were also available in Great Britain. The VC1571, on the other hand, was only available there from March 1986 for £ 269 and was just as expensive as the computer itself. In West Germany, on the other hand, both disk drives were only available around the turn of the year. Commodore press spokesman Gerold Hahn denied any rumors that had arisen about technical problems and blamed delivery difficulties at the suppliers of the case and the drive mechanism of the VC1571 for the delays. The introductory price of the VC1570 in West Germany was 750 DM, while the VC1571 cost a little less than the C128 at 950 DM. The 1901 color monitor was available in West Germany from the same date for DM 998. The 1,200 baud modem 1670 was available from the end of 1985. However, early series of the device contained a hardware error. Although this was corrected in later production series, the modem 1670, which was only manufactured in small numbers and available for US $ 89.95, did not achieve high market penetration and was hardly available until mid-1988.
The production delays and delivery difficulties that had already occurred in the course of the market launch continued with the peripheral devices brought to market by Commodore after 1985 and the desktop model C128D-CR, while the C128D appeared punctually in Western Europe at the beginning of 1986 and was already available in high numbers in the second quarter was. As early as the spring of 1986, Commodore announced the imminent readiness for series production of the digital joystick mouse 1350 and the memory expansion modules 1700, 1750 and 1764 with capacities of 128 kB, 256 kB and 512 kB respectively. In the summer of 1986, plans to develop the 3½-inch VC1581 floppy disk drive were also announced. According to the plan, the VC1581 floppy disk drive and the mouse 1350 should be available from autumn 1986 at the latest. The recommended retail price for the VC1581 was initially US $ 399, but was later lowered to US $ 249.95. The street price for the VC1581 in West Germany in autumn 1987 was around DM 600.
However, there were again production delays. The 128 kB memory expansion 1700 for 198 DM and the 512 kB version 1750 for 298 DM were not available in stores until the end of 1986. At the beginning of 1987, the 256 kB memory expansion 1764 followed for an initial price of US $ 129, and then US $ 149.95 later. Due to delivery problems on the part of the supplier companies for the RAM chips, the 512 kB version could only be produced in small numbers anyway. It was therefore always difficult to obtain, even in North America. In West Germany, the 1750 model was sold out after just a few months and from then on - if available - had to be imported from the United States. The other peripherals mentioned did not gradually hit stores until the first three quarters of 1987. In addition, in the summer of 1987 the analog proportional mouse 1351, which had already been presented at the previous Winter Consumer Electronics Show, was brought onto the market for US $ 49. Also in the summer of 1987, Commodore released corrected versions of the Commodore DOS 3.0 burned onto ROM chips for US $ 9.95 and the C128 operating system for US $ 24.95.
In the autumn of 1987, in cooperation with the then Deutsche Bundespost, the BTX decoder module II, available for 399 DM, was launched in West Germany, with the help of which the interactive end-user information system screen text (BTX for short), which at that time was accessible across Germany via just 70,000 connections. could be operated on the C128, which is regarded as the failed precursor of today's Internet and the World Wide Web . With this cooperation, the three million BTX connections originally targeted by the Bundespost should at least be brought closer. By the beginning of 1989, however, the number of BTX connections was only doubled to just under 150,000.
Even the newly developed top model C128D-CR, officially launched in January 1987, was only available from the third quarter of 1987, despite the simplified manufacturing processes and lower manufacturing costs compared to the keyboard computer version and the C128D. Due to the unexpectedly high demand, it was even temporarily in the spring of 1988 Delivery problems with this last model variant of the C128 brought to market.
TV and magazine advertising
As part of the launch of Commodore turned on the US television and in magazines one against competing models IBM PC , IBM PCjr and Apple IIc directed advertising campaign with the slogan, Bad news for IBM and Apple '(English "Bad news for IBM and Apple " ). Other advertisements published in various computer magazines emphasized the superiority of the C128 over the Apple IIc in terms of storage capacity, for example, with slogans such as ' Thanks for the memory' and also emphasized the addition of a numerical keypad Keyboard the outstanding graphics and sound capabilities of the new computer. However, the more compact design of the Apple IIc compared to the C128, whose alleged technical inferiority is symbolized in the attached advertising photo by apples falling from the tree, was kept secret. In another advertisement, the C128 was shown in a horizontal sequence of images as a continuously developing and expanding computer system with a computer, floppy disk drive, memory expansion, mouse, modem, printer and color monitor, alluding to current representations of the human tribal history caused by evolution , accompanied by the Slogan ' How to evolve to a higher intelligence' .
The software manufacturers initially waited with regard to the C128. Only a few established publishers such as Timeworks, Audiogenic , Thorn EMI , Spinnaker Software or Precision Software announced programs for business purposes, but no games for the near future. When more and more C128 owners began to complain about the lack of software for their new computers in various computer magazines towards the end of 1985, Commodore published advertisements using the slogan ' Hard Facts About the Software ” ) announced the development of hundreds of new application programs for the C128 mode. Overall, however, the advertising campaigns for the C128 in the United States pale in comparison to the more intensely advertised Amiga 1000 .
In Great Britain, General Manager Smith saw the CP / M-capable Amstrad CPC6128 , also marketed by Schneider in West Germany , as the main competitor of the C128 - a point of view shared by parts of the British trade press. With advertising texts such as “The facts speak a clear language” ( “When you look at the facts, they do seem to weigh heavily in our favor” ) and accompanying photos that show the C128 as the winner of a weight comparison with a competitor model that cannot be precisely identified on a Beam scales were advertised in British computer magazines for the calculator. The idea was to give the C128 the image of an office computer that was also interesting for business people and small business owners, and with which one could not only play.
In the German-speaking area, the Apple IIc, like its predecessors Apple IIe and Apple II Europlus, was hardly widespread because of its high price. That is why a different advertising strategy was initially pursued there. In the tradition of the successful office computers of the CBM-8000 series , the C128 was presented to German-speaking customers as a professional, technically superior personal computer to the far more expensive IBM PC . It was particularly emphasized that the new computer with full C64 compatibility with its 80-character screen, its CP / M capability and its large working memory, which can also be expanded to 640 kB RAM, "extends far beyond the limits of the home computer class". In fact, the C128 was slightly superior to the IBM PC in benchmark tests with regard to the calculation of prime numbers and floating point numbers in BASIC and was also able to keep up with the IBM computer in terms of the speed of reading data stored on floppy disk and the storage capacity per diskette. The IBM PC only had speed advantages over the C128 for disk writing operations. It was later used with slogans such as “Mighty memory. Strong programs. A higher form of intelligence "or" high intelligence. Powerful vocabulary. Three microcomputers packed into one ”linked to the advertising campaign carried out in the English-speaking world.
After the market launch of the C128, the group got increasingly into financial difficulties, which also had an impact on product advertising. In the third quarter of 1985, losses of US $ 39.2 million were posted, some of which was attributed to the high development costs for the C128 and the Amiga 1000. In the fourth quarter of 1985, the deficit even grew to US $ 50.2 million. In total, the losses in calendar year 1985 amounted to a whopping 144 million US $. The first quarter of 1986 also showed no improvement with losses of US $ 36.7 million. In April 1986, Thomas J. Rattigan replaced his predecessor Smith as Commodore managing director due to this downturn. Rattigan closed unprofitable branches like the one in Corby, England, and took out a loan of US $ 135 million, running until March 15, 1987, which was even increased to US $ 140 million in the fall and, last but not least, appropriate marketing of the C128 as well of the Amiga 1000 should allow.
These measures actually brought the company back to profitability. However, advertising spending under Rattigan was initially reduced. The lack of advertisements and the imminent publication of the slightly more expensive, but significantly more powerful Amiga 500, prompted denied rumors by the top of the company that production of the C128 would be discontinued after the 1986 Christmas season , the advertising measures were briefly strengthened again. After that, Commodore completely renounced advertising and aggressive marketing. From then on, the C128 was only advertised - albeit indirectly - only by Berkeley Softworks , the publisher of the GEOS 128 graphical user interface that was brought out for the computer in 1987. Slogans such as 'Will your C128 grow up or old?' (English "Is your 128 growing up or growing old?" ) or "Scientists from the University of Berkeley stop the aging process" (English "Scientists at Berkeley stop the aging process" ) aimed at enabling the computer despite its 8 -Bit architecture to give the image of a still modern personal computer.
Special offers
In Great Britain, the home computer industry was dominated by domestic manufacturers such as Sinclair , Acorn and Amstrad in the mid-1980s , while Commodore was considered the industry leader in the United States and West Germany. The company therefore went to great lengths to boost sales specifically in the UK. This included numerous special offers.
In the pre-Christmas season of 1985, the C128 was bundled with the VC1570 floppy disk drive for an inexpensive £ 449.99. This package was flanked by other special offers. For example, owners of the C64 were offered a discount of £ 50 if they were willing to hand over their old computer when they bought a C128. When purchasing a C128, owners of other computer models were also offered a free 1530 datasette worth £ 45 as an incentive in exchange for their previous computers . With this offer, the marketing department hoped to switch users who had previously used home computer systems from other manufacturers. Finally, with the free datasette, customers were given access to all of the C64 game software, which can be purchased cheaply on compact cassettes. In the run-up to the 1986 summer vacation, the marketing department also introduced special bundled offers with additional purchase incentives. Each package consisting of a C128, a VC1570 and a Commodore monitor was accompanied by five vouchers worth £ 50 each. The vouchers could be redeemed in selected travel agencies when booking package tours.
Since a relatively expensive and therefore unaffordable RGBI color monitor for most British home users was required to operate the computer in 80-character mode, Commodore began to develop new special offers aimed at the comparatively financially strong small business owners from the beginning of 1986. For this purpose, the development of the office-compatible C128D, which was announced in the summer of 1985, the mouse of the type 1530 as well as the memory expansions was accelerated. Inexpensive bundled offers consisting of a C128D, a monochrome monitor and a software package at a price of £ 499 should also help the computer to gain larger market shares in the British education market, which was previously dominated by Acorn's BBC Micro and its successor, the BBC Master .
In the months after its market launch, US consumers were offered the computer together with a free subscription to the online service provider QuantumLink, via the Commodore Information Network, which had previously been operated in cooperation with Compuserve and, in addition to exchanging information, was also used for customer service, from November 1985 could be accessed.
Cessation of production
While the development department at Commodore repeatedly achieved significant cost savings in the manufacture of the C64, the much more complex C128 always suffered from high production costs and comparatively low profit margins. The computer was therefore only competitive to a limited extent in the low-price segment. In the middle price segment, however, the C128 achieved a higher level of market penetration. The considerably more powerful and gradually becoming cheaper 16-bit computers such as the Atari ST , the Amiga 500 released in 1987 and the numerous IBM PC-compatible ones gradually gained market share in this area, which is decisive for sales of the C128.
At the COMDEX computer trade fair held from November 1st to 6th, 1987 , the company management officially announced, despite this growing competition, even from within its own company, that it would continue to produce the C128 beyond Christmas 1987 if demand did not decrease. After that, however, the computer gradually approached the end of its market presence. In a survey among the readers of the computer magazine 64'er to determine the computer of the year 1988 , the C128 only landed in the middle, behind more powerful 16-bit computers such as the Apple Macintosh II , the Amiga , the Compaq Deskpro and the IBM Personal System / 2 as well as the models of the Atari ST series , but still before the C64, the home computers of the Atari XL series or the standard-setting IBM PC / XT / AT. In January 1989, production of the original keyboard computer version was initially discontinued in favor of the C128D-CR. In addition, Commodore offered potential buyers of an Amiga 500 or an Amiga 2000 in the United States a price reduction of US $ 100 in exchange for their old C128 models. In March 1989 the 5¼-inch floppy disk drive VC1571 was also withdrawn from the market, which prompted hastily denied rumors about an imminent production stop of the C128-DCR. In Canada and Western Europe, however, the VC1571 was still available for some time. At the same time, the complaints printed in the computer magazines about the inadequate support of the C128 by Commodore increased. In July 1989 the company management finally decided to stop the production of the no longer profitable C128D-CR.
Sales
Falling prices made the remaining copies of the C128D-CR, which had not yet been sold, again attractive for many small West German entrepreneurs in 1990, as the computer was well suited for managing company finances. After the end of the Commodore fiscal year 1989/90, which ended in the second quarter, the computer no longer played a role in the manufacturer's balance sheets. The majority of the C128 owners switched to the now dominant IBM PC-compatible computers with XT or AT architecture or other platforms with more powerful 16-bit main processors such as the Amiga. With a few exceptions such as the Wordstar 128 word processor , the dBase II database application or the Microsoft Multiplan spreadsheet , many commercial application programs for the CP / M mode were no longer commercially available at this time, as MS-DOS had meanwhile CP / M had already replaced the de facto standard operating system.
Occasionally in 1991, unsold copies of the C128D-CR from old West German production re- imported from the other EC countries were offered in various department stores for 499 DM. Peripheral devices such as the 3½-inch VC1581 floppy disk drive, memory expansions and commercial software for the C128 mode or operation with CP / M-Plus were practically only available in the United States at that time. In order to eliminate these supply bottlenecks, replicas of the VC1571 floppy disk drive and the 512 kB memory expansion 1750 by the hardware manufacturer CEUS-Computersysteme were brought onto the market in Germany in 1992.
In the United States, the C128D-CR was offered by mail order wholesaler Montgomery Grant until mid-1991, including a free computer game for US $ 399. Until 1997, repaired used copies of the computer were also advertised for sale by the hardware manufacturer Creative Micro Designs . Both model variants achieved gradually increasing prices, which were between US $ 129 and US $ 159 for the C128 and between US $ 239 and US $ 299 for the C128D-CR.
Sales figures
At the time of the market launch, the company's management assumed that one million copies of the C128 had been sold by the end of 1986. In fact, the computer initially sold extremely well. In June 1985 there were already 100,000 pre-orders. By the end of 1985, 425,000 units had been sold worldwide, 60,000 of them in West Germany. At the beginning of September 1985, Commodore even hired 350 new workers in order to be able to produce the C128 and its predecessor in sufficient quantities. By Cebit in March 1986, almost 500,000 copies were sold worldwide, which Harald Speyer, head of the German branch of Commodore International, described in an interview as the “most successful market launch of all time”. By mid-1986, 600,000 units had been sold in the United States alone. At that time, the C128 was considered to be one of the fastest-selling computers in recent American technology history. Outside of North America, however, sales were more sluggish. Of the approx. 800,000 units sold worldwide up to August 1986, for example, only 10 percent came from the western German market dominated by Commodore, i.e. just 80,000 samples. Nevertheless, the computer was definitely a sales success: Commodore managing director Rattigan confirmed in an interview in the spring of 1987 that around one million units of the C128 had actually been sold worldwide by the end of 1986. The original expectations of the top management had thus been fulfilled.
By July 1987, the number of copies of all C128 model versions sold in West Germany rose to 210,000. This corresponds to a share of 10.67 percent of all Commodore computers sold there up to this point in time. In April 1988, the estimated number of North American C128 users was already 1.5 million. The C128 was particularly popular there among users who already owned a Commodore computer. According to a survey published in May 1986 by the US computer magazine Run , 78 percent of this group of people said they would buy a C128 in the near future. The company management itself, however, had only expected 28 percent. In August 1988, the number of units sold worldwide exceeded the two million mark. With a total of four million units sold worldwide by 1990, the C128 finally achieved by and large "acceptable sales figures".
With 284,300 units sold by 1990, the C128 remained far behind the 3.05 million units of its predecessor, the C64, in West Germany. The sales figures were thus at the same level as those of the models of the Commodore 264 series that were ready for the market in 1984 and are generally considered flops. However, the relatively high sales figures for this model series are mainly explained by the dropping prices at which the devices were sold in the branches of the supermarket chain Aldi from 1985 after a market presence of only one year . Incidentally, there were also many loyal Commodore customers among the West German C128 owners. Most of them had already purchased a C64 or a Plus / 4 before.
According to an estimate published in SPIEGEL , around 200,000 home computers from Western production came to the GDR by the time of German reunification , most of them as private imports in luggage. Among them was an unknown number of copies of the C128. In a survey carried out by the computer magazine 64'er in the spring of 1990, 26 percent of the West German respondents said they had a C128. In the GDR, however, the proportion of the C128 was only 11 percent.
Price development
United States
During the C128's market presence, prices for the computer in the United States remained relatively constant. The manufacturer's suggested retail price of less than US $ 300 for the keyboard computer version - several sources even speak of just US $ 250 as the originally planned introductory price - could not be sustained due to the high production costs. From the fourth quarter of 1985 onwards, it was always between US $ 349 and US $ 399. The recommended retail price for the C128D-CR ranged between US $ 549 and US $ 599.
The street prices of the computer, which is often bundled with a floppy disk drive and a monitor in department stores, specialty shops and by numerous mail order wholesalers such as Lyco Computer, Protecto, Computer Direct or Montgomery Grant, were usually well below the list prices of Commodore, especially in the run-up to Christmas. In December 1987, for example, Montgomery Grant asked for US $ 219.95 for a C128, around US $ 130 below the current price recommendation. At the same time, Lyco Computer was selling the C128D-CR for US $ 439.95, around US $ 160 below the current list price.
| model | Oct. – Dec. 1985 |
Jan. – Jun. 1986 |
Jul. – Sep. 1986 |
Oct. – Dec. 1986 |
Jan. – Jun. 1987 |
Jul-Dec 1987 |
Jan. – Jun. 1988 |
Jul-Dec 1988 |
Jan. – Mar. 1989 |
Apr. – Jun. 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C128 | US $ 349 | US $ 349 | US $ 349 |
US $ 399 | US $ 399 | US $ 349 | na * | na * | - | - |
| C128D-CR | - | - | - | - | US $ 550 | US $ 599 | na * | US $ 549 | US $ 549 | US $ 599 |
| * not available | ||||||||||
Great Britain
In the UK, wholesale mail order prices were initially barely below the stable recommended retail price of £ 269 for the C128 and £ 499 for the C128D. For example, Dimension Computers sold the keyboard computer version in January 1986 for a full £ 269.95 and the desktop model was £ 499.95. Evesham Micros and HiVoltage, on the other hand, offered the keyboard computer version at the same time a little cheaper for £ 259. HiVoltage charged £ 489.95 for a C128D.
It was only after some time that the computer was finally offered in the United Kingdom well below the official list price. For example, Dimension Computers advertised the keyboard computer version in December 1987 for £ 199.95, around £ 70 cheaper than recommended by Commodore. In contrast, the C128D-CR, which has now replaced the C128D, was charged at £ 399.95, around £ 100 less than the manufacturer's recommended retail price.
West Germany
In West Germany, the prices for the computer were initially at a significantly higher level than in Great Britain. In the first few months of the C128's market presence in autumn 1985, however, only a few mail order wholesalers actually asked for a price equal to the recommended retail price of DM 1,198 for the keyboard computer version. In September 1985, these providers included the hardware and software sales company H. Steber (HSV Steber for short). In November 1985, however, HSV Steber reduced the price for the C128 to 1,098 DM.
By contrast, the vast majority of mail order wholesalers already estimated prices below the DM 1,000 limit, which is important in terms of sales psychology, at the end of the third or beginning of the fourth quarter of 1985 . Neckermann , the IES computer trading company, Computer Reschke and Valasik-Computer, for example, charged DM 998 for a C128. At Abacomp the computer cost 960 DM. The computer and software sales company Riegert (CSV Riegert for short) offered the C128 in September 1985 for 949 DM and in October 1985 for 929 DM. With a price of 898 DM, the CC computer dispatch even remained below the 900 DM limit and thus 300 DM below the manufacturer's recommended retail price. In order to boost Christmas sales, HSV Steber finally dropped the price to DM 998 in December 1985.
The retail chain Vobis offered the C128 in January 1986 for 975 DM and the C128D for 1,785 DM. Later in 1986, however, wholesale mail order prices fell noticeably for both the keyboard computer version and the desktop model. At the end of the first quarter of 1986, ProSoft GmbH offered the C128 for 798 DM and the C128D for 1,698 DM. At the same time, Dela Elektronik was asking for 899 DM for the C128. CSV Riegert reduced the price for the C128 to 749 DM by the end of the second quarter of 1986. At the end of the third quarter, CSV Riegert was still asking 679 DM for the C128 and 1,475 DM for the C128D.
For the 1986 Christmas business, ProSoft offered the C128 for 679 DM and the C128D for 1,288 DM. At the same time, CSV Riegert was still charging DM 679 for the C128, but only DM 1,299 for the C128D. Abacomp meanwhile offered the C128 for 665 DM, the C128D for 1,368 DM. Other mail order wholesalers such as Computertechnik Luda, Computer Discount Munich or the Syndrom Computer GmbH offered the keyboard computer model in the run-up to Christmas also consistently below the 700 DM limit.
At the end of the first quarter of 1987, ProSoft was still asking 679 DM for the C128, but only 1,279 DM for the C128D-CR, which has meanwhile come onto the market. CSV Riegert, on the other hand, no longer had the C128 in its range at this point and was now offering the C128D-CR for DM 1,169. At Vobis, the C128D-CR cost 1,248 DM at the same time. In the second quarter, ProSoft reduced the prices for the C128 to 630 DM and for the C128D-CR to 1,099 DM. CSV Riegert meanwhile only went down by 20 DM with the price of the C128D -CR down to DM 1,149. At Abacomp the computer was now available for 580 DM in the keyboard computer version and for 1,140 DM as a desktop model. In the third quarter of 1987 Vobis asked DM 569 for a C128. CSV Riegert reduced the price for the C128D-CR by a further 100 DM to 1,049 DM in the same period. Abacomp, however, stayed at 1,140 DM for the C128D-CR. At this point, ProSoft was no longer advertising the computer.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter of 1987, the recommended retail price on the part of Commodore was revised downwards to 499 DM for the C128 and 999 DM for the C128D-CR. From then on, numerous providers fell below the DM 1,000 mark for the desktop model for the first time. The C128D-CR could be ordered from Quelle and Abacomp for 998 DM. CSV Riegert offered the C128D-CR for 969 DM. At Zweifach Computer customers had to pay only 444 DM for a C128 and 958 DM for a C128D-CR in the pre-Christmas business of 1987. At Tornado Computer Sales, however, it was 549 DM for the C128 and 979 DM for the C128D-CR.
In the first half of 1988, the keyboard computer model gradually disappeared from the assortments of most wholesale chains and mail order wholesalers. At the same time, hardly anything has changed in the prices charged for the C128D-CR. Only in the middle of 1988 did the price structure move again. Vobis offered the desktop model in the summer of 1988 for 899 DM. CSV Riegert reduced the price for the C128D-CR in the third quarter of 1988 to 929 DM. Two-fold computer followed this example in the fourth quarter with 888 DM.
In 1989, under the impression of the cessation of production of all model variants as well as the rise of the more powerful 16-bit computers such as the company's own Amiga, the Atari ST series or the IBM PC-compatible, further, in some cases significant price reductions took place, the C128D-CR and Remaining unsold copies of the keyboard computer version should make them particularly interesting for beginners. The prices for the desktop model were now consistently below the DM 700 mark and for the keyboard computer model below the DM 350 mark. By the Christmas business in 1989, Zweifach Computer reduced the prices for the C128 to 333 DM and the C128D-CR to 666 DM. At CSV Riegert, a C128D-CR cost 699 DM at the same time.
In the course of 1990, many mail order wholesalers finally took the now technically outdated computer out of their range. Both the C128 and the C128D-CR were still available. In June 1990, Zweifach Computer asked for DM 333 for a bundle offer consisting of a C128, a joystick and two games, while the C128D-CR cost DM 577 at the same time. At that time, the C128D-CR was available from Vobis for 599 DM. The computer was significantly more expensive in mid-1990 in West German department store chains such as Karstadt or Horten . The last remaining copies of the C128 cost around 450 DM, a C128D-CR cost an average of 850 DM. At Christmas 1990, two-way computers only asked 299 DM for the C128 bundle offer and 555 DM for a C128D-CR. At the end of 1990 the second-hand market prices for a C128 were around 200–300 DM, for a C128D-CR around 300–530 DM.
Areas of application
While there were many similarities between North American and Western European users of the C128 with regard to the use of peripheral devices, there are notable differences, particularly with regard to the use of the computer in everyday life and in the educational system.
Use in everyday life
In North America, the C128 owners used their computers much more often for remote data transmission than the C64 users. The C128 was also used more frequently than its market-leading predecessor in the area of application programs. In the late 1980s, desktop publishing was added as a new area of application.
The most popular areas of application for the C128 in German-speaking countries were applications such as creating and printing out texts, the CP / M mode and programming in BASIC or assembly language, while the computer was rarely used for remote data transmission or for gaming. In addition to mostly young men, women in western Germany were also among the users of the C128.
Use in the education system
At schools, universities and other educational institutions in the United States, the C128 could not prevail against the successful Apple II model, which had dominated the market since the 1970s. The computer was used privately by pupils and students, for example for completing homework or seminar papers. In Western Europe, on the other hand, the C128D managed to become the official school computer in several West German states and in Belgium by the spring of 1986.
These decisions made the desktop model variants in Western Europe particularly interesting for new products in the field of learning software . For example, at Didacta , the annual trade fair for schools and training, held from February 16 to 20, 1987 , several software companies showed the C128D-CR as a computer for controlling physical experiments in school lessons. The well-known Danish toy manufacturer Lego also presented the control software of its new Lego Technic Control product range on a C128D-CR on the same occasion. At the CeBIT held from March 16 to 23, 1988, in addition to Lego, Fischertechnik also presented the Computing Experimental construction kit on a C128D, which was intended for learning how to use computers in the areas of measurement, control and regulation . In addition, the computer was used to create school newspapers using desktop publishing software , giving young people their first glimpse into the world of journalism.
hardware
The C128 is technically based on its predecessor, the C64. However, the computer has an improved keyboard , more interfaces with extended functionality compared to the C64, and a much more extensive and technically more powerful chipset with components, which are largely fully downward-compatible further developments of the components used in the previous model. The very complex 8-bit architecture of the C128 also consists of two main processors , two graphics chips , two I / O modules , two memory management units , a sound chip and a number of memory chips that exchange data with each other via a system bus that was extraordinarily complex for the time can.
Neither the hardware properties nor the system software of the C128 allow a clear assignment to a certain device class. The 8-bit architecture, the use of a proprietary operating system in the form of a native BASIC dialect, the availability of connections for two joysticks and a datasette , the plastic housing of the model variants C128 and C128D as well as the comparatively low one speak in favor of an assignment to the home computers Price. In contrast, the ability to display 80 characters per line, the integrated 5¼-inch floppy disk drive in the C128D and C128D-CR models, the sheet steel housing of the C128D-CR and finally the use of the standard CP / M operating system add to the staff Computers or workstation computers close by. Correspondingly, the C128 appeared in the contemporary perception as a "mixture between game computer and professional machine" or as a "general-purpose computer" (German all -purpose computer ).
Main board of the C128 with main processors , graphics chips , sound chips , memory management modules , I / O modules , memory chips , system bus -
conductor tracks, HF modulator, slots, interfaces , bottom shielding plate , imprint of the model name and Commodore logo
Main processors
MOS Technology 8502
The first main processor used in the C128, the MOS 8502, has 40 connection pins and is a further development of the MOS 6510 used in the C64. It was specially developed for the C128 in HMOS- II technology and controls both the C64 and the C128 mode. The MOS 8502, which has a typical 8-bit processor architecture , has eight data and 16 address lines. It also has a program counter (PC), an accumulator (AC), a status register (SR), two index registers (XR, YR), a stack pointer (SP), an interrupt logic , a timer and an electronic arithmetic unit for all logic as well as arithmetic operations responsible arithmetic-logic unit (English Arithmetic Logic Unit , short ALU). The MOS 8502 also has a special one to control the RAM chips, ROM chips, I / O modules, Datasette and the caps lock key on the US keyboard layout or the character set shift key on the versions of the C128 that are not produced for English-speaking countries 7-bit data direction register for defining the data flow direction as well as an associated data register for selecting the named system components.
Via software control, the MOS 8502 can be operated with either a slower clock frequency of 0.985 MHz (PAL version) or 1.02 MHz (NTSC version) and a faster clock frequency of 1.97 MHz (PAL) or 2.04 MHz ( NTSC). This means that it is theoretically about twice as fast as the MOS 6510 in 2 MHz mode. Since both CPUs have the same instruction set, they are completely software-compatible with one another. MOS 6510 and MOS 8502 are also the same with regard to the types of addressing. However, there are differences in the pin assignments.
The clock frequency of the MOS 8502 is generated by the clock module MOS Technology 8701, which in turn is connected to an external quartz crystal and is compatible with both the PAL television standard widely used in Western Europe and the North American NTSC standard . However, the video signal of the VIC IIe graphics chip responsible for displaying 40 characters per line must be switched off in the 2 MHz mode of the MOS 8502. Following the example of the MOS 6510, the MOS 8502 also uses the first 256 bytes of the main memory as zeropage for memory management . In addition, like its predecessor, it has a total of 4,000 transistors.
Zilog Z80A
With the Z80A from the US chip manufacturer Zilog , the C128 has another main processor with a typical 8-bit processor architecture, which can be operated with a clock frequency of up to 4 MHz, but effectively only to a maximum of 2 for reasons of synchronization with the MOS 8502 .04 MHz is clocked. The 40-character graphics chip VIC IIe acts as the clock module. The Z80A, which acts as a second processor and is implemented in NMOS logic , is used to control the C128 in CP / M mode. It consists of 8,500 transistors and has 40 connection pins with eight data and 16 address lines. With a maximum memory access time of 380 nanoseconds, the Z80A is one of the above-average fast 8-bit main processors in this field.
In contrast to the memory-oriented MOS 8502 , the Z80A, which emerged from the Intel 8080 , is a register-related main processor, as is the case with all CPUs of the Intel 80xxx family built into the IBM PC , IBM PC XT and IBM PC AT . Despite its twice as high clock frequency, the Z80A is faster, but not twice as fast as the MOS 8502. The Z80A often needs more clock cycles than the MOS 8502 to process machine commands - a disadvantage that is only partly caused by that of the Z80A Pipelining integrated into the processor architecture is compensated, which allows the Zilog CPU to load a new instruction while the current machine instruction is being processed.
In addition to the MMF 9000 , the CBM 630 and the CBM 730, known in the United States as the SuperPET , the C128 is the only 8-bit computer from Commodore in which a CPU not from the Group's own semiconductor manufacturer MOS Technology has been installed. The Z80A enables the computer to run software that was written for the CP / M -Plus operating system . Since the two main processors, MOS 8502 and Z80A, cannot operate simultaneously, but exclusively in series, the C128 is not a multiprocessor system.
Graphics chips
A special feature of the C128 is that the device is equipped with two 8-bit graphics chips, one of which is responsible for screen output in 40-character mode, the other for screen output in 80-character mode. Since both graphics chips generate their own video signal and have their own interfaces for image output, two monitors can be operated on the C128 at the same time in the C128 mode with the 80 character mode activated. The 80-character screen is used for entering commands via the BASIC interpreter and for text output, while the 40-character screen is used for graphics output. Several versions of both graphics chips were developed and installed in the various model variants of the C128.
MOS Technology 8563
| Color palette of the 80-character graphic chip MOS Technology 8563 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | black | 9 | Magenta (dark) |
| 2 | White | 10 | Dark yellow |
| 3 | Dark red | 11 | Bright red |
| 4th | Cyan (light) | 12 | Cyan (dark) |
| 5 | Magenta (light) | 13 | Medium gray |
| 6th | Dark green | 14th | Light green |
| 7th | Dark blue | 15th | Light Blue |
| 8th | Light yellow | 16 | Light gray |
For the first 8-bit graphics chip of the type MOS 8563 installed in the C128, the abbreviation VDC has become established, which stands for the term video display controller, which is common in the English-speaking world but also in German-speaking countries . The MOS 8563 with 42 connection pins is used in the model variants C128 and C128D and is responsible for the screen structure in high-resolution 80-character mode. The graphics chip produced in the HMOS-II technology not only takes over the generation of the CGA compatible RGBI - video signal , but managed with his 16 address lines, allowing an address space of up to 64 kB, also in the basic configuration factory-installed dynamic graphics memory of 16 kB VRAM directly. This consists of a 2 kB image repetition memory , a 2 kB color memory or attribute RAM and an 8 kB character set memory, while the remaining 4 kB graphics memory remains unused.
The MOS 8563 also has 37 internal registers . With the help of the registers numerous parameters can be set, for example the number of characters per line, the pixel width, the display mode , the image resolution , the colors for the foreground and background, the cursor settings etc. The native Commodore BASIC V7 .0 of the C128, however, too slow. Therefore, the 80-character graphics chip had to be programmed in machine-level programming languages such as assembly language. The MOS 8563 also masters a number of picture formats, including the television standards PAL and NTSC.
The MOS 8563 has a color depth of 4 bits and thus a palette of 16 colors, whereby the color values can be programmed via the color memory or the attribute RAM. Although the MOS 8563 does not allow the display of sprites , and is therefore only conditionally fit for the game programming, but allows for a smooth scroll (English smooth scrolling ) in a horizontal and vertical direction. In addition, the MOS 8563 is able to move raster graphics and bobs (abbreviation for blitter objects ) across the screen. For this purpose, special shift commands (English block movement commands ) are available, which allow the fast copying and transfer of related memory contents (English Bit Block Image Transfer ).
Text mode and high resolution graphics
The registers of the MOS 8563 are set using the system routines for screen output so that it is possible to switch between a text mode with a standard setting of 80 × 25 characters suitable for word processing and a graphics mode with a standard resolution of 640 × 200 pixels.
In text mode, the MOS 8563 has both a character set with uppercase and lowercase letters and a graphic character set, which, unlike the C64, can all be displayed on the screen at the same time. Flashing, underlined or inverse letters can be displayed by changing the attribute RAM. Just like the other 8-bit computers from Commodore, the MOS 8563 also uses the CBM-ASCII character set, which works with a dot matrix of 8 × 8 pixels per character, in the standard setting, provided no country-specific character set is activated . In 80-character mode, this is first copied from the character set ROM into the character set memory belonging to the graphics memory, which is why the desired characters only appear on the screen with a short delay. The size of the letter matrix can also be changed. Up to 32 × 8 pixels per character are possible.
In the graphics mode, the basic configuration of the C128 with its preset 640 × 200 pixels achieves a standard resolution that is equal to the much more expensive 16-bit computers IBM-PC and the NTSC version of the Amiga 1000. In this resolution, however, monochrome bitmap graphics already consume the entire 16 kB of VRAM of the early model variants C128 and C128D. Multi-colored bitmap graphics or higher resolutions require an expansion of the dedicated graphics memory.
In addition, there is - as with the computers of the Amiga series - an interlace mode , which is neither supported by the operating system nor used with noteworthy regularity by professional software , which allows the display of up to 80 × by using two offset fields with, however, reduced image quality 50 characters and a resolution of 640 × 400 pixels are permitted. For this purpose, both the refresh memory and the color memory are doubled to 4 kB each, at the expense of the graphics memory area not used by the operating system. In principle, slightly higher resolutions than the mentioned 640 × 400 pixels are also possible in the interlace mode, for example 640 × 536 pixels.
MOS Technology 8568
In the C128D-CR, which has a fully expanded graphics memory of 64 kB VRAM ex works, an unrestricted software-compatible further development of the MOS 8563 called MOS Technology 8568 (MOS 8568 for short) with identical graphics performance was used. In the new graphics chip, however, logic functions are integrated that were fulfilled by external components in the previous models C128 and C128D and were connected to the original MOS 8563 via glue logic . Due to the higher degree of integration, Commodore saved manufacturing costs with the introduction of the MOS 8568 without risking any loss of performance, reliability or software compatibility. In addition, the MOS 8568 has an additional, a total of 38 registers. This enables the use of an IBM PC-compatible EGA monitor. As the pin assignments differ, the two versions of the VDC cannot be interchanged.
