Greetings!
I received my C64U Starlight Monday. I absolutely love this machine. I'm 45 and got a CoCo 2 for my fifth birthday and have been into computers my whole life. I'm living an alternate reality childhood had I gotten a Commodore instead of a CoCo. My oldest nephew is five, and he and his little brother LOVE all my retro tech. We played Nintendo for FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT last Saturday, first time I've done that since I was single-digit aged. I'm going to take the machine to them and teach them BASIC, all that good stuff.
I've made a few videos this week with Commodore at youtube.com/bollingholt
I'm hoping to attach my 1541 to it this weekend and go through some BOXES of disks I recently acquired with a TI-99/4A haul, but I think it's mainly Commodore software. Looking forward to it!!!
Bo Holt
... Torture: The Ultimate Art Form.
I'm going to take the machine to them and teach
them BASIC
Good news. Tell us how you get along. I considered getting a c64 from perifractic but I can't get over the funky keyboard layout of the commodores. I have a mini and can't really find a good for it. And I'mI cut my teeh on a CoCo 2, so it's "new nostalgia" for me LOL. I didn't
not nostalgic for the games.
I hope you find a treasure in that pile of floppies.
Daniel
sysop | air & wave bbs
finger | calcmandan@bbs.erb.pw
--- PyGate Linux v1.5.12
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
Daniel wrote to All <=-
Good news. Tell us how you get along. I considered getting a c64 from perifractic but I can't get over the funky keyboard layout of the commodores. I have a mini and can't really find a good for it. And I'm
not nostalgic for the games.
I hope you find a treasure in that pile of floppies.
Bo Holt <usenet@vk3heg.net> wrote:
I'm going to take the machine to them and teach
them BASIC
Oh no! Keep the kids away from BASIC as it is
one of the most horrendous programming languages
ever invented.
Better to fire up a Fedora Linux or FreeBSD VM and have
the kids learn Python or anything saner than BASIC.
Back in the 1980s BASIC was better than nothing, but
should not be used again in 2026.
br,
KK
What horrible advice.
Daniel <me@sc1f1dan.com> wrote:
What horrible advice.
Why do you say so? Python 3 is a nice and clean
language with all the features you would expect
from a good programming language. Fedora Linux
and FreeBSD are millions of times more advanced
than poor old C64. Programming in BASIC using
the horrible C64 screen editor is nothing but
a bad joke in 2026. I have to laugh thinking
about it... Hahah!
BASIC on a C64 lacks almost everything:
no proper WHILE looping, no proper
function calls, no proper data structures,
identifiers are only valid for the two
starting characters. C64 BASIC is beyond awful
and should never be used in 2026. Why would
anyone torture kids with that lame BASIC?
C64 is a great platform for learning
assembly programming though but even so
you should write the code on Linux or FreeBSD
using a proper text editor and a cross assembler,
testing your program with VICE.
br,
KK
Many of us wet our feet on basic as children. In fact, many people
progressed into the world of software development from that
introduction. One could argue that it helped lead into the industry
we have today.
You told him not to introduce the kids to that same joy he
experienced with an end-of-world urgency. As if they'll be irreparably
harmed by it. Sheesh.
He's doing it to bond with the kids. Maybe he will help them code their
own games and get that satisfaction like he did. For years magazines
supplied source code for games. I used to stay in the computer lab after school to code them myself, since we didn't have a computer at my
home. We had atari game system.
C64 BASIC is beyond awful and should never be used in 2026. Why would anyone torture kids with that lame BASIC?
...C64 BASIC which is quite possibly the worst programming language ever invented.
Linux and FreeBSD are paradise for programmers, beginners or advanced.
Come on... Let's split hairs. The first is a Kernel, the latter is an OS...
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Kalevi Kolttonen to All on Wed Mar 11 2026 10:00:02
...C64 BASIC which is quite possibly the worst programming language ever invented.
You've never used Algol.
Linux and FreeBSD are paradise for programmers, beginners or advanced.
Those are OSes, not languages.
Mortar M. wrote to Kalevi Kolttonen <=-
You've never used Algol.
Algol begat Pascal. Pascal is the mother language for pretty much every modern programming language today.
My bad. I ment APL. Keep getting those confused.
Oh no! Keep the kids away from BASIC as it is
one of the most horrendous programming languages
ever invented.
Better to fire up a Fedora Linux or FreeBSD VM and have
the kids learn Python or anything saner than BASIC.
Back in the 1980s BASIC was better than nothing, but
should not be used again in 2026.
br,
KK
You told him not to introduce the kids to that same joy he
experienced with an end-of-world urgency. As if they'll be irreparably harmed by it. Sheesh.
He's doing it to bond with the kids. Maybe he will help them code their
own games and get that satisfaction like he did. For years magazines supplied source code for games. I used to stay in the computer lab after school to code them myself, since we didn't have a computer at my
home. We had atari game system.
