Commodore 64

(computer)(C64) An 8-bit Commodore Business Machinespersonal computer released around September 1981.Prototypes were (apparently) made before Christmas 1980 (andshown at some computer fair).

The CPU was a 6510 from MOS Technologies (who were awholly owned subsiduary of Commodore at this time(?)). TheC64 had 64 kilobytes of RAM as standard and a 40-columntext, 320x200 pixel display generating composite video,usually connected to a television.

DMA-based memory expanders for the C64 (and C128) allowed128, 256, and 512 kb of RAM. Several third partymanufacturers produce accelerators and RAM expanders for theC64 and C128. (Some, risking a holy war, compare this toputting a brick on roller-skates). Such accelerators come inspeeds up to 20MHz (20 times the original) and RAM expandersto 16MB.

The C64's 1541 5.25 floppy disk drive had a 6502processor as a disk controller.

See also Commodore 65.

["Assembly language programming with the Commodore 64", MarvinL. De Jong].

Commodore 64

An early personal computer from Commodore Business Machines. Introduced in 1982, the Commodore 64 (for 64K of RAM) was one of the best-selling machinees in the embryonic days of personal computers. Following the VIC-20, which used the same case, only white instead of beige, the Commodore 64's lower price (USD $595) helped it outsell its higher-priced competitors such as the IBM PC, Apple II and Atari computers. See Commodore PET, VIC-20 and Commodore.

The Commodore 64

This is the main unit with a 300 bps analog modem plugged into the back, a drive for 170KB floppies and a tape cassette. The floppy drive weighed almost 10 pounds. Like most personal computers of that era, the BASIC programming language was built in. See BASIC.