Text mode and high resolution graphics
The capabilities of the MOS 8568 for text output are the same as those of its predecessor. Due to the graphics memory, which has been enlarged to 64 kB VRAM, even higher resolutions can be generated in graphics mode with the MOS 8568 than with the MOS 8563 in the basic configuration with 16 kB VRAM. Provided that the graphics memory is fully expanded, these even higher resolutions can also be implemented with the MOS 8563 on the older model variants C128 and C128D. However, this requires careful coordination of the VDC registers. For example, resolutions of 720 × 350, 720 × 400, 750 × 300 or 750 × 400 pixels can be achieved.
In addition, numerous other image formats can be implemented. The game of skill Super-Vectors , which appeared in 1988 for typing in a computer magazine and was inspired by the multi- Oscar- nominated science fiction film classic Tron from 1982, works with a resolution of 736 × 354 pixels. In interlace mode, resolutions of 750 × 600, 752 × 600, 640 × 720 or 720 × 700 pixels can even be achieved with the help of 64 kB VRAM.
MOS Technology 8564/8566/8569
The second 8-bit graphics chip used in the C128 and responsible for the 40-character screen was produced in three versions with 48 connection pins each. The version corresponding to the NTSC standard was named MOS Technology 8564, the version compatible with the PAL-B television standard became MOS Technology 8566, and the version compatible with the PAL-N television standard common in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay finally became MOS Technology 8569 designated. All three variants of the 40-character graphics chip are better known under the collective name VIC IIe.
The VIC IIe has a color depth of 4 bits, so it can display up to 16 colors and eight sprites in three different sizes on the screen at the same time, depending on the selected text or graphics mode. Apart from a few extensions and eight additional connection pins on the DIP housing, the VIC IIe is almost identical to the VIC II graphics chip used in the C64. The two graphics chips differ, for example, with regard to the text and graphics modes supported by the operating system and the ones used for screen output Space not significantly different from each other.
Like its predecessor, the VIC IIe has two text modes with 40 × 25 characters. In plain text mode (English text mode ) a dot matrix is per character of 8 x 8 pixels into two freely selectable colors for the foreground and background for use while in the multi-color text mode (English multicolor text mode ) per character only 8 × 4 pixels with double width can be used, but for the foreground three options for color selection are available at the same time. In addition, multi-colored bitmap graphics can be generated with a resolution of 320 × 200 pixels in two colors (English high-resolution mode ) or 160 × 200 pixels with double width in four colors (English multicolor mode ). The screen structure requires 8 kB of RAM in each of the two bitmap graphics modes, which is subtracted from the main memory. The newly added functions of the VIC IIe include an extended keyboard query, control of the system clocks and the ability to let the CPU work with a doubled clock frequency of around 2 MHz when the video signal is switched off.
The 40-character graphics chip of the C128 can handle both raster line and sprite collision interrupts and is therefore suitable for programming games. In addition, the VIC IIe has a 14-bit address bus with an address space of 16 kB, which is created by using two additional registers from the I / O module MOS Technology 6526 (MOS 6526 for short, also called CIA 2 by the C128 development team ) ) can be expanded to 64 kB. In contrast to the fixed color RAM, the graphics memory used for the screen layout and the character set RAM can be moved in the computer's main memory.
The VIC IIe also works with the CBM-ASCII character set typical of Commodore computers , which goes back to the manufacturer's first desktop computer - the all-in-one computer Commodore PET 2001 from 1977 - and also in all subsequent Commodores -8-bit home computers of the 1980s was used. Due to its limitation to a maximum of 40 characters per screen line, the VIC IIe is largely unsuitable for office work. In contrast to the 80-character mode, the character set consisting of alphanumeric characters and block graphic symbols is read out by the VIC IIe directly in the character set ROM.
Sound chip
MOS Technology 6581
With the MOS 6581 developed in 1981 under the direction of Bob Yannes , the C128 and the C128D have the same 8-bit sound chip as their predecessor, the C64. Under the abbreviation SID (English Sound Interface Device ), the innovative and flexible MOS 6581 has achieved fame and is even considered a “small revolution in the home computer sector”. The sound chip has three individually programmable tone generators , each consisting of a tone oscillator with an integrated waveform generator , an envelope generator and an amplitude modulator . The tone oscillator may generate four digital waveforms ( sawtooth waves , square waves , triangle waves , as well as white noise ) and is also for the pitch and timbre responsible. In cooperation with the envelope generator, the amplitude modulator regulates the volume and the ADSR parameters for increase, decrease, hold and release ( attack, decay, sustain, release ). On the output side, the SID also has a programmable analog sound filter that works with the method of subtractive synthesis for the generation of more complex dynamic timbres through the use of low-pass , high-pass and band-pass . Unlike the C64, the SID can the C128 about the six commands ENVELOPE, FILTER, PLAY, SOUND, TEMPOand VOLthe Commodore BASIC V7.0 comfortable programming.
In addition to generating sound, the SID was also used to control input devices such as paddles or mice and to generate random numbers .
MOS Technology 8580
While the older version MOS 6581 , implemented in NMOS logic , was installed in the C128 and C128D , the C128D-CR came with the MOS Technology 8580 (MOS 8580 for short), a further developed, but fully downwardly compatible variant of the SID with lower operating temperature, less noise and clearer sound by correcting the filter strength. In the US trade press, the MOS 8580 was also referred to as the "Hi-Fi version of the C64 SID chip" due to these properties.
Memory management modules
The C128 has two different memory management modules which are used to control access to the main memory of the computer.
MOS Technology 8721
The MOS Technology 8721, also known as Programmable Logic Array (PLA for short) and equipped with 48 connection pins, is a programmable logic arrangement . The PLA acts primarily as an address manager and generates, among other things, a. all chip select signals for the RAM or ROM chips and the 40-character graphic chip VIC IIe, controls write access to the color RAM or DRAM with the help of a buffer and regulates the direction of data flow on the data bus.
MOS Technology 8722
In addition comes in the C128 also called the Memory Management Unit known (short MMU) memory management unit MOS Technology 8722 is used. The task of the MMU, which is also equipped with 48 connection pins, is to support the two main processors in managing the 128 kB working memory by means of address memory switching ( bank switching ). This support is necessary due to the 16-bit address bus structures of both CPUs, as these limit their address space to 64 kB each. To fulfill this task, the MMU generates not only the control signals for the various operating modes but also the selection signals for the RAM or ROM memory banks of the computer, so that it is possible to switch back and forth between them. The volume of the individual memory banks corresponds to the maximum size of the address space of 64 kB that can be individually controlled by the two main processors. The MMU can manage a total of 1 MB RAM, 96 kB internal ROM and 32 kB external ROM. The address translation is carried out in the 17 registers of the MMU.
I / O modules
The C128 has two identical I / O modules, also known as interface adapters. They are known under the abbreviation CIA (English Complex Interface Adapter ) and regulate the data streams occurring in the context of input and output operations via the joystick connections, the keyboard, the cassette connection, the user port and the serial interface. The two I / O modules of the type MOS Technology 6526 are equipped with 40 connection pins, have 16 individually programmable input and output lines and can be clocked with a clock frequency of up to 2.04 MHz. In addition, the two interface adapters have an 8-bit shift register for the serial input and output of data, a 24-hour clock and the ability to transfer 8-bit or 16-bit data with handshaking ) during read or write operations.
MOS Technology 6526 - CIA 1
The first of the two interface adapters, which is also referred to as CIA 1 in the technical documentation of the C128 to avoid confusion, is for the one to be processed via the joystick sockets, the keyboard and the serial interface in the faster 2 MHz mode - and output operations responsible.
MOS Technology 6526 - CIA 2
The second of the two interface adapters, called CIA 2 for short, is responsible for the 1 MHz mode that guarantees the compatibility of the C128 with older C64 hardware via the serial interface in the slower mode, as well as the input and output operations running via the user port.
- C128 components from MOS Technology with pin assignments
Main processor MOS Technology 8502
(MOS 8502)
Graphics chip MOS Technology 8564/8566
(VIC IIe)
Sound chip MOS Technology 6581
(SID)
Interface adapter MOS Technology 6526
(CIA)
Memory chips and memory organization
The C128 is factory-equipped with 128 kB RAM, which is divided into two 64 kB banks. In addition, depending on the model variant, the computer has an additional 16 or 64 kB video RAM and 2 kB color RAM. All in all, a C128 or C128D has 148 kB of RAM in the basic configuration, a C128D-CR even has a generous 196 kB of RAM. In addition, the two native BASIC operating systems of the C128 comprise a total of 72 kB of ROM, of which 16 kB are reserved for the C64 mode and 48 kB for the C128 mode. In addition there is 8 kB of character set ROM. Most of the RAM chips built into the computer come from third-party Japanese production, while the ROM chips are exclusively from Commodore's own US subsidiary, MOS Technology .
RAM chips
The 128 kB working memory of the older model variants C128 and C128D consists of 16 dynamic 1-bit RAM chips of the type 4164 with 16 connection pins and a storage capacity of 8 kB each. The more highly integrated C128D-CR, on the other hand, only has four 32 KByte RAM chips of the type 41256 with 16 connection pins and a storage volume of 32 KB each.
The 16 kB graphics memory of the model variants C128 and C128D consists of a dynamic 4-bit VRAM chip of the type 4416 with 18 connection pins. The 64 kB graphics memory of the C128D-CR has two 4-bit VRAM chips of type 41464 with 18 connection pins, an average access time of 120–150 nanoseconds and a storage volume of 32 kB each. The VRAM chips, which serve as 80-character image repetition memories, cannot be controlled directly by the main processors, but only by the MOS 8563 graphics chip. They were occasionally used in 40-character mode as a RAM disk .
Finally, all C128 variants also have a static 8-bit color RAM chip of the type 2016 with 24 connection pins and a storage capacity of 2 kB, which is used by the 40-character VIC IIe graphics chip as high-speed color memory. In the C64 mode, however, only 1 kB of the color RAM is used for the text display, while in the C128 mode the full 2 kB is used for the text display and in the high-resolution graphics mode. The color RAM is a nibble memory module, since only the first four bits of both operating system modes are used to determine the color selection.
ROM chips
The C64 operating system with the Commodore BASIC V2.0, 40-character editor and the operating system core is housed in an 8-bit ROM chip of the type 23128, which has 28 connection pins and a storage capacity of 16 kB. The more extensive C128 operating system, on the other hand, is contained in three 8-bit ROM chips of type 23256, which also have 28 connection pins and a storage capacity of 16 kB each. Two of these ROM chips contain the Commodore BASIC V7.0, while the third contains the screen editors for the 40 or 80 character mode and the operating system kernel. The character set of the version of the C128 manufactured for the US market is finally in a further 8-bit ROM chip of the type 2364, which has 24 connection pins and a storage capacity of 8 kB, of which 4 kB each is for the C64 or the C128 mode can be used.
The motherboard of the C128 has on the left side, in addition to the ROM chips containing the operating system, a free socket with 28 connection pins, which can optionally accommodate a non-volatile, programmable 8-bit EPROM chip of the type 27128 with a storage capacity of 16 kB or a 32 kB EPROM chip of the type 27256 which has the same properties apart from the memory volume is used.
Storage organization
The 96 kB ROM of the C128 managed by the MOS 8502 with the help of the MMU are distributed over the external permanent memory (24 kB), the C64 operating system (24 kB) and the C128 operating system (48 kB) including the two operating system cores along with jump tables and machine language monitor (C128 mode), the two native dialects of the Commodore BASIC and the two text editors serving as user interfaces with 40 or 80 characters per line. The main memory, which has 128 kB RAM, is made up of two memory banks with 64 kB RAM each, which are activated via a special configuration register of the MMU. Memory bank zero is used to store the BASIC program text, while memory bank one contains the variables used by the current BASIC program. Certain to a size of up to 16 kB variably adjustable memory areas (English Common Areas ) share the ROM memory bank and the RAM memory banks to such as the when switching between the RAM memory banks to parts of the operating system stack of Zero Page access to be able to.
| Address range | Plug-in module ROM (external) |
Operating system ROM (C64 mode) |
Operating system ROM (C128 mode) |
RAM memory bank 0 (C128 mode) |
RAM memory bank 1 (C128 mode) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$F000-$FFFF
|
Games | Operating system kernel | Operating system kernel | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$E000-$EFFF
|
Games | Text editor | Machine language monitor | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$C000-$DFFF
|
--- | I / O, character set | I / O, text editors, character set | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$A000-$BFFF
|
programming language | BASIC V2.0 | BASIC V7.0 | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$8000-$9FFF
|
extension | --- | BASIC V7.0 | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$6000-$7FFF
|
--- | --- | BASIC V7.0 | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$4000-$5FFF
|
--- | --- | BASIC V7.0 | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$2000-$3FFF
|
--- | --- | --- | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$0200-$1FFF
|
--- | --- | --- | BASIC program | BASIC variables |
$0000-$01FF
|
--- | --- | --- | Zeropage, BIOS | Zeropage, BIOS |
System bus
As was common with 8-bit microcomputer architectures of the 1980s, the system bus of the C128 consists of an address bus , a data bus and various control lines . Its main task is to enable two 8-bit main processors from different manufacturers with actually incompatible hardware properties to communicate with their technical environment via a complex system of conductor tracks on the main board . For this purpose, the C128 also has a specially designed processor bus with its own data and address bus lines. In addition, the C128 uses several local data and address buses, each with their own special functions to interconnect all other electronic assemblies.
Circuit diagram of the main board of the C128 with integrated circuits, electrical symbols, electronic symbols, binary switching elements,
interfaces (all wine-red), electrical conductors (green) and the address and data line bundles of the system bus (blue)
Processor bus
The processor bus of the C128 refers to the data lines of the data and address bus that are directly connected to the main processor MOS 8502. The processor bus connects the MOS 8502 with those ROM chips that contain the operating system, the three memory management modules, the 80-character graphics chip MOS 8563, the sound chip SID and the two I / O modules. In addition, the second processor Z80A is directly connected to the 16 address lines of the processor bus, so that they can be used alternately by both CPUs in CP / M mode (English bus sharing ). To avoid access conflicts is the second processor with special, the arbitration , the bus assignment serving control lines ie equipped and is in favor of the main processor using high impedance set Tri-State -Gattern temporarily separated from the address lines of the processor bus.
The second processor Z80A, on the other hand, is not directly connected to the eight data lines of the processor bus. Rather, it has its own local 8-bit data bus. This is only indirectly connected to the data lines of the processor bus on the output side via a buffer of the type 74LS244 and on the input side via a transparent latch (also known as "key memory" in German) of the type 74LS373, which serves to preserve information. Both the buffer and the latch act as bus drivers. If the control signal Address Enable Control (AEC for short) of the clock-generating graphics chip VIC IIe, which controls bus access, is at logic zero in CP / M mode, the Z80A remains disconnected from the data lines of the processor bus. If, on the other hand, the AEC control signal jumps to a logical one, a connection is established with the processor bus so that read and write operations can be carried out by the second processor. The Z80A then uses the Read Enable (RE) control signal to cause the latch to load its temporarily stored data onto the local data bus of the second processor. With the help of the control signal Write Enable (WE), however, the buffer of the Z80A is made to transfer the temporarily stored data of the second processor to the data lines of the processor bus.
Address bus
The two main processors with the graphics chip VIC IIe share the 16-bit address bus of the C128. In this way, the MOS 8502, Z80A and VIC IIe can simultaneously access the character set ROM, the color memory and the main memory, which the VIC IIe partially serves as graphics memory, without overlapping. The address bus is divided into areas with shared access by the CPU and VIC IIe as well as areas with sole access by the main processor. The areas with shared access are called the “sharing address bus”.
The MMU of the C128 has its own 8-bit address bus, which is referred to as the "TA address bus" ( Translated Address Bus ). The main task of the TA address bus is to enable the computer to manage the full 128 kB of RAM by converting the normal memory addresses into higher-value memory addresses, despite the limitation of the address spaces of the main processors involved to 64 kB. In addition, the TA address bus also controls the 8-bit MUX address bus. Its task, in turn, is to coordinate the TA address bus and the areas of the address bus that do not belong to the sharing address bus. The VIC IIe also has its own 16-bit address bus, but generates the addresses in cooperation with one of the CIAs.
Data bus
The C128 also has a bidirectional 8-bit data bus . The data bus connects the main processors with all ROM and RAM memory chips, the I / O modules, the MMU, the PLA, the graphics chips VIC IIe or MOS 8563 and the sound chip SID. In addition, there are other, more or less autonomous data bus structures. The second processor Z80A, for example, has its own local data bus for write and read operations. There is also a dedicated color data bus for the transmission of color information between the high-speed color memory and the VIC IIe.
Finally, the video data bus (also known as the display data bus ) is another local data bus structure for data exchange between the MOS 8563 and the VRAM chips of the 80-character image repeater memory. The video data bus is a highly specialized data bus that is completely separated from the rest of the system bus. The MOS 8563 graphics chip not only generates the video signal for the 80-character screen, but also refreshes the memory content of the VRAM chips via the video data bus.
Control lines
According to the manufacturer's technical documentation, the control lines of the C128 that are not combined to form a separate control bus are used by the CPU to transmit control information to the individual components of the computer. These include, for example, the control signals for regulating the direction of data flow on the system bus, for chip selection ( chip select ) and chip enable ( chip enable ). There are also clock signals, read and write instructions, interrupts , hold and acknowledgment signals .
casing
The housing of the C128 is rectangular and made of beige plastic. In the rear area there are ventilation slots on the top and bottom for cooling the electronics in the housing. In the front part is the keypad, which is flattened towards the front. The case measures 43 cm × 34 cm × 6 cm (width × depth × height).
keyboard
The keyboard layout of the C128 is based on the previous model and has 92 keys. Compared to the C64, the keyboard is much more ergonomic and has been expanded to include a numeric keypad including an enter key and twelve function keys arranged in groups of four , which are located above the actual typewriter keyboard. The keyboard mechanics have also been improved compared to the previous model. In addition, the F, Jand keys on 5the numeric keypad have small elevations for blind orientation when using the ten-finger system . Following the example of the C64, the keyboard of the C128 also has a Commodore key printed with the manufacturer's company logo. a. is used to set the screen colors and to call up certain graphic symbols of the CBM-ASCII character set.
The additional function keys include two keys with toggle lock . In the case of the versions of the C128 that were manufactured for the markets of non-English-speaking countries, these allow the user to choose between the US ASCII and the customary national character set (such as the German DIN character set), and the Operation of the computer either in 40 or 80 character mode. The C128 keyboard was manufactured in eight versions for the following countries or regions: United States / Great Britain / Netherlands, Denmark / Norway, Sweden / Finland, Germany, France / Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and Spain. The keys contain the customary characters in the form of overlays, which can be found to the right of the characters common in English-speaking countries. There are also four separate cursor keys that form their own block , an escape key , a tab key , an alt key , a help key, a line feed key and a no-scroll key that scrolls the screen for example Output of program listings suppressed. The four above the numeric keys lying, double function keys are frequently used with the BASIC commands GRAPHIC, DLOAD, DIRECTORY, SCNCLR, DSAVE, RUN, LISTand MONITORby default and can be freely programmed. In addition, by pressing the control button and the letter key at the same time, Ga ringtone that is audible with each keystroke can be activated and deactivated.
- Separate C128D keyboards with American keyboard layout and national overlays
C128D keyboard with overlays of the QWERTZ keyboard layout common in Germany
C128D keyboard with overlays of the AZERTY keyboard layout common in France and Belgium
Interfaces
On the right side, the C128 has two nine-pin Sub-D sockets that serve as connections for Atari-compatible joysticks or other controllers. In addition, the computer has a reset switch , a power switch and a power socket for the external switched-mode power supply on the right side of the housing .
On the back, the C128 has an expansion port with 44 contacts and the like. a. for the reception of plug-in modules , a cartridge connector for a Datasette in the form of a platinum plug with twelve contacts as well as a proprietary, as a serial interface (English Serial Port ) serving DIN connector with six pins, which for the connection of CBM-disk drives is intended and printers and was also known as the CBM bus . In addition, the computer has an eight-pin DIN socket on the back serving as a composite video connection, a switch for selecting the television channel, a high-frequency output for operation with a television, and a nine-pin RGBI connection for operation with high-resolution Color monitors and finally a 24-pin circuit board connector that functions as a user port or universal 8-bit interface implemented in this form only by Commodore. Because, unlike the high-frequency connection, demodulation of the output signal generated by the 40-character graphics chip VIC IIe by the television is not necessary, the image quality that can be achieved via the composite video connection is significantly higher.
Power supplies
The copies of the C128 produced for the North American market draw their power from various external switched-mode power supplies with the type number PN-252449-xx, which come from various Asian manufacturers such as Dee-Van (Taiwan) or Newtronics / Mitsumi Electric (Japan). A mains voltage of at least 117 volts at a mains frequency of 60 Hertz is required for operation. The C128 switched-mode power supplies intended for the West German market and also not designed identically, however, were manufactured in West Germany by different manufacturers. They have the type number PN-310416-xx and require a mains voltage of 220 volts at a mains frequency of 50 Hertz for proper operation. The C128 switched-mode power supply supplies 5 volts direct current and 9 volts alternating current at a current of 4.3 amps. The desktop versions of the C128 use conventional transformer power supplies integrated into the housing .
Model variants
The C128 was delivered in a total of three model variants. In addition to the US-American ASCII standard character set, all model variants offered outside the English-speaking world also contained a keyboard adapted to the respective national customs with a character set typical of the country including special characters such as umlauts , diacritical characters , etc. The power supplies were also factory- fitted to those customary in the respective countries Line voltages adjusted.
C128
The C128 is a classic keyboard computer with a flat plastic housing, numerous ventilation slots on the top and bottom, 16 kB VRAM and an external switched-mode power supply. This most common model variant was geared more towards home users who shied away from large individual investments and wanted to expand their computer system little by little, even if this led to cable clutter on the home desk. The C128 was available in West Germany and North America from the third quarter of 1985. In-house, in contrast to the desktop model variants, the C128 was counted among the “consumer products”.
C128D
The C128D is a desktop computer with an integrated 5¼-inch VC1571 floppy disk drive, a remote keyboard, 16 kB VRAM, a plastic housing with a cut-out to accommodate the keyboard, a fan, a carrying handle, separate drive electronics, a floppy reset switch and an integrated transformer power supply. The housing of the C128D measures 43 cm × 36 cm × 11 cm (width × depth × height). In contrast to the stand-alone VC1571 floppy disk drive, the C128D does not have an externally accessible DIP switch for setting the device address and also no slot for installing a second floppy disk drive. The cassette connector is on the back, the power switch on the front on the left side wall. The main board of the C128D is identical to that of the C128, the drive electronics are the same as those of the VC1571.
This model variant has ventilation slots on the top and is aimed more at professional users. The appended “D” in the model name stands for the English term “desktop”, ie a computer designed for the desk with a separate keyboard and flat housing to accommodate the electronics. Due to the failure to provide evidence of electromagnetic compatibility to the US licensing authority FCC, this model variant was only available in Europe from February 1986.
C128D-CR
The C128D-CR is a desktop computer with an integrated 5¼ inch VC1571 floppy disk drive, remote keyboard, 64 kB VRAM, sheet metal housing, drive electronics integrated into the motherboard, floppy reset switch and integrated transformer power supply without fan. The housing of the C128D-CR is 2 cm thinner than that of the C128D, but the footprints of both models are identical. The cassette connector is on the right, the power switch on the back on the left. A cheaper stepper motor was installed in the drive . Due to the massive sheet metal housing, no further shielding plates had to be installed internally on the C128D-CR. The stronger shielding also protects the internal floppy disk drive better against radiation from monitors placed on the housing than the plastic housing of the previous model, the C128D.
The main board of the C128D-CR has been completely redesigned. Furthermore, the device has more highly integrated circuits than the C128D including the further developed 80-character graphics chip MOS 8568 and the improved sound chip MOS 8580 and has a lower power consumption than the previous model, which is why it does not require a fan and was cheaper to produce. The abbreviation “CR” attached to the model name, which stands for the English expression “cost-reduced”, is derived from this fact . The revision also ensured a reduction in noise emissions and susceptibility to failure. However, the changes to the design made many of the hardware add-ons developed for the previous models unusable.
This last model variant has neither ventilation slots on the top nor a handle. It was also aimed more at professional users. In contrast to the earlier models C128 and C128D, the system programs are not distributed over four 16 kB ROM chips, but only on two 32 kB ROM chips. The main memory only consists of four 32 kB RAM chips. Compared to the C128D, the higher integrated drive electronics together with the newly developed floppy disk controller MOS Technology 5710 (MOS 5710 for short) and the revised floppy operating system Commodore DOS 3.1 lead to (albeit minor) restrictions in software compatibility. Due to the four times larger video memory, the C128D-CR can generate significantly higher resolutions than the older model variants with only 16 kB VRAM without additional hardware. The C128D-CR, which was officially presented in January 1987, was only available worldwide from the third quarter of 1987. Occasionally, this model variant was jokingly referred to in contemporary computer magazines as "sheet metal diesel", "diesel in sheet metal" or "C128D sheet metal", alluding to its housing made of rolled metal.
| model | year | Type | Housing material |
power adapter | Fan | holding grip |
internal floppy |
Graphics chip |
Sound chip |
Floppy disk controller |
RAM chips |
VRAM size |
ROM chips |
DOS version |
FCC * approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C128 | 1985 | Keyboard computer |
plastic | external | - | - | - | MOS 8563 | MOS 6581 | - | 16 × 8 kB | 16 kB | 4 × 16 kB | - | ✓ |
| C128D | 1986 | Desktop computer |
plastic | internally | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | MOS 8563 | MOS 6581 | WD1770 | 16 × 8 kB | 16 kB | 4 × 16 kB | 3.0 | - |
| C128D-CR | 1987 | Desktop computer |
Plastic metal |
internally | - | - | ✓ | MOS 8568 | MOS 8580 | MOS 5710 | 4 × 32 kB | 64 kB | 2 × 32 kB | 3.1 | ✓ |
| * Abbreviation for Federal Communications Commission, the United States regulatory agency, etc. a. for electronic devices | |||||||||||||||
Peripherals
Commodore developed a number of peripheral devices with which the performance and range of applications of the C128 can be increased. This includes input devices , storage devices , memory expansions , output devices , several modems for remote data transmission, a video text module , various hardware add-ons and various accessories. In addition to Commodore, numerous third-party suppliers produced peripheral devices for the computer.
Several surveys conducted by contemporary computer magazines give a fairly accurate picture of the ancillary equipment with which the C128 was operated in everyday practice. Almost all North American C128 users used their device together with a 5¼-inch floppy disk drive, a printer and a joystick. About half had a modem and a computer mouse, but only 28 percent had additional memory. 72 percent of the German-speaking owners of the computer owned a C128D or C128D-CR in 1992 - three years after production was discontinued. The remaining 28 percent owned the original keyboard computer version, which was mostly operated in conjunction with the 5¼-inch VC1571 floppy disk drive.
The most important peripheral devices specifically produced by Commodore for the C128 and its model variants, all of which can also be used with the bestseller C64, are shown below. Hard disk drives , hardware add-ons and accessories from third-party suppliers with a certain degree of familiarity and popularity are also taken into account .
Input devices
Mouse 1350
The Commodore mouse of the type 1350 is a simple mechanical-electrical joystick mouse with four joystick contacts, which are closed by a heavy, rubber-coated ball when appropriate movements, which are housed inside the housing. The device has two buttons on the top and a fixed connection cable on the lower end, via which the mouse transmits movement signals to the computer. The left mouse button was usually used to trigger actions on the part of the user, while the use of the right mouse button depended on the software in use and therefore varied greatly. The mouse 1350 can be connected to both nine-pin Sub-D sockets of the C128, which are intended for joysticks, and had to be cleaned regularly to maintain their functionality. To do this, the housing had to be opened and the ball removed.
Mouse 1351
The Commodore mouse of type 1351 is a mechanical-electrical proportional mouse . Externally, it cannot be easily distinguished from the predecessor model 1350, but it has expanded functionality. In addition to the joystick mode already known from the Mouse 1350 and intended for older software, it also has a proportional mode that enables more precise work. After switching on, the proportional mode, which is dependent on a special mouse driver and supported by the GEOS graphical user interface, is automatically activated. You can switch to joystick mode by holding down the right mouse button while switching on the computer. In order to implement the proportional mode, the input device has its own microchip with a quartz oscillator circuit that generates pulses of 2.5 kilohertz at a pulse width of 0.15 microseconds. Two rollers inside the housing, each connected with a slotted disc and two light barriers, are arranged at right angles and translate the movements of the mouse ball into electrical impulses.
In joystick mode - just like with conventional joysticks - a query is made every 20 milliseconds to determine which joystick contacts inside the mouse are currently open or closed. The left mouse button is also treated like the fire button on a conventional joystick. The results are passed on to the computer via the joystick cable. In proportional mode, every movement of the mouse is registered and every 512 microseconds, i.e. H. is transmitted to the computer with a 39 times higher frequency and thus considerably more precisely than in joystick mode. The two registers POTXand POTYthe SID sound chip are used for this.
Storage devices
Floppy disk drives
With the models VC1570 , VC1571 and VC1581, Commodore produced a total of three floppy disk drives specifically for operation with the C128. They are connected to the computer via the serial interface and on the hardware side all have their own main processor of the type MOS 6502A clocked at 2 MHz and 32 kB ROM of the type 23256 to accommodate the copyright-protected floppy disk operating systems Commodore DOS 3.0 (VC1570 / 1571 ) or Commodore DOS 10.0 (VC1581). Due to this equipment they belong to the independently operating "intelligent diskette stations" that neither have to be started up nor take up valuable storage space.
In addition, the drives have two status displays on the front for the current flow (red) or diskette access (green) and on the rear a power connection, two serial connection sockets and a DIP switch for setting the device address. All three drives are both C64-compatible and, in principle, CP / M-capable. A fourth model, in the tradition of the older CBM floppy disk drives of the types 8050 or 8250 - the 5¼ inch double floppy disk drive VC1572 - was presented to the public as a prototype at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in 1985, but was never brought to market .
VC1570 / 1571
In 1985 the models VC1570 and VC1571 appeared for the 5¼-inch disks, which were widely used at the time. The electronics of both devices are largely identical. Both have a floppy disk controller of the type WD1770 (or WD1772 for later series) for reading and writing of floppy disks in MFM format, two gate arrays that primarily share the tasks of a floppy disk controller for reading and writing from floppy disks in GCR format, two I / O modules of the older type MOS 6522 for controlling the drive mechanism and for regulating the data flow processed via the serial interface, an I / O module of the type MOS 6526 acting as a bus controller and a buffer memory 2 kB static RAM of type 2016. Both the VC1570 and the VC1571 have a photocell that functions as a light barrier , which enables the read / write head to be aligned gently and largely free of wear on the first track of the floppy disk without contact with the rest of the drive mechanism. Another optical sensor triggers a rotation of the drive spindle with every disk change. This device ensures that the inserted diskettes are properly seated, which is necessary for error-free operation. The motherboards used in both models with the conductor tracks for connecting the individual components are identical. When the C128 is operated in C64 mode, both drives are also capable of almost complete hardware emulation of the previous model VC1541.
The two gate arrays developed by Commodore complement each other functionally. In some cases, however, their areas of responsibility also go beyond the functions usually performed by floppy disk controllers. The larger gate array of the type 64H156 with the in-house name MOS Technology 251828 (MOS 251828 for short) and 42 connection pins carries out the read and write operations that arise, serves as a clock for the main processor MOS 8520A and controls the stepper motor of the drive. The smaller gate array of the type 64H1567 with the company's internal name MOS Technology 251829 (MOS 251829 for short) and 20 connection pins are responsible for chip selection, error correction when reading data in GCR format and the compensation of the motor speed.
The two 5¼-inch drives differ from each other primarily in terms of the drive mechanics, the housing shape and the power supply unit. The drive mechanism of the VC1571 with a toggle lock comes from the Japanese supplier Newtronics Mitsumi and has two read / write heads with which floppy disks can be read and written on both sides. The drive mechanism of the VC1570, equipped with a snap lock, is similar to the predecessor model VC1541, was supplied by the Japanese manufacturer Alps and has only one read / write head. While the electronics of the VC1571 are housed in a flat housing adapted to the design of the C128, in the case of the VC1570 they are still in the well-known and more voluminous housing of the predecessor model VC1541, which has only been matched in color to the C128. Due to this combination of the new electronics with the older drive mechanics and the tried and tested housing design of the VC1541, the VC1570 is also considered to be a “hybrid drive” “in between” or an “interim floppy drive”. The housing of the VC1571 measures 21.6 cm × 34.6 cm × 7.6 cm (width × depth × height) and weighs 3.5 kg. The power consumption of both drives equipped with internal power supplies is a maximum of 25 watts. In contrast to the VC1570, the early series of the VC1571 have a modern switched-mode power supply that is completely separate from the metal chassis of the drive and has its own shielding plate. This means that the VC1571 is better protected against overheating and data loss due to magnetic radiation. In later series of the VC1571 produced in West Germany, an older power supply unit with less magnetic radiation was installed in order to reduce production costs, so that the power supply unit shielding plate could be dispensed with.
The VC1571 can store a maximum of 350 kB in GCR format and up to 410 kB in the MFM format of data per diskette, the VC1570 in GCR format a maximum of 170 kB and in MFM format up to 200 kB. According to the maintenance instructions from Commodore, both drives can read in data at a speed of up to 5,200 baud in burst operation both in C128 mode and under CP / M-Plus. However, tests carried out by various computer magazines gave lower values. There the VC1571 achieved peak values of 3,800-4,000 baud under ideal conditions in burst operation in the C128 mode. Under realistic everyday conditions characterized by disk initializations, numerous lane changes and the sector search, average values of 1,100 baud in normal operation and 2,200 baud in burst operation were measured in the C128 mode. During write operations, measured values of 400 baud in normal operation and 600 baud in burst operation resulted in the C128 mode.
In 1987, the American hardware manufacturer Emerald Components launched Excel 2001, a software-compatible clone of the VC1571 with an identical floppy disk operating system, a slightly smaller housing, an external switched-mode power supply and improved thermal management, a US $ 20 cheaper, software-compatible clone . All programs ran without problems on Excel 2001, including copy-protected C128 original software. The operating speed of the device largely corresponded to that of the Commodore original drive. From the beginning of 1988, the West German VTS Data GmbH also offered a VC1571 clone with the Blue Chip 128 for 498 DM with a similar scope of performance, but lower noise emissions.
| Floppy disk operation | data volume | VC1541 | VC1570 / 71 |
|---|---|---|---|
| to save | 13.5 kB | 41 sec. | 33 sec. |
| 25 kB | 80 sec. | 60 sec. | |
| load | 13.5 kB | 37 sec. | 4.5 sec. |
| 25 kB | 70 sec. | 7 sec. | |
| To verify | 13.5 kB | 37 sec. | 4.5 sec. |
VC1581
In 1987 the faster and considerably smaller model VC1581 followed for the more modern and compact 3½-inch floppy disks. In addition to the already mentioned main processor of the type MOS 6502A and a permanent memory of 32 kB ROM, the electronics of the VC1581, which are less cumbersome and more efficient than the previous models, have a floppy disk controller of the type WD1772 (or WD1770 in early series) for reading and writing of floppy disks in MFM format, an I / 0 module of the type MOS Technology 8520A (short MOS 8520A) and an 8-kB ROM chip of the type 4346 serving as main memory. A standard crystal oscillator of the type acts as the clock generator 325566-01. The well-shielded drive mechanism with the model name Chinon 80 has two read / write heads and comes from the Japanese supplier Chinon of the same name . The housing of the VC1581 measures 14 cm × 23 cm × 6.3 cm (width × depth × height) and weighs only 1.4 kg. The external power supply with an output of 10 watts caused cable clutter, but also improved thermal management compared to the 5¼-inch predecessor models. The VC1581 is also much quieter than its predecessors. The device address can be set using the DIP switch on the rear.