--- PyGate Linux v1.5.12
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
Nah, python is better.Oh no! Keep the kids away from BASIC as it is
one of the most horrendous programming languages
ever invented.
Better to fire up a Fedora Linux or FreeBSD VM and have
the kids learn Python or anything saner than BASIC.
Back in the 1980s BASIC was better than nothing, but
should not be used again in 2026.
br,
KK
Basic is still fun to play with. They are only 5 and 3 anyway LOL. They we only interested in games anyway, for the time being. ;)
... Most have good aims in life, but few pull the trigger.
Nah, python is better.
BASIC really only makes sense if you are still using an 80s microcomputer.
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Kalevi Kolttonen to All on Tue Mar 10 2026 13:30:01
C64 BASIC is beyond awful and should never be used in 2026. Why would anyone
torture kids with that lame BASIC?
I think you're missing the point of retro-computing.
Mortar M. <usenet@vk3heg.net> wrote:
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Kalevi Kolttonen to All on Tue Mar 10 2026 13:30:01
anyoneC64 BASIC is beyond awful and should never be used in 2026. Why would
torture kids with that lame BASIC?
I think you're missing the point of retro-computing.
Right?
To be frank, C64 basic wasn't that great, even back then.
My first computer was a VZ 200, which predated the C64 (I think it was sold as a V-Tech 200 in the US.
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Dennis Katsonis to marika on Fri Apr 10 2026 22:44:14
To be frank, C64 basic wasn't that great, even back then.
Agreed. Considering the number of Commodore micros already in the wild, you think they'd have improved the BASIC for the VIC and 64, as these were inten for non-computer savvy people.
My first computer was a VZ 200, which predated the C64 (I think it was so as a V-Tech 200 in the US.
I vaguely remember reading about this in magazines, but never actually seen one. After looking it up online, I can see why. It was only around for two year and had low specs. No way could it have competed with the likes of the C=64 or even the Atari 400. However, it did not pre-date the 64. The VZ-20 came out in '83, while the 64 came out a year earlier.
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Mortar M. to Dennis Katsonis on Sat Apr 11 2026 01:41 pm
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Dennis Katsonis to marika on Fri Apr 10 2026 22:44:14
To be frank, C64 basic wasn't that great, even back then.
Agreed. Considering the number of Commodore micros already in the wild, yo think they'd have improved the BASIC for the VIC and 64, as these were inte for non-computer savvy people.
My first computer was a VZ 200, which predated the C64 (I think it was s as a V-Tech 200 in the US.
I vaguely remember reading about this in magazines, but never actually seen one. After looking it up online, I can see why. It was only around for tw year and had low specs. No way could it have competed with the likes of th C=64 or even the Atari 400. However, it did not pre-date the 64. The VZ-2 came out in '83, while the 64 came out a year earlier.
I got the VZ200 in 1991, quite a bit after it release. My parents got it garage sale cheap (buying a new computer was a bit much back then, just fo to use). It was a bit dissapointing as I wanted the Atari 1040STE, but as had just been introduced to BASIC at school, it was fun to try BASIC at ho and draw graphics and make basic games.
Dick Smith started an electronics store called, Dick Smith Electronics, an VZ 200 was their rebrand, sold with his face on it.
A little later that year, they got a Vic 20 at a garage sale, which had be graphics, but lacked the drawing commands. A little later, the C64 came, second hand. You could do sprites, but again, no graphics. Not without entering some other machine code subroutines.
I suppose they had to get it out quick, and once it was out, you can't pat it.
--- SBBSecho 3.10-Win32
* Origin: MS & RD BBS bbsweb.mozysswamp.org (3:633/384)
|03Quoting message from |11Dennis Katsonis |03to |11Mortar M.
|03on |1112 Apr 26 11:25:58|03.
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Mortar M. to Dennis Katsonis on Sat Apr 11 2026 01:41 pm
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Dennis Katsonis to marika on Fri Apr 10 2026 22:44:14
To be frank, C64 basic wasn't that great, even back then.
Agreed. Considering the number of Commodore micros already in the wild, yo
think they'd have improved the BASIC for the VIC and 64, as these were inte
for non-computer savvy people.
My first computer was a VZ 200, which predated the C64 (I think it was s
as a V-Tech 200 in the US.
I vaguely remember reading about this in magazines, but never actually seen
one. After looking it up online, I can see why. It was only around for tw
year and had low specs. No way could it have competed with the likes of th
C=64 or even the Atari 400. However, it did not pre-date the 64. The VZ-2
came out in '83, while the 64 came out a year earlier.
I got the VZ200 in 1991, quite a bit after it release. My parents got it garage sale cheap (buying a new computer was a bit much back then, just fo
to use). It was a bit dissapointing as I wanted the Atari 1040STE, but as
had just been introduced to BASIC at school, it was fun to try BASIC at ho
and draw graphics and make basic games.
