The vic20 is an 8bit home computer that was sold by commodore. Issn 0194357x was an american computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994, though it can trace its origin to 1978 in len lindsays pet gazette, one of the first magazines for the commodore pet computer. First, however, you need a guided tour around the vic keyboard. Frodo is good c64 emulator for unix that has support for almost all c64 software. Subetha software in support of the coco and os9 since.
Power20 is the most complete commodore vic20 emulator for macintosh, running full speed on any power mac. This is a realtime strategy game i wrote for the commodore vic 20 some years ago. Ive tried to solve such problems more recently using c and my usual development environment with various degrees of success. The vic20s basic is compatible with the pets, and the. The project comprises a simple programming language that gathers inspiration from the original basic programming language. Im so glad i am writing this article and figured that out. Full text of vic20 programmers reference guide 1st edition 6th. Basic v5 world program is a commodore vic20 emulator game that you can download to your computer and enjoy it by yourself or with your friends. Vic 20 video interface chip 20 an early personal computer from commodore business machines.
The vic 20 is a simple and easy to use computer that may be coupled with this book to provide perhaps the most userfriendly and least intimidating introduction to programming possible. Loading a program from tape drive into an 8bit vic20. The vic20 is a simple and easy to use computer that may be coupled with this book to provide perhaps the most userfriendly and least intimidating introduction to programming possible. It was commodores first exclusive foray into the homecomputer market and as such, was intended to be more affordable than the pet computer which had. Beginning assembly programming on the commodore vic20. Restoration the worst vic20 ive ever seen part 1 youtube. Vic 20 s basicis easy to learn and has a wonderful range of capabilities. Stop the nibblers from destroying your dam by launching your ships and dropping bombs on them. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Feb 22, 2018 i also had microsoft basic not quickbasic back in the 80s, the pro version, which was a complete oxymoron. Windows s or some other name will be like windows 8. Commodore vic20 article about commodore vic20 by the free.
Commodore vic 20 and 64 systems, as well as gaming consoles such as the atari 2600. It only had 5kb of ram under 4kb available for basic programs and a. If you dont have a color tv, you can still run the programs,buttheresults will beless spectacular. There are a number of programs that allow you to use 40 columns of text from basic on a commodore vic20. Software support and great marketing were the real keys to its success. Cbm prg studio commodore development utilities for windows. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
All programs from this book can now be downloaded as one d64 file. It can only display 22 characters of text per line, so its use for business applications is minimal, but people loved it for games it has good color, a joystick port, and it was cheap. Note that this is not intended to be a tutorial, but just a quick reference to refresh long unused brain cells. Appendices 1 the screen 2 the6502 3 theinstruction set 4 instruction cycle times 5 vic 20 memorymap 6 branch calculators 7 6502opcodes. Personal computing on the vic20 us commodore international, 1981 4 programs. The vice commodore emulator, which not only emulates the vic 20, but also all the main 8bit commodore machines. Z64k is a pixel exact emulation of the commodore 128,commodore 64, vic 20 and atari 2600 written entirely in java. In fact, games and programs are still created for the commodore vic 20. The information that i wanted to look at on the vic was the highresolution bit. We are no more providing official binaries for windows. A while back, i released apple i basic and commodore basic as a scripting language for mac os x 10. Java implementation of a vic 20 emulator that focuses on emulation and debugging features. It allows you to run your favorite vic 20 software on your apple macintosh with powerpc or intelcpu with rosetta at full speed with smooth graphics and great sound.
The cartridge was created by commodore business machines cbm and released in 1981. The basic ram space needs to be continuous, so ram in block 5 is not available directly for basic storage, but can be used by assembly language programs. Basic 256 is an easy to use version of basic designed to teach anybody how to program. Vice is a program that runs on a unix, msdos, win32, os2, beos, qnx 4. A builtin graphics mode lets them draw pictures on screen in minutes, and a set of easytofollow tutorials introduce programming concepts through fun exercises. Is there a way around this, or do i need to get a different basic programming language to rewrite my original programs. How to proceed vic 20 first, type in the following basic program. While early commodore machines vic 20, c64 had a basic very close to 6502 ms basic, later commodore 8bit machines c 264 series, pet and c128 named as v3. If you are looking for a basic tutorial, take a look at the original vic 20 manual. Commodore basic as a scripting language for unix and. How to program games on the commodore vic 20 added 5 new programs. Commodore vic 20 game development toolsutilities atariage. And i did do some large apps at work in visual basic 3 back in the windows 3.