The data transmission speed can be set in burst mode using a baud rate generator integrated in the MOS 8520A. Theoretically, transfer rates of up to 166,000 baud are possible in 2 MHz mode, but in practice they cannot be achieved due to computer hardware restrictions. With a storage capacity of 800 kB per diskette, which can be stored in up to 296 files, the ability to partition disks into various subdirectories and a maximum data transfer rate of 7,000–8,500 baud measured under test conditions in burst operation, the VC1581 clearly outperforms its predecessor, the VC1571 . For example, to load a 36.5 kB file, the VC1581 needs 6.4 seconds for standard operation in C128 mode, while the VC1571 needs 11.5 seconds for the same task. The VC1581 takes 31.5 seconds to save the same amount of data, while the VC1571 takes 71 seconds. Software that was not copy-protected could be used on the VC1581 without any problems. In connection with copy-protected software, the device was mostly used in addition to a VC1571 as a second drive for pure data storage, e.g. for database applications, word processing or in CP / M mode.
The VC1581 was voted product of the year 1987 in the peripheral devices category by readers of the 64'er computer magazine, which specializes in Commodore computers, at the beginning of 1988 .
| model | year | Disk size |
Read / write heads |
network part |
Sub- directories |
Floppy disk controller |
Gate arrays |
I / O modules |
Recording formats |
Storage capacity |
RAM size |
DOS version |
Baud rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VC1570 | 1985 | 5¼ in | 1 | internally | - | WD1770 / WD1772 * |
MOS 251828 MOS 251829 |
2 × MOS 6522 1 × MOS 6526 |
GCR MFM |
170 kB 200 kB |
2 kB | 3.0 | 5,200 |
| VC1571 | 1985 | 5¼ in | 2 | internally | - | WD1770 / WD1772 * |
MOS 251828 MOS 251829 |
2 × MOS 6522 1 × MOS 6526 |
GCR MFM |
350 kB 410 kB |
2 kB | 3.0 | 5,200 |
| VC1581 | 1987 | 3½ inches | 2 | external | ✓ | WD1772 / WD1770 ** |
- | MOS 8520A | MFM | 800 kB | 8 kB | 10.0 | 8,500 |
| * Only late series ** Only early series | |||||||||||||
Datasette 1530
The 1530 datasette designed for the predecessor C64 were also compatible with the C128. However, only very few C128 owners made use of this inexpensive, but slow and, moreover, quite error-prone storage device shortly after the computer was launched. Usually this happened because in the first few months after the sales launch of the C128, the VC1570 and VC1571 floppy disk drives were not available at all or not yet in large numbers and therefore the alternatives were lacking.
After that, the datasettes quickly lost their importance in connection with the C128. In the early 1990s, owners of Commodore home computers rarely used such a tape drive . Almost no commercial software for the C128 mode or operation under CP / M-Plus appeared on the compact cassettes, which are slow, cumbersome and inadequate in terms of storage capacity compared to floppy disks in everyday use.
Hard disk drives
Using a special interface, the older IEEE 488 hard drives developed by Commodore for the PET 2001 and the office computers of the CBM series 3000 , 4000 and 8000 , such as the 5 MB model CBM D9060 or the 7.5 MB -Model CBM D9090 can also be operated with the C128 via the CBM bus . Several American and a West German foreign manufacturers developed itself but also specifically designed for the C128, unlike Commodore, more modern, more reliable and easier to use SCSI - disk drives with its own operating system, including Xetec with at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show and the Cebit beginning Lt. presented in 1987, equipped with its own microprocessor, interface module, boot ROM and 16 kB RAM. Kernal. Other hard disk drives were launched by JCT with the models JCT-1000, JCT-1005 and JCT-1010 and ICT with the models Data Chief HFD-5, HFD-10 and HFD-20. Prices ranged from US $ 595 for the cheapest model JCT-1000 with a storage capacity of 3.7 MB, to US $ 949.95 for the Lt. Kernal with 20 MB and US $ 995 for the Data Chief HFD-20, which, in contrast to all other hard drives, is CP / M-capable and also has 20 MB of free storage space. The $ 900 Device 9 - The Vault from Progressive Peripherals was the only hard disk drive to support the burst mode of the C128. ICT released another hard disk drive in 1988, the Mini Chief, priced at US $ 795. The device consisted of a converted VC1571 from which ICT technicians had removed the internal power supply and replaced it with a 20 MB hard disk. In 1991, Creative Micro Designs followed with the 20 MB HD-20 hard disk, which can be operated in its native mode, but is also able to emulate the Commodore VC1541, VC1571 and VC1581 floppy drives.
With the HD 128, Roßmöller Computertechnik GmbH also launched a 20 MB hard drive with an integrated power supply unit for 2,498 DM. In addition, Roßmöller developed the SASI 128 model, a hard disk controller for the C128 that can be connected to the user port. However, the aforementioned hard disk drives have not achieved widespread use.
Memory expansion
RAM expansion units
Commodore produced three memory expansion modules (English RAM Expansion Units ) developed specifically for the C128 , which, in addition to additional dynamic RAM chips for controlling indirect memory access, have their own microcontroller (English RAM Expansion Controller ). These components are accommodated in a housing that is adapted to the design of the C128 and can be connected to the expansion interface of the computer using a circuit board connector. The RAM expansion units can be used in both the C128 and CP / M mode. However, this requires an updated version of the CP / M-Plus operating system, which was included in the scope of delivery in the form of an additional diskette. The memory expansions designed by Frank Palaia can only be operated with restrictions on the previous model C64 due to their power consumption without a stronger power supply. The low-end model 1700 has 128 kB, the model 1764 has 256 kB and the high-end model 1750 has 512 kB of additional memory. With a total of 640 kB RAM, the C128 achieves the full expansion of its memory capacity. The additional main memory is divided into two (model 1700), four (model 1764) and eight (model 1750) memory banks, each with 64 kB RAM.
The smallest module 1700 was only of limited practical use due to a lack of software specifically tailored to its properties. The two larger modules 1764 and 1750, on the other hand, were mainly used in connection with the GEOS 128 graphical user interface and as fast RAM disks. When used as such, the RAM expansion units with a data transfer rate of approx. 1 MB per second outperform conventional floppy drives many times over. Under GEOS 128, the memory expansions can also be used as shadow drives, which keep the contents of an entire floppy disk continuously available to increase the working speed without the need to reload data in the main memory. They were also often used in CP / M mode and as an alternative to much more expensive secondary disk drives or difficult-to-install and slower disk drive accelerators.
GeoRAM
In addition to Commodore, third-party manufacturers also developed memory expansions for the C128. This includes, for example, the GeoRAM from Berkeley Softworks with an additional storage capacity of 512 kB , which is to be connected to the expansion interface and is manufactured and sold under license by Rex Datentechnik in West Germany . The GeoRAM, launched in 1989, does not have its own microcontroller for direct memory access and was designed for operation with GEOS 128. The scope of delivery included two driver disks, one of which had to be installed as a boot disk prior to commissioning. The boot disk contains the basic components of both versions of GEOS 128 in a revised version called GEOS 2.0r , which are necessary for system start , but not the GeoWrite and GeoPaint applications .
Output devices
Commodore brought out several output devices developed primarily for use with the C128 and manufactured under license by various OEMs , including three color monitors as display devices and a dot matrix printer. One thing all these output devices have in common is their versatility, which is adapted to the C128 and its complex architecture.
The monitors are designed to display 40 as well as 80 characters per line with a standard resolution of 640 × 200 pixels, are RGBI capable and all have mono loudspeakers integrated into the housing. However, they may differ. a. in terms of their color capability, signal processing, connectivity, housing shape and the size of their screen diagonals. In addition to the color monitors brought out specifically for the C128, the computer could also be operated with many other Commodore color monitors, such as the Commodore 1804, which was released in 1988 and suitable for all Commodore home computers, or the Commodore 2002, Commodore models, which were primarily designed for the Amiga series 1084 or Commodore 1084S. The same applies to the printer models of the 12xx series belonging to the MPS series, such as the Commodore MPS 1230 or the Commodore MPS 1250. There were also numerous monitors and printers from third-party suppliers.
Color monitor 1901
With the 1901 model, Commodore brought a 14-inch color monitor compatible with the PAL standard to the Western European market. The device, manufactured in Singapore under license from the French electronics group Thomson , has a nine-pin Sub-D input socket for the digital RGBI signal and three RCA pin sockets, often referred to colloquially as Cinch sockets. Two of these pin sockets are responsible for the analog composite signal , which is composed of the chrominance signal for the color and the luminance signal for the brightness . The transmission of chrominance signal and luminance signal via separate lines corresponds to the transmission method known in the English-speaking world as composite video , which is slightly superior in quality to the composite video signal that only uses one line for this purpose. Finally, the third pin socket is used to transmit the analog mono audio signal . The device was known for its high image quality and sharp display of letters in 80-character mode. Later series of the Commodore 1901 usually also have a SCART socket.
Numerous rotary controls can be used to a. Adjust color intensity, brightness, contrast, volume, focus and image height. The Commodore 1901 also has a slide switch on the back to switch between analogue PAL operation (40-character mode) and digital RGBI operation (80-character mode). The 10 cm × 10 cm mono loudspeaker has a power consumption of one watt. The rather voluminous device measures 36 cm × 37 cm × 34.5 cm (width × depth × height) and weighs 9.5 kg. The power consumption is 60 watts.
Color monitor 1902
With the 1902 model, Commodore released a 13-inch color monitor that was somewhat more compact than the 1901. The versatile device, produced for the North American market and therefore compatible with the NTSC standard, can, in 40-character mode, process not only composite video but also the higher-quality, also analog S-video signal. The Commodore 1902, manufactured under license by Fujitsu in Japan, is largely the same as the Commodore 1901 in terms of connectivity, but also has a separate headphone connection. In addition, the caps lock key to switch between analog NTSC operation (40-character mode) and digital RGBI operation (80-character mode) is located on the front.
1902A color monitor
With the model 1902A, Commodore brought another NTSC-capable 13-inch color monitor to the North American market, manufactured by the Dutch electronics company Philips as a licensee in Taiwan. In contrast to the Commodore 1902, which is otherwise technically similar, this model variant is not capable of processing the higher-quality S-Video signal. The Commodore 1902A also differs from the 1901 and 1902 models in terms of connectivity. The device has an 8-pin DIN socket for the digital RGBI signal and a 6-pin DIN socket for the input signals of the analog composite video and the Audio signal. Like the 1902 model, the Commodore 1902A also has its own headphone jack. The device measures 35 cm × 38.7 cm × 32 cm (width × depth × height), the power consumption is 75 watts.
| model | year | size | TV standard | S-video | Composite video * |
Audio connection |
RGBI connector |
Headphone connection |
performance recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1985 | 14 inches | PAL | - | 2 × cinch | 1 × cinch | 9-pin Sub-D |
- | 60 watts |
| 1902 | 1985 | 13 in | NTSC | ✓ | 2 × cinch | 1 × cinch | 9-pin Sub-D |
✓ | 60 watts |
| 1902A | 1986 | 13 in | NTSC | - | 6-pin DIN socket |
1 × cinch | 8-pin DIN socket |
✓ | 75 watts |
| * With separate lines for chrominance and luminance signals instead of the usual method in German-speaking countries of transmitting the composite signal over just one line | |||||||||
Dot matrix printer MPS 1200
With the MPS 1200 model, a matrix printer from Commodore primarily designed for operation with the C128 appeared . The device, based on the Citizen 120D from the Japanese manufacturer Citizen Holdings , has a printhead with nine needles and uses a letter matrix consisting of 9 × 9 dots in standard mode and a letter matrix consisting of 17 × 17 dots in Near Letter Quality . Depending on the selected print quality, the Commodore MPS 1200 prints at a speed of 24 characters per second in calligraphy mode or up to 120 characters per second in standard mode. These speeds are achieved through bidirectional printing. In order to connect to the proprietary CBM bus of the computer, the standard version Commodore MPS 1200 has two serial interfaces in the form of 6-pin DIN sockets, while the model variant MPS 1200P has a parallel Centronics interface ( Centronics Parallel Basic Interface Pack ).
The Commodore MPS 1200 also has a permanent memory with 64 kB ROM and a working memory with 8 kB RAM. The main memory serves on the one hand as a buffer memory and on the other hand to store user-defined character sets. The model variant MPS 1200P has only 32 kB ROM, but it has its own CPU. The permanent memory of both model versions contains all international character sets of all C128 variants, which can be selected using the DIP switch. The device measures 40.2 cm × 25.5 cm × 9 cm (width × depth × height) and weighs 3.7 kg. The power consumption is 50 watts.
Remote data transmission
Modem 1660
For remote data transmission, Commodore first published the modem 1660 designed as a plug-in module. The device dates from 1985. It could be used with the C64 and the C128, both in the C64 and in the C128 mode with an 80-character screen. The 1660 modem transmits data at 300 baud. In terms of data transmission, it masters both alternating operation (English half-duplex ) and counter operation (English full-duplex ). The connection to the computer takes place via the user port. The modem 1660 has two modular jacks on the back for connection to the telephone and the telephone connection. The device also has an audio input with an RCA pin socket for cinch plugs. In addition to the connecting cables , the scope of delivery of the device also included a software package consisting of the QuantumLink telecommunications program and the Common Sense terminal program .
Modem 1670
For remote data transmission, Commodore also developed the modem 1670, which was also designed as a plug-in module. The device appeared in 1987 and was primarily designed for use with the C128, but could also be operated on the C64. The 1670 modem transmits data either at 300 or 1,200 baud. Like the predecessor model 1660, it can handle both alternating operation and counter operation, but is also Hayes-compatible . As with the 1660 modem, it is connected to the computer via the user port. On the back of the modem 1200 there are only two modular sockets for connection to the telephone and the telephone connection, but no separate audio input. The device address can be set using a DIP switch. As with the 1660 modem, the scope of delivery included the connection cables and the software package required for operation.
Teletext decoder module II
With the BTX Decoder Module II Commodore brought in the fourth quarter of 1987 also designed as a plug-in module decoder for the offered in countries where German end-user information system screen text (short BTX) for the C128 to market. The BTX decoder module II replaced the previous model BTX decoder module I, which was developed for the C64 and launched at the end of 1985, and was around 300 DM cheaper than this at 399 DM. It is connected to the computer via the expansion interface and can optionally be connected to a Commdore monitor, RGB monitor or television with SCART connection via three DIN sockets on the back . The BTX decoder module II could be operated with both an acoustic coupler and the BTX modem box DBT03 from the Deutsche Bundespost .
The heart of the electronics of the BTX decoder module II is the special module EUROM (short for European Read Only Memory ) , which was produced on behalf of the Federal Post Office at the time . The very heat-sensitive EUROM chip, also known as SAA 5350, was developed by the Philips subsidiary Valvo . It consists of a video processor and a character generator for displaying a total of 520 characters standardized across Europe as well as graphic symbols of the BTX character set, including umlauts, which were required to generate the screen text pages called up by the user. A dot matrix with 12 × 10 points is used for the BTX character set. The EUROM chip can also be operated in 80-character mode and is capable of generating color graphics with a resolution of 480 × 240 pixels. It is also able to display 4,096 colors on the screen. 32 of these can be used at the same time. For better heat dissipation, the EUROM chip has a ceramic housing with 40 connection pins. In addition, the BTX decoder module II manufactured by Siemens , which is also suitable for operation with the C64, has 32 kB EPROM permanent memory for the BTX operating software and, in addition to the BTX standard CEPT-1 , which was common in West Germany at the time, also supported the PRESTEL standard for the Viewdata on-demand service used in Great Britain and the ANTIOP standard for the Minitel on- demand service widely used in France .
The operating software of the BTX decoder module II is available to the user immediately after the computer has been commissioned. There are several versions of the operating software. Since the last version 3.3 developed by Commodore and version 3.4 published by Markt + Technik Verlag occasionally encountered problems when operating the BTX modem box DBT03, a bug-corrected version was created in mid-1989 with version 3.5. It could be downloaded free of charge from the BTX website of Markt + Technik Verlag. The factory-installed ROM chip with the operating software had to be replaced for installation by an EPROM chip with version 3.5, which you can either burn yourself or obtain from Markt + Technik Verlag.
The module can be operated using the function keys assigned the most important BTX control characters. An attached keyboard template should make it easier for beginners to learn the BTX control characters. In addition, the operating software has a log function and, with restrictions, enables screenshots to be taken . Even downloading and saving programs on diskette, which was still unusual at the time, was possible using the BTX decoder module II. With the use of this "telesoftware" there was no longer any laborious and time-consuming need to type program listings from magazines. For this purpose, the computer magazine 64'er offered its own BTX page that was also suitable for the C128 mode for downloading from the end of 1988. The WDR Computer Club, which has been broadcast since 1981 , also had a comparable BTX offer. In addition, both free and paid computer games were offered on BTX sites from the late 1980s.
Hardware accessories
Graphic extensions
The two versions of the 80-character graphics chip built into the three model variants of the C128 offered third-party manufacturers the opportunity to develop hardware add-ons with the aim of improving the graphics capabilities, as both the MOS 8563 and the MOS 8568 higher resolutions are not used by the computer's operating system and can address four times as much graphics memory with 64 kB VRAM as the 16 kB VRAM built into the older model variants C128 and C128D.
Graphic Booster 128
The Swiss Combo AG brought out the Graphic Booster 128 in 1986, a graphic extension for the C128 and the C128D available for 174 DM. For the installation, the 80-character graphic chip MOS 8563 first had to be removed and an additional circuit board supplied had to be inserted in its place. On this there is a free slot for the MOS 8563 as well as 48 kB additional VRAM already installed. The additional circuit board is connected to the free slot of the C128 via a wire at the end of which is a socket with 28 connection pins. The software included on diskette extends the native Commodore BASIC V7.0 with additional graphics commands and makes it easier to use the resolutions of up to 720 × 700 pixels of the MOS 8563 in the interlace mode that are beyond the standard setting of 640 × 200 pixels but are not supported by the operating system. Mode and a maximum of 720 × 400 pixels in flicker-free normal mode. With the improved version Graphic Booster 128 N2 , you can choose from a palette of around 65,000 colors 256 for the foreground and 256 for the background for each of the 7,200 color blocks, each comprising 6 × 8 pixels . In text mode - as with the EGA graphics cards developed for the IBM PC AT - up to 80 × 43 characters can be displayed. The use of the 512 kB memory expansion 1750 is also supported by the Graphic Booster 128 software . Later versions contained the BASIC extension optionally on an EPROM. In the case of the C128D-CR, this only had to be inserted into the free slot or the BASIC extension had to be loaded from floppy disk, as the graphics memory of the computer was fully expanded at the factory. The hardware of the Graphic Booster 128 could not be easily used by other programs. For certain commercial software such as the graphics program StarPainter 128 , the word processor Protext 128 or the graphical user interface GEOS 128, patches appeared for this purpose .
In 1988, the trade press suggested that Commodore had integrated parts of the Graphic Booster 128 software into the C128D-CR's operating system without the knowledge of Combo AG. However, this claim is incorrect and is based on ignorance of the two poorly documented 80-character graphics chips. It was largely unknown, even among experts, that both the MOS 8563 and the MOS 8568 are able to generate resolutions beyond the standard setting of 640 × 200 pixels used by the C128 operating system, their point density, with little programming effort primarily depends on the size of the dedicated graphics memory available.
Others
Software Support International also sold a graphics memory expansion for the C128 or C128D designed as a plug-in card for the base of the MOS 8563. The scope of delivery included an additional board and the VRAM chips required for the full expansion of the graphics memory to 64 kB. In contrast to the Graphic Booster 128 , the offer, which was considerably cheaper at US $ 34.95, did not contain any software that would support the use of the extended graphics memory.
Floppy disk drive accelerator
Several US American and West German electronics companies have developed disk drive accelerators for the 5¼-inch disk drives VC1570 / 71, also known as floppy speeders, which are generally known as floppy speeders and usually combine alternative disk operating system software with hardware add-ons, in order to increase the data transfer rate.
DolphinDOS 128
In 1987, the West German provider Dolphin Software brought the DolphinDOS 128, which is also suitable for the two desktop models and equipped with two EPROM chips, to the market for 198 DM. One EPROM chip contains the floppy disk operating system for the C128 mode, the other the one for the C64 mode. In C64 mode you can choose between the original Commodore DOS, the complete DolphinDOS and a slimmed down version of the alternative floppy operating system, which only contains the fast loading routines in order to maintain the greatest possible software compatibility with commercially available C64 programs. In the C128 mode, Dolphin DOS 128 offers faster loading and saving operations as well as accelerated format recognition and a faster autoboot function. The supplied additional board replaces the VC1571 main processor MOS 6502A, which for this purpose must be removed or, in the case of non-socketed CPUs, unsoldered and reinserted into the additional board. The additional board is connected to the user port with a ribbon cable . In 1989 an improved version of DolphinDOS 128 appeared with only one EPROM chip for 220 DM.
JiffyDOS 128
In 1989, the American manufacturer Creative Micro Designs released the successful JiffyDOS 128 floppy disk drive accelerator, which is compatible with the original Commodore floppy disk operating systems . JiffyDOS 128 runs in both C64 and C128 modes and was released in several versions, including one for the C128D, one for the VC1571 and one for the VC1581 at a price of US $ 29.95 each . For commissioning, the original floppy operating system Commodore DOS 3.0 of the VC1570 / 71 or the C128D and the Commodore DOS 3.1 of the C128D-CR had to be replaced by a ROM chip that was supplied with the alternative floppy operating system. A toggle switch can be used to switch between JiffyDOS 128 and Commodore DOS 3.0 or 3.1. With JiffyDOS 128 , the VC1570 / 71 in C128 mode can achieve speed increases of up to 400 percent when loading and almost 100 percent when saving. With the VC1581, data can be loaded up to six times as quickly in C128 mode and saved up to three times as quickly.
Do 70/71
The West German provider Roßmöller released in 1986 with Mach 70 and Mach 71 floppy speeders for the VC1570 and VC1571 respectively. The original version of Mach 70/71 consists of an additional circuit board that is connected to the expansion interface via a ribbon cable. Later variants, however, are connected to the user port. This means that the floppy disk drive accelerator can be operated at the same time as memory expansion, printers, modems and acoustic couplers. Up to four floppy disk drives can be accelerated under Mach 70/71 at the same time. The scope of delivery also included a patch with adaptations to the CP / M-Plus operating system so that the computer in CP / M mode can load and save almost twice as quickly using the 80-character graphics chip in 2 MHz mode. In addition to an additional board with the necessary electronics, the scope of delivery also included a ROM chip for the free slot of the C128 with copier and auxiliary programs. The VC1571 main processor MOS 6502A does not need to be removed for commissioning. Both versions for the stand-alone floppy disk drives VC1570 / 71 cost 259 DM, while the version for the desktop models cost 298 DM.
Professional DOS
In 1987, the West German company VTS Data GmbH released Professional DOS, a particularly fast floppy disk drive accelerator that can be used in all three operating modes. However, the speed increase in CP / M mode is comparatively small. Professional DOS was offered in two versions. The more expensive version, initially available for 298 DM and later reduced to 258 DM, can be connected to the expansion interface and allows a modem or acoustic coupler to be used at the same time. The version, initially at 239 DM, later 189 DM, which is cheaper and, due to the use of its own file format , much faster, is connected to the computer via the user port, but in contrast to the more expensive variant, it does not allow simultaneous remote data transmission. Both variants allow the use of the numeric keypad in the C64 mode. For installation, the VC1571 main processor MOS 6502A has to be removed from its socket and plugged into an additional board supplied, which has two EPROM chips with the operating software and is in turn connected to the processor socket via a ribbon cable. Main processors that are not socketed must be unsoldered before commissioning.
ProSpeed
The West German company Lamm Computersysteme brought the Prospeed 71 onto the market in 1987 and which can be connected to the user port, but does not run under CP / M, with a loading speed increased by a factor of 27, additional disk commands and an integrated copy program for 198 DM. When installing the additional board supplied the VC1571 main processor MOS 6502A does not need to be unsoldered. In addition, the operating software increases the software compatibility of the VC1571 with the predecessor model VC1541 by mirroring the extended zeropage from the memory address $2000, as some C64 programs access this area contrary to the manufacturer's recommendations. Under ProSpeed 71 , the numeric keypad of the C128 is also activated in C64 mode.
The even more powerful floppy speeder ProSpeed GTI for 248 DM , which works in both C64 and C128 mode, comes from the same company . Its successor ProSpeed GTI 2.0 , published in 1989, consists of an additional board and a. with an I / O module of the type MOS 6526 and a free slot for the operating system ROM to be removed from the motherboard in order to maintain the greatest possible software compatibility , which in turn is replaced by an EPROM chip with the fast data transfer routines of the ProSpeed diskette operating system and three copy programs must become. Since the ProSpeed floppy operating system has a higher degree of compatibility with the original Commodore DOS 3.0 of the C128 or C128D than the Commodore DOS 3.1 implemented in the C128D-CR, almost all programs that cannot be run on the C128D-CR in the delivery state can easily be run on a C128D- Operate the CR with ProSpeed GTI 2.0 without any problems.
Others
In 1986, the US provider Access Software published Mach 128 for US $ 49.95, a floppy speeder to be connected to the expansion interface with a utility package and its own fixed disk operating system routines, which can be used in both C64 and C128 modes and the loading times Accelerated approximately five to ten times in both operating modes.
With Magic Formula 128 from the West German company Grewe Computertechnik, another floppy speeder was released in 1988 for 238 DM.
Accelerator card
With the SuperCPU 128 (also SuperCPU v2) for US $ 259, Creative Micro Designs was the only hardware manufacturer to bring an accelerator card for the C128 on the market that was designed to increase the speed of the computer in March 1998, nine years after the end of production.
The module with a looped circuit board connector to be connected to the expansion interface has 256 kB of static RAM, up to 512 kB of ROM as well as an optionally switchable 16-bit main processor of the type Western Design Center 65816 (WDC 65816 for short) that can be connected to the MOS 6510 as well as MOS 8502 is downward compatible. The permanent memory contains the operating system routines required for the C64 or C-128 mode as well as the alternative disk operating system JiffyDOS to accelerate the connected disk drives. The accelerator card, which is equipped with its own status display, also has three toggle switches for switching the module on and off, activating the integrated floppy speeder and starting up the 20 MHz mode.
EPROM programmers
With the Quickbyte II and the Pulsar 128 the West German company Jann data technology and Roßmöller gave their own 8-bit EPROM - programmers out for the C128 mode. Both devices, also known colloquially as EPROM burners, are connected via the expansion interface. The Pulsar 128 also occupies the user port. Power is supplied to both burners via the computer. The operating software of the Pulsar 128 must be loaded from diskette, while that of the Quickbyte II is integrated into the device in the form of a ROM chip. The scope of delivery of both EPROM programming devices also included an additional software package with a machine language monitor and auxiliary programs for file management. The driver software of the Quickbyte II, which is equipped with a looped expansion interface, is automatically initialized when the computer is switched on. The operating software of the Quickbyte II, which can be used with a total of 24 different EPROM or EEPROM types, also has an optional quick loading program. However, the burner does not have a housing that protects the electronics.
The West German company Alcomp also offered an 8-bit EPROM programming device for the C128 mode. The device known as the C64 / C128-Eprommer, which can also be used in the C64 mode, has a square housing with an attached base for the EPROM chip and is connected to the user port of the C128, from which it also receives its operating voltage. The C64 / C128-Eprommer can be used with all EPROM types common at the time with a storage capacity of up to 64 kB and automatically recognizes the necessary programming voltage. The operating software for the C64 mode and the C128 mode was supplied on floppy disk and works with a window system .
Others
Numerous companies such as Alcomp, Dela Elektronik, Jann Datentechnik, Klemmer & Shoulder, Markt + Technik, Mükra, Message Computer, Rex Datentechnik or Roßmöller produced additional hardware accessories to be connected to the extension interface or the user port of the C128, such as for connecting printers and plotters and measuring devices required IEEE-488 interfaces, switching interfaces, operating system switching boards, EPROM banks, interface switches or multiple slots.
Roßmöller further developed with the models Stereo 128 is a stereo - sound card , CP / M 128 a faster than the C128-port of CP / M-Plus working CP / M-plug-in card, PAL 128 is a programming device for the logic gates and Shugart 128 a controller for up to four floppy disk drives for the C128. The engineering company Hollmann released an EPROM chip with a German character set for the CP / M mode. Another EPROM for pin sharp text output in 80-character mode called Graphic Editor 128 was released by Combo AG.
The US company Ketek offered the Command Center for US $ 149.95, an alternative housing with an integrated power supply unit and fan, in which a C128 and two VC1571 can be accommodated. The Command Center also has a telephone connection and a main power switch, which can be used to switch the computer and floppy disk drives on and off at the same time.
equipment
The West German company Idee-Soft brought a keyboard template with overviews of the command sets of the Commodore BASIC V7.0 and the machine language monitor onto the market. The keyboard POKEtemplate also contained information about the ASCII character code, the CP / M function codes, useful commands, auxiliary graphics for creating sprites and explanations of the error messages of the C128. In addition, plastic covers and vinyl dust covers were brought onto the market by various suppliers such as the US company Omicron Industries as part of the Classic Covers series.
software
The software available for the three operating modes of the C128 can be classified into system programs, native and optional high-level programming languages, low-level programming languages, learning programs, application programs and games. In total, an estimated 10,000 commercial programs that will run on the C128 have been developed and published.
At the time of the market launch there was already a very extensive range of software for the C64 mode, which covered a wide variety of areas of application, but made no use of the advanced hardware of the C128. The C128 mode, on the other hand, was neglected by the software houses to the annoyance of users. In particular in the area of games, the offer remained manageable. The lion's share of commercial software written for the C128 mode is made up of application programs such as word processors, graphics programs, CAD applications, database applications, tax and financial software, spreadsheets, and office applications.
For operation under CP / M-Plus there was free public domain software as well as numerous professional application programs, most of which came from US providers. In Europe, this application software was often difficult to obtain and, in addition, because of the high import costs, it was unaffordable for many end users. Most professional CP / M programs in West Germany in 1985 cost around 1,000 DM. From the fourth quarter of 1985, however, the prices for commercial CP / M applications fell to an average of around 200 DM. The reason for this was the increasing spread of Cost-effective CP / M computers such as the C128 or the home computer models of the Schneider CPC series, which temporarily once again for a significant increase in the user base of the CP, which has been available for ten years but is increasingly being replaced by MS-DOS and PC-DOS / M operating system.
System programs
Since the C128 has three operating modes that operate independently of one another with the C64 mode, the C128 mode and the CP / M mode, it has a correspondingly extensive system software . Its main task is to mediate between the user programs stored in the main memory and the hardware of the computer. For this purpose, the operating systems of the C128 each have their own system programs that take on various administrative and service functions. In addition to error processing, management includes, in particular, the control of data flows between microprocessors, main memory, keyboard and peripheral devices. The respective operating systems provide the user with services such as programming languages with interpreters , text editors and file management programs. In contrast to the CP / M mode, the system programs required for the C64 and C128 modes are in permanent memory and are therefore ready for use immediately after switching on. Due to the autonomy of the individual operating systems, changing from one operating mode to another is only possible to a limited extent and requires deleting the current program memory contents.
From 1986, the US software company Berkeley Softworks published the graphical user interface GEOS in separate versions for the C128 and C64 modes as a user-friendly and contemporary alternative to the three original, factory-implemented operating systems that use cumbersome command line interpreters and in-depth computer knowledge of the user. The C128 version GEOS 128 was the most popular software for the C128 in German-speaking countries.
C64 operating system
In the C64 mode there is almost complete software compatibility between the C64 and C128. In addition, the C128 can also be programmed in the C64 mode with the Commodore BASIC V2.0.
The 5¼ inch floppy disk drives of the types VC1570 and VC1571, which were specially developed for the C128, also have an operating mode that is matched to the C64 mode, in which they behave like a VC1541. However, some programs with a large number of diskette accesses or complex copy protection do not run properly on these models.
A special feature of the C128 is that various hardware features that were not available on the original C64 can be used in the C64 mode. For example, the 2 MHz clock frequency of the main processor MOS 8502 can also be used in this operating mode. As in the C128 mode, the VIC IIe graphics chip then switches off the video signal.
There are four ways to get into the C64 mode: First, when starting up the computer, press the Commodore key at the same time; second, you press the reset button and keep the Commodore button pressed; thirdly, in the C128 mode you simply enter the BASIC command GO64, press the return key and confirm the automatic security query; or fourth, you simply slide a C64 plug- in module into the expansion port before booting up and then switch on the computer. There is no way to switch directly from CP / M mode to C64 mode. From the C64 back to the C128 mode, you can only get through a reset or restart .
C128 operating system
The C128 mode represents the basic operating mode of the C128. The C128 operating system is responsible for the configuration of the hardware of the C128 and the Commodore BASIC V7.0. It consists of an operating system kernel ( CBM Kernal ) responsible for data, device and process management with 58 subroutines for various basic tasks such as setting the system parameters after switching on or processing interrupts, a text editor for entering BASIC commands and programs as well as a machine language monitor . This supports the user in creating programs in assembly language and has 14 instructions. In addition, the operating system kernel is responsible for executing all programs stored in the main memory. At the end of the memory area from $FF40to occupied by the operating system kernel, $FFF9there is a jump table with the entry addresses for calling the subroutines of the operating system. All operating system routines also used by the C64 have the same entry address as in the previous model in order to maintain software compatibility in the C128 operating system kernel. Also Zero Page and system variables are located at the usual forth from C64 places of memory.
After switching on or a hardware reset, first some BASIC routines and all operating system routines intended for use by application programs are copied from the permanent memory into a special 1 kB area of the main memory ( common area ). If the floppy disk drive is connected, an autoboot is also carried out. The start screen is then displayed and the BASIC interpreter waits for input from the user. Before starting the computer, you can choose between a screen display of 40 and 80 characters per line by pressing a button.
The C128 operating system, which is completely programmed in machine language, comprises around 16 kB of ROM. Of this, 12 kB is accounted for by the operating system kernel and jump table and 4 kB for the machine language monitor. The operating system software of the C128 has been revised several times, but all revisions contain the unchanged jump table of the CBM Kernal . That is why they are one hundred percent software-compatible with one another, assuming that no wild entries are made in the operating system, bypassing the jump table.
The BASIC command SYS32800,123,45,6, which is actually used to call up machine language programs, can be used to call up an Easter egg with the names of the developers of the C128 system software and the pacifist message “Link arms, don't make them” .