Dick Smith started an electronics store called, Dick Smith Electronics, an
VZ 200 was their rebrand, sold with his face on it.
A little later that year, they got a Vic 20 at a garage sale, which had be
graphics, but lacked the drawing commands. A little later, the C64 came, second hand. You could do sprites, but again, no graphics. Not without entering some other machine code subroutines.
I suppose they had to get it out quick, and once it was out, you can't pat
it.
--- SBBSecho 3.10-Win32
* Origin: MS & RD BBS bbsweb.mozysswamp.org (3:633/384)
I am 45. My gradnfather got me a Timex Sinclair when I was 2, CoCo2 when I turned 5 (really cut my teeth on that one), then his hand-me-down Amstrad PC1512DD when I was in the fourth grade, and then in 192 started as an apprentice at our local computer store and learned to build machines and built
my 486DX-33. I never stopped working in the field since I started in 1992, and I started BBSing back on the CoCo2. I never knew anyone with a Commodore when I was growing up, so I'm enjoying living an alternate-reality childhood with the C64U. I'm trying to spark an interest in computers with my nephews and nieces (they are much younger than 5 still), they already love allmy vintage electronics I bring, and it's fun to play with these things with them.
... Message sent. Destroy immediately upon receipt.
Bo Holt wrote to Dennis Katsonis <=-|03Quoting message from |11Dennis Katsonis |03to |11Mortar M.
@MSGID: <69DBC6D4.1377.fidocbm@bbs.mozysswamp.org>
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Mortar M. to Dennis Katsonis on Sat Apr 11 2026 01:41 pm
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Dennis Katsonis to marika on Fri Apr 10 2026 22:44:14
To be frank, C64 basic wasn't that great, even back then.
Agreed. Considering the number of Commodore micros already in the wild, yo think they'd have improved the BASIC for the VIC and 64, as these were inte for non-computer savvy people.
My first computer was a VZ 200, which predated the C64 (I think it was s as a V-Tech 200 in the US.
I vaguely remember reading about this in magazines, but never actually seen one. After looking it up online, I can see why. It was only around for tw year and had low specs. No way could it have competed with the likes of th C=64 or even the Atari 400. However, it did not pre-date the 64. The VZ-2 came out in '83, while the 64 came out a year earlier.
I got the VZ200 in 1991, quite a bit after it release. My parents got it garage sale cheap (buying a new computer was a bit much back then, just fo to use). It was a bit dissapointing as I wanted the Atari 1040STE, but as had just been introduced to BASIC at school, it was fun to try BASIC at ho and draw graphics and make basic games.
Dick Smith started an electronics store called, Dick Smith Electronics, an VZ 200 was their rebrand, sold with his face on it.
A little later that year, they got a Vic 20 at a garage sale, which had be graphics, but lacked the drawing commands. A little later, the C64 came, second hand. You could do sprites, but again, no graphics. Not without entering some other machine code subroutines.
I suppose they had to get it out quick, and once it was out, you can't pat it.
--- SBBSecho 3.10-Win32
* Origin: MS & RD BBS bbsweb.mozysswamp.org (3:633/384)
I am 45. My gradnfather got me a Timex Sinclair when I was 2, CoCo2
when I turned 5 (really cut my teeth on that one), then his
hand-me-down Amstrad PC1512DD when I was in the fourth grade, and then
in 192 started as an apprentice at our local computer store and learned
to build machines and built my 486DX-33. I never stopped working in
the field since I started in 1992, and I started BBSing back on the
CoCo2. I never knew anyone with a Commodore when I was growing up, so
I'm enjoying living an alternate-reality childhood with the C64U. I'm trying to spark an interest in computers with my nephews and nieces
(they are much younger than 5 still), they already love allmy vintage electronics I bring, and it's fun to play with these things with them.
I suppose they had to get it out quick, and once it was out, you can't patch
Nope. However, the BASIC and Kernal ROMs were socketed, so it is
possible to replace the originals with new ones.
The problem is you can't rework the already sold units.
Then you have incompatible BASIC variants, leaving the original buyers in the cold.
Mortar M. wrote to Dennis Katsonis <=-
@MSGID: <69DD42CA.1380.fidocbm@bbs.mozysswamp.org>
@REPLY: <69DAF4A6.1376.fidocbm@bbs.mozysswamp.org>
Re: Re: Commodore 64 Ultimate Starlight
By: Dennis Katsonis to Mortar M. on Sun Apr 12 2026 11:25:58
I suppose they had to get it out quick, and once it was out, you can't patch
Nope. However, the BASIC and Kernal ROMs were socketed, so it is
possible to replace the originals with new ones. However, Commodore
was a very cost-conscious company so such an expense would've probably been rejected outright.
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