Reviews of almost all vic20 game cartridges ever produced. I barely got into machine language years ago, and could do alot of neat stuff with the vic 20 in basic. Most homecomputersusebasic,buteachoneuses aslightly differentver sion. As you can see, the program allows full screen scrolling of the chessboard, without any flickers. A beginners guide to real programming discover your vic20. The vic20 s software library, large and briefly profitable as it was, was built mostly of simple action games not all that far removed from the typical atari vcs fare. The vic 20 was the first computer of any description to sell one million. How to get hundreds of free programs for the vic20 and. The v20 emulator was first conceived back in 1996 when i noticed there was a complete lack of vic 20 emulators. Creating a tty simulator in assembly language on the vic 20 and read its associated article. The above projects are 3 kilobyte basic programs created by denial founder, jeffrey daniels. The programmers reference guide goes far beyond personal computing on the vic 20. The vic 20 introduced millions of people to the fascinating world of personal computing.
Introduced in 1980 and following the commodore pet, the vic 20 had 5kb of ram, used tape cassette storage and displayed 22 text characters per line on a standard tv. Learn commodore 64 basic programming typein textbased. This can be useful as by default the vic s screen is 22 columns by 23 rows. Basic v5 world program iso is available in the usa version on this website. Windows 10 insider program can someone please enlighten me why people under the age of 18 may not participate in this programme. As a teenager i would have tapped out a few lines of basic into my vic 20 and had an answer very quickly. It was designed to provide several extensions to the basic interpreter on the computer, mostly to help with programming graphics and sound. Vic20 mind stretchers gb ian creasey sigma technical press, 1983 30 programs.
Microsoft basic for 6502 was based on altair basic. One of the reasons i was able to write all of those cool programs was that the vic 20 had really great documentation. A ton of publishers put out games and applications for it and a lot of commercial applications supported ram expanders, which were cheap and plentiful. Almost every other home computer of the early 80s had at least one, and in some cases more than three or four, emulators for a single platform. This statement sets pointers and clears the screen. Space press once to launch, and a second time to drop your bomb. It also provided 3 kb of extra ram of which 6 bytes were used by the cartridge itself. The vic 20s basic is compatible with the pets, and the. Basic loader for commodore 64 assembly programs bigcode. The source code behind microsoft basic for 6502 comes to. This is a realtime strategy game i wrote for the commodore vic20 some years ago. Adapt this to link multipart programs to a single file.
Shows how to use interlaced text screen on ntsc vic 20s. This code is over 30 years old and includes tips for organizing electronic files using qbasic it is a condensed program that helps you organize all your files and make the process of labeling easy. As the vw beetle was the peoples car, the commodore vic 20 was a computer for the people. The current version emulates the c64, the c128 save the 80 columns screen, the vic20 and all the pet models except the superpet 9000, which is out of line anyway. Full text of vic20 programmers reference guide 1st. It was described as one of the first antispectatorial, nonesoteric computers by. Aug 29, 20 they called this computer the vic20, although it was known as the vc20 in germany because vic in german pronunciation sounds like fick, meaning what the built in commodore basic v2 language could do to your brain, so they shortened it to vc which the packaging said stood for volkscomputer, meaning peoples computer, based on. Basic beginners allpurpose symbolic instruction code was created in 1964 as a way for regular people to learn programming. At the core of the wheels os was the new dashboard and toolbox. It also includes a character editor, sprite editor, screen designer and many other useful tools.
Its best known software product is microsoft windows operating system. This artform has been supported by a large community of enthusiasts from many different countries. If you are looking for a basic tutorial, take a look at the original vic20 manual. I have successfully tested the program on both a vic 20 cr the newer board that can be powered with a c64 psu and a vic 20 e board the one requiring 9 v ac. The vic 1211 super expander is a cartridge for the commodore vic 20 home computer. Most of this book will be devoted to writing programs in the basic programming language. Programs and games for microcomputers like the zx81, zx spectrum, bbc micro, vic 20 and commodore 64 were loaded from cassette tape a hit and miss affair but you could also type in programs. The vic20 written alternatively as the vic20, vic20, vic 20 and vic20 and sold also as the vic1001 and vc20 is an 8bit computer manufactured by commodore international from 1981 to 1985. To cover the areas vic 20 programmers are most interested in. If you are looking for a basic tutorial, take a look at the original vic 20. Vic 20 listings is an archive of typein games, utilities and other programs for the commodore vic 20 home computer, that were published in various books and magazines during the 1980s. The dashboard was the name for the new desktop environment which made using. As far as i could see there was one vic 20 emulator for unix and one for the amiga.