CP / M-Plus operating system
The third operating mode is the use of the diskette-based operating system CP / M-Plus ( Control Program for Microcomputers ) designed for 8-bit computers with a Z80 main processor and 128 kB working memory in both 40 and 80-character mode possible with the C128. However, CP / M operation on the C128 is only possible using the US ASCII character set, but not the country-specific character sets. The CP / M, developed from 1973 under the leadership of Gary Kildall , was first commercially available in 1975 in version 1.4 for computers with Intel 8080 main processors and 8-inch floppy drives by IBM and was finally registered as a separate brand by Digital Research in 1977. CP / M is considered the most successful platform-independent 8-bit operating system with the world's largest range of software. At the end of 1985, over 300 computer manufacturers worldwide were offering CP / M-capable computers, including the industry leader IBM.
Compared to the standard-setting predecessor CP / M 2.2 from 1979/80 (therefore also referred to as CP / M-80) designed for computers with a maximum of 64 kB RAM, the completely downward-compatible CP / M-Plus (also CP / M 3.0) from the 1983 expanded functionality with larger memory and additional commands and is tailored to smaller disk sizes such as 5¼ "or 3".
On August 1, 1985, the first C128 port of CP / M-Plus was published, which was part of the scope of delivery of the computer. In contrast to the majority of the CP / M-Plus versions implemented on other computers, it does not include a user-friendly assembler program or a debugger . The C128 port provides 59 kB of free program memory ( Transient Program Area , or TPA for short). The first update with additional printer support, but mistakenly omitted driver for the serial interface, appeared on December 8, 1985. Without additional software, therefore, under CP / M-Plus, no RS232C interface, necessary for remote data transmission via a modem, could be used.
On May 28, 1987, Commodore released the second and last, the 3½-inch VC1581 floppy disk drive as well as the memory expansions of the types 1700, 1750 and 1764 supporting CP / M-Plus-Update for the C128, whose TPA to accommodate the necessary system routines 58 kB had to be reduced. However, the update mistakenly does not contain the configuration program required to select the printer interface and the German character set.
Software architecture
Like all CP / M versions, the CP / M-Plus also consists of three components programmed in machine language: the monolithic operating system core BDOS ( Basic Disk Operating System ), the modular BIOS , which is responsible for regulating the input and output operations ( Basic Input / Output System ) as well as the command line interpreter CCP (English Console Command Processor ) serving as the user interface .
The BDOS uses 69 device-independent system routines that are identical in all CP / M-Plus computers with standardized entry addresses - the so-called BDOS functions - to control all diskette operations, keyboard interrogation, character output via monitor and printer and the main memory. Compared to the previous version CP / M 2.2, the CP / M-Plus has 28 new BDOS functions. The BIOS, which also uses fixed entry addresses and operates one level below the BDOS, acts as a link between the standardized BDOS functions and the manufacturer-specific hardware of the respective CP / M computer, in that, at the instigation of the operating system kernel, it has implemented its 30 subroutines to control the corresponding hardware components calls. This is why every CP / M computer also needs a proprietary BIOS. The BIOS of the C128 contains system routines in both the machine language of the Z80A and that of the MOS 8502. The subroutines written in the machine language of the MOS 8502 are responsible for controlling the keyboard, screen, printer and floppy disk drives and, if necessary, take control of the Z80A . They also allow access to both graphics chips and the sound chip of the C128.
Boot process and instruction set
Since the CP / M-Plus is not an operating system residing in permanent memory, it must first be booted from the diskette when the computer is started up. The CP / M-Plus operating system software comprises two files: While BDOS and BIOS CPM+.SYSare stored together under the same file name , the file contains CCP.COMthe command line interpreter CCP. The CP / M mode is accessed either by inserting the CP / M-Plus system diskette during a system reset or system restart or by entering the BASIC command BOOTwith the CP / M-Plus system diskette inserted from the Commodore BASIC V7.0 interpreter. The message appears on the screen during the upload Booting CP/M Plus. After starting up, the command line interpreter waits for input from the user. By holding down the Control key and the Enter key can be in the CP / M mode, a reboot of the CP / M-Plus operating system perform. From CP / M mode you can only return to the native C128 mode by pressing the reset button or restarting the system.
CP / M-Plus also has commands that are permanently loaded into the main memory and can be executed at any time (English resident commands ) and commands that are only loaded into the main memory when required (English transient programs ). The command set comprises a total of 31 commands. The six-memory commands DIR, DIRSYS, ERASE, RENAME, TYPEand USERare mainly related to files and disk operations. Basic commands such as transient DATE, HELP, INITDIR, SET, SETDEF, SHOWand SUBMITallow you to view system files, change data search paths, setting access rights on passwords and the use of time stamps to facilitate the archiving of files. The main advantage of moving the transient commands to diskette was the saving of memory space.
Storage organization and speed of work
The memory organization of the C128 differs in the CP / M mode from the other operating modes. Both memory banks share an 8 kB memory area ranging from $E000Hto $FFFFH, which acts as an interface between the memory banks that is accessible at any time by the main processor without bank switching . The shared memory area contains various hardware buffers, the unbanked components of BDOS and BIOS as well as a small, 3.5 kB part of the TPA. Memory bank one consists largely of the rest of the from $E0010to $0100Hlying TPA totaling 59 kB and also contains from $0000Hto $0100Hthe 256-byte base page (also zero page ), which is primarily used for communication between the operating system and user programs . The other banked components of BDOS and BIOS as well as the CCP are loaded into memory bank zero. The 4 kB BIOS components that do not belong to the common memory area are copied from $0000to $1000memory bank zero when they are uploaded from the MMU . The remainder of memory bank zero is taken up by the BDOS components that are not in the common memory area and a 4 kB buffer for the CCP by specific CP / M-Plus diskette command routines which, unlike the previous version, do not all have to be reloaded continuously from diskette CP / M-Plus provide a speed advantage over CP / M 2.2.
In CP / M mode, the C128 still works “relatively slowly”. The reasons for this are to be found in certain peculiarities of the system architecture of the C128. Compared to the usual CP / M 2.2, the more extensive and complex CP / M-Plus does not carry out the input and output operations itself, but leaves them to the main processor MOS 8502 . However, at 2.04 MHz, it is clocked much lower than normal CP / M computers, which usually run to 4 MHz. The Z80A CPU, which is fast in itself , has to run through numerous wait states until the MOS 8502 has processed these tasks. In addition, the C128 uses its serial interface for diskette access, which, however, takes longer to transfer data than conventional CP / M systems. Even when using the newly developed, fast 5¼-inch floppy disk drive VC1571, the average read / write speed is only a good 3 kB per second, while conventional CP / M systems reach around 20 kB. Working with extensive data sets was therefore often "a test of patience" for CP / M users. By using memory expansions such as the RAM expansion units of the types 1700 or 1750 as RAM disks, however, the working speed under CP / M-Plus can be increased ten to fifteen times.
Floppy operating systems
The two diskette operating systems Commodore DOS 3.0 (also CBM DOS 3.0) and Commodore DOS 3.1 (also CBM DOS 3.1) are firmware that are not in the permanent memory of the C128 itself, but in the ROM chips of the 5¼ specially developed for the computer -Inch floppy disk drive VC1571 or its variants integrated into the computer housing in the case of the desktop models C128D and C128D-CR. Both versions are the direct successors of the Commodore DOS 2.6 written for the VC1541 of the C64. The native Commodore BASIC V7.0 of the C128 has a total of 17 disk commands for convenient calling of the different functions of Commodore DOS 3.0 / 3.1. The two hard disk drives D9060 and D9090 developed for the office computers of the CBM series also have a floppy disk operating system called Commodore DOS 3.0, which is not identical to the system software of the VC1571.
Commodore DOS 3.0
The diskette system software of the Commodore DOS 3.0, launched in 1985 in three versions, comprises a total of 32 kB ROM. It occupies the address range from $8000to of $FFFFthe drive's own memory. The jump table of the Commodore DOS 3.0 is between $BF00and $BFFF. In order to ensure maximum compatibility with VC1541 in C64 mode contains the disk operating system of the Commodore 1571 in almost unchanged form in the address space of $C100up to $FFFFthe entire Commodore DOS 2.6 and in the address space of $8000up $BFFFto added subroutines of the new Commodore DOS 3.0. In between lies of $C000up to $C0FFan "unused blank area".
System routines, disk formats and instruction set
Only three really new functions have been added to the Commodore DOS 3.0 compared to its widespread predecessor.
Firstly, it was equipped with additional control routines for using the light barrier built into the VC1571 and for regulating the drive mechanism, which has two read / write heads.
Secondly, the Commodore DOS 3.0 was expanded to include system routines which, in addition to the GCR format ( Group Coded Recording ) implemented by Commodore up to then exclusively using the group-coded data recording method, allow the use of floppy disks in MFM ( Modified Frequency Modulation ) format . The MFM format generated with the help of a WD1770 floppy disk controller from Western Digital enables the VC1571 to exchange data with CP / M computers from Osborne , Kaypro (Kaypro II and IV), Epson and IBM (CP / M-86 ). The CP / M-86 format also allows data exchange with home computers of the Schneider CPC series , provided that additional secondary drives for 5¼ "or 3½" third-party disks are connected instead of the standard 3-inch floppy disk drives from Schneider. The utility program required for formatting in these disk formats was not integrated into the CP / M-Plus operating system software until the 1987 update. With the help of the Jugg'ler utility program , which is not part of the operating system software , a total of 170 CP / M disk formats can be processed, including numerous ECMA formats. Since the WD1770 floppy disk controller is compatible with its counterpart µPD765 from NEC and its derivatives used in the IBM-PC or IBM-PC XT and its derivatives, raw data can even be shared with IBM-PC-compatible computers using an additional utility program. With a storage capacity of up to 200 kB per disk side and a sector size of 1024 bytes, the MFM format exceeds the GCR format by a good 29 kB.
Thirdly, the Commodore DOS 3.0 received new bus routines for optimal use of the serial bus of the C128, which is significantly faster than the previous model. These bus routines enable the VC1571 to carry out read and write operations with high data throughput in the C128 mode as well as in the so-called burst mode , which was extremely fast at the time . With just one disk rotation, entire tracks can be read into the main memory at once in burst mode. The bus routines owe their speed to their comparatively simple structure.
The Commodore DOS 3.0 sometimes uses slightly different command parameters, but apart from one important exception it has the same command set as its predecessor Commodore DOS 2.6. The only thing that has been added is the versatile command used to set the device address, toggle between the VC1541 and VC1571 modes, activate the burst mode and set the distance between the sectors on the floppy disk „U0“. 31 Error messages make troubleshooting easier for the user.
Software architecture
The Commodore DOS 3.0 also consists of a main program and an interrupt routine . The main program used in the address range of $0000up $00FFlying Zero Page built-up in the Commodore 1571 CPU type MOS Technology 6502 (short MOS 6502) as a so-called "Job Memory," in all pending floppy commands and operations (English jobs ) including the necessary parameters for lane number , Sector number, disk side, etc. must be entered. The interrupt routine in turn emulates the logic functions of a full-fledged floppy disk controller, since many of the capabilities of the WD1770 from a third-party manufacturer, for example to control the drive mechanics, are not used at all by the Commodore DOS 3.0 and the two interface modules of the type built into the VC1571 are used MOS Technology VIA is just a simple “pseudo controller” with limited logic functions. The interrupt routine is called regularly via a timer and checks the job memory for commands to be executed. This process is also known as a “job loop”. After the command has been executed successfully, it leaves a message in the job memory, which informs the main program that the diskette operations have been carried out correctly. The job memory or the zeropage are located in the 2 kB main memory of the VC1571, which, in addition to the CPU registers of the MOS 6502, also contains numerous buffers for temporarily storing error messages, computer commands, file blocks that have just been processed, etc.
Since the VC1570 floppy disk drive can only use floppy disks on one side, it has its own version of the Commodore DOS 3.0, which is housed in a 32 kB ROM module with the number 315090-01. There are, however, two versions of the version programmed for the VC1571: The original on a ROM chip with the number 310654-03 and a later revision that has been corrected for errors, the problems that became known after the market launch, for example with the positioning of the read / write head on the second side of the disk or the BAM display ( Block Availability Map ) used to indicate the free diskette blocks has been removed and can be found on a ROM module with the number 310654-05. The revision significantly increases both the speed of data transfer and the stability of the floppy operating system. The corresponding ROM chip could be obtained from the Commodore customer service. Anyone who did not trust themselves to do the installation could also have the operation carried out free of charge in a Commodore customer workshop. To ensure full software compatibility, all versions of the Commodore DOS 3.0 contain identical versions of the jump table.
Commodore DOS 3.1
The Commodore DOS 3.1, completed in 1987, is the VC1571 floppy operating system designed for operation with the C128D-CR. To control the internal 5¼-inch floppy disk drive, in addition to two interface modules of the MOS Technology VIA type, an interface adapter of the MOS Technology CIA type with real-time clock acting as a bus controller was installed in the C128D , but its capabilities in operation are similar to those of the floppy disk controller WD1770 - can only partially be used in the form of its serial shift register, while at the same time the shift registers of the two interface modules remain unused. Before the market launch of the C128D-CR, Commodore revised the hardware of the C128D. Therefore, the MOS Technology CIA and the WD1770 have been combined to form the newly developed MOS 5710. This floppy disk controller was used exclusively in this model. The MOS 5710 reduced production costs and could also read and write the disk formats of the CP / M computers from Osborne, Kaypro, Epson and IBM. In contrast to the WD1770, however, the new floppy disk controller could not be programmed for other formats. The components of the 5¼-inch floppy disk drive embedded in the computer housing on the C128D are also integrated into the main board of the C128D-CR.
In addition to the interconnection, the original diskette system software also had to be adapted to the new, now more highly integrated hardware environment. From this adaptation the somewhat more extensive Commodore DOS 3.1 emerged, which contains some changed or shifted system routines as well as individual new jump instructions , for which previously unused areas of the hard drive are used. In addition, an error correction was carried out, as part of which the jump table, the job memory and the checksum routine were revised. In the C128 mode, however, these changes lead to crashes in some applications that run problem-free on the older model variants C128 with VC1571 and C128D that use the routines of the floppy operating system. In particular, programs that are close to the hardware and bypassing the jump table make entries into the diskette operating system - such as copy programs - often cause problems under Commodore DOS 3.1. Anyone who could not or did not want to reprogram the incompatible software for the C128D-CR by hand was ultimately forced to purchase an additional external VC1571 floppy disk drive containing the Commodore DOS 3.0.
The Commodore DOS 3.1 only exists in one version and is housed on a 32 kB ROM chip with the number 318047-01. Due to the orientation towards different hardware environments, it is not possible to replace defective ROM modules of the Commodore DOS 3.1 with the different versions of the Commodore DOS 3.0.
| Disk operations | BASIC commands |
|---|---|
| Formatting, cleaning and duplicating entire floppy disks |
HEADER, COLLECT, BACKUP
|
| View the diskette table of contents |
DIRECTORY
|
| Loading, saving and verifying programs |
DLOAD, DSAVE, DVERIFY
|
| Load and save binary machine language programs |
BLOAD, BSAVE
|
| Open and close files |
DOPEN, DCLOSE
|
| Access sequential and relative files |
APPEND, RECORD
|
| Delete, concatenate, rename and copy files |
SCRATCH, CONCAT, RENAME, COPY
|
Commodore DOS 10.0
The Commodore DOS 10.0 is the 32 kB ROM comprehensive, completely newly developed floppy operating system of the VC1581. The instruction set of the Commodore DOS 10.0 contains, in addition to all the instructions known from the Commodore DOS 2.6-3.1 versions, some additional functions, for example with regard to the burst mode, the formatting , the error messages or the search functions . The Commodore DOS 10.0 also uses a zeropage intended for addressing the memory cells of the drive. It is in the range from $0000to of $00FFthe RAM of the VC1581. Otherwise the memory organization of the Commodore DOS 10.0 is completely different from that of the previous versions and therefore leads to restrictions in compatibility. Above the zeropage is from $0100to $01FFthe stack memory and from $0200to $02FFan area reserved for variables. As the only 8-bit floppy operating system from Commodore, the Commodore DOS 10.0 has system routines for managing subdirectories as well as for using the MFM format of the IBM System / 34, which has already become an industry standard at this point in time and generated with the help of the WD1772 floppy disk controller 80 tracks per disk side and ten sectors per track. However, the diskette table of contents is not on track 18 as with the Commodore DOS 3.0 or 3.1, but on track 40, which also leads to compatibility problems. In addition, the Commodore DOS 10.0 is able to create up to 296 files per diskette, while all 8-bit diskette operating systems developed by Commodore up to that point can only manage up to 144 files.
The Commodore DOS 10.0 reserves 5 kB of the 8 kB RAM of the VC1581 for intermediate storage of the data read in from an entire disk track. This diskette track cache buffer is in the range from $0C00to $1FFFand allows fast data transfers to the main memory of the computer. However, it can also be used for other purposes, such as programming other, natively unreadable recording formats that are also based on the MFM process. Other 3½-inch diskette formats such as those of the IBM Personal System / 2 , the Atari ST or MS-DOS , for example, can be read in with little programming effort. In addition, the Commodore DOS 10.0 has an enlarged job memory available. As a result, it can open more files at the same time than the previous versions. The buffers consisting of nine 256 bytes each, u. a. The job memory responsible for the intermediate storage of the diskette table of contents comprises a total of 2,303 bytes and is in the range from $0300to $0BFF. The job memory can be programmed at the machine level with over 30 assembler commands (English job codes ) provided by the Commodore DOS 10.0 .
The Commodore DOS 10.0 also has its own autoboot function. In the event of a system reset or a system restart, the floppy operating system automatically searches for a user file with the file name COPYRIGHT CBM 86.USRon the floppy disk that has just been inserted, loads the relevant utility - if available - into the VC1581's main memory and then executes it. In addition, a self-test function is integrated in the Commodore DOS 10.0.
Only older programs for the C128 that are completely loaded into the main memory also run without problems under Commodore DOS 10.0. Software with jumps into the floppy operating system, on the other hand, crashes the computer because of the completely different structure of the Commodore DOS 10.0. The StarTexter 128 word processor, popular in West Germany, is one of the few programs that can run without any problems , while widespread software such as the diskette-based operating systems GEOS 128 and CP / M-Plus, the Superbase 128 and Datamat 128 databases , the Vizawrite 128 and Textomat 128 word processors or the Basic 128 compilers cannot easily be operated under Commodore DOS 10.0.
Graphical user interfaces
The mid-1980s became the mouse-driven graphical user interface (English Graphical User Interface , short GUI) of Apple Macintosh due to their use of icons and computer mice compared to the conventional text editors enhanced usability high popularity. Based on this model more GUIs including that of developed for other computer systems, Berkeley Softworks originating Graphic Environment Operating System (GEOS short). The GEOS 64 version developed in 1986 for the C64 soon also enjoyed great popularity. With GEOS 128, a GEOS port for the C128 mode was published the following year. By the beginning of 1990, the number of worldwide GEOS users who owned a Commodore computer had grown to 1.8 million. Of these, 70,000 were accounted for by one of the German-language versions of GEOS 64 or GEOS 128. Up to this point in time, including the GEOS applications that complement the graphical user interface, over 100,000 GEOS software products translated into German had been sold.
GEOS 128 version 1.3
In 1987, GEOS 128 Version 1.3 (GEOS 128 1.3 for short), a GEOS version written for the C128 mode, was presented for the first time at the CeBit held from March 4th to 6th in Hanover. From the end of May 1987 GEOS 128 should be available in stores. However, the market launch of the English-language version was delayed until October 1987. Essentially, GEOS 128 is a new edition of GEOS 64 geared towards the hardware improvements of the C128.
The scope of delivery of the GEOS version, which was developed for the standard resolution of 640 × 200 pixels of the C128 in 80-character mode, but in principle also runs in 40-character mode, included an integrated calculator function, a notebook and an alarm clock as well as the GeoPaint 128 paint program the GeoWrite 128 word processor, which works according to the WYSIWYG principle . For the version of the C128 produced for the German-speaking area, a ported version with a German character set was published. Various application programs have also been developed for operation under GEOS 128 1.3. In addition to the GeoSpell 128 spell checker, the GeoFile 128 file management program and the GeoCalc 128 spreadsheet were released in 1988 - all also from Berkeley Softworks. GeoCalc 128 works with high calculation accuracy and takes changes into account immediately, but does not allow the inclusion of images or graphics.
For operation, the GUI, which is not included in the scope of delivery of the C128, must first be booted from a system diskette. The Commodore disk drives VC1541, VC1571 or VC1581 can be used together with any version of the C128 in 80-character mode. Alternatively, the main board of the C128 can be equipped with a ROM containing the GEOS system software. Due to the main processor MOS 8502, which is clocked twice as high in 80-character mode, the larger main memory and the at least 16 kB dedicated graphics memory, all versions of GEOS 128 on the C128 run much faster than the original GEOS 64 on the C64. The additional use of memory expansions as a RAM disk increases the working speed significantly.
In addition to a computer and VC1541 floppy disk drive, the minimum system requirements also include an 80-character monitor with RGBI connection and either a joystick or a mouse as an input device. However, GEOS 128 1.3 has been optimized for operation with the VC1571 or VC1581 floppy disk drives in burst mode as well as the memory expansions of the type 1700 or 1750. The GUI can be used with speed losses but also without them. The original version of GEOS 128 was programmed by Jim Defrisco, Brian Dougherty, Dave Durran, Michael Flarr, Doug Fults, Chris Hawley, Clayton Jung and Tony Requist.
GEOS 128 version 2.0
In 1989, the improved, fully software-compatible GEOS 128 Version 2.0 (GEOS 128 2.0 for short) was officially presented at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas from January 7th to 10th. This revision of GEOS 128 was also published in a German version. The minimum system requirements have not changed compared to the previous version. For optimal operation, in addition to a mouse and a 512 kB memory expansion, the use of a printer with graphics capability is recommended. The manufacturer's recommended retail price for GEOS 128 2.0 was US $ 69.95 or DM 139. For DM 79, owners of the previous version could purchase an upgrade to GEOS 128 2.0. About half of North American C128 owners used a version of GEOS 128 on their computers in 1989.
The extended functionality of GEOS 128 2.0 includes color-coded file types, the possibility of multiple selection of files and a utility program for printer customization. GeoWrite 128 has been expanded to include an improved version of the GeoSpell 128 spell checker , editing functions such as superscript and subscript text as well as numerous printer drivers. With GeoPaint 128 images can now also be distorted. Both applications can only be run in 80-character mode. Without a memory expansion, however, they run relatively slowly and the paint program tends to deform when creating graphics. GeoPaint 128 works with a maximum resolution of 640 × 720 pixels, of which, however, due to hardware restrictions, only a 640 × 145 pixel section can be displayed on the screen.
In addition, other GEOS applications such as the text processing GeoMerge, which specializes in writing serial letters , or the GeoLaser printer driver, which is designed for operation with laser printers , have been integrated into the system software. With GeoChart 128 , a program for the graphic display of statistics was also released, GeoDex 128 an address management system, GeoTerm 128 a terminal emulation for remote data transmission at 1,200 baud, and GeoPublish 128 a desktop publishing program. GeoTerm was first developed in April 1988 for operation under GEOS 64 as a listing for typing, one year later in a bookware version that can also run under GEOS 128 in the 80-character mode of the C128 with extended functionality, greater user-friendliness and a 4 kB version published increased buffer memory. GeoPublish also appeared in 1988 - still without the addition "128" in the title - initially in a German-language version that only worked with 40 characters per line.
Finally, with the GeoProgrammer , a development environment for GEOS software with assembler ( GeoAssembler ), linker ( GeoLinker ) and debugger ( GeoDebugger ) was published. In the C128 mode, GeoProgrammer can only be operated with 40 characters per line. The already mentioned GEOS application GeoWrite 128 serves as the editor under GeoProgrammer . The GeoProgrammer allows the use of so-called VLIR files (abbreviation for Variable Length Index Record ), which allow the programming of GEOS software that is only partially resident in the main memory and, if necessary, allow additional data to be easily reloaded from diskette. It is also possible to include graphics in the source code. With the MegaAssembler , Markt + Technik Verlag brought out another development environment for GEOS software with a similar scope of services.
GEOS 64
In the C64 mode, all official versions of GEOS 64 - i.e. the versions 1.2, 1.3 and 2.0 successively published from 1986 to 1988 - including all applications can be operated on the C128 without any problems. In contrast to the C64C , a revision of the C64 from 1986 inspired by the design of the C128, which included GEOS 64, GEOS 64/128 had to be purchased by users of the C128. GEOS 64 and GEOS 128 are largely software-compatible with one another. Those who already owned GEOS 64 could purchase an upgrade to GEOS 128 for US $ 22.
Native high level programming languages
Commodore BASIC V7.0
The Commodore BASIC V7.0, a greatly expanded version of the Commodore BASIC V2.0 used in the predecessors Commodore VC 20 (VC20 for short) and C64, is used as the factory-installed programming environment in C128 mode . The interpreter of the Commodore BASIC V7.0 residing in the permanent memory is available immediately after switching on and occupies 28 kB ROM. With 122,365 bytes it provides the user with roughly twice as much program memory as the Commodore Plus / 4 and a good three times as much program memory as the C64.
Commodore BASIC V7.0 has an extensive instruction set comprising 162 instructions which, in addition to all commands, instructions , functions and variables of the previous versions Commodore BASIC V2.0, V3.5 and V4.0, contains further commands for structured programming , error handling, sound and includes graphics generation, floppy disk drive control, and memory expansion management . An easy-to-use sprite editor is also part of the basic equipment. A total of 14 instructions such as COLOR, DRAWor PAINTare used exclusively to generate graphics. Also shapes can be programmed. Even windows can be WINDOWset up in both 40 and 80 character mode with the help of the command . However, the Commodore BASIC V7.0 does not contain any graphic commands for programming the high-resolution 80-character graphic chip MOS 8563. Program lines can be up to 160 characters long. The MONITORmachine language monitor integrated in the system software can be called with the command . 41 coded error messages are available for troubleshooting.
With the help of the commands SLOWand FASTthe clock frequency of the main processor MOS 8502 can be set to either 1 MHz or 2 MHz. When operated at 2 MHz, the Commodore BASIC V7.0 of the C128 is a good twice as fast as the Commodore BASIC V3.5 of the Commodore Plus / 4. The operating speed of the much simpler Commodore BASIC V2.0 is also exceeded by the BASIC dialect of the C128 in the benchmark test . However, the speed advantage compared to this variant of the Commodore BASIC used in the successful models VC20 and C64 is only a good third, which can only be achieved in 2 MHz mode. In the 1 MHz mode required for displaying graphics and sprites, however, the Commodore BASIC V7.0 is significantly slower, as it requires more time to decode the much more extensive instruction set and the BASIC interpreter does not have direct memory access for bank switching, but rather must first call up special switching routines for this. Paradoxically, the Commodore BASIC V7.0 is both the fastest and the slowest native BASIC dialect implemented on a Commodore computer.
However, the benchmark results differ from one another depending on the area of application. With arithmetic functions or complex calculations in the basic arithmetic operations, for example, the Commodore BASIV V7.0 is about twice as fast in 2 MHz mode as the Commodore BASIC V2.0, while both BASIC dialects operate at about the same speed when displaying on the screen. The BASIC dialects of competing 16-bit computers, such as the Omikron BASIC of the Atari ST series, the AmigaBASIC V2.0 of the Amiga 500 or the GW-BASIC V3.22 of the IBM PC AT, work significantly faster .
Commodore BASIC V2.0
In the C64 mode, the C128 can be programmed without restrictions in the Commodore BASIC V2.0 developed for the VC20 and the C64. The improved C128 hardware can also be integrated into programs using certain programming tricks. These programs do not run error-free on the C64 due to the different hardware and can cause the computer to crash.
Optional high level programming languages
In addition to the native dialects of the Commodore BASIC, a number of other high-level programming languages appeared for the C128, including dialects of the programming languages BASIC , C , COBOL , COMAL , Forth , Fortran , Lisp , Pascal , PILOT and Prolog . These optional high-level programming languages either appeared on convenient plug-in modules and are ready for use immediately after switching on or must first be loaded into the main memory from a diskette or compact cassette. Loading from floppy disk is the norm.
BASIC
At the time of the market launch, almost all home computers had their own BASIC dialect residing in permanent memory, the command line interpreter of which served as the user interface in everyday life. Due to the great penetration of the market with BASIC variants of all kinds, numerous BASIC expansions and BASIC compilers for the native Commodore BASIC V7.0 have been developed. Several independent BASIC dialects and compilers were also published for the CP / M mode.
Extensions of the native Commodore BASIC V7.0
Since the command set of the native Commodore BASIC V7.0 does not contain any graphic commands for the 80-character mode, in 1986 Patech Software, then later Free Spirit Software, released a BASIC 8.0, the 53 additional BASIC extension, which was deliberately not copy-protected and available on diskette BASIC commands as well as 32 new graphic modes and on top of that even contains 3D graphic commands that were unusual for the time . In addition, BASIC 8.0 supports the use of memory expansions, printers, joysticks and computer mice. In addition, BASIC 8.0 is one of the few commercial programs that uses the entire graphics memory of the C128D-CR as a RAM disk. All instructions of this commercial BASIC extension for the C128, probably the best known in the United States, can be used in BASIC programs together with the instruction set of the Commodore BASIC V7.0. All BASIC 8 commands begin with an at-sign in front of them , for example @PAINTto fill in closed areas with certain colors or patterns or @MODEto call up the graphic modes mentioned. BASIC 8.0 cost US $ 39.95; for an additional charge of US $ 19.95, the software could also be purchased in the form of a ROM chip that saves loading times.
With Hyper-BASIC , a BASIC extension appeared as a plug-in module in West Germany. In addition, Macro Basic Highway ( MB Highway for short ) from the company System & User Software Hermann-Josef Bernd is one of the BASIC extensions of the C128 developed in West Germany. The MB Highway , also available in the form of a plug-in module, offers over 200 new commands for structured programming, screen management, string handling, memory management, table processing, file and window management and the option of using interrupt-controlled subroutines.
BASIC compiler for the native Commodore BASIC V7.0 and its extensions
In addition to these BASIC extensions, numerous BASIC compiler packages for the C128 were released. Data Becker and Abacus Software published the Basic 128 Compiler by Thomas Helbig as early as 1985 , which optimizes programs written in Commodore BASIC V7.0, transfers them at a speed of 1–2 kB per minute either in P-code or machine language and also has an integrated development environment contains. Under Basic 128 , 64 kB of storage space is available for the source code. In Austria a year later, Digimat's Austro-Comp 128 was released, another compiler that also accepted the instruction sets for BASIC extensions . The storage capacity available for the source code is 64 kB under Austro-Comp 128 . Skyles Electric Works also brought with Blitz! 128 out a BASIC compiler with a comparable scope of performance. Further BASIC compilers appeared with the Gnome Speed Compiler 128 from SM Software, the SM Compiler 128 also from SM Software, PetSpeed 128 from Oxford Computer Systems and Zoom! 128 from Abacus.
BASIC dialects and BASIC compiler for the CP / M mode
Several BASIC dialects and compilers have been developed for the CP / M mode. Digital Research brought out the CBASIC compiler distributed in West Germany by Markt + Technik Verlag . This optionally allows programming without line numbers and works with local variables . 56 kB of working memory is available for the source code. The C128 port from CBASIC can also process strings with a length of up to 32 kB and supports structured programming through the use of multi-line functions and procedures with transferring parameters. Furthermore, subroutines can be individually translated and kept ready in libraries for use in different programs. The CBASIC compilations can be run immediately. In addition, Markt + Technik Verlag in West Germany published a version of Microsoft BASIC (also MBASIC ) equipped with an interpreter, compiler, linker, cross-reference list, program library and convenient Z80A macro assembler . During their creation, programs can be tested by the interpreter before they are translated into machine language by the compiler. The source code can be up to 56 kB long. The execution of programs under Microsoft BASIC takes three to four times as much time as in C128 mode under Commodore BASIC V7.0 due to the low clock rate of the Z80A in CP / M mode.
The BASIC development environment Nevada BASIC comes from Comfood . The compilations of the interpreter can also be run immediately, but in contrast to other BASIC dialects, only sequential, but no relative or index files can be used. Under Nevada BASIC , approx. 40 kB of working memory is available for the source code. In addition, E-BASIC was a powerful BASIC compiler programmed by Gordon Eubanks for CP / M mode as public domain software.
C.
Abacus brought in early 1986 with Super C a dialect of the times for system programming used, procedural and assembler programming near C out. The software package supplied contains a programming environment with editor, compiler and linker . For source texts, up to 41 kB of free program memory is available under Super C, and a maximum of 53 kB for the object code. The software also supports the use of RAM disks, for example when operating with memory expansions. Another C dialect called Power C comes from Spinnaker Software .
In West Germany, Markt + Technik Verlag and Data Becker published the C programming environments Small C and Profi C 128 . Small C comprises an editor, compiler, assembler, linker, loader , archive management program with C function library and numerous auxiliary programs for the second processor Z80A in CP / M mode. The memory space available for the source code is 56 kB. Profi C 128 has a similar scope of performance as Small C and has a user interface based on the CP / M operating system with command line interpreter, although this C dialect was developed for the main processor MOS 8502 in C128 mode.
COBOL
In 1986, Abacus published COBOL 128, a dialect of the procedural high-level compiler language COBOL ( Common Business Oriented Language ) intended for commercial applications and based on the standard English language . The scope of delivery includes an editor, a compiler, an interpreter, a debugger and several utilities, for example for optimizing the program code. COBOL programs written on the C64 can be easily transferred to the C128 using the included service programs. With VS128COBOL , Visionary Software has also developed a COBOL offshoot with a comparable scope of services.
Comfood brought out the COBOL dialect Nevada COBOL for operation under CP / M-Plus. Its compilations, however, can only be run with a loader program and only allow the use of sequential and relative files.
COMAL
In 1987, Markt + Technik Verlag published COMAL 80 , an editor and interpreter for the higher-level programming language COMAL , which was developed and supported by structured programming for beginners, but is only rarely used today as a public domain version. This COMAL dialect is characterized by the possibility of using RAM disks as well as special graphics and sound commands. A relatively generous 80 kB of program memory is available for the source code. In addition, the West German company Belz released a cartridge called Comal-80 with an interpreter, editor, graphics and sound commands, RAM disk support and around 40 kB of free program memory.
Forth
In 1986 the West German publisher Holtkötter brought out C-128-Forth, a version of the imperative , stack-based and machine-level programming language Forth with a compiler, interpreter, debugger and RAM disk function. The advantages of the Forth dialect written for the C128 include the tenfold increase in operating speed compared to the native Commodore BASIC V7.0 and the easy expandability of the basic command set. Another Forth dialect with additional graphics and sound commands was published by Markt + Technik Verlag under the simple title Forth . In addition, with FORTH-83, a Forth implementation with assembler, decompiler and editor capable of multitasking , developed by Henry Laxen and Michael Perry, was available as public domain software for CP / M mode.
Fortran
Comfood published with Nevada Fortran a version of the procedural programming language Fortran , which is mainly used for numerical calculations in science and research, for the C128 in CP / M mode. The Nevada Fortran software package includes compilers, linkers and auxiliary programs and allows subroutines to be integrated in machine language. The compilations of Nevada Fortran can only be run with a loader and only sequential files are supported.
Lisp
Tesco brought a dialect of the functional , procedural high-level interpreter language Lisp , often used experimentally for programming artificial intelligence (AI), under the title Lisp / 80 . The Lisp / 80 software package contains an editor, a linker and some auxiliary programs. However, neither graphics commands nor the integration of subroutines in machine language are supported. The Lisp dialect XLISP , which is published as public domain software for the CP / M mode and supports object-oriented programming as well as AI functions, comes from the American David Betz .
