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Those Were The Days...

Sun, 25 May 2003 15:16

zoid

Ensign

Messages: 348
Registered: December 2002
Location: Murray, KY - USA

In the "CPU SPEED?" thread, Ron wrote on Sun, 25 May 2003 08:32

Oh, and the Commodore floppy drive (1541) had 8k of its own internal memory, and its own CPU. Many games for the C64 had copy protection systems that relied on 'encrypting' all tracks on the floppy, except the directory track, which contained a decoder program. Once the decoder program was loaded into the floppy drives RAM/CPU and ran there, it could then read the rest of the floppy, which could contain hidden 'burned' spots that the copy protection would check for, causing the drive head to bang against its stop. Nasty sound, and potentially damaging to the drive itself.

Showing my age here... Rolling Eyes

Yeah, but weren't the games just far more wonderful back in them days? My first computer was a Commodore 64, and well do I remember the 1541 floppy drive, the really annoying copy-protection, and the endless piles of piracy software (also pirated). "Hmmm, even Doctor Hacker IV didn't copy it - I don't know where to go from here - wait, did we try Quick Hacker VII yet? Smasher II & III? Darn."

It wasn't that I was too cheap to buy the software - being single, living in military barracks and having no bills to pay, there was no other more preferable way to spend my paycheck. It was more a matter of not being able to find the game for sale anywhere. I bought EVERY game I seen hit the shelves, and for a time, they were ALL good. I remember many occasions never getting up from the computer except as briefly as possible to eat or go to the bathroom, going 3 days without any sleep (stone cold sober), because I couldn't leave the new game I'd just gotten. "Microprose Pirates!" was one of those. Awesome. Smile

"Microprose Pirates! Gold" for the IBM, on the other hand, wasn't.

I don't recall any lousy games back then - only the occasional brand new game disk that would never run on YOUR machine, but might run on your friends machine on maybe 1 out of 7 attempts. Or vice versa. It was just a matter of patience...

(What was that weird command string again?) '250"*",8,1' (or something like that), then there's whirring, clicking, clunking, more whirring, clicking, clunking, and then it sounds like it's going to bust itself apart in frustration, then silence. Is it going to work this time? Finally the drive light comes on again and it begins to whir some more. "Ah, there it goes again, good, I think we got it". Then silence with the drive light flickering rapidly and you know it's for good this time. "Crap. Try it again, Craig." Laughing

Ah, the memories. I'd forgotten.

At least you never had to calibrate the joystick with a C64, and those joysticks took a beating and worked forever.

And remember how one of the coolest things about IBM - compatibles back then was the notable absence of outside wiring? The Commodore had wires poking out every which way, while the guy with an IBM compatible down the hall had a single cord running from the back of the monitor to the backside of the cpu, a very cool "curly cord" from the keyboard to the front of the cpu, and a power cord for each. Very neat. (Of course, the guy down the hall with the IBM compatible didn't have sound, or color, or a joystick, so forget it). Apple? No thanks, I'm not hungry. Mouse? What are you talking about?

Now look at the mess underneath and behind my desk! I always imagine the local fire department official looking back there, shaking his head and clucking his tongue, scolding me about the fire hazard. Now that I've got sound, color, and a joystick there's 5 times as many cords as the Commodore ever had back there.

But ok, I'm done reminiscing now. Sorry to bore the more youthful among us who can't relate. Ron's post just awakened some memories I hadn't recalled in forever.

I'M NOT AN EXPERT AND I'M OFTEN PROVEN WRONG. TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN YOU READ MY POSTS.
Math? Confused

Ummm, sure! Nod

I do FREESTYLE math.

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[Message index]

		Those Were The Days... By: zoid on Sun, 25 May 2003 15:16
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Ron on Sun, 25 May 2003 18:46
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: zoid on Mon, 26 May 2003 00:47
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: gible on Mon, 26 May 2003 04:02
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: regiss on Mon, 26 May 2003 04:11
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: BlueTurbit on Mon, 26 May 2003 18:26
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Ron on Mon, 26 May 2003 21:16
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: BlueTurbit on Mon, 26 May 2003 23:55
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Coyote on Tue, 27 May 2003 00:21
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: zoid on Tue, 27 May 2003 03:28
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: freakyboy on Mon, 26 May 2003 07:32
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: BlueTurbit on Mon, 26 May 2003 19:08
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Ron on Mon, 26 May 2003 21:18
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Crusader on Thu, 05 June 2003 15:02
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: jchoyt on Thu, 05 June 2003 15:35
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Peptis on Thu, 05 June 2003 22:01
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: zoid on Thu, 05 June 2003 23:16
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Coyote on Fri, 06 June 2003 01:15
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Crusader on Fri, 06 June 2003 09:49
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: djhakase on Fri, 06 June 2003 10:25
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Crusader on Fri, 06 June 2003 13:53
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: BlueTurbit on Fri, 06 June 2003 23:43
		Re: Those Were The Days... By: Crusader on Mon, 09 June 2003 09:47

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