Apr 14, 2012 my old basic programs wont run on my windows 7 64bit system. Together they make programming fun for kids and adults alike. Aug 28, 2019 vlc media player 64 bit is a favorite of many video watchers thanks to abundant format support, style, and customization options. Still, knowing something about how your car works mechanically helps you maintain and use your car to best advantage.
Oct 22, 2016 when you compile an assembly language program for the c64, to run it you need to type the sys command followed by the starting location of your program in memory. Xenix was later used as the basis for microsofts first word processor, called multitool word a predecessor to microsoft word. What can you do with basic on your c64 mini or commodore 64. These programs are often overlooked or missing from other collections of retro computer software. The vic 20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after commodores first personal computer, the pet. Vic 20 factory tnt character set also remaps the numbers. Vic 1001 is an 8bit home computer which was sold by commodore business machines. Intended primarily for beginners, experienced programmers also will find a few things of in terest. Later implementations of 6502 basic 1983 were improved in many aspects.
Machine language entry program for vic 20 oct 1984 canyon runner game horse racing game the number game game. Software written in commodore basic for the vic 20 to help organize files over 30 years ago and stored on a cassette tape. It did not work on any other os or on a different cpu type. Full text of vic20 programmers reference guide 1st edition. I do not remember where i have read this buti understand that microsoft would like people with a bit or a lot of background with computers. This is where basic programming comes into its own. How to configure a shared network printer in windows 7, 8, or 10. Companies like online systems released a vic20 title here and there if someone stepped forward with something viable why throw away easy money. Basic computer program language, memory maps computer science, programming, vic 20 computer. Digital files are free for download, for use with emulator or for construction diy to use with actual vic 20 hardware. Like vice, and unlike pfau zeh, emulates vic 20 as well as 6510 and others. Cbm prg studio is a windows integrated development environment ide for making commodore programs in basic or assembly. It is not as complete or nearly as fast as other emulators.
The programs given here do one more necessary thing. It was released in 1981 and was the first computer to sell one million units, which contributes to its popularity today. There are pointers to the start of the basic program, to the current line of the basic program, to the start of variable storage, and all kinds of really neat and interesting things. Most of these are available for free download here on this page. With these you will be able to dial into old school c64128 bbs that have been converted to telnet from dialup. View and download commodore vic20 user manual online. Vice versatile commodore emulator is the best choice to emulate a vic 20 on windows, mac and linux. When in 1981 the vic 20 was finally released, it featured the latest microsoft basic but again neglected to mention microsoft. The vic 20 had connectors for game cartridges and a tape drive compatible with a c64. Loading a program from tape drive into an 8bit vic 20. But i digress stay on target stay on target this means that you could have a basic program from 0x to 0x1bff followed by. The internal ram is multiplexed with the vic chip, so it cant access external ram.
It does require a 32k ram expander, so most people will have to use an emulator. The commodore vic20 is a great machine to learn an assembly language on. The game was never completed, but it is in a playable stage. Hook the vic to a television and put it in a store window with an animated. Not much choice, as all other emulators or fork of the original vice emulator, are now merged in the current vice program. You can still find some old emulator for dos or windows on the web. Its easy to learn, and i have gathered great resources for textbased games you can type in. Our first game program, mine dodger, defense base, steeplechase, pidey power. Over the years i have written a number of software items for various 8bit computers. As a result, those who own this computer can run these games or even adjust the programming. Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses, supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers and services.
To make it easier for the user to run your program without having to know the starting memory location, you can add a small basic. The commodore vic20 microcomputer came out in 1981 and was one of. These fanmade games use the same cartridges that were used in the initial applications. Cbm prg studio is a windows application which allows you to write basic and machine code programs and create a.
As a toy project in java i did it just for the fun of virtually rebuilding old. Vic20 listings is an archive of typein games, utilities and other programs for the commodore vic20 home computer, that were published in various books and magazines during the 1980s. There are currently 2,768 programs in the collection. If you choose to load map it currently only loads a single map, which i created.
Commodore vic20 pet basic program for organizing files. It was marketed as the vc 20 in germanspeaking areas, and as the vic 1001 in japan. The book even came with a schematic for the hardware. Writing programs in basic,msdos language in windows 10. Microsoft corporation is an american multinational corporation with a headquarters in redmond, washington. The current version emulates the c64, the c64dtv, the c128, the vic20, practically all pet models, the plus4 and the cbmii aka c610c510. Ifyouwishtousethe programs as models for future efforts ofyour own, youwill need an. The vic 20 was announced in 1980,4 roughly three years after commodores first personal computer, the pet. I have some examples for what they can do with the versions.