Pascal
Pascal dialects for the C128 mode
Systems Software brought out Oxford Pascal 128, a version of the widespread high-level procedural compiler language Pascal , which was later reissued by Free Spirit . The Super Pascal 128 , a comfortable programming environment including editor and assembler, which was developed in cooperation with Data Becker and was created in 1986 by Abacus . This Pascal dialect is a further developed C128 port of Super Pascal 64 with an expanded range of functions . The scope of delivery also included numerous utility programs, for example for debugging, generating graphics, using RAM disks or supporting the burst mode of the VC1571 floppy disk drive. With Kyan Pascal 128, Kyan Software released another Pascal dialect with a comparable scope of services. In addition to an additional macro assembler, the software package supplied also included a crash course for learning to program in Pascal.
Markt + Technik Verlag also released its own Pascal version with Pascal C128 . This has a compiler, editor, linker, graphics and sound commands, but only 22 kB of program memory for the source code and only supports relative and sequential files. To do this, machine language routines can be integrated into the Pascal programs. With Profi-Pascal Plus, Data Becker published another Pascal dialect with graphic commands, sound commands, linker, editor and fast compiler. Under Profi-Pascal Plus , the integration of machine language routines and the use of RAM disks with a storage capacity of up to 58 kB is also possible.
Pascal dialects for CP / M mode
With Pascal / MT +, Digital Research developed a Pascal dialect with a programming environment for use in the business area for the computers of the Scheider CPC series, which was distributed in West Germany by Markt + Technik Verlag and also ported to the C128 in the CP / M Mode is executable. A total of 59 kB is available for the source code. Borland brought a version of the Turbo Pascal known for its speed, also running under CP / M, onto the market early on. Later versions of Turbo Pascal with only 27 kB of storage capacity for the source code were distributed by Tesco, Heimsoeth and Markt + Technik Verlag. Another C128 port of a CP / M Pascal dialect with, however, a rather limited set of instructions is entitled Nevada Pascal and was published by Comfood and Tesco. With the JRT Pascal developed by the American James Robert Tyson, a powerful public domain Pascal programming environment with editor, compiler, assembler and linker for the CP / M mode was also released. The special features of JRT Pascal include external procedures that can be loaded from floppy disk.
PILOT
For the CP / M mode, Tesco also released an offshoot of the high-level interpreter language PILOT , which is used to develop exercises, tests and interactive learning programs for computer-aided learning . The C128 port of this programming language, which is rarely used today, is called Nevada PILOT . It does not include graphics commands for 80-character mode or RAM disk support and was only available on floppy disk.
prolog
With E-Prolog , a version of the logical , declarative high-level interpreter language Prolog, which is often used in AI research and which runs under CP / M-Plus and written by the American GA Edgar, was published as public domain software. In addition, the VALGOL Compiler was released, a compiler programmed in E-Prolog for VALGOL, a dialect developed by the American programmer Dewey Val Schorre and belonging to the family of ALGOL programming languages.
Assembly language
The best possible utilization of the computer hardware is only possible through the use of machine-level assembler language , whose programs run faster and, on top of that, use less memory than those written in higher programming languages. This requires an assembler , i.e. a translation program that transfers the program instructions of the source text written in assembly language into the direct binary code of the machine language . The result of this translation process is known as object code . Programs in assembly language are not only more compact, they are also considerably faster to execute than those in high-level programming languages. Compared to the even faster machine language, they also have the advantage of being easier to use thanks to the use of easily remembered abbreviations taken from the English vocabulary - the so-called mnemonics . In the 1980s, budding programmers and hobbyists mostly preferred the lower-performing, but more comfortable, high-level programming languages. The BASIC dialects, which are often integrated into the system software of the common computer models, and the numerous offshoots of the programming languages ALGOL, COBOL and Pascal were particularly popular.
MOS 8502 assembler
Click Here Software brought out the integrated development environment Buddy 64/128 Assembly Development System with editor, assembler, linker and numerous utilities. This programming environment, originally conceived for the C64 and later expanded for operation with the C128, allows the translation of assembler programs both into the machine language of the main processor MOS 8502 and into that of the secondary processor Z80A. Spinnaker also published this programming environment, written by Chris Miller, under the title Better Working: Power Assembler . Further programming environments with a comparable scope of performance, but exclusively focusing on the machine language of the main processor MOS 8502, appeared with the JCL Assembler and Program Development System from JCL Software, the Karma Assembler 64/128 from PHD Software, the C-128 Midnight Assembly System from Mountain Wizardry Software , the Rebel Assembler / Editor from Nu Age Software and the Total Software Development System from NoSync Software, which includes additional utilities for developing sprites and audio files . With Merlin 128, Robert Wagner Publishing published a non-copy-protected software package with a macro assembler and disassembler that can only run in 80-character mode . For the source text, up to 35 kB of free program memory is available under Merlin 128 .
The Dutch software company Radarsoft published a comparable program package called Fast 128 . In West Germany in late 1985 came top ace in Markt + Technik Verlag also a programming environment for assembly language for the price of 89 DM out, in addition to the 1,987 still a programming course for self-study called Top Ace Plus appeared. In addition to editor, macro assembler, machine language monitor and disassembler, Top-Ass Plus also contains information about illegal opcodes and errors in the main processor MOS 8502. Commodore itself only published the development environment C128 Developers Package with editor, assembler and macro assembler for 50 US $ in autumn 1988 .
Z80A assembler
With C128-Learn, the Holtkötter company published an introduction to the machine language of the second processor Z80A along with a software package consisting of a machine language monitor , assembler and disassembler . With the C128-Macro and C128-Profi , Holtkötter also released a macro assembler and an additional program library for the Z80A. The C128 macro software package written for CP / M mode contains a compiler and an editor. Assembler programs are not saved as a whole as usual, but in the form of screens that correspond to the content of a screen page. The C128-Profi program library also contains a powerful auxiliary program that enables the display of color graphics in 80-character mode, which is not otherwise provided by the CP / M-Plus operating system, and access to the 80-character graphics chip in CP / M mode . In addition, a Z80A assembler development environment including an editor appeared as a public domain software package with the assembler ZMAC , the linker ZLINK , the interactive disassembler DASM and the debugger ZMON .
Tutorials
For students of psychology, the Psychology Laboratory on a C-128 , developed in 1989 by CR Leith, SL Bums and H. Hamm at Northern Michigan University , was published with sophisticated graphics and numerous worksheets for self-study.
Application programs
Numerous commercial application programs have appeared for the C128 mode and operation under CP / M-Plus , including word processors , graphics programs , CAD applications, database applications , control and financial software, spreadsheets and office applications for professional use of the computer in various business areas.
Word processing programs
With Vizawrite 128 , Solid State Software brought out a correspondingly fast porting of the word processor, which was already successful on the C64 under the name Vizawrite , which was programmed in machine language based on the model of the Z80-based Wang Word Processor System by Kevin Lacy . The Vizawrite 128 , equipped with pull-down menus , a window system , a pocket calculator function, a convenient printer control, a dictionary with over 30,000 entries and a copy protection module, was very expensive at 348 DM, so the West German distributor offered owners of the C64 version a price reduction for the German-language edition . Vizawrite 128 also supports an RS232C interface, has a mail merge function and has a text memory of 56 kB.
Other word processors appeared in the English-speaking world with Wordpro 128 from Spinnaker, The Write Stuff from Busy Bee Software, Fleet System 4 from Professional Software, the Trio 128 from Softsync originally developed for the Apple II , the 57 fonts including a German one via a character set editor character set and numerous printer driver enacting FontMaster 128 of Xetec and Word Writer 128 Time Works. A desktop publishing program called News Maker 128 suitable for the 80-character screen of the C128 comes from Free Spirit . The US computer magazine Compute! 'S Gazette also published the purely diskette-based SpeedScript 128 programmed by Robert Kodadek with 51 kB text memory, 12 kB text buffer for the clipboard of document parts and search function in the October 1987 issue for typing. In September 1989, the successor version SpeedScript 128 Plus developed by Michael Gruber with an expanded instruction set and improved editing options was published at the same place .
Commodore itself, in collaboration with Precision Software, released the menu-driven, easy-to-use Superscript 128 with 80 kB text memory, up to 240 characters per line and mail merge function. Files created with Superscript 128 could also be used by the Superbase 128 file manager - and vice versa. Commodore also released a software package called Jane, which includes the Janewrite word processor , the Janecalc spreadsheet and the Janelist data management system . Batteries Included HomePak 128 has similar features, but instead of a spreadsheet, it uses a telecommunications program.
The Markt + Technik Verlag published the Protext 128 , which had previously been developed for the C64 and the CBM office computer, is extremely powerful for its low price of 89 DM and equipped with 60 kB of text memory, hyphenation and a 25,000-entry dictionary for spelling correction . Protext 128 also has a split-screen function, an integrated spreadsheet and its own programming language, which allows recursions and nesting known from the Pascal programming language . The even more cost-effective Master-Text 128 , intended primarily for beginners, with 64 kB of text memory, window system, mail merge function, pocket calculator function and programmable phrases comes from Markt + Technik. One of the strengths of Master-Text 128 is the coordination with the Commodore memory expansions of the types 1700, 1750 or 1764 used as intermediate storage for texts.
Sybex published the StarTexter 128 , which is equipped with 60 kB of text memory, five character sets and a mail merge function, for the West German market. The StarTexter 128 package also included a self-study course for beginners in the field of word processing. Data Becker brought out the text processing Textomat Plus 128 , which works with 80 kB of text memory, graphic printing, separation suggestions and remote data transmission . The Stark Verlag published with SV-text one aimed at use in schools and universities, creating worksheets, theses with contents and index and cataloging of sources facilitating word processor.
Markt + Technik Verlag also published a German-language version of the WordStar 3.0 word processor for the CP / M mode, which came from MicroPro and was standard- setting in the first half of the 1980s . WordStar 3.0 allows the management of footnotes and has extensive editing functions. The text editor works with 256 characters per line, has a mail merge function and has 60 kB of text memory. The operation, which usually takes place via key combinations with the control key, however, requires a longer period of familiarization. In addition, the WordStar 3.0 text editor works comparatively slowly.
When appropriately equipped with a powerful printer and good software, the C128 was considered in the field of word processing to be on a par with the much more expensive IBM PC-compatible machines and personal computers. However, depending on the word processing program used, you occasionally had to compromise on ease of use, for example with regard to certain editing functions such as taking upper and lower case letters into account when searching for keywords, displaying different fonts on the screen or integrating graphics.
Graphics programs and CAD applications
Free Spirit brought the mouse-controlled drawing programs Sketchpad 128 and the more powerful Spectrum 128 onto the market , designed for the standard resolution of 640 × 200 pixels of the 80-character graphics chip . The latter, like News Maker 128, only runs on the C128D-CR without expanding the VRAM, since the applications mentioned use the graphics memory that is ex works to a full 64 kB only in this model variant. Other graphics programs with a similar scope of performance appeared with 3D Graphics Drawing Board from Glentop Publishers, Colorez-128 from B-Ware Computer Systems, Ipaint from Living Proof Software, Page Illustrator 128 from Patech Software, Poster Maker 128 from Free Spirit and Spray Paint 128 from PHD Software systems. In West Germany, the command- controlled StarPainter 128, which can be operated by joystick or mouse, with editors for sprites, fonts and fill patterns was published by Sybex in 1987. In addition, the paint program allows the combination of graphics and text and contains drivers for operation with almost all printer models common at the time. The major disadvantage of StarPainter 128 is its limitation to the 40-character VIC IIe graphics chip. Markt + Technik Verlag brought out the paint program Paint ROIAL , which can be controlled by a joystick or a mouse and has a maximum resolution of 640 × 192 pixels . Paint ROIAL is easy to use and can be operated in both black and white and color modes .
With CadPak 128, Abacus released a mouse-controlled CAD application that also required a fully equipped graphics memory with a maximum resolution of an impressive 640 × 360 pixels in interlace mode and the possibility of using two monitors in 40 and 80 character mode at the same time. Micro Aided Designs brought out the equally mouse-controlled CAD program Technological Highbred Integrated System ( THIS for short ), which also supports the use of an additional light pen . In THIS is one of the least expensive of home to use with one of the right memory upgrade of the types 1700, 1750 and 1764 oriented commercial programs for the C128 mode. The CAD application Home Designer, which was written in 1987 for architects and interior designers and is also provided with mouse control, comes from K&K Software . In West Germany, Markt + Technik Verlag published the CAD application High-Screen-CAD C128, which works with an optional resolution of 640 × 200 pixels in black and white mode and 640 × 176 pixels in color mode, and is equipped with an integrated drawing and sprite editor . The control is mainly done via the keyboard, which is why the High-Screen-CAD C128 is particularly suitable for making technical drawings.
Database applications
Cardinal Software released the Flex File 128 database application that allows management of up to 7,000 data records and the use of up to 20 search criteria . Solid State Software brought a machine-written and correspondingly fast software package called Vizastar 128 with data management, spreadsheet and painting program on the market. With Data Manager 128 , a data management system from Timeworks also appeared. Other database programs were Datafiler 128 from Free Spirit with a maximum of 5,000 data records, the inexpensive but powerful DFile 128 from Michaelsoft, Paperback Filer 128 from Digital Solutions, Record Master 128 from Woodsoftware and Ultrabase 128 from Gold Disk. Commodore itself brought in cooperation with Precision Software launched the relational database program Superbase 128 , which is very successful in Europe . The menu-driven Superbase 128 has its own, easy-to-learn programming language, 62 kB of working memory and can be used for data management as well as for table calculation and invoicing.
The file management program StarDatei, equipped with German-language menu control, comes from Sybex . With Prodat 128, Markt + Technik Verlag published an inexpensive database application with a similar scope of services intended for beginners. For the same home is also in place of Prodat 128 designed, menu-driven file management Prodatei 128 with powerful search system, extensive printer support on the CBM bus and its own programming language with 30 instructions. Data Becker developed the comparatively inexpensive database Datamat 128, controlled by pull-down menus, and its successor, Datamat Plus 128, at DM 99. Both versions, however, neither have their own programming language nor extensive options for evaluating data records. For the CP / M mode, Markt + Technik Verlag also published the standard-setting relational database system dBase II developed by Ashton-Tate in a German version. The range of services of the dBase II , which can be operated via the command line interpreter , also includes its own programming language for processing and linking data records.
Tax and finance software
CMS Software Systems released a four-disk financial accounting program called CMS Accounting System , aimed at medium and large-sized businesses, for general ledger, payroll , cost accounting , invoicing, accounts payable and accounts receivable . In addition, with CMS Inventory 128, an application program for the management of stock levels could be acquired. Softsync also developed two financial accounting programs: Personal Accountant for small businesses and Accountant, Inc. for medium-sized businesses. Another small business financial accounting program called The Accountant appeared on KFS Software. With Faktustar 128 the company Willi Fornoff Soft brought out a program package intended for medium-sized companies for issuing delivery notes and invoices, keeping customer files, cash books and stock lists as well as writing business letters. The System Support Program 128 ( SSP-128 for short ) offered by Jean-Daniel Lehmann Software & Service offers a comparable scope of services, but also allows the integration of software from other manufacturers, for example in the field of word processing programs.
In addition, numerous programs for private financial accounting, the preparation of tax returns and personal portfolio management appeared , including Checkbook 128 from Nu Age Software, Finance and Statistics from Cardinal Software, Money Master from PRG Software, Personal Portfolio Manager 128 and the Technical Analysis System 128 from Abacus as well as Swiftax 128 and Sylvia Porter's Personal Financial Planner from Timeworks. In West Germany, Markt + Technik Verlag launched the financial accounting program for CP / M mode, which is suitable for creating charts of accounts , evaluating sales tax or cost center accounting . The program Privat-87 , which is also running under CP / M and is used to create the annual wage tax adjustment, comes from Dialog-Partner, an updated version of which appeared every year ( Privat-88 , Privat-89 , etc.).
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets were offered for the C128 partly as individual programs, partly as part of more extensive software packages. The pure spreadsheets include Swiftcalc 128 from Timeworks, SwiftSheet 128 from Cosmi Corporation and Paperback Planner 128 (initially also marketed under the title Pocket Planner 128 ) from Digital Solutions. Software packages with spreadsheets and other utilities such as word processors or database applications appeared with Rhapsody 128 from King Microware, Trio 128 from Softsync and Personal Choice Collection from Activision . The Multiplan C128 , a version of the classic Microsoft Multiplan ported to the C128 in CP / M mode by the publisher Epyx , which specializes in computer games, was not commercially successful . Multiplan C128 suffered from a slow data processing speed and only 14 kB of free working memory due to the relatively slow CP / M mode that took up a lot of memory.
Office applications
SoftSync published with the Desk Manager one in both the 40- and executable in 80-column mode software package with various office applications including calculator function, scheduler , notepad function, telephone file and easy writing program for writing letters. The partner 128 published by Commodore itself represents a comparable offer .
Games
Almost all commercial games produced for the market-leading predecessor, the C64, also run without problems on the C128 in C64 mode. Exceptions are, above all, titles equipped with high-speed disk loaders and copy protection devices that do not match the Commodore DOS 3.0 or 3.1 disk operating systems, which are not completely compatible with the predecessor Commodore DOS 2.6. One example of this is the action-adventure title Frankie Goes to Hollywood published by Ocean Software . Occasionally, C64 titles published on compact cassettes did not run smoothly with fast loaders. An example of this is the arcade game Roland's Rat Race, also from Ocean Software .
The almost complete C64 compatibility of the C128 as well as the lower level of distribution of the computer compared to the predecessor model gave professional publishers little incentive to develop game software specifically for the C128 mode and its more powerful hardware. The range of games therefore remained manageable - a situation that is often lamented in the trade press. Most of the titles appeared on diskette and were released on the market between 1986 and 1988. Most of the few action games for the C128 mode, however, consist only of graphically hardly improved ports of already published C64 games, such as Kikstart 2 or The Last V8 from the low-cost provider Mastertronic . After production ceased in 1989, no new game software was written for the C128 mode. No commercial games at all were produced for the CP / M mode, which is specialized in application programs. Occasionally, game titles that dispensed with elaborate graphics, such as the text adventure Colossal Cave, ported to CP / M computers by Mike Goetz from DEC - Minicomputer PDP-10, appeared as public domain software.
In total, only 23 commercial computer games that can run in C128 mode are documented in the game archive of the online database MobyGames (as of September 1, 2016) . The most popular genres at the time included interactive text adventures and role-playing games based on motifs from science fiction or fantasy literature , which make use of the improved text display capabilities of the 80-character graphics chip and, above all, from the US publishers Infocom and Sir-Tech were issued. This includes the implementation of influential game franchises such as Ultima or Wizardry . In addition, action games , racing games and a marine simulation have been published by various US, British and Japanese publishers such as Origin Systems , Mastertronic or Taito . After initial enthusiasm, the British game producers withdrew completely from the less lucrative market for C128 computer games in 1987. In 1989, Fun Pak 128 was an eight-title game collection that was not documented by MobyGames. Also not documented there is the strategy game The Great War, published by Free Spirit Software in 1986 and thematizing the First World War .
Overview of commercial computer games for the C128 mode
| title | Publisher | Genre / topic | country | year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Mind Forever Voyaging | Infocom | Text adventure , science fiction , dystopia , interactive fiction |
|
1985 |
| Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor | Infocom | Text adventure, fantasy , interactive fiction |
|
1987 |
| Bureaucracy | Infocom | Text adventure, interactive fiction |
|
1987 |
| Fun Pak 128 | IDG Communications | Game collection with role play, arcade game and brain games |
|
1989 |
| Graham Gooch's Test of Cricket | Audiogenic | Sports simulation |
|
1986 |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Infocom | Text adventure, science fiction, interactive fiction |
|
1988 |
| Kikstart 2 | Mastertronic | Racing game , motorcycle |
|
1986 |
| The Last V8 | Mastertronic | Racing game, sports car |
|
1986 |
| Leather Goddesses of Phobos | Infocom | Text adventure, science fiction, interactive fiction |
|
1988 |
| Planetfall | Infocom | Text adventure, science fiction, interactive fiction |
|
1988 |
| Qix | Taito software | Action game , arcade game |
|
1989 |
| The Rocky Horror Show | CRL Group | Action game |
|
1986 |
| Science fiction classics | Infocom | Text adventure, science fiction, interactive fiction |
|
1987 |
| Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels | Infocom | Text adventure, detective story , interactive fiction |
|
1988 |
| Thai boxing | Anco | Action game, sports simulation |
|
1986 |
| The Great War | Free Spirit Software | Strategy game , World War I |
|
1986 |
| Trinity | Infocom | Text adventure, science fiction, fantasy, interactive fiction |
|
1986 |
| Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny | Origin Systems | RPG , fantasy |
|
1988 |
| Up periscope! | Actionsoft | Marine simulation , submarine |
|
1986 |
| Wishbringer | Infocom | Text adventure, fantasy, interactive fiction |
|
1988 |
| Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | Sir-Tech software | RPG, fantasy |
|
1987 |
| Wizardry II: Knight of Diamonds | Sir-Tech software | RPG, fantasy |
|
1988 |
| Wizardry III: Legacy of Llylgamyn | Sir-Tech software | RPG, fantasy |
|
1989 |
| Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom | Sir-Tech software | RPG, fantasy |
|
1989 |
| Zork : The Great Underground Empire | Infocom | Text adventure, fantasy, interactive fiction |
|
1987 |
Magazines
With one exception, there was no commercial computer magazine exclusively related to the C128. However, in addition to various magazines published by Commodore itself, various periodicals in the English-speaking world and in German-speaking countries that were not tied to a specific platform or manufacturer reported more or less regularly about the C128 and provided their readership with information about a wide variety of uses and Programming the computer related topics. If these sources weren't enough, the book market could get specialized literature. Numerous West German specialist publishers such as Markt + Technik, Sybex or Data Becker published extensive monographs on the basics of the computer, its BASIC programming or programming in assembly language.
English speaking world
In the United States, the Commodore Magazine was published from 1987 to 1989, a computer magazine exclusively dealing with Commodore computers and reporting on the C128. In addition, in the second half of the 1980s, several independent commercial computer magazines appeared with content related to all 8-bit computers from Commodore, which also regularly dealt with the C128. These mainly with test reports, program printing in attendance for typing and buying guides clues publications include Ahoy !, Compute's Gazette! That on a C128 with the word processor until early 1988 Vizastar 128 produced magazine Info: The Useful Guide to Commodore Computing (originally Info 64 ) and Run . The latter was brought onto the market in a German-language version by the US parent company - the International Data Group (IDG for short) . The authoritative Canadian computer magazine The Transactor was available throughout North America and focused its coverage on hardware projects, building instructions and repair tips, which occasionally also affected the C128. From January 1986, the semi-professional information sheet Twin Cities 128, reporting exclusively on the C128, was published . Towards the end of the market presence of the C128, the purely diskette-based US computer magazine Loadstar 128 Quarterly was brought onto the market, which was also exclusively devoted to the C128 in 42 quarterly issues from 1989 onwards.
In Great Britain with Commodore Horizons, Commodore Computing International, Commodore Disk User, the Commodore User Magazine and Your Commodore, several independent computer magazines also referring purely to Commodore's 8-bit computers were published.
Commodore International itself published the magazine Commodore Magazine from September 1986 , which also included the C128 in its reporting in addition to the other 8-bit home computers from its own company. This periodical was created by merging two older Commodore magazines called Commodore Power Play with a focus on computer games and Commodore microcomputers with a focus on office computers from the CBM series.
German-speaking area
In German-speaking countries, program printouts and articles about the hardware of the C128 were regularly published in the popular computer magazine 64'er , which, however, mainly dealt with the market-leading predecessor model C64 and from mid-1990 onwards largely stopped reporting on the C128 - apart from occasional programming tips .
Under the title 128'er , however, special issues with exclusive reference to the C128 were published from time to time. Earlier editions of these 14 special editions published between 1986 and 1988 contained program listings to type in and cost 14 DM, while later editions from 1989 included a diskette with the programs covered in the booklet at a price of 24 DM. The main focus of the 128 special issues is the full exploitation of the technical capabilities of the 80-character graphic chips MOS 8563 or MOS 8568, application programs, auxiliary programs, programming in machine language, peripheral devices such as the VC1571 floppy disk drive, various CP / M applications , Hardware projects, brain games and programming competitions. The last 128 special issue was published in 1995.
Further magazines specializing in Commodore computers with regular reports on the C128 were the CBM-Revue (1984–1986) and its successor, Commodore Welt (1986–1988). In addition, independent computer magazines not tied to a specific platform or manufacturer, such as Chip , c't , Computer Kontakt , Computer Personal or Happy Computer, occasionally reported on the computer.
On June 1, 1987, Club 128'er Aktuell was founded in Oer-Erkenschwick in North Rhine-Westphalia, a computer club dedicated exclusively to the C128. The club, which has over 300 members, published its own bi-monthly club magazine with the title 128'er Aktuell , with test reports, programming tips and an attached diskette .
emulation
At the moment (as of July 1, 2016) there is only one regularly updated C128 emulator on the Internet. The Versatile Commodore Emulator ( VICE for short ), which runs on numerous common modern operating systems such as Windows , macOS , Linux or Unix and is made available as freeware for free download by a large international team of developers, emulates the Commodore PET 2001 computers , the CBM office computers , the CBM-600 series , the VC20, C64 and Plus / 4 also the C128. In addition to detailed technical documentation with information on the hardware properties of the C128 and a freely accessible knowledge database , the VICE website also contains extensive operating instructions for the award-winning emulation program. The current version 2.4 was published on November 16, 2012.
The range of services of the C128 emulator includes emulations of the memory management module MMU, the 80-character graphic chip MOS 8563, the 2 MHz mode of the main processor MOS 8502, the second processor Z80A, the serial bus of the C128 and the C64 mode. The work on VICE's C128 emulator is not yet finished; For example, the VC1571 or VC1581 floppy disk drives have not yet been converted.
reception
Contemporary
As the successor to the C64 home computer, the most successful to date with a worldwide user base of several million users, the market launch of the C128 in the late summer of 1985 attracted a great deal of attention in leading contemporary computer magazines, especially in the United States, Great Britain and West Germany. The first test reports appeared months before the actual start of sales. The judgments of the reviewers both in the English-speaking world and in German-speaking countries were almost entirely positive. Only a few criticisms were made of certain characteristics of the C128.
English speaking world
The most important features of the C128 dealt with in the English-language trade press included the native Commodore BASIC V7.0, the C64 compatibility of the computer, its design and the performance of the hardware built into the device in view of the emerging competition from affordable computers with advanced 16-bit Architecture. In addition, the price, the software range, the documentation supplied and the CP / M mode also played a role.
Commodore BASIC V7.0
The high-performance Commodore BASIC V7.0 of the C128, which is equipped with an extensive instruction set, received almost constant praise in the English-language specialist press. This applies both to computer magazines dealing exclusively with Commodore computers and to computer magazines that are not tied to a platform or manufacturer. The new graphics and sound commands as well as the user-friendly disk commands were praised, for example. The new commands for simple programming of sprites were also highlighted positively. The structured programming support provided by the Commodore BASIC V7.0 also convinced the reviewers. Last but not least, the new commands of the Commodore BASIC V7.0 for troubleshooting were mentioned in this context. On the other hand, the lack of special graphics commands for the high-resolution graphics mode of the 80-character graphics chip MOS 8563 was criticized.
Also noticed positive that the usual C64 from her need for numerous complicated in BASIC dialect of the C128 PEEK-and POKE-commands applicable for direct reading and writing of memory addresses. Even if the Commodore BASIC V7.0 is generally around a quarter slower in 1 MHz mode than the Commodore BASIC V2.0, certain applications, such as the representation of geometric figures, run faster on the C128 than on the previous model. Furthermore, the superiority of the Commodore BASIC V7.0 compared to the native BASIC dialects of other computers competing with the C128, such as the Apple IIc's Applesoft BASIC or the porting of Microsoft BASIC of the IBM-PCjr, was stated.
C64 compatibility
The almost complete software compatibility of the new computer with the C64 was also highlighted positively by numerous reviewers. The C128 was the first Commodore home computer on which the software developed for the previous model ran largely without problems. However, there were justified doubts about the executability of C64 programs with copy protection from the start.
Another advantage was the cost-saving hardware compatibility of the computer with all peripheral devices developed for the C64. In this area too, however, a certain skepticism became apparent early on. Both the 100% C64 hardware compatibility of the C128 claimed by Commodore and the VC1541 hardware compatibility of the new 5¼-inch floppy disk drive VC1571 were openly questioned by a reviewer. The fact that in C64 mode the additional working memory of the C128 cannot be used as a RAM disk to increase the working speed in order not to endanger the full C64 hardware compatibility of the computer was also criticized.
The fact that the C128 automatically jumps into C64 mode when the C64 plug-in module is inserted was also praised. However, one review reported difficulties with displaying sprites when operating the plug-in module version of the classic C64 sports game International Soccer .
design
.jpg)
In addition, the successful aesthetics of housing design was considered one of the most striking features of the C128 that is about, elegant '(English as elegant ), clearly attractive' (English obviously attractive , stylish '(English) stylish ), sleekly' (English sleek ), gorgeous '(English stunning ) or even, provocative' (English sexy ) was called. The flat, pointed at the front tapered body shape recalled a reviewer even at that time to technical progress symbolizing, jointly developed by Britain and France supersonic - airliner Concorde with hydraulically retractable cockpit nose. The 'super-flat beige console' (English slimline beige console ) also corresponds to the typical taste of a ' style-conscious businessman' . This also applies to the numeric keypad, which is reminiscent of workstation computers or personal computers.
The 'slim, gently sloping keyboard' also knew thanks to its good typing experience , its 'long key travel ' ( deep key travel ), its programmable function keys and its additional function keys such as Help, which make it easier to edit program listings Key, tab key, alt key or escape key. However, the keyboard was occasionally criticized as being ' slightly squishy ' . The bright, cream-colored plastic housing was indeed, '(English as aesthetically pleasing aesthetically pleasing , but also,) praised as dirt attractive' (English it does attract the dirt criticized). The keyboard layout and the position of the cursor keys, the unfavorable position of the cassette connector and the large footprint of the C128D also met with occasional criticism.
hardware
In terms of hardware, the external switched-mode power supply was praised for its ease of maintenance, since, unlike the C64 power supply, it is neither sealed nor encapsulated and the fuse can easily be reached from the outside. The massive housing simply needs to be screwed on for repairs. The high processing quality and the good thermal management of the power supply were also praised. On top of that, the switching power supply of the C128 offered more power than that of the previous model.
The high quality of the screen output, the added reset switch, the speed of the VC1571 floppy disk drive, the good sound capabilities, the thermal management, the complex and high-quality motherboard and the dedicated graphics memory of the MOS 8563 were also praised. The complexity of the hardware architecture has even been compared to the Rococo art era, which tends to be playful and adorned . Because of its hardware properties, the C128 can actually, as suggested in Commodore's advertising campaign, compete with much more expensive computers such as the Apple IIc or the IBM PC. The rather low working speed of supposedly only 1.5 MHz and the limitation of the computer to a remote data transfer rate of only 1,200 baud occasionally aroused skepticism. Switching between a 40- and 80-character monitor, which was perceived to be cumbersome, also met with some criticism.
Even before the market launch of the C128, the computer was occasionally seen as a mere ' stop gap' , the main function of which was to bridge the time required for the new Amiga 1000 to be ready for series production. The C128 is just Commodore's last attempt to earn money on the shrinking 8-bit home computer market, while the future belongs to the new 16-bit microcomputers based on the Motorola 68000 main processor . This view is still held occasionally today. In addition to the Amiga 1000, the Atari 520 ST, which also uses the Motorola 68000 as CPU, was seen as a possibly overpowering competitor for the C128.
software
The extremely extensive software range for the C64 mode and the CP / M mode, which was already extremely extensive with the appearance of the C128, was also counted among the great advantages of the new computer. After all, the C64 and CP / M-Plus system software integrated in the C128 are the two most popular operating systems of all. In June 1985, a reviewer estimated the number of commercial programs available for the C64 mode at 6,000, most of which appeared in 1983 or later, while the software available for the competing model Apple IIc is usually much older. On top of that, there are thousands of other application programs for CP / M mode. Therefore, the C128 spot for beginners, hobbyists and business people alike a, bargain '(English bargain ). In early beginning of 1986, however, a lack of software for the C128 mode loomed. In addition, the software incompatibility of the C128 with the PC-DOS of the IBM-PC, which has meanwhile become the standard operating system, and MS-DOS of the IBM-PC-Compatibles met with criticism.
The system software itself also met with a positive response. The C128 operating system, for example, was praised for its integrated machine language monitor. This is convenient and time-saving to use at any time because it resides in the permanent memory. Furthermore, due to its user-friendliness, it can also be used by beginners. For example, it allows the translation of decimal numbers into hexadecimal numbers - and vice versa. The C128 porting of CP / M-Plus was also aware of its relatively high operating speed compared to the CP / M plug-in module produced for the C64, its flexibility with regard to the use of different data recording formats and its successful emulation of an ADM-31 terminal from the US to convince American technology group Lear Siegler.
Others
The great versatility and the wide range of uses of the C128 were also among the advantages of the new computer in contemporary reception. In this regard, the C128 can compete with the considerably more expensive Apple II and possibly even surpass it. As for the documentation, there was praise for the detailed and easy-to-understand manual included in the scope of delivery. However, the manual has also been criticized for its incompleteness.
With regard to the introductory price, the praise prevailed. The recommended retail price of just US $ 300 or the expected street price of around £ 250 were considered cheap compared to competing models such as the Apple IIc or the IBM-PCjr . The C128 also performed well in comparison to the mostly high-priced CP / M computer systems. At the time of the market launch in the summer of 1985, there was no cheaper CP / M computer in the world than the C128, which was also lauded. A reviewer rated a complete system consisting of a C128 with a Commodore color monitor 1902 and a VC1571 floppy disk drive compared to the Amstrad all-in-one computer that was technically only slightly less powerful and also CP / M-capable, but significantly cheaper, which was released in Western Europe at the end of 1985 CPC6128, however, as overpriced.
German-speaking area
In the 64'er magazine, Volker Everts sees the C128 as "in a completely new performance class" and locates the new computer "in the area between home computers and personal computers ". This is justified with the powerful BASIC dialect, the sprite editor, the ability to display 80 characters per line, the good peripheral devices, the successful design of the keyboard and housing as well as the expandable main memory. In addition, the extensive program library is highlighted, which results from the C64 compatibility and the CP / M capability of the C128. In another, very detailed test report, which was also published in the 64 magazine, Everts and co-author Harald Meyer also praise the higher computing speed of the main processor MOS 8502 compared to the MOS 6510 of the predecessor C64. The convenience of the BASIC V7.0 with regard to the programming of the SID sound chip and the machine language monitor that is part of the operating system also receive praise. However, the authors criticize the fact that the newly developed graphics chip MOS 8563 in 80-character mode has neither its own graphics mode nor BASIC commands for creating graphics in maximum resolution.
Peter Zumbach from Happy Computer magazine also sees the C128 as a crossover between office and home computers. The two comparatively fast main processors, the C64 compatibility, the large working memory, the expandability of the working memory to a RAM disk, the graphics capability in high-resolution 80-character mode, which is often overlooked according to Zumbach, and the possibility of having two monitors on at the same time are given special mention C128 to operate. In addition, the reviewer expresses himself positively about the graphic commands of the comfortable, structured programming enabling BASIC V7.0, the Sprite Editor, the machine language monitor, the CP / M capability of the computer and the improved VC1571 floppy disk drive . Finally, Zumbach praises the programmability of the function keys and the “gigantic range of software” that was already available at the time of the market launch. Stefan Grainer expressed himself less positively in the trade journal c't . The C128 is CP / M-capable and comes with a professional design, but does not bring any serious technological progress compared to its predecessor. The computer works much too slowly in CP / M mode. On the other hand, the extensive BASIC V7.0 is praised with its greatly enlarged range of commands and commands for structured programming. In addition to the comparatively low price, the faster VC1571 floppy disk drive and the capabilities of the MMU memory management chip are also recognized.
In the '86 Computer Yearbook , the C128 is once again described as the "middle thing between home computer and office computer". In the same publication, the computer is counted among the “spectacular new launches of 1985” alongside the 16-bit Atari 520 ST . Peter Niemann places the C128 in the tradition of the successful Commodore home computer models VC20 and C64 and highlights the strengths of the computer in its low price, its technical performance, small size, good graphics capability and its wide range of uses, from computer games to serious applications such as Address management or word processing are sufficient.
The operating noise of the fan built into the C128D, which was perceived as unpleasant, also met with criticism.
Retrospective
Reasons for the failure of the C128
The C128 has a firm place in the collective memory and is mentioned in almost all overview presentations on the history of microcomputers and is exhibited as an exhibit in many technology museums. Nevertheless, the computer from the retrospective is mostly rated as a failure, which is especially due to the significantly lower sales figures compared to the C64 and various design flaws. One of the reasons for the relative failure of the C128 is seen in the fact that the computer did not represent any real technical improvement compared to the C64 and was simply too similar to the previous model. The C128 only has a pure 8-bit architecture , although it was already clear at the time of market launch that the 8-bit era was coming to an end. At the time of development, however, the Intel 8088 was already an inexpensive 16-bit main processor that could have replaced the second processor Z80A and made the computer compatible with IBM PCs. After all, at this point in time , MS-DOS had already replaced CP / M as the standard operating system in the professional sector. Despite its elegant design, its many interfaces and its high-quality RGBI video signal, the C128 remained largely unsuccessful as a rather slow office computer. The market launch of the Amiga and the Atari ST shortly after the C128 is also cited for the relatively modest market success of the computer.
The fact that the computer is only compatible with the previous model in C64 mode, but not in the actually innovative and more powerful C128 mode, is also counted among the disadvantages of the C128. Due to the C64 compatibility, all the games programmed for the predecessor also ran on the successor model, which is why there were few incentives for third-party providers to develop game software specifically for the C128 mode. For the majority of potential buyers, who were primarily interested in a gaming machine, the C128 was therefore not really more attractive than the C64, which was already cheaper. The program library for the native C128 mode remained very manageable. In addition to some application programs and programming languages , only around 20 computer games were specifically developed for the main operating system of the computer. Therefore, the C128 was mostly only used in C64 mode, while the C128 and CP / M modes were rarely used.
Furthermore, at the time of its market launch, CP / M was already "long out of date" or even "completely out of date", which is why the C128 did not represent any serious competition for the IBM PC with its more modern standard PC DOS operating system. This perception is also reflected in the imagery of contemporary computer magazines. There, at the time the C128 was launched, CP / M was already known as the “ granddaddy of operating systems ”, who had already reached a “biblical age” at over ten years of age. The inadequate documentation of the C128 porting of CP / M-Plus, for example with regard to the graphics and sound capabilities, which are unusual for a CP / M computer, also caused problems for the publishers when developing new CP / M software for the C128.
Incidentally, the working memory of 128 kB compared to the lavish 64 kB of the three years older predecessor model in the price range of the C128 in the mid-1980s was no longer anything special, but the standard in the industry. Ultimately, the aging 8-bit technology was wrested from the complex system architecture of the C128, although it was above average, but not really outstanding compared to the C64, for which one had to pay a significantly higher price.
Retrocomputing and retrogaming
The technology journalist Tony Smith placed the C128 in third place among the ten most attractive computers of all time on the website The Register, which presents news from the technology sector , directly behind the Apple MacBook Air and the Apple Power Mac G4 Cube by British star designer Jonathan Ive , but before design classics such as the NeXTcube, developed with the assistance of Steve Jobs , or the supercomputer Cray-2 . As a collector's item, the C128 is actually still popular today in the field of retrocomputing , not least among the numerous C64 enthusiasts who appreciate the C128 due to its technical superiority and its more reliable and powerful power supply. For example, the hardware-compatible memory expansions 1700, 1750 and 1764 on the C64 cannot be operated with the weaker original power supply , as they require 200 milliamps more power.
The original keyboard computer model from 1985 is still regularly offered today on collectors' fairs or online auctions such as eBay or Craigslist . While the desktop models that appeared from 1986 onwards are also relatively frequently discontinued for sale in Europe, they are somewhat rarer in North America due to their shorter market presence there. The C128D with plastic housing, which was only produced for a relatively short time, has the greatest rarity. However, the current value of a C128 model fluctuates greatly and, in addition to belonging to a model variant, depends on the condition, functionality and the presence of the original packaging and accessories.
In the retrogaming scene, on the other hand, the C128 is a little less popular among players who prefer the original hardware to emulators. On the one hand, this is due to the rather meager supply of game software for the C128 mode, on the other hand, the technically less complex and cheaper C64 is preferred to avoid occasional compatibility problems when running classic C64 computer games.
Literature (selection)
- Technical Documentation
- C128 Diagnostic Instruction And Troubleshooting Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986
- Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987
- Service Manual Model C-128 Computer (Preliminary). Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985
- German-language monographs
- Jörg Allner, Kerstin Allner: Computer Classics. The highlights from 30 years of home computers. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 2003, ISBN 978-3-8158-2339-2 .
- Bernhard Bachmann: Commodore 128: Working with CP / M Plus. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1987, ISBN 978-3-88745-638-2 .
- Dietmar Eirich, Peter Herzberg (ed.): Computer Yearbook '86. Heyne, Munich 1985, ISBN 978-3-453-47056-9 .
- Winnie Forster: Game consoles and home computers 1972–2009. Gameplan, Utting 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-024658-6 .
- Klaus Gerits, Frank Kampow: The premiere book - The new C 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1985, ISBN 3-89011-062-2 .
- Klaus Gerits, Jörg Schieb, Frank Thrun: Commodore 128 intern. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1985, ISBN 3-89011-098-3 .
- Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, ISBN 3-88745-618-1 .
- Nikolaus Huber, Florian Müller: Everything about the C128: User and programming manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1988, ISBN 3-89090-613-3 .
- Jürgen Hückstädt: BASIC 7.0 on the Commodore 128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, ISBN 3-89090-170-0 .
- Ronald Körber: C 128: Everything about graphics. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989, ISBN 3-89090-748-2 .
- Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, ISBN 3-938199-04-0 .
- Bernd Leitenberger: Computer history (s): The first years of the PC. Books on Demand , Norderstedt 2012, ISBN 978-3-8423-5164-6 .
- Florian Matthes: Pascal with the C128. Markt + Technik, Düsseldorf 1987, ISBN 3-89090-386-X .
- Florian Müller: C64 / C128: Everything about GEOS 2.0. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989, ISBN 3-89090-808-X .
- Dr. Ruprecht: C128: ROM listing. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, ISBN 3-89090-212-X .
- Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, ISBN 3-89090-171-9 .
- Rudolf Schineis, Michael Braun, Norbert Demgensky: C128 ROM listing: Operating System. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, ISBN 3-89090-221-9 .
- Rudolf Schineis, Michael Braun, Thomas Grellner: C128 ROM listing: BASIC 7.0 operating system. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, ISBN 3-89090-220-0 .
- Heribert Schmidt, Norbert Szczepanowski: Commodore 128 for beginners. With the introduction of GEOS. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1988, ISBN 3-89011-099-1 .
- Heinz Wrobel: The DATA BECKER guide: Commodore 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1987, ISBN 3-89011-414-8 .
- Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, ISBN 978-3-941287-35-8 .
- German-language reviews and magazine articles
- Volker Everts: PC128 - The professional. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 4, 1985, pp. 13-16.
- Volker Everts, Harald Meyer: First detailed test PC128 (part 1). In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, pp. 16-28.
- Volker Everts, Harald Meyer: First detailed test PC128 (part 2). In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 7, 1985, pp. 17-22.
- Elmar Friebe: The rise and fall of Commodore. In: Chip special issue: Kult-Computer der 80er , 2013, pp. 16–26.
- Stefan Grainer: Three in one. Commodore's quick-change artist C128. In: c't. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1985, pp. 34-36.
- Bil Herd: The C128 story: The thing with the revolving door (part 1). In: 64'er. Vol. 11, No. 1, 1994, pp. 10-11.
- Bil Herd: The C128 story: The thing with the revolving door (part 2). In: 64'er. Vol. 11, No. 2, 1994, pp. 6-7.
- Jürgen Zumbach: C128, melting pot of the systems. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1986, p. 120.
- Peter Zumbach: Computer of the third kind. 520 ST and C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1985, pp. 22-32.
- English language monographs
- Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, ISBN 978-0-9738649-6-0 .
- Larry Greenly et al .: Commodore 128. Programmer's Reference Guide. Bantam-Computer-Books / Commodore-Publications, Toronto 1986, ISBN 0-553-34378-5 .
- Mitchell Waite, Robert Lafore, Jerry Volpe: The Official Book for the Commodore 128 Personal Computer. Indianapolis: Howard W. Sams & Co., 1985, ISBN 0-672-22456-9 .
- English language reviews and magazine articles
- Charles Brannon: Inside the 128. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1985, pp. 20-30.
- Keith Ferrell: The Future Of The 64 & 128: Industry Leaders' Forecast. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 6, No. 5, 1988, pp. 12-21.
- Tom R. Halfhill: The Commodore 128: A Hands-On Report. In: Compute! Vol. 7, No. 6, 1985, pp. 18-28.
- Christopher Jenkins: CBM International shares down again. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 9.
- Morton Kevelson: Opening Ceremonies for the Commodore 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, pp. 29-35.
- Margaret Morabito: The C-128: How Does It Stack Up? In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, pp. 46-49 and Pp. 90-91.
- Louis Wallace: What's 8-bit, 3½ inches and 640 × 200? In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, pp. 38-43.
- Arthur Young: What do you get if you cross a Commodore 64 with a CP / M business machine and a new 128K micro? In: Your Computer. Vol. 5, No. 6, 1985, pp. 48-49.
Web links
Online computer museums
- 8-bit nirvana engineering historical sketch
- Commodore Computer Online Museum of technical and historical overview articles
- Computer Collection Vienna technical historical overview article with 3D model of the C128
- Old-Computers.com technical-historical sketch (English)
- Oldcomputers.net technical history sketch (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Walter Greulich (Red.): The Brockhaus: Computer and Information Technology. FA Brockhaus, Mannheim / Leipzig 2003, p. 147.
- ↑ a b c Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, p. 49.
- ^ A b Dietmar Eirich, Peter Herzberg: Computer Jahrbuch '86. Heyne, Munich 1985, p. 22.
- ↑ a b Ken Poisson: Chronology of Personal Computers. In: PC Timeline. Accessed December 15, 2015 .
- ↑ a b c d Thorsten Kuphaldt: Commodore 128. In: Commodore Computer Online Museum. Retrieved April 13, 2014 .
- ↑ Steven Stengel: Commodore 128D computer. In: Oldcomputers.net. Retrieved April 19, 2014 .
- ↑ Bernd Leitenberger: Computer history (s): The first years of the PC. Books on Demand , Norderstedt 2012, p. 297.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Ian Matthews: Commodore 128 - The Most Versatile 8-Bit Computer Ever Made. In: Commodore Computers. June 12, 2012, accessed April 13, 2014 .
- ↑ Mitchell Waite, Robert Lafore, Jerry Volpe: The Official Book for the Commodore 128 Personal Computer. Howard W. Sams & Co., Indianapolis 1985, p. 1.
- ↑ a b Christina Erskine: CBM & Atari launch 8 new micros. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1985, p. 1.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: News & Views Special CES Edition. In: Info-64. No. 6, 1985, p. 18.
- ↑ a b C128 Price Exclusive. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 12.
- ↑ 128 Gunfight at the UK Corral. In: Your Computer. Vol. 5, No. 9, 1985, p. 15.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: C128 'price is right' - extras still unclear. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 30, 1985, p. 1.
- ↑ a b Christina Erskine: Atari and CBM show micros. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 17, 1985, p. 6.
- ↑ Scott Mace: Commodore Enters Price War. In: InfoWorld. Vol. 7, No. 7, 1985, p. 16.
- ↑ Anonymous: Atari vs. Commodore: the home computer war. In: PC Games Hardware. July 2, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2017 .
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 439.
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 438.
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 498.
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 444 f.
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 439 ff.
- ↑ a b c d Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, p. 57.
- ^ Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, p. 45.
- ^ Eugene Lacey: Going for the President: Commodore International boss, Marshall Smith, interviewed. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 41.
- ↑ Guy Wright: The C-128 - A New Era Of Compatibility. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 5, 1985, p. 22.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bil Herd: The Real Story of Hacking Together the Commodore C128. In: Hackaday. December 9, 2013, accessed April 22, 2014 .
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 477.
- ^ Nicolas Welte: The Secret Weapons of Commodore. In: GO64! Vol. 4, No. 4, 2000, p. 8.
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 476.
- ↑ a b c d Bil Herd: The C128 story: The thing with the revolving door (Part 1). In: 64'er. Vol. 11, No. 1 (January 1994), p. 10.
- ↑ Michael Pauly: Hardware selection made easy. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1981, p. 38.
- ↑ a b Bil Herd: The C128 story: The thing with the revolving door (part 2). In: 64'er. Vol. 11, No. 2 (February 1994), p. 7.
- ↑ a b c Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, p. 50.
- ^ Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, p. 33.
- ↑ a b Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, p. 29.
- ^ A b Tony Smith: The ten SEXIEST computers of ALL TIME. In: The Register. April 9, 2013, accessed October 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Kathy Chin: Bold Plans For 'New' Atari. In: InfoWorld. Vol. 6, No. 50, 1984, p. 15.
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 208.
- ^ Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, p. 34.
- ^ Brian Bagnall: Commodore: A Company on the Edge. Variant-Press, Winnipeg 2010, p. 475 f.
- ↑ Mickey McLean: '80s Ups & Downs. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 8, No. 1, 1990, p. 18.
- ↑ Dafna Israeli: Vegas - Atari's gamble. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1985, p. 11.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: C128 'price is right' - extras still unclear. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 30, 1985, p. 4.
- ^ Scott Mace: Commodore Shows New 128. In: InfoWorld. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1985, p. 20.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Atari and CBM show micros. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 17, 1985, p. 1.
- ^ A b Andreas Hagedorn, Heinrich Lenhardt, Michael Lang, Petra Wängler: Current. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 7, 1985, p. 10.
- ↑ Bohdan Buciak: Gunning for the Big Boys: Commodore at Hanover Fair. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 7.
- ↑ Bohdan Buciak: Gunning for the Big Boys: Commodore at Hanover Fair. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 8.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Show-Time Again. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 14.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: First details of the Commodore Show. In: Commodore Computing International. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1985, p. 7.
- ^ Public see the 128. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 6.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: First showing of C128 at show. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 24, 1985, p. 5.
- ↑ Bohdan Buciak: 128D Launched. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, p. 8.
- ↑ David Kelly: Commodore 128D launched at NEC. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 4, 1986, p. 1.
- ↑ C128D launched. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, p. 7.
- ^ John Lettice: Commodore alters prices and plans a new look for the 64th In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 20, 1986, p. 5.
- ^ A b c Selby Bateman, Tom R. Halfhill: Report From The Winter Consumer Electronics Show. In: Compute! Vol. 9, No. 4, 1987, p. 30.
- ↑ Dennis Brisson: Commodore Exec Speaks Out! In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 32.
- ^ Winter CES Report. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 14, 1987, p. 145.
- ↑ Bo Zimmerman: The C128D / 81 Page. In: Commodore Gallery. Retrieved January 29, 2017 .
- ^ Stefan Egger: Project C128D / 81. In: Computer Collection Vienna. Retrieved January 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Al Anger: Prototype 128D with 3.5 inch drive. In: The Personal Gallery of Al Anger. Retrieved January 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Corby Sold. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1986, p. 7.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Corby plans shut by Commodore. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1986, p. 4.
- ↑ Jürgen Zumbach: Changes at Commodore-Braunschweig. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 11, 1986, p. 22.
- ↑ a b c Cameron Kaiser: The 128 Remixes: Commodore 256, 128D / 81, 128DL, 128CR. In: Floodgap Retrobits. July 1, 2007, accessed August 6, 2014 .
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 26.
- ↑ a b c d Robby Boey: Commodore Legends: Dave Haynie - Part I. In: MOS 6502 - A Commodore Geek's Blog. April 20, 2011, accessed August 6, 2014 .
- ↑ a b Keith Ferrell: The Future Of The 64 & 128: Industry Leaders' Forecast. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 6, No. 5, 1988, p. 18.
- ^ Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, p. 89.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Doubts over C16 and Plus / 4. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1985, p. 1.
- ↑ Jürgen Zumbach: News from the Commodore 128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1985, p. 16.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: News & Views Special CES Edition. In: Info-64. No. 7, 1985, p. 54.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: C-128 Update. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore Computing. No. 8, 1985, p. 13.
- ^ Meanwhile, the C128…. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 17, 1985, p. 2.
- ↑ Dave Carlos: Commodore '85. In: Home Computing Weekly. No. 117, 18.-24. June, 1985, p. 19.
- ↑ Dave Carlos: How many 128s by Christmas? In: Home Computing Weekly. No. 125, 13. – 19. August, 1985, p. 1.
- ↑ C128 delay - C16 to go? In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 9.
- ↑ Commodore Announce 128 software. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 5.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: CBM expands C128 and C64. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 36, 1985, p. 1.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: C128 takes a nose-dive! In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 38, 1985, p. 1.
- ^ Nicolas Welte: The Secret Weapons of Commodore. In: GO64! Vol. 4, No. 4, 2000, p. 10.
- ↑ a b Christina Erskine: CBM turns to Amiga as 128 hits shops. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 41, 1985, p. 4.
- ↑ Dennis Brisson: November Highlights. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 6.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: C128 hampered by disc drive delay. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 43, 1985, p. 4.
- ^ A b c Benn Dunnington: A Nostalgic Look Back at the Commodore 128. In: Info-64. No. 9, 1985, p. 25.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Drive and monitor for C128 emerge. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 44, 1985, p. 4.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Commodore 1571 disc drive now in shops. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 13, 1986, p. 5.
- ^ Andreas Hagedorn, Heinrich Lenhardt, Michael Lang, Manfred Kotting, Ulrich Eike, Petra Wängler, Jürgen Zumbach: Systems: A trade fair is bursting at the seams. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 1, 1986, p. 10.
- ^ Arnd Wängler: Computer live. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1986, p. 13.
- ↑ Boris Schneider: News from the Commodore exhibition. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 8.
- ↑ a b c d e f Jürgen Zumbach: All good things come in threes . In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1986, p. 64.
- ↑ Boris Schneider: 1901 monitor for the C128 finally available. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 8.
- ↑ Markus Ohnesorg: Large monitor test. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 30.
- ^ Peggy Herrington: Going Online. In: Info-64. No. 9, 1985, p. 39.
- ↑ a b c d Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, p. 6.
- ^ Commodore News. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 21, 1988, p. 15.
- ^ John Lettice: Sidecar to launch soon. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 39, 1986, p. 5.
- ^ A b Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 6.
- ^ A b Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 7, 1986, p. 6.
- ^ Stephen Twombly: A Message from The Publisher. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1986, p. 10.
- ↑ a b Gregor Neumann: The C64 is alive! In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 4, 1987, p. 18.
- ^ A b c Dan Baker: 1581 Disk Drive. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 1, No. 11, 1987, p. 50.
- ↑ a b Mark R. Brown, Benn Dunnington: 1764/1581 Prices. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 16, 1987, p. 68.
- ↑ a b Harald Beiler: The small memory giant: 800 kB on a floppy! in: Commodore World. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 5.
- ^ Gregor Neumann: Retrofitting for C64 and C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1986, p. 30.
- ↑ Boris Schneider, Jörg Kähler: CES - In the sign of entertainment. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1987, p. 11.
- ^ Joel M. Rubin: The Edge Connection. In: The Transactor. Vol. 9, No. 4, 1989, p. 22.
- ↑ a b Heinz Behling, Harald Beiler: Hot clubs and hard goods - news from the C128 scene. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 70, 1991, p. 31.
- ^ A b Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 8.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1987, p. 8.
- ↑ Dennis Brisson: Commodore Exec Speaks Out! In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 34.
- ↑ 1581 3.5 '' Disk Drive. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore Computing. No. 13, 1987, p. 31.
- ↑ Commodore 1351 - a nifty mouse. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 165.
- ^ Winter CES Report. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 14, 1987, p. 146.
- ↑ C128 & 1571 ROMs available. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 15, 1987, p. 27.
- ↑ a b Thomas Kaltenbach: Meeting point at the radio tower. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 10, 1987, p. 10.
- ↑ Ralf Müller: BTX offers that. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1989, p. 28.
- ^ A b New Version of 128. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 4, No. 9, 1987, p. 5.
- ↑ a b Louis Wallace: What's 8-bit, 3½ inches and 640 × 200? In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 41.
- ↑ a b c Margaret Morabito: The C-128: How Does It Stack Up? In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 48.
- ↑ Commodore advertisement. In: byte. Volume 10, No. 8, 1985, p. 137.
- ↑ Commodore advertisement. In: byte. Volume 10, No. 7, 1985, p. 12 f.
- ↑ Adam Herst: Getting Started with CP / M. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 21, 1986, p. 8.
- ↑ Commodor advertisement. In: Creative Computing. Vol. 11, No. 11, 1985, p. 1.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: The Scene At CES. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 6 and P. 113.
- ↑ Early Support for C128. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 5, 1985, p. 7.
- ↑ Commodore advertisement. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 13.
- ^ A b Eugene Lacey: Going for the President: Commodore International boss, Marshall Smith, interviewed. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 40.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Editorial. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 4, 1986, p. 3.
- ↑ Commodore advertisement. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 61.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: CBM to push C128 as business micro. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 46, 1985, p. 4.
- ↑ The Superding - The new Commodore 128 Personal Computer. Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, Braunschweig 1985, p. 1.
- ↑ C128 vs. IBM PC. In: Info-64. No. 11, 1986, p. 8.
- ↑ Commodore advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 4, 1986, p. 71.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Commodore announces more losses. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 48, 1985, p. 5.
- ^ Dan Gutman: Commodore's reprieve. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1986, p. 73.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Commodore announces £ 90m loss for 1985. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 42, 1985, p. 4.
- ^ Commodore struggling. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 7, 1986, p. 6.
- ^ John Lettice: £ 25 million loss rock Commodore. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 22, 1986, p. 1.
- ^ A b Juan Holz: The Chicago Summer Electronics Show. In: Commodore Computing International. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1986, p. 16.
- ↑ Andrea Knox: Commodore Ousts 6 Top Executives. In: Philadelphia Inquirer. April 24, 1987, accessed December 9, 2015 .
- ^ John Lettice: Commodore predicts profit. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 45, 1986, p. 6.
- ^ Commodore getting it together - internationally. In: Commodore Computing International. Vol. 5, No. 4, 1986, p. 78.
- ^ John Lettice: Commodore profit up again. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 46, 1986, p. 6.
- ↑ Commodore denies 128's death. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 32, 1986, p. 5.
- ^ A b Sheldon Leeman: Microscope. In: Compute! Vol. 8, No. 2, 1987, p. 24.
- ↑ Dennis Brisson: Commodore Exec Speaks Out! In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 36.
- ^ John Brissenden: Commodore president resigns after board row. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 6, No. 17, 1987, p. 7.
- ↑ Commodore shakeup. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 15, 1987, p. 26.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 5, No. 11, 1988, p. 4.
- ^ Berkeley Softworks advertisement. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 11, 1987, p. 36 f.
- ^ Berkeley Softworks advertisement. In: Run. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988, p. 14 f.
- ↑ C128 pack plans. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 16.
- ^ Dave Carlos: Commodore's package deal. In: Home Computing Weekly. No. 132, 1. – 7. October, 1985, p. 1.
- ↑ C64 trade-in to boost 128. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986, p. 8.
- ↑ C128 trade-in offer. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986, p. 6.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: New deal on Commodore 128. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 50, 1985, p. 4.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Commodore announces new holiday promotion. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1986, p. 5.
- ↑ Hard Lines. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 6.
- ↑ C128 for business? In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 8.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Peripherals for C128 still scheduled in UK. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 52, 1985, p. 4.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Atari and CBM go for education. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 5, 1986, p. 1.
- ^ A b Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1986, p. 6.
- ^ A b Dan Gutman: 1986 - The year in computers. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 1, No. 1, 1987, p. 71.
- ^ Dan Gutman: The Next Big Thing. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 50.
- ^ Peggy Herrington: Sound Advice. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore Computing. No. 8, 1985, p. 15.
- ↑ Ulrich Eike: PCs for pocket money. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 7, 1986, p. 126 f.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: COMDEX Report. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 16, 1987, p. 39.
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: These are the best products of the year: Readers' Choice '88. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 3, 1989, p. 143.
- ^ A b Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 6, No. 4, 1989, p. 6.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 6, No. 3, 1989, p. 6.
- ↑ Rumor Mill. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 25, 1989, p. 25.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run . Vol. 6, No. 5, 1989, p. 4.
- ↑ Mindy Skelton: Loren Lovhaug - an interview. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 26, 1989, p. 40.
- ↑ Mickey McLean: '80s Ups & Downs. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 8, No. 1, 1990, p. 19.
- ↑ a b Mark Jordan: 128 Mode. In: Run. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1990, p. 47.
- ↑ a b c Andreas Greil: Stepchild. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 51, 1990, p. 3.
- ↑ Georg Klinge: Commodore at CeBIT '90. Vol. 7, No. 6, 1990, p. 12.
- ↑ a b c d e Harald Beiler: Reader's ideas. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 82, 1992, p. 50.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 6, No. 10, 1989, p. 6.
- ↑ Heinz Behling, Harald Beiler: Hot clubs and hard goods - news from the C128 scene. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 70, 1991, p. 30.
- ↑ Harald Beiler: A touch of MS-DOS. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 64, 1991, p. 30.
- ↑ Heinz Behling, Harald Beiler: Hot clubs and hard goods - news from the C128 scene. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 70, 1991, p. 31.
- ↑ Torsten Leszinski, GE Dearth, Harald Beiler: There they are again: RAM expansion 1750 and floppy 1581. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 82, 1992, p. 40.
- ^ Montgomery Grant advertisement. In: Run, Vol. 8, No. 3, 1991, p. 1.
- ↑ Creative Micro Designs ad. In: Commodore World. No. 5, 1994, p. 25.
- ↑ Creative Micro Designs ad. In: Commodore World. No. 13, 1996, p. 7.
- ↑ Creative Micro Designs ad. In: Commodore World. No. 19, 1997, p. 21.
- ↑ Dennis Brisson: Rally Round CES! In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 7, 1985, p. 6.
- ↑ Diane Lebold: One and One Equals One ... Given Time. In: Commodore Microcomputers. Vol. 6, No. 6, 1985, p. 5.
- ↑ Albert Absmeier: Chicago under the sign of the CES. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 8.
- ↑ a b c Albert Absmeier: Commodore - as strong as ever. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 4, 1986, p. 9.
- ↑ Scott Mace: Rattigan Speaks for the Commodore Generation. In: InfoWorld. Vol. 7, No. 48, 1985, p. 28.
- ↑ Commodore attacks and strikes back. In: Commodore World. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 6.
- ^ Dan Gutman: That was the year that wasn't. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1987, p. 13.
- ^ Antony Jacobson: CCI View. In: Commodore Computing International. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1986, p. 8.
- ↑ Jürgen Zumbach: C128, Crucible of Systems. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1986, p. 120.
- ^ Dan Gutman: What next for Commodore? In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 1, No. 5, 1987, p. 79.
- ^ Anton Kult: Quo Vadis Commodore? In: Commodore World. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 76.
- ↑ a b Tim Walsh: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 5, No. 4, 1988, p. 8.
- ↑ a b c Loren Lovhaug: 8-Bit News. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 22, 1988, p. 36.
- ^ A b Franz Grieser, Thomas Irlbeck: Computer-Lexikon. DTV, Munich 1993, p. 121.
- ↑ Elmar Friebe: The rise and fall of Commodore. In: Chip special issue: Kult-Computer der 80er , 2013, p. 19.
- ↑ a b c Volker Mohr: The Amiga: The story of a computer legend. Scriptorium, Morschen 2007, p. 21.
- ↑ Anonymous: The new marketing idea could catch on: Commodore passes C16 over Aldi counters. In: Computerwoche. April 4, 1986, Retrieved April 25, 2015 .
- ↑ Sven Stillich: With kilobytes against the class enemy. In: Spiegel Online. December 22, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Georg Klinge: Hub like over there. In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 9, 1990, p. 9.
- ^ Scott Mace: Commodore Shows New 128. In: InfoWorld. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1985, p. 19.
- ↑ Margaret Morabito: The C-128: How Does It Stack Up? In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 47.
- ^ Montgomery Grant advertisement. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 103.
- ↑ Lyco Computer AD In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 54.
- ↑ Protecto advertisement. In: Commodore Microcomputers. Vol. 6, No. 5, 1985, p. 44.
- ↑ Protecto advertisement. In: Commodore Microcomputers. Vol. 7, No. 2, 1986, p. 90.
- ↑ Protecto advertisement. In: Family Computing. Vol. 4, No. 7, 1986, p. 68.
- ↑ Protecto advertisement. In: Family Computing. Vol. 4, No. 11, 1986, p. 87.
- ↑ Protecto advertisement. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 8, No. 1, 1987, p. 99.
- ↑ Computer Direct advertisement. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 8, No. 10, 1987, p. 122.
- ↑ Computer Direct advertisement. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 8, No. 11, 1987, p. 129.
- ↑ Computer Direct advertisement. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 9, No. 11, 1988, p. 118.
- ↑ Computer Direct advertisement. In: Commodore Magazine. Volume 10, No. 1, 1989, p. 122.
- ↑ Computer Direct advertisement. In: Commodore Magazine. Volume 10, No. 4, 1989, p. 42.
- ↑ Dimension Computers Advertisement. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 18.
- ↑ Evesham Micros advertisement. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1986, p. 16.
- ↑ HiVoltage advertisement. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 36.
- ↑ Dimension Computers Advertisement. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 5, No. 12, 1987, p. 16.
- ↑ Hardware and software sales H. Stebner advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 93.
- ↑ Hardware and software sales H. Stebner advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 134.
- ^ Neckermann catalog. Neckermann Versand KG, Frankfurt / Main 1985.
- ↑ IES Computer Trading Company Advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 102.
- ↑ Computer Reschke advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 102.
- ↑ Valasik computer advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 117.
- ↑ Abacomp advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 124.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 97.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 124.
- ↑ CC Computer Mail Advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 114.
- ↑ Hardware and software sales H. Stebner advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 125.
- ↑ computer exchanges 1/86. Vobis Data Computer GmbH, Aachen 1986, p. 2.
- ↑ ProSoft advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, p. 56.
- ↑ Dela electronics advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, p. 114.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1986, p. 102.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1986, p. 100.
- ↑ ProSoft advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 99.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 104.
- ↑ Abacomp advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 124.
- ↑ Computertechnik Luda advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 124.
- ^ Computer Discount Munich advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 129.
- ↑ Syndrome Computer Advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 103.
- ↑ ProSoft advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1987, p. 98.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1987, p. 120.
- ↑ Vobis advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1987, p. 51.
- ↑ ProSoft advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 103.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 116.
- ↑ Abacomp advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 106.
- ↑ Vobis advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1987, p. 95.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 9, 1987, p. 116.
- ↑ Abacomp advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 9, 1987, p. 135.
- ^ Anton Kult: Quo Vadis Commodore? In: Commodore World. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 78.
- ^ Source main catalog autumn / winter 1987. Source Schickedanz AG & Co, Fürth 1987, p. 1152.
- ↑ Abacomp advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 11, 1987, p. 147.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 138.
- ↑ Dual computer advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 103.
- ^ Tornado computer sales advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 127.
- ↑ Vobis advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 7, 1988, p. 5.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 9, 1988, p. 128.
- ↑ Dual computer advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 10, 1988, p. 85.
- ↑ Dual computer advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 12, 1989, p. 97.
- ↑ CSV Riegert advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 12, 1989, p. 121.
- ↑ Dual computer advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 6, 1990, p. 105.
- ^ Vobis memorandum. Vobis Data Computer GmbH, Aachen 1990.
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: It doesn't have to be new. In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 7, 1990, p. 23.
- ↑ Dual computer advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 12, 1990, p. 5.
- ↑ Heinz Behling: What does the world cost? In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 12, 1990, p. 16.
- ^ A b Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 5, No. 7, 1988, p. 4.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 5, No. 12, 1988, p. 6.
- ↑ Christine Lietke, Joachim Graf: The fear of women in front of the computer. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1988, p. 169.
- ^ Commodore News. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 24, 1989, p. 28.
- ↑ Lance Ulanoff: You Can Keep Your Fake Commodore 64. In: PCMag. April 7, 2011, accessed July 25, 2016 .
- ↑ Gottfried Knechtel: Didacta overview. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 13.
- ↑ Peter Pfliegensdörfer: CeBIT '88 - The gateway to the world. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 6, 1988, p. 8.
- ↑ Oliver Seebauer, Hans Feldmeier, Peter Pfliegensdörfer: No bluff: "Bluff". In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 9, 1989, p. 64 f.
- ↑ Commodore 128 Programmer's Reference Guide, ed. v. Commodore Business Machines, Inc. New York: Bantam Books, 1986, p. 557.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 9 f.
- ↑ Chris Bennett: New Computers At The CES Show. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 11 (February 1985), p. 16.
- ↑ Thomas Kaltenbach, Udo Reetz, Hartmut Woerrlein: The large computer lexicon. 2nd Edition. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1990, p. 140.
- ^ Michael Scharfenberger: Computer Lexicon. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1982, p. 220 f.
- ↑ Nikolaus Heusler, Matthias Fichtner: Differences between home and personal computers. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 4, 1989, p. 182.
- ↑ Georg Klinge: C128 - the way to become a professional. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 3.
- ^ Joe Gelman: Buyer's Guide Computers. In: Family Computing. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1985, p. 32.
- ^ A b Franz Grieser, Thomas Irlbeck: Computer-Lexikon. DTV, Munich 1993, p. 23.
- ^ A b Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 646.
- ↑ a b c d Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 9.
- ↑ Rudolf Schineis, Michael Brown, Norbert Demgensky: C128 ROM listing: Operating System. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 405.
- ↑ Rudolf Schineis, Michael Brown, Norbert Demgensky: C128 ROM listing: Operating System. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 410.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 639.
- ↑ Rudolf Schineis, Michael Brown, Norbert Demgensky: C128 ROM listing: Operating System. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 9.
- ↑ Rudolf Schineis, Michael Brown, Norbert Demgensky: C128 ROM listing: Operating System. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 409.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 30.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 640.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 128 Programmer's Reference Guide. Bantam Books, New York 1986, p. 569.
- ^ A b Walter Greulich (Ed.): The Brockhaus Computer and Information Technology. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig / Mannheim 2003, p. 737.
- ↑ a b Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 8.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 645 f.
- ↑ Herwig Feichtinger: Microcomputers from A to Z. Franzis, Munich 1984, p. 59.
- ↑ Harald Beiler: Hidden Talent. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 82, 1992, p. 16.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 645.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 9.
- ↑ Mark Jordan: C128 Mode. In: Run. Vol. 9, No. 3/4, 1992, p. 50.
- ↑ Jerry A. Sturdivant: Dual Screen for the Commodore 128 With 1902 Monitor. In: Commodore Microcomputers. Vol. 7, No. 2, 1986, p. 64.
- ^ Herbert Kunz, Ralf Sablowski: Two monitors at the same time on the C128. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 140.
- ^ Robert H. Taylor, Dell Taylor: The Black Book of C128. Value-Soft, Portland 1986, p. 92.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 10.
- ^ A b Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 670.
- ↑ a b Heinz Wrobel: The DATA Becker guide: Commodore 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 168.
- ↑ Ronald Körber: C 128: Everything about graphics. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989, p. 162.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Markus Ohnesorg, Klaus Schrödl: The new VDC: 64 KByte to let off steam. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 76.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 335.
- ↑ Heinz Wrobel: The DATA Becker guide: Commodore 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 170.
- ↑ a b Richard Moeskops, Andreas Lietz: Screen with 4000 characters through Interlace. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 3, 1987, p. 48.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 333.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, pp. 369-383.
- ↑ David Stidolph: The 8563 Video Display Controller. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1986, p. 57.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 671.
- ↑ a b Heinz Wrobel: The DATA Becker guide: Commodore 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 172.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 331.
- ↑ Ronald Körber: C 128: Everything about graphics. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989, p. 167 ff.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Markus Ohnesorg, Klaus Schrödl: The new VDC: 64 KByte to let off steam. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 77.
- ↑ David Stidolph: The 8563 Video Display Controller. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1986, p. 59.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 37.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 359.
- ^ H. Stöcklein, Ralf Sablowski: Multi-character set. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 123.
- ↑ Ronald Körber: C 128: Everything about graphics. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989, p. 166.
- ^ Heinz Wrobel: The DATA Becker guide: Commodore 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 217.
- ↑ a b David Stidolph: The 8563 Video Display Controller. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1986, p. 60.
- ↑ a b Heimo Ponnath, Gottfried Knechtel: Programming graphics correctly. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 36, 1988, p. 44.
- ↑ Jim Borden: Ultra Hi-Res Graphics - A Breakthrough On Your C-128. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986, p. 35.
- ↑ Thomas Rumbach, Dieter Winkler, Volker Everts: 80-character graphics for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 78.
- ^ Lou Wallace: 128 Graphics Wizardry. In: Run. Vol. 8, No. 7/8, 1991, p. 40.
- ↑ Nikolaus Huber, Florian Müller: Everything about the C128: User and programming manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1988, p. 278 f.
- ↑ Richard Moeskops, Andreas Lietz: Screen with 4000 characters through Interlace. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 3, 1987, p. 47.
- ↑ David Stidolph: The 8563 Video Display Controller. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1986, p. 61.
- ↑ Heinz Wrobel: The DATA Becker guide: Commodore 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 169.
- ↑ Thomas Engelmann, Ralf Sablowski: Interlace for the 80-character mode. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 71.
- ↑ Commodore 128D. The Cambridge Center for Computing History , accessed May 25, 2014 .
- ↑ Nicolas Welte: Uncovered: The VDC 8568's 38th Register. In: GO 64! Commodore World. Vol. 2, No. 6, 2000, p. 28.
- ↑ Günther Jilg, Axel Pretsch, Gottfried Knechtel: A problem child: the new C128D in sheet metal. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 10.
- ↑ Markus Ohnesorg, Gottfried Knechtel: Expand graphics memory to 64 Kbytes. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 44, 1989, p. 6 f.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Markus Ohnesorg, Klaus Schrödl: The new VDC: 64 KByte to let off steam. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 79.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Markus Ohnesorg, Klaus Schrödl: The new VDC: 64 KByte to let off steam. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 80.
- ^ Frank Heidermann, Ralf Sablowski: Super Vectors - through the eye of the needle to victory. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 36, 1988, p. 151.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Markus Ohnesorg, Klaus Schrödl: The new VDC: 64 KByte to let off steam. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 80.
- ^ Mark Jordan: Exploring the VDC (and Other Things). In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1989, p. 71.
- ↑ Louis R. Wallace, David P. Darus: Sprite Control in C-128 Mode. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 52.
- ↑ Louis R. Wallace: C-64 / C-128 Graphics: You Won't Believe Your Eyes. In: Run . 2nd special issue, 1986, p. 30.
- ↑ Louis R. Wallace: C-64 / C-128 Graphics: You Won't Believe Your Eyes. In: Run . 2nd special issue, 1986, p. 22.
- ↑ Louis R. Wallace: C-64 / C-128 Graphics: You Won't Believe Your Eyes. In: Run. 2nd special issue, 1986, p. 24.
- ↑ Louis R. Wallace: C-64 / C-128 Graphics: You Won't Believe Your Eyes. In: Run. 2nd special issue, 1986, p. 26.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 662 f.
- ↑ Ralf Durben, Klaus Löffelmann, Axel Plenge, Dieter Vüllers: Commodore 128: The large graphic book. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 64 f.
- ^ Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, p. 36.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 41 ff.
- ^ Paul Eves: Introducing SID. In: Commodore Disk User. Vol. 2, No. 4, 1989, p. 38 f.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 4–152.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 41.
- ↑ Commodore chips. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 15, 1987, p. 29.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 654.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 656 f.
- ↑ Peter Niemann: Commodore 128 user manual. MacGraw-Hill, Hamburg 1986, p. 169.
- ↑ Peter Niemann: Commodore 128 user manual. MacGraw-Hill, Hamburg 1986, p. 172.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 20.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 686.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 3.
- ↑ a b Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 55.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 50.
- ↑ a b c d Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 54.
- ^ A b Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 700.
- ↑ a b c Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 17.
- ↑ Ellen Rule: Journey to the Center Of Your C-128D. In: Run. Vol. 6, No. 8, 1989, p. 40.
- ↑ Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH (Ed.): Commodore spare parts list. Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, Braunschweig 1991, p. 33.
- ↑ Markus Ohnesorg, Gottfried Knechtel: Expand graphics memory to 64 Kbytes. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 44, 1989, p. 6.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 701.
- ↑ Noel Nyman: C128 RAM Disk. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 1, 1986, p. 38.
- ↑ Noel Nyman: Upgrade Your C128 With A 48K RAM Disk. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1987, p. 54.
- ↑ Heinz Wrobel: The DATA Becker guide: Commodore 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 166.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 706 ff.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 710.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 254 f.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (ed.): Service Manual C-128 / C128D Computer, ed. v. Commodore Business Machines Inc., 1987, p. 15.
- ↑ Karsten Schramm: The free slot of the C128. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 88.
- ↑ Peter Niemann: Commodore 128 user manual. MacGraw-Hill, Hamburg 1986, p. 171.
- ↑ a b c d Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 4.
- ↑ a b c d Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 647.
- ↑ Rodnay Zaks: chip and system. Introduction to microprocessor technology. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1984, p. 135.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual Model C-128 Computer (Preliminary). Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 65.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 67.
- ↑ a b Commodore 128 Programmer's Reference Guide, ed. v. Commodore Business Machines, Inc. New York: Bantam Books, 1986, p. 575.
- ↑ a b c Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 628.
- ↑ a b c d Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 632.
- ↑ a b c d Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 630.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 633.
- ↑ a b c Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 5.
- ↑ Dietmar Eirich, Sabine Quinten-Eirich: The Heyne Computer Lexicon. Heyne, Munich 1984, p. 59.
- ↑ Herwig Feichtinger: Microcomputers from A to Z. Franzis, Munich 1984, p. 34.
- ↑ Pocket Microcomputer Lexicon. Translated by Horst Kästner. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1982, p. 34.
- ^ Stefan Egger: Commodore C128 - 3 in 1. In: Computer Collection Vienna. Retrieved May 25, 2014 .
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 27.
- ^ A b Morton Kevelson: Touring the Commodore 128 Keyboard. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 51.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 28 ff.
- ↑ Florian Müller: From the C64 to the C128: Tips & Tricks. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1987, p. 15.
- ^ Franz Grieser, Thomas Irlbeck: Computer-Lexikon. DTV, Munich 1993, p. 150.
- ↑ Commodore MPS1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. B-1.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 39 f.
- ^ Morton Kevelson: Touring the Commodore 128 Keyboard. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 51 f.
- ^ Morton Kevelson: Touring the Commodore 128 Keyboard. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 54.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, 733-739.
- ^ Heinz Wrobel: The DATA BECKER guide: Commodore 128. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1987, pp. 142–146.
- ↑ Klaus Gerits, Frank Kampow: The Premiere Book - The new C 128. Data Becker, Dusseldorf 1985, p 10-17.
- ↑ Ralf Durben, Klaus Löffelmann, Axel Plenge, Dieter Vüllers: Commodore 128: The large graphic book. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 63.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 78.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual C128 / C128D Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 1.
- ^ A b c d e William Wiese: The Commodore 128 Personal Computer System. In: byte. Vol. 11, No. 7, 1986, p. 276.
- ↑ a b Jörg Allner, Kerstin Allner: Computer Classics. The highlights from 30 years of home computers. Data-Becker, Düsseldorf 2003, p. 93.
- ^ Stefan Egger: Commodore C128D 3 - All inclusive. In: Computer Collection Vienna. Retrieved May 25, 2014 .
- ↑ Torsten Seibt: 128 versus 128D: Whom? In: Commodore World. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1986, pp. 60 f.
- ^ A b Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, p. 65.
- ↑ Torsten Seibt: The new 128! In: Commodore World. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 8.
- ↑ a b c Lutz Vieweg, Klaus Schrödl: CBM 1571-DOS 3.1. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 12.
- ↑ Karsten Schramm, Alfred Poschmann: Two unequal brothers. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 3, 1988, p. 150.
- ↑ Torsten Seibt: The new 128! In: Commodore World. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 9.
- ↑ a b Karsten Schramm: A diesel in a tin dress. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1987, p. 11.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: C128D = C128D? Vol. 7, No. 7, 1990, p. 57.
- ↑ a b 1571 ROM Incompatibilities. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 18, 1988, p. 28.
- ↑ Karsten Schramm, Alfred Poschmann: Two unequal brothers. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 3, 1988, p. 151.
- ^ T. Sperling, Elmar Friebe: The VDC of the sheet metal diesel. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 36, 1988, p. 137.
- ↑ a b c Günther Jilg, Axel Pretsch, Gottfried Knechtel: A problem child: the new C128D in sheet metal. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 8.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 9, No. 11/12, 1992, p. 4
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1350 Mouse for the Commodore 128 Computer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985.
- ↑ Commodore 1351 Mouse. In: Commodore MIcrocomputers. Vol. 7, No. 6, 1986, p. 11.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1351 Mouse User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 5.
- ↑ Klaus Schrödl: Commodore 1351 - a quick mouse. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 165.
- ↑ Benno Flaig, Andrew Draheim: The thing with the mouse. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 5, 1988, p. 80.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1351 Mouse User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 8.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1351 Mouse User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 9.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1351 Mouse User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 9.
- ^ Robert W. Baker: Inside the 1571 Disk Drive. In: Commodore Microcomputers. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1986, p. 154.
- ↑ Udo Reetz: New computer - old drive? In: Happy Computer. Vol. 6, No. 3, 1988, p. 125.
- ^ A b Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1571 Disk Drive. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 13.
- ^ A b c Morton Kevelson: A Look Around the 1571. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 49.
- ↑ Miklós Garamszeghy: The 1581 Disk Drive: A technical evaluation. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 8, 1987, p. 30.
- ↑ Jürgen Zumbach: All good things come in threes . In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1986, p. 62.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1571 Disk Drive User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 4.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1581 Disk Drive User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 4.
- ^ Andy Eskelson: The Drive Box. In: Commodore Computing International. Vol. 7, No. 2, 1988, p. 48
- ↑ Ellen Rule: More Power to You. In: Run. Volume, No. 6/7, 1990, p. 20.
- ^ Morton Kevelson: A Look Around the 1571. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 48.
- ↑ a b c d Miklós Garamszeghy: The 1581 Disk Drive: A technical evaluation. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 8. 1987, p. 26.
- ^ Morton Kevelson: A Look Around the 1571. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 50.
- ↑ a b c Miklós Garamszeghy: The 1581 Disk Drive: A technical evaluation. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 8, 1987, p. 29.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: News & Views: Special CES Edition. In: Info-64. No. 7, 1985, p. 54.
- ↑ Scuttlebutt. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 7.
- ^ Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, p. 54.
- ↑ Albert Absmeier: Chicago under the sign of the CES. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 9.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 134.
- ↑ a b c Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 109.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 114 f.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 113.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 115.
- ↑ Boris Schneider: The new drives Commodore-1570/1571. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 45.
- ↑ Jim Borden: Commodore's New Disk Drive. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986, p. 26.
- ↑ a b Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1571 Disk Drive User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 5.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 170.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1571 Disk Drive. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 4.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1571 Disk Drive. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 7 f.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1571 Disk Drive. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 4 f.
- ↑ a b Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 13.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1571 Disk Drive. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 2.
- ↑ Boris Schneider: The new drives Commodore-1570/1571. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 44.
- ↑ Boris Schneider: Interim floppy drive for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 10.
- ↑ a b Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1571 Disk Drive User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 114.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1571 Disk Drive User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 115.
- ^ Radio Commodore 1571. In: Commodore World. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1986, p. 59.
- ↑ Jürgen Zumbach: All good things come in threes . In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1986, p. 63.
- ↑ Torsten Seibt: The strange transformation of a floppy. In: Commodore World. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 66.
- ^ A b Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1571 Disk Drive. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 1.
- ↑ a b c Guy Wright: The C-128 - A New Era of Compatibility. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 5, 1985, p. 24.
- ↑ Miklós Garamszeghy: A Layman's Guide to Burst Mode. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 23 (May 1986), p. 28.
- ↑ Miklós Garamszeghy: A Layman's Guide to Burst Mode Part 2: Burst Read. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 24 (June / July 1986), p. 18.
- ↑ Miklós Garamszeghy: A Layman's Guide to Burst Mode Part 3: Burst Write. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 25 (August / September 1986), p. 16.
- ↑ Tim Walsh: A 1571 Clone Is Here! , In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 76.
- ↑ Tim Walsh: A 1571 Clone Is Here! , In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 78.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann: New floppy for the C128. In. 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988, p. 14.
- ↑ a b c d e f Jim Borden: Commodore's New Disk Drive. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986, p. 28.
- ^ A b c Margaret Morabito: The 1581 Disk Drive. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 7, 1986, p. 24.
- ^ Mark R. Brown: World of Commodore Show. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 19, 1988, p. 34.
- ↑ a b c Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1581 Disk Drive User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 125.
- ↑ a b Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1581 3.5 Disk Drive. Commodore Computer Systems Division, West Chester 1987, p. 1.
- ↑ a b c Miklós Garamszeghy: The 1581 Disk Drive: A technical evaluation. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 8, 1987, p. 30.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1581 3.5 Disk Drive. Commodore Computer Systems Division, West Chester 1987, p. 12.
- ↑ Scott Thomas: Commodore 1581 Disk Drive. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 6, No. 3, 1988, p. 42.
- ↑ a b Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual 1581 3.5 Disk Drive. Commodore Computer Systems Division, West Chester 1987, p. 4.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore 1581 Disk Drive User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 1.
- ↑ a b c Miklós Garamszeghy: The 1581 Disk Drive: A technical evaluation. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 8, 1987, p. 27.
- ↑ Ellen Rule: More Power to You. In: Run. Volume, No. 6/7, 1990, p. 24.
- ↑ a b Karsten Schramm: After mini comes micro ... In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 32.
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: You have decided: The products of the year 1987. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 6, 1988, p. 14 f.
- ↑ Questions and answers on the 128. In 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 40.
- ↑ Thorsten Kuphaldt: CBM D9060 / D9090. In: Commodore Computer Online Museum. February 16, 2015, accessed August 15, 2016 .
- ^ Gregor Neumann, Thomas Jacobi, Martin Aschoff, Matthias Rosin, Jürgen Zumbach, Joachim Graf: Computer-Marathon. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 5, 1987, p. 14.
- ↑ Boris Schneider, Jörg Kähler: CES - In the sign of entertainment. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1987, p. 12.
- ↑ James Oldfield, Art Lewis Kimball: Hard Diskovery. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1987, p. 32.
- ↑ 8-bit superbase for hard disks. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 20, 1988, p. 36.
- ^ Don Romero: Hard drives for the Commodore 8-bit computers. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore Computing. No. 13, 1987, p. 42.
- ^ Mark R. Brown: Mini Chief Hard Drive. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 19, 1988, p. 61.
- ^ Robby Boey: Strange peripherals - the HD-20 hard disk. In: MOS 6502 - A Commodore Geek's Blog. September 3, 2010, accessed August 15, 2016 .
- ↑ Ulrich Eike: Everything for the C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1986, p. 124.
- ↑ a b c d Ulrich Eike: Everything for the C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1986, p. 123.
- ↑ Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH (ed.): Operating manual for RAM expansion modules 1700/1750, Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, Frankfurt / M. 1986, p. 19.
- ↑ Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH (ed.): Operating manual for RAM expansion modules 1700/1750, Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, Frankfurt / M. 1986, p. 5.
- ↑ Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH (ed.): Operating manual for RAM expansion modules 1700/1750, Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, Frankfurt / M. 1986, p. 2.
- ↑ Herbert Buckel: The C128 as a storage giant. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1987, p. 46.
- ↑ Tim Grantham: I Adore My C-576! In: TPUG Magazine. No. 22 (April 1986), p. 32.
- ↑ a b Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH (ed.): Operating manual for RAM expansion modules 1700/1750, Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, Frankfurt / M. 1986, p. 1.
- ↑ Achim Hübner: Extensions for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1986, p. 8 f.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Alfred Poschmann: Strong as RAMbo - the modules 1700, 1750 and 1764. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1988, p. 32.
- ↑ Henning Stöcklein, Harald Beiler: Memory expansions of the C128. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 70, 1991, p. 36.
- ↑ Harald Beiler: Save and load in a flash. In: Commodore World. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1987, p. 60.
- ↑ Michael Lang: Summer-CES 1985: Soft Wave in Chicago. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 8, 1985, p. 10
- ↑ Florian Müller, Alfred Poschmann: Strong as RAMbo - the modules 1700, 1750 and 1764. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1988, p. 31.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Alfred Poschmann: Strong as RAMbo - the modules 1700, 1750 and 1764. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1988, p. 29.
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: memory expansions. In: 64 product guide. Special issue No. 1, 1993, p. 31.
- ↑ Dave Durran et al. Patricia Huey: Operating instructions GeoRAM 512 and GEOS 2.0r. Trans. V. Florian Müller. Berkeley: Berkeley Softworks, 1989, p. 5.
- ↑ Ralf Sablowski: The monitor for the whole family. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 4, 1988, pp. 162 f.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Color Monitor 2002 User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 15.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore High Resolution Monitor Model 1084. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1988, p. 7.
- ↑ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore High Resolution Monitor 1084S. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1990, p. 1.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual MPS 1230. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1989, pp. 1-1.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1250 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, pp. I-1.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Video Monitor 1901 User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 6.
- ↑ a b c d Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, p. 64.
- ↑ a b c Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Video Monitor 1901 User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 16.
- ↑ Peter Beck: Monitor seeks connection. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1986, p. 138.
- ↑ Markus Ohnesorg: Large monitor test. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 25.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Video Monitor 1901 User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 13.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Video Monitor 1901 User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 7 f.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Color Monitor 1902 User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 1.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Color Monitor 1902 User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 9.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Color Monitor 1902A User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 1.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore Color Monitor 1902A User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. 7.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, SI
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. E-1.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, pp. 9-6.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, pp. 1-20.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. E-2.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Service Manual MPS1200 Printer. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, pp. B-2.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, pp. 8-4.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, pp. A-1 f.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, pp. B-7.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, p. E-2.
- ^ Commodore Business Machines, Inc. (Ed.): Commodore MPS 1200 Dot Matrix Printer User's Guide. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1986, pp. 1-18.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 300 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 14.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 300 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 69 f.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 300 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 59.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 300 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 26.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 300 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 6.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 300 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 7.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 300 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985, p. 2 f.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 1200 Model 1670 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 15.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 1200 Model 1670 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 61.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 1200 Model 1670 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 55.
- ^ Peggy Herrington: Modems Across the Board… In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore Computing. No. 12, 1986, p. 36.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 1200 Model 1670 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 6.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 1200 Model 1670 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 6.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 1200 Model 1670 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 69.
- ↑ Commodore Modem 1200 Model 1670 User's Manual. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1987, p. 2.
- ↑ a b c Matthias Frank, Arnd Wängler; Do you know BTX? In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 10, 1988, p. 84.
- ↑ Albert Absmeier: BTX total. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 8.
- ↑ a b c Thomas Röder: Co-production. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 11, 1987, p. 35.
- ↑ a b Arnd Wängler: Finally: Commodore BTX module ready. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 11, 1986, p. 13.
- ↑ Detlef Borchers: 20 years of BTX. In: Heise Online. September 2, 2003, accessed May 31, 2016 .
- ↑ The EUROM costs around 600 marks. In: Computerwoche. April 13, 1984. Retrieved June 9, 2016 .
- ↑ BTX: From May ceramic EUROM. In: Computerwoche. February 8, 1985, accessed May 31, 2016 .
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: New BTX module version. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 7, 1989, p. 14.
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: Tips & Tricks for BTX. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 7, 1989, p. 85.
- ↑ Thomas Röder: Co-Production. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 11, 1987, p. 187.
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: Telesoftware - never type again! in: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 1, 1990, p. 74.
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: BTX - an offer for you. in: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 12, 1988, pp. 102-104.
- ↑ Ruth Henke: BTX: Late ignition. In: Focus. May 30, 1994. Retrieved January 3, 2017 .
- ^ Arnd Wängler: Games on the wire. in: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 1, 1990, p. 76 f.
- ^ Thomas Giger: Graphic Booster 128. Combo AG, Solothurn 1989.
- ↑ Michael Nickles: Graphic-Booster 128: Graphics with 720 × 700 pixels. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 11, 1987, p. 104 f.
- ^ Thomas Helbing, Alfred Poschmann: Graphic Booster 128. In. 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988, pp. 142 f.
- ^ Thomas Helbing, Alfred Poschmann: Graphic Booster 128. In. 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988, p. 143.
- ↑ Graphics in the other dimension. In: Computer World. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1988, p. 14 f.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann: C128 Sprinter in comparison. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1988, p. 162.
- ↑ Alfred Poschmann: Ring free! In: Happy Computer. Vol. 7, No. 1, 1989, p. 108.
- ↑ In A Jiffy. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 23, 1988, p. 24.
- ↑ a b c David W. Martin: Quick! Quicker! In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 25, 1989, p. 21.
- ↑ Noel Nyman: JiffyDOS for the C64 / C128. In: The Transactor. Vol. 9, No. 3, 1989, p. 72.
- ↑ Noel Nyman: JiffyDOS for the C64 / C128. In: The Transactor. Vol. 9, No. 3, 1989, p. 75.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann: C128 Sprinter in comparison. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1988, p. 163 f.
- ↑ a b Karsten Schramm: Great purchase aid: Floppy speeder. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 26 ff.
- ↑ Florian Küppersbusch, Thomas Kaltenbach: Fast as the wind. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1989, p. 32 f.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann: C128 Sprinter in comparison. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1988, pp. 162 f.
- ↑ Hartmut Woerrlein: The 1570/71 is also faster. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 9, 1987, p. 20.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann, Karsten Schramm: The 1571 gets wings. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 113.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann: C128 Sprinter in comparison. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1988, p. 163.
- ↑ Peter Klein: Speeder. In: 64 product guide. Special issue No. 1, 1993, p. 29.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann: A turbo for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, p. 158 f.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann: A turbo for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, p. 161.
- ↑ Do 5 upgrade. In: Commodore Power Play. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1986, p. 10.
- ↑ Boris Schneider: The desert is alive. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, p. 9.
- ↑ Grewe Computertechnik advertisement. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1988, p. 153.
- ↑ Creative Micro Designs ad. In: Commodore World. No. 22, 1998, p. 42.
- ↑ Doug Cotton: The SuperCPU Steps up to Version 2. In: Commodore World. No. 22, 1998, p. 38.
- ↑ Gottfried Knechtel: Hardware extensions. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 40 f.
- ↑ Arnd Wängler: Quickbyte II - the power pack. In: 64'er, Vol. 2, No. 10, 1985, p. 14.
- ↑ Achim Hübner: EPROMer under the microscope. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1988, p. 28.
- ↑ Achim Hübner: EPROMer under the microscope. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1988, p. 25.
- ↑ Gottfried Knechtel: Hardware extensions. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 42 ff.
- ↑ Achim Huebner: Hardware additions. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 7, 1988, pp. 28-32.
- ↑ Combo AG advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 9, 1989.
- ↑ 128 Command Center. In: Commodore Power Play. Vol. 5, No. 4, 1986, p. 10.
- ↑ Dieter Mayer: Keyboard template for C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 11.
- ↑ Classic Covers (Catalog). Omicron Industries, Salt Lake City 1985, p. 2.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 9, No. 5/6, 1992, p. 4.
- ^ A b Louis Wallace: Summer CES: The Show Goes On. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 9, 1987, p. 56.
- ^ Bill Loguidice, Matt Burton: Vintage Game Consoles. Focal Press, New York / London 2014, p. 114.
- ^ Gary V. Fields: Getting Down to Business. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1988, p. 70.
- ↑ Jürgen Zumbach: Where do the CP / M software sources bubble up? In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1986, p. 29.
- ↑ Volker Everts: C128: Professional CP / M software for 199 DM. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 14.
- ↑ a b Jürgen Hückstädt, Andreas Hagedorn: BASIC dropouts: Please get in (Part 1) In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1986, p. 116.
- ↑ Volker Everts : The CP / M corner. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1986, p. 88.
- ↑ Peter Niemann: Commodore 128 user manual. MacGraw-Hill, Hamburg 1986, p. 36.
- ↑ Peter Niemann: Commodore 128 user manual. MacGraw-Hill, Hamburg 1986, p. 37.
- ↑ a b c Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 56.
- ↑ Dieter Mayer: The Floppy 1571 and original programs. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 95.
- ^ Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 Book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 663.
- ↑ Rudolf Schineis, Michael Brown, Norbert Demgensky: C128 ROM listing: Operating System. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 65.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Karsten Schramm: Perspective with the TEDMON. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 28.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, pp. 91–95.
- ^ A b Larry Greenly, Fred Bowen, Bil Herd et al .: The C128 book. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 463.
- ↑ Commodore 128 Programmer's Reference Guide, ed. v. Commodore Business Machines, Inc. New York: Bantam Books, 1986, p. 5.
- ↑ Dr. Ruprecht: C128: ROM listing. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 28.
- ↑ a b Volker Everts, Harald Meyer: First detailed test PC128 (part 1). In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 16.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 59.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 65.
- ↑ a b Dr. Ruprecht: C128: ROM listing. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 8.
- ^ A b Mark R. Brown, Benn Dunnington: ROM Upgrades. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 16, 1987, p. 7.
- ↑ Infomania Game Tips! In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 21, 1988, p. 16.
- ↑ Jörg Schieb, Elmar A. Weiler: Commodore 128: CP / M User's Guide. Abacus Software, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 23.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 22 f.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 73.
- ↑ Bernhard Bachmann: Commodore 128: Working with CP / M Plus. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 15.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 18.
- ^ Franz Grieser, Thomas Irlbeck: Computer-Lexikon. DTV, Munich 1993, p. 159.
- ↑ Alex Lane: CP / M and the C-128. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 120.
- ↑ Bernhard Bachmann: Commodore 128: Working with CP / M Plus. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 17.
- ↑ a b Jörg Schieb, Elmar A. Weiler: Commodore 128: CP / M User's Guide. Abacus Software, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 22.
- ↑ Roland Fieger: What is CP / M? In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 28.
- ^ Franz Grieser, Thomas Irlbeck: Computer-Lexikon. DTV, Munich 1993, p. 161.
- ↑ Alex Lane: CP / M and the C-128. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 124.
- ↑ a b c Harald Beiler: ... but please with format! In: 128'er. Special issue No. 89, 1993, p. 24.
- ↑ Helmut Jungkunz, Harald Beiler: News from the CP / M scene. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 95, 1993, p. 31.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 27 f.
- ^ Ralph A. Morrill: Compatibility and Operability of the C128 CP / M + Operating System. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 5, 1987, p. 44 ff.
-
↑ Miklós Garamszeghy: Customizing C128 CP / M: Patches for
CPM+.SYS.In: The Transactor. Vol. 9, No. 4, 1989, p. 62. - ^ Roland Fieger: DFÜ under CP / M. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1987, p. 141.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt, O. Trottno, Harald Beiler: Programming with CP / M 3.0. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 70, 1991, p. 27.
- ↑ Klaus-Dieter Frohn, Harald Beiler: Tips for CP / M fans. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 76, 1992, p. 27 f.
- ↑ Peter Aurich: Setup for C128-CP / M. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 11.
- ↑ a b Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 25.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, pp. 144–154.
- ↑ Roland Fieger: Tips & Tricks for CP / M. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 97 ff.
- ↑ Alex Lane: CP / M and the C-128. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 122.
- ↑ Stephen E. Mann: CP / M Plus, a third, updated version of CP / M. In: InfoWorld. Vol. 5, No. 33, 1983, p. 52.
- ↑ a b c Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 27.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 155.
- ↑ Roland Fieger: Tips & Tricks for CP / M. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 99.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 58.
- ↑ a b Alex Lane: CP / M and the C-128. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 76.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 23.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 57 f.
- ^ Franz Grieser, Thomas Irlbeck: Computer-Lexikon. DTV, Munich 1993, p. 161.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 24.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 59.
- ↑ Jörg Schieb, Elmar A. Weiler: Commodore 128: CP / M User's Guide. Abacus Software, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 225.
- ↑ Jörg Schieb, Elmar A. Weiler: Commodore 128: CP / M User's Guide. Abacus Software, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 47.
- ↑ Alex Lane: CP / M and the C-128. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 78.
- ↑ Jörg Schieb, Elmar A. Weiler: Commodore 128: CP / M User's Guide. Abacus Software, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 81.
- ↑ Roland Fieger: Tips & Tricks for CP / M. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 95 f.
- ↑ Jürgen Zumbach: CP / M - a standard comes alive. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1986, p. 26.
- ↑ Bernhard Bachmann: Commodore 128: Working with CP / M Plus. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1987, p. 18 ff.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 140.
- ↑ Klaus Gerits, Frank Kampow: Das Premierenbuch - Der neue C 128.Data -Becker, Düsseldorf 1985, p. 46.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 140 f.
- ^ A b Christian Zahn, Boris Kretzinger, Enno Coners: The Commodore Story. CSW-Verlag, Winnenden 2013, p. 63.
- ↑ Benn Dunnington: A Nostalgic Look Back at the Commodore 128. In: Info-64. No. 9, 1985, p. 26.
- ↑ Michael Thomas, Karsten Schramm: The agony of choice. In: 64'er. Special issue No. 15, 1987, p. 12.
- ↑ Alfred Poschmann: C64 or C128 - which one is better? In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 5, 1988, p. 22.
- ↑ Harald Beiler: Save and load in a flash. In: Commodore World. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1987, p. 61.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 118.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6–1 to 6-18.
- ↑ Morton Kevelson: A Look Around the 1571: Commodore's Disk Drive Companion to the 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 47.
- ↑ Peter Niemann: Commodore 128 user manual. MacGraw-Hill, Hamburg 1986, p. 29.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 117.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 453.
- ↑ a b c d Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 121.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 297.
- ^ Günter Rolle: Personal Computer Lexicon. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1982, p. 42.
- ↑ Morton Kevelson: A Look Around the 1571: Commodore's Disk Drive Companion to the 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 50.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 20.
- ↑ Helmut Jungkunz, Harald Beiler: Software for CP / M 3.0: The step out of the shadows. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 76, 1992, p. 32.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: CP / M 3.0 user manual C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 21.
- ↑ Harald Beiler: On a Stranger Track: CP / M Formatter and MFM Scan. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 82, 1992, p. 22.
- ↑ Jugg'ler-128. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 4, 1989, p. 10.
- ↑ Harald Beiler: Floppy with high ambitions. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 82, 1992, p. 4.
- ↑ Peter Niemann: Commodore 128 user manual. MacGraw-Hill, Hamburg 1986, p. 28.
- ↑ Morton Kevelson: A Look Around the 1571: Commodore's Disk Drive Companion to the 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 9, 1985, p. 48.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 157.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 176.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 174.
- ↑ Boris Schneider: The new drives Commodore-1570/1571. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 46 f.
- ^ Robert H. Taylor, Dell Taylor: The Black Book of C128. Value-Soft, Portland 1986, pp. 193-195.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 109 f.
- ↑ a b c Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 120.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 116.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 110 f.
- ↑ a b Michael Sachse: MOS – IC Index. In: CBM Hardware. Retrieved November 22, 2015 .
- ↑ 1571 / C128 ROM upgrades. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 14, 1987, p. 138.
- ↑ Tim Sickbert: C128 and 1571 ROM Upgrades. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 17, 1987, p. 55.
- ↑ Tim Walsh: The 1571 ROM Controversy. , In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 78.
- ^ Karsten Schramm: The Floppy 1570/1571. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1986, p. 115.
- ↑ Cameron Kaiser: The Disk Drives. In: Floodgap Retrobits. December 29, 2004, accessed October 5, 2015 .
- ↑ Klaus Schrödl: What does compatible mean here? In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 3.
- ↑ Günther Jilg, Axel Pretsch, Gottfried Knechtel: A problem child: the new C128D in sheet metal. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 29, 1988, p. 9.
- ↑ Karsten Schramm, Alfred Poschmann: Two unequal brothers. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 3, 1988, p. 152.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6-1.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6-14 u. 6-17.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6-7.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6–2 ff.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6–3 ff.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6-9 ff.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6-10 ff.
- ↑ Commodore 128 operating manual. Frankfurt / M .: Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, 1985, pp. 6-13 ff.
- ↑ Ellen Rule: More Power to You. In: Run. Volume, No. 6/7, 1990, p. 21.
- ↑ a b c d Miklós Garamszeghy: The 1581 Disk Drive: A technical evaluation. In: The Transactor. Vol. 7, No. 8, 1987, p. 28.
- ↑ a b Hartmut Woerrlein, Gregor Neumann: 1581 - Alternative in 3½ inches? In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 6, 1987, p. 47.
- ^ A b c Dan Baker: 1581 Disk Drive. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 1, No. 11, 1987, p. 123.
- ^ Mark R. Brown: 1581 Disk Drive. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 15, 1987, p. 47.
- ^ Robert H. Taylor, Dell Taylor: The Black Book of C128. Value-Soft, Portland 1986, p. 174.
- ^ A b Alfred Poschmann: New dimensions with the 1581. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 87.
- ↑ Hartmut Woerrlein, Gregor Neumann: 1581 - Alternative in 3½ inches? In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 6, 1987, p. 46.
- ^ Franz Grieser, Thomas Irlbeck: Computer-Lexikon. DTV, Munich 1993, p. 302.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: GEOS. In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1990, p. 58.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: GEOS without end? In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1990, p. 62.
- ^ A b Dennis Brisson: GEOS One Year Later. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 7, 1987, p. 67.
- ^ Klaus Schrödl: Premiere - GEOS C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 9.
- ↑ Klaus Schrödl: GEOS 128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 13.
- ↑ a b c Roland Fieger: Graphic to take off: GEOS 128. In: 64'er. In: Vol. 4, No. 12, 1987, p. 16 f.
- ^ A b Don Romero: GEOS Update Part Four. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 19, 1988, p. 50.
- ↑ Don Romero: GeoStuff. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 21, 1988, p. 29.
- ↑ Berkeley Softworks (ed.): GeoFile 128: The data management system for use with GEOS 128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1988.
- ↑ Berkeley Softworks (ed.): GeoCalc 128: The graphic-supported calculation sheet for use with GEOS 128. Markt + Technik, Haar bei München 1988.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Roland Fieger: GeoCalc 64/128: Well calculated is half the battle. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 5, 1988, p. 103.
- ↑ Jim Defrisco, Brian Dougherty, Dave Durran et al .: GEOS 128: Graphic Environment Operating System. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1988, pp. 1-6.
- ↑ Roland Fieger: GEOS complete system with every convenience. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 1, 1987, p. 114.
- ↑ Jim Defrisco, Brian Dougherty, Dave Durran et al .: GEOS 128: Graphic Environment Operating System. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich, 1988.
- ^ Gregor Neumann: Bits in motion. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1989, p. 11.
- ↑ Florian Müller: C64 / C128: Everything about GEOS 2.0. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989, p. 13.
- ↑ a b c Florian Müller, Elmas Friebe: Two to zero for the C128. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 44, 1989, p. 116.
- ↑ a b Berkeley Softworks (Ed.): GEOS 128: Graphic Environment Operating System Version 2.0. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989.
- ↑ Tim Walsh: GeoWatch. In: Run . Vol. 6, No. 5, 1989, p. 66.
- ^ Dennis Brisson: Running Ruminations. In: Run. Vol. 6, No. 2, 1989, p. 6.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: A new standard for user interfaces: GEOS 2.0. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 3, 1989, p. 34.
- ↑ Don Romero: GEOS 128 V2.0. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 26, 1989, p. 45.
- ↑ Uwe Kepper, Dirk Astrath: New GEOS for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 9, 1989, pp. 80 f.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: The C128 as a graphics professional . In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, p. 104 f.
- ↑ Market + technology advertisement. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 7, No. 9, 1989, p. 49.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: News from the GEOS world. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 3, 1989, p. 9.
- ↑ Carsten Clasohm, Klaus Schrödl: Easy as pie : DFÜ with GEOS. In: 64'er. Special issue No. 28, 1988, pp. 5-18.
- ↑ Carsten Clasohm: Geoterm. Professional terminal program with graphic user interface under GEOS. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989, p. 9.
- ^ A b Florian Müller, Peter Pfliegensdörfer: GEOS News. Vol. 5, No. 7, 1988, p. 11.
- ↑ Market + technology advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 8, 1989, p. 134.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: Programming with GEOS. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 12, 1989, p. 32.
- ↑ W. Knupe, H.-J. Cripina, R. Bonse, V. Goehrke: GEOS programming with the MegaAssembler. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1990, p. 15 ff.
- ↑ Florian Müller: C64 / C128: Everything about GEOS 2.0. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1989, p. 19.
- ^ Dennis Brisson, Margaret Morabito: New Members of The Commodore Family. In: Run. Vol. 3, No. 7, 1986, p. 22 f.
- ^ Matthew Stern: The Expanding World of GEOS. In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 54.
- ↑ Software upgrades. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 19, 1988, p. 32.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 66.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 67.
- ↑ Todd Heimarck: Exploring BASIC 7.0. In: COMPUTE'S! First Book of C128. Compute! Publishing, Greensboro 1986, p. 3.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: BASIC 7.0 on the Commodore 128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 15 f.
- ^ A b Guy Wright: The C-128 - A New Era of Compatibility. In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 5, 1985, p. 26.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 83 f.
- ↑ Heimo Ponnath, Gottfried Knechtel: Programming graphics correctly. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 36, 1988, p. 41.
- ↑ Heimo Ponnath, Klaus Schrödl: Juggling with Sprites and Shapes. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 36, 1988, p. 61 ff.
- ↑ Florian Müller: From the C64 to the C128: Tips & Tricks. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1987, p. 27.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: BASIC V7.0 on the Commodore 128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 197.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 65.
- ↑ Peter Rosenbeck: The Commodore 128 manual. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 96.
- ^ Robert H. Taylor, Dell Taylor: The Black Book of C128. Value-Soft, Portland 1986, pp. 84 f.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt: BASIC V7.0 on the Commodore 128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1985, p. 16.
- ↑ Florian Müller: From the C64 to the C128: Tips & Tricks. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1987, p. 53.
- ↑ Todd Heimarck: Exploring BASIC 7.0. In: COMPUTE'S! First Book of C128. Compute! Publishing, Greensboro 1986, p. 6.
- ↑ Matthias Fichtner: Duel at the base. In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 6, 1990, pp. 18-24.
- ^ Roland Fieger: The Language Cabinet. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1987, pp. 162 ff.
- ^ Louis Wallace, David Darus: Basic 8.0: The Enhanced Graphics System For The C128. Patech Software, Somerset 1986, p. 20.
- ↑ a b Don Romero: BASIC 8.0. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 21, 1988, p. 59.
- ^ Louis Wallace, David Darus: Basic 8.0: The Enhanced Graphics System For The C128. Patech Software, Somerset 1986, p. 2.
- ↑ Mark Jordan: Hidden Video Memory. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1989, p. 75.
- ^ Louis Wallace, David Darus: Basic 8.0: The Enhanced Graphics System For The C128. Patech Software, Somerset 1986, p. 8.
- ^ Louis Wallace, David Darus: Basic 8.0: The Enhanced Graphics System For The C128. Patech Software, Somerset 1986, p. 11.
- ↑ Andreas Bude System Hard- u. Software advertisement. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 6, No. 5, 1988, p. 75.
- ^ Markus Ohnesorg, Harald Meyer: First expansion for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 11.
- ↑ Michael Thomas, Roland Fieger: BASIC afterburner for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1987, p. 158 f.
- ↑ Thomas Helbig: BASIC 128. The complete BASIC compiler and development system. Grand Rapids: Abacus Software (1986, 2nd edition), p. III.
- ^ A b c Caroline D. Hanlon: Buyer's Guide to Programming Aids. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1989, p. 16.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Roland Fieger: Das Sprachenkabinett. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1987, pp. 162 f.
- ↑ Thomas Kaltenbach: BASIC-Tuning. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 5, 1987, p. 50.
- ↑ Udo Reetz, Achim Hübner: Austro-Comp - now also for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, p. 144.
- ↑ Bob Skyles: Blitz! 128. Skyles Electric Works, Mountain View 1985, p. 1.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Ralf Müller: That's how I tell the computer. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 6, No. 9, 1988, p. 40.
- ↑ a b c d e Commercial Commodore 128 Specific Software / Hardware list. In: commodore.se. Retrieved October 6, 2015 .
- ↑ a b c d Volker Everts: New CP / M software for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1986, p. 13.
- ↑ a b Roland Fieger: Programming languages - almost everything included. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1988, p. 138.
- ↑ Guido Weckwerth, Herbert Buckel, Roland Fieger: BASIC under CP / M: MS and CBASIC on the Commodore 128. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 24.
- ^ Herbert Buckel: New CP / M software for the C128: Microsoft BASIC. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1986, p. 12.
- ↑ Guido Weckwerth, Herbert Buckel, Roland Fieger: BASIC under CP / M: MS and CBASIC on the Commodore 128. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 24 f.
- ↑ Martin Kotulla: The great book of public domain software. Free CP / M programs for Commodore 128, Schneider CPC and Joyce. Heise, Hannover 1988, p. 202.
- ↑ Mark Sawusch, Dave Prochnow: 1001 Things To Do With Your Commodore 128. TAB Books, Blue Ridge Summit 1986, p. 163.
- ^ A b Caroline D. Hanlon: Buyer's Guide to Programming Aids. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1989, p. 18.
- ^ Better Working: Power C. Spinnaker, Cambridge 1986
- ↑ C compiler with complete source code for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, p. 15.
- ^ Roland Fieger, Herbert Buckel: Small C: The C compiler for system programmers. , In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 8, 1986, p. 142 f.
- ↑ Volker Everts, Norbert Jungmann: C for professionals. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 8, 1986, pp. 141 f.
- ^ KA Alexander: COBOL 128 software system. Abacus Software, Grand Rapids 1986
- ↑ VS128COBOL . Visionary Software, Farmington Hills 1985
- ↑ a b c d Roland Fieger: Programming languages - almost everything included. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1988, p. 141.
- ^ Fritz Nestle, Dietrich Pohlmann: C64 / 128 COMAL 80 programming practice. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1987
- ↑ Manfred Wenzel: Forth am Commodore 128. In: Commodore world. Vol. 3, No. 11, 1986, p. 56 f.
- ↑ Martin Kotulla: The great book of public domain software. Free CP / M programs for Commodore 128, Schneider CPC and Joyce. Heise, Hannover 1988, p. 119.
- ^ A b Martin Kotulla: The great book of public domain software. Free CP / M programs for Commodore 128, Schneider CPC and Joyce. Heise, Hannover 1988, p. 82.
- ^ Hermann Schnepf: Super Pascal 128. Abacus, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 3.
- ↑ Kyan Pascal 128. In: Info: The Useful Guide to Commodore Computing. Vol. 4, No. 1, 1987, p. 34.
- ↑ a b c d Roland Fieger: The Language Cabinet. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1987, p. 164.
- ↑ Michael Thomas, Roland Fieger: One language for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 128 f.
- ↑ Market + technology advertisement. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 10, 1986, p. 86.
- ↑ M. Thomas, Volker Everts: Turbo-Pascal on the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 30 ff.
- ↑ Martin Kotulla: The great book of public domain software. Free CP / M programs for Commodore 128, Schneider CPC and Joyce. Heise, Hannover 1988, p. 24 f.
- ↑ Martin Kotulla: The great book of public domain software. Free CP / M programs for Commodore 128, Schneider CPC and Joyce. Heise, Hannover 1988, p. 36.
- ↑ Martin Kotulla: The great book of public domain software. Free CP / M programs for Commodore 128, Schneider CPC and Joyce. Heise, Hannover 1988, p. 101.
- ↑ a b Rodnay Zaks: chip and system. Introduction to microprocessor technology. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1984, p. 430.
- ^ Stefan Höltgen: Resume. Hands-on retrocomputing. Projekt Verlag, Bochum / Freiburg 2016, p. 49.
- ↑ Peter Fischer: The small PC lexicon. Mikro + Kleincomputer-Informa-Verlag, Luzern 1985, p. 14.
- ^ Xavier Berenguer, Albert Corominas, Josep Garriga: Computer. Technology, application, effects. Reinbek: Rowohlt, 1978, p. 62.
- ↑ Peter Fischer: The small PC lexicon. Mikro + Kleincomputer-Informa-Verlag, Luzern 1985, p. 83.
- ↑ Hans-Joachim Sacht: Microprocessors. Small computers for everyone. Munich: Humboldt, 1978, p. 58.
- ↑ Hans-Joachim Sacht: Microprocessors. Small computers for everyone. Munich: Humboldt, 1978, p. 53.
- ↑ Chris Miller: Buddy 64/128 Assembly Development System. Click Here Software, Charlotte 1990, p. 4.
- ↑ Chris Miller: Better Working: Power Assembler. Spinnaker, Cambridge 1986
- ^ DJ Morris: Twin 80 Screen For the Commodore 128. In: The Transactor. Vol. 8, No. 3, 1987, p. 57.
- ^ Matthew Montchalin: C-128 Midnight Assembly System. Mountain Wizardry Software, Portland 1988
- ↑ Chris Taylor: Rebel Assembler / Editor. Nu Age Software, St. Petersburg 1985
- ↑ Kevin Pickell: Total Software Development System. NoSync Software, Port Coquitlam 1985
- ^ Caroline D. Hanlon: Buyer's Guide to Programming Aids. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 7, No. 4, 1989, p. 17.
- ↑ Hartmut Woerrlein: Fast 128: Assembler for the C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1987, p. 16.
- ↑ Achim Hübner: Top-Ass: The first assembler for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, pp. 146f.
- ↑ Gerd Möllmann, Michael Bauer: Programming in assembler with Top-Ass plus for the C128. Markt + Technik, Haar near Munich 1987, p. 13.
- ↑ René Beaupoil: Programming in assembler with Top-Ass Plus for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 7, 1987, p. 152.
- ^ Robert Baker: Developers Kit. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 22, 1988, p. 56.
- ↑ Peter Danek, Peter Pansegrau, Jürgen Puschmann, Rasso von Schlichtegroll, Michael B. Zirpel: C128-Learn. An introduction to machine language for the C128. Holtkötter, Munich 1986.
- ↑ Roland Flieger: A strong couple: C128-Macro and C128-Profi. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 147.
- ↑ Martin Kotulla: The great book of public domain software. Free CP / M programs for Commodore 128, Schneider CPC and Joyce. Heise, Hannover 1988, pp. 54-58.
- ^ Peter Hornby, Margaret Anderson: A review of software for introductory psychology instruction. In: Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers. Vol. 22, No. 2, 1990, p. 189.
- ↑ a b Mark Sawusch, Dave Prochnow: 1001 Things To Do With Your Commodore 128. TAB Books, Blue Ridge Summit 1986, p. 164.
- ^ Gregor Neumann: Vizawrite - a triangular story. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 10, 1987, p. 151.
- ↑ Torsten Seibt: A legend comes back. In: Commodore World. Vol. 3, No. 8, 1986, p. 4 f.
- ↑ Roland Fieger, Arnd Wängler: Vizawrite Classic 128 - good things even better? In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1986, p. 44 ff.
- ↑ Rudolf Egg, Klaus Schrödl: The comfort class - text programs for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 44 f.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Klaus Schrödl: A good purchase is half the text. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 48 f.
- ^ Commodore Buyer's Guide to software and accessories Volume 3. West Chester: Commodore Magazine, Inc., 1987, p. 67.
- ^ Commodore Buyer's Guide to software and accessories Volume 3. West Chester: Commodore Magazine, Inc., 1987, p. 69.
- ↑ a b Axel Pretzsch, Arnd Wängler: Out: Typewriter. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 177.
- ↑ Thomas Röder: Super word processing for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 5, 1987, p. 10.
- ^ Klaus Schrödl: Printer magic with Fontmaster 128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 7, 1987, pp. 159 f.
- ↑ a b c d Commodore Buyer's Guide to software and accessories Volume 3. West Chester: Commodore Magazine, Inc., 1987, p. 70.
- ↑ a b Free Spirit Software Commodore 64 & 128 Product Listing Fall 1991. Free Spirit Software, Kutztown 1991.
- ↑ Robert Kodadek: SpeedScript 128. In: ! Compute's Gazette. Vol. 5, No. 10, 1987, pp. 22-52 and Pp. 102-105.
- ↑ Michael Gruber: SpeedScript 128 Plus. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 7, No. 9, 1989, pp. 38-44 and 93-95.
- ↑ Norbert Jungmann: A strong couple. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 173.
- ↑ Rudolf Egg, Klaus Schrödl: The comfort class - text programs for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 46.
- ↑ Axel Pretzsch, Arnd Wängler: Out: Typewriter. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 180.
- ↑ Commodore 128: Jane. Commodore Business Machines, West Chester 1985
- ^ Lance Elko: The Summer Consumer Electronics Show. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 4, No. 9, 1986, p. 24.
- ↑ Karl Hinsch, Christine Geißler: Protext 128 - Proven expanded. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986, p. 21 f.
- ↑ Rudolf Egg, Klaus Schrödl: The comfort class - text programs for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, pp. 45 f.
- ↑ a b Dirk Astrath: The C128 as a typewriter. Vol. 6, No. 7, 1989, p. 122
- ↑ Florian Müller, Arnd Wängler: Protext - Tips & Tricks for Insiders (2). Vol. 5, No. 7, 1988, p. 48 f.
- ↑ Rudolf Egg, Klaus Schrödl: The comfort class - text programs for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 47.
- ↑ Toni Schwaiger: Commodore 128: StarTexter. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1986
- ↑ Axel Pretzsch, Arnd Wängler: Out: Typewriter. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 178 f.
- ↑ Market + technology advertisement. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 9, 1987, pp. 142 f.
- ↑ Eva-Maria Hierl Meier, Volker Everts: Introducing: WordStar. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 47 f.
- ↑ Rudolf Egg, Klaus Schrödl: The comfort class - text programs for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 46 f.
- ↑ Axel Pretzsch, Arnd Wängler: Out: Typewriter. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 182.
- ↑ Andrew Draheim: Put on paper. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 11, 1988, p. 136.
- ↑ Heimo Ponnath, Arnd Wängler: Word processing: David against Goliath. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 11, 1988, pp. 138-142.
- ↑ 3D Graphics Drawing Board. Glentop Publishers, Barnet 1986
- ↑ Tom Brown: Colorez-128. B-Ware Computer Systems, Philadelphia 1987
- ↑ Rick Kane: Ipaint. Living Proof Software, Minneapolis 1987.
- ↑ Tom Brown: Page Illustrator 128. Patech Software, Somerset 1988
- ^ Poster Maker 128. Free Spirit Software, Kutztown 1989
- ^ Spray Paint 128. PHD Software Systems, Moville 1986
- ^ Heino Hansen, Elmar Sonnenschein: StarPainter 128.Sybex , Düsseldorf 1987
- ↑ Arndt Dettke, Peter Pfliegensdörfer: Starpainter 128 - the big brother. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1987, p. 152 ff.
- ↑ Harald Beiler: StarPainter 128 - First painting and drawing program for the 128th In: Commodore World. Vol. 4, No. 7, 1987, p. 28 f.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: The C128 as a graphics professional . In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, p. 102.
- ↑ T. Gudella, Dirk Strath, Alfred Poschmann: A paint program sets standards. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 10, 1988, p. 158 f.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: The C128 as a graphics professional . In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, pp. 103 f.
- ↑ Roy C. Wainwright: CadPak-128th Abacus Software, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 1.
- ↑ Carl Valiulis: Technological highbred Integrated System. Micro Aided Designs, Placentia 1986
- ↑ Ronnie Koshimizu: THIS. In: Mid-Cities Commodore Club News. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1989, p. 8.
- ↑ Home Designer: CAD for the Commodore 128. K & K Software, Unbek. Location 1987
- ↑ Ralf Sablowski: High-Screen-CAD 128 - Drawing with high resolution. In. 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988, pp. 139 f.
- ↑ Dirk Astrath: The C128 as a graphics professional . In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, p. 103.
- ^ Commodore Buyer's Guide to software and accessories Volume 3. West Chester: Commodore Magazine, Inc., 1987, p. 60.
- ↑ Datafiler 128. Free Spirit Software, Kutztown 1986
- ↑ Ian Allen: DFILE 128. In: The Australian Commodore Review. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1986, p. 18 f.
- ^ Paperback Filer 128. Digital Solutions, Willowdale 1985
- ↑ Cheryl Peterson: Record Master 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 67 ff.
- ↑ Commodore Superbase 128. Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH, Frankfurt / M. 1985
- ↑ Norbert Jungmann: A strong couple. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1986, p. 172.
- ↑ Christine Geißler: Superbase for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986, p. 18 f.
- ↑ Toni Schwaiger: Commodore 128: StarDatei. Sybex, Düsseldorf 1987
- ↑ Norbert Jungmann: Universal file management. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1987, pp. 44 f.
- ↑ Florian Müller, Norbert Jungmann: Strong file management. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 6, 1987, p. 153.
- ^ Alfred Poschmann: File management for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, p. 13.
- ↑ T. Gudella, Alfred Poschmann: Your data, please ... In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 2, 1989, pp. 97 f.
- ↑ Data Becker advertisement. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 7, 1987, p. 171.
- ↑ Rudolf Egg, Roland Fieger: From old to new - Datamat Plus 128 in the test. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 10, 1987, p. 126 f.
- ↑ Market + technology advertisement. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 5, No. 8, 1987, p. 56.
- ↑ Volker Everts: dBase II - the professional database. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 48 f.
- ↑ René Beaupoil, Roland Fieger: dBase II versus Superbase 128. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1987, p. 42.
- ^ Commodore Buyer's Guide to software and accessories Volume 3. West Chester: Commodore Magazine, Inc., 1987, p. 61.
- ^ Commodore Buyer's Guide to software and accessories Volume 3. West Chester: Commodore Magazine, Inc., 1987, p. 68.
- ↑ Commodore Buyer's Guide to software and accessories Volume 3. West Chester: Commodore Magazine, Inc., 1987, p. 66.
- ^ Andreas Friedrich: The computer as a warehouse manager. In: 64'er. Vol. 7, No. 5, 1990, p. 94.
- ^ Rudolf Egg, Alfred Poschmann: The C128 as an office professional. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 12, 1988, p. 72.
- ↑ Benn Dunington et al .: Info: Your Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. Product Roundup Sping / Summer 1987. Info Publications, Iowa City 1987, p. 66.
- ↑ a b c d Benn Dunington et al .: Info: Your Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. Product Roundup Sping / Summer 1987. Info Publications, Iowa City 1987, p. 67.
- ↑ Roland Fieger: The C128 as a financial expert. In: 64'er. Vol. 4, No. 1, 1987, p. 166 f.
- ↑ Roland Fieger: The C128 calculates income tax. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 5, 1988, p. 10.
- ↑ SwiftSheet 128 Cosmi, Carson 1985
- ^ Paperback Planner 128. Digital Solutions, Willowdale 1985
- ^ Brian Morrow: Rhapsody 128. King Microware, Montreal 1985.
- ↑ Trio 128. SoftSync, New York 1986
- ^ Bob Guerra: What's Write For You? In: Run. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1987, p. 43.
- ↑ Multiplan C128. Epyx Computer Software, San Francisco 1986.
- ^ Markus Ohnesorg: Multiplan. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 3, 1986, p. 148.
- ↑ Desk Manager. Softsync, New York 1986
- ^ Commodore Buyer's Guide to software and accessories Volume 3. Commodore International, West Chester 1987, p. 71.
- ↑ a b Jürgen Zumbach: The C64 in the C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 11, 1985, p. 51.
- ↑ Christina Erskine: Program hitch for C128. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 49, 1985, p. 5.
- ↑ Georg Klinge, Volker Everts: News from the Commodore exhibition - software for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 12, 1985, p. 9.
- ^ Stuart Cooke: C128 Roundup. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1986, p. 50.
- ^ Boris Schneider: For C128 only. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 22, 1987, p. 142.
- ^ Klaus Schrödl: Crisis Management. In: 128'er. Special issue No. 36, 1988, p. 3.
- ↑ Kikstart: Off-Road Simulator (Commodore 128) at Moby-Games
- ^ Boris Schneider: Games for the C128. In: 64'er. Vol. 3, No. 8, 1986, p. 15.
- ↑ Mastertronic goes 128. In: Commodore User Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 7, 1986, p. 7.
- ^ Heinrich Lenhardt: 128er games from Mastertronic. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 8, 1986, p. 155.
- ↑ Torsten Seibt: The wave of games for the 128 is rolling. In: Commodore World. Vol. 3, No. 11, 1986, p. 4 f.
- ↑ Martin Kotulla: The great book of public domain software. Free CP / M programs for Commodore 128, Schneider CPC and Joyce. Heise, Hannover 1988, p. 178.
- ↑ MobyGames Game Browser: Commodore 128. In: MobyGames. Retrieved August 28, 2015 .
- ^ Lou Wallace (Ed.): Fun Pak 128. SIDG Communications, Peterborough 1989, pp. I f.
- ↑ 128 Programs. In: Commodore Microcomputers. Vol. 7, No. 3, 1986, p. 12.
- ↑ Alric Rüther, Alfred Poschmann: Food for the spirit. In: 64'er. Vol. 5, No. 10, 1988, pp. 142 f.
- ^ Bob Lindstrom: The Making of Info. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 18, 1988, p. 73.
- ↑ Mark Jordan: A Talk with Loren Lovhaug. In: Commodore Magazine. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1989, p. 52.
- ^ Sue Albert: World of Commodore Los Angeles. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Amiga & Commodore Computing. No. 28, 1989, p. 68.
- ^ Birger Hahn, Jörg Wittiber, Claus Bauhofer: Special Issues C128. In: Emuecke. Retrieved October 24, 2015 .
- ↑ Martin Stratmann, Christian Evers: Club 128'er Aktuell introduces itself. In: 64'er. Vol. 6, No. 9, 1989, p. 16.
- ↑ Andreas Boose, Tibor Boczo, Dag Lem et al .: VICE - the Versatile Commodore Emulator. In: Sourceforge. Retrieved October 16, 2015 .
- ↑ Andreas Boose, Tibor Boczo, Dag Lem et al .: VICE - the Versatile Commodore Emulator: About VICE. In: Sourceforge. Retrieved October 16, 2015 .
- ^ Raeto West: The Commodore 128 - An Exclusive Preview. In: Commodore User. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1985, p. 38.
- ↑ Jim Gracely: The Commodore 128 Personal Computer: The Compatible Computer You've Been Waiting For. In: Commodore Microcomputers. Vol. 6, No. 2, 1985, p. 70.
- ↑ a b Tom R. Halfhill: The Commodore 128: A Hands-On Report. In: Compute! Vol. 7, No. 6, 1985, p. 18 f.
- ^ John J. Anderson: Commodore 128: Capability and compatibility in Commodore's new flagship. In: Creative Computing. Vol. 12, No. 7, 1985, p. 34.
- ^ William Wiese: The Commodore 128 Personal Computer System. In: byte. Vol. 11, No. 7, 1986, p. 272.
- ↑ Steven Darnold: Commodore C-128: Crammed with commands. In: New Zealand Bits And Bytes. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1985, p. 12.
- ↑ Barry Miles: 128 Preview. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 47.
- ^ A b Arthur Young: Commodore 128 Review. In: Your Computer. Vol. 5, No. 6, 1985, p. 48.
- ^ Morton Kevelson: Opening Ceremonies for the Commodore 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 30.
- ^ William Wiese: The Commodore 128 Personal Computer System. In: byte. Vol. 11, No. 7, 1986, p. 270.
- ^ Stuart Cooke: The C128 - In Depth. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 11.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: At home with the: C128. In: Info-64. No. 7, 1985, p. 40.
- ^ A b c Charles Brannon: Inside the 128. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1985, p. 30.
- ↑ Jeff Naylor: Jack of all trades. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 25, 1985, p. 20.
- ^ A b c Benn Dunnington: A Nostalgic Look Back at the Commodore 128. In: Info-64. No. 9, 1985, p. 26.
- ^ A b Margaret Morabito: The C-128: How Does It Stack Up? In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 90.
- ^ A b John Holttum: The Commodore 128: Impressions and Observations. In: The Transactor. Vol. 6, No. 5, 1986, p. 25.
- ^ A b Nick Sullivan: The C-128: A Programmer's Playground. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 15, 1985, p. 18 ff.
- ↑ Jeff Naylor: Jack of all trades. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 25, 1985, p. 19.
- ↑ Jeff Naylor: Three into one won't go. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 46, 1985, p. 12.
- ↑ Tom R. Halfhill: The Commodore 128: A Hands-On Report. In: Compute! Vol. 7, No. 6, 1985, p. 20.
- ^ A b Stuart Cooke: The C128 - In Depth. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 10.
- ^ Morton Kevelson: Opening Ceremonies for the Commodore 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 29.
- ^ A b c d e John J. Anderson: Commodore 128: Capability and compatibility in Commodore's new flagship. In: Creative Computing. Vol. 12, No. 7, 1985, p. 33.
- ↑ Barry Miles: 128 Preview. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 46.
- ↑ Chris Jenkins: C128 - The System. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 11.
- ^ A b Jeff Naylor: Three into one won't go. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 46, 1985, p. 11.
- ↑ Sheldon Leeman: Commodore's Port: The Commodore 128 PC. In: Creative Computing. Vol. 12, No. 4, 1985, p. 116.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: News & Views: Special CES Edition. In: Info-64. No. 6, 1985, p. 16.
- ^ A b John J. Anderson: Commodore 128: Capability and compatibility in Commodore's new flagship. In: Creative Computing. Vol. 12, No. 7, 1985, p. 30.
- ↑ Arthur Young: Commodore 128 Review. In: Your Computer. Vol. 5, No. 6, 1985, p. 49.
- ↑ Eric Doyle: C128 Revisited. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1986, p. 57.
- ^ Raeto West: The Commodore 128 - An Exclusive Preview. In: Commodore User. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1985, p. 34.
- ^ Morton Kevelson: Opening Ceremonies for the Commodore 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 29.
- ↑ Margaret Morabito: The C-128: How Does It Stack Up? In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 91.
- ↑ Eric Doyle: C128 Revisited. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1986, p. 57.
- ↑ Hardware Systems Special Supplement. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, No. 47, 1986, p. 27.
- ^ A b c Morton Kevelson: Opening Ceremonies for the Commodore 128. In: Ahoy! Vol. 2, No. 8, 1985, p. 33.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: At home with the: C128. In: Info-64. No. 7, 1985, p. 37.
- ↑ a b c d Sheldon Leeman: Commodore's Port: The Commodore 128 PC. In: Creative Computing. Vol. 12, No. 4, 1985, p. 117.
- ^ Raeto West: The Commodore 128 - An Exclusive Preview. In: Commodore User. Vol. 3, No. 5, 1985, p. 37.
- ^ A b Nick Sullivan: The C-128: A Programmer's Playground. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 15, 1985, p. 18.
- ^ John J. Anderson: Commodore 128: Capability and compatibility in Commodore's new flagship. In: Creative Computing. Vol. 12, No. 7, 1985, p. 35.
- ^ William Wiese: The Commodore 128 Personal Computer System. In: byte. Vol. 11, No. 7, 1986, p. 274.
- ↑ a b Eric Doyle: C128 Revisited. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1986, p. 58.
- ↑ David Kelly: View. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 3, 1985, p. 3.
- ↑ Christopher Jenkins: CBM International shares down again. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 9.
- ↑ Benj Edwards: The Golden Age of Commodore Computers: Commodore 128 (1985). In: PC Magazine. April 14, 2016, accessed April 14, 2016 .
- ^ Benn Dunnington: Will the 128 Fly? In: Info-64. No. 7, 1985, p. 19.
- ↑ a b Steven Darnold: Commodore C-128: Crammed with commands. In: New Zealand Bits And Bytes. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1985, p. 13.
- ↑ Margaret Morabito: The C-128: How Does It Stack Up? In: Run. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 49.
- ^ Stuart Cooke: The C128 - In Depth. In: Your Commodore. Vol. 2, No. 11, 1985, p. 12.
- ↑ Chris Jenkins: C128 - The System. In: Commodore Horizons. Vol. 3, No. 1, 1986, p. 12.
- ^ William Wiese: The Commodore 128 Personal Computer System. In: byte. Vol. 11, No. 7, 1986, p. 272.
- ↑ Tom R. Halfhill: The Commodore 128: A Hands-On Report. In: Compute! Vol. 7, No. 6, 1985, p. 28.
- ↑ Jim Gracely: The Commodore 128 Personal Computer: The Compatible Computer You've Been Waiting For. In: Commodore Microcomputers. Vol. 6, No. 2, 1985, p. 73.
- ↑ Jim Butterfield: Commodore 128: New Things. In: TPUG Magazine. No. 18, 1985, p. 16.
- ^ A b William Wiese: The Commodore 128 Personal Computer System. In: byte. Vol. 11, No. 7, 1986, p. 272.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: At home with the: C128. In: Info-64. No. 7, 1985, p. 39.
- ^ A b Jeff Naylor: Three into one won't go. In: Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 4, No. 46, 1985, p. 13.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: News & Views: Special CES Edition. In: Info-64. No. 6, 1985, p. 18.
- ^ Benn Dunnington: At home with the: C128. In: Info-64. No. 7, 1985, p. 41.
- ^ Karl Dallas: Going up to 128 Part 1 - C-128, the perfect 64 upgrade. In: Commodore User. Vol. 3, No. 12, 1985, p. 97.
- ^ Charles Brannon: Inside the 128. In: Compute! 'S Gazette. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1985, p. 22.
- ↑ a b Volker Everts: PC128 - The professional. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 4, 1985, p. 16.
- ↑ Volker Everts: PC128 - The professional. In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 4, 1985, pp. 13-16.
- ↑ Volker Everts, Harald Meyer: First detailed test PC128 (part 1). In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 17.
- ↑ Volker Everts, Harald Meyer: First detailed test PC128 (part 1). In: 64'er. Vol. 2, No. 6, 1985, p. 28.
- ↑ Peter Zumbach: Computer of the third kind. 520 ST and C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1985, p. 22.
- ↑ Peter Zumbach: Computer of the third kind. 520 ST and C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1985, p. 28.
- ↑ Peter Zumbach: Computer of the third kind. 520 ST and C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1985, p. 29.
- ↑ Peter Zumbach: Computer of the third kind. 520 ST and C128. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 3, No. 9, 1985, p. 32.
- ↑ Stefan Grainer: Three in one. Commodore's quick-change artist C128. In: c't. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1985, p. 34.
- ↑ Stefan Grainer: Three in one. Commodore's quick-change artist C128. In: c't. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1985, p. 35.
- ↑ Stefan Grainer: Three in one. Commodore's quick-change artist C128. In: c't. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1985, p. 36.
- ↑ Dietmar Eirich, Peter Herzberg: Computer Yearbook '86. Heyne, Munich 1985, p. 64.
- ↑ Peter Niemann: Commodore 128 user manual. MacGraw-Hill, Hamburg 1986, p. 1.
- ↑ Torsten Seibt: 128 versus 128D: Whom? In: Commodore World. Vol. 3, No. 10, 1986, p. 62.
- ↑ Peter Pachal: The 12 Biggest PC Duds Ever. In: PC Magazine. August 9, 2011, accessed January 7, 2016 .
- ^ Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, p. 51.
- ^ A b Winnie Forster: Game consoles and home computers 1972–2009. Gameplan, Utting 2009, p. 66.
- ^ Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, p. 51 f.
- ↑ Elmar Friebe: Bad investment? In: 128'er. Special issue No. 44, 1989, p. 3.
- ^ David H. Ahl: 1985 Winter Consumer Electronics Show. In: Creative Computing. Vol. 12, No. 4, 1985, p. 50.
- ^ Joe Gelman: Buyer's Guide Computers. In: Family Computing. Vol. 3, No. 6, 1985, p. 35.
- ↑ Jürgen Hückstädt, Andreas Hagedorn: BASIC dropouts: Please get in (Part 1). In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1986, p. 115.
- ^ Andreas Hagedorn, Werner Breuer, Jürgen Zumbach: CP / M problems on home computers. In: Happy Computer. Vol. 4, No. 2, 1986, p. 32.
- ^ Boris Kretzinger: Commodore. The rise and fall of a computer giant. Scriptorium, Morschen 2005, p. 52.
- ↑ a b c Bill Loguidice, Matt Burton: Vintage Game Consoles. Focal Press, New York / London 2014, p. 116.
- ^ Dale A. Costello: Commodore External RAM Expansion Cartridges. In: The Transactor. Vol. 8, No. 2, 1987, p. 38.
- ↑ Mark R. Brown: 1764 RAM Expander. In: Info. The Useful Guide to Commodore & Amiga Computing. No. 15, 1987, p. 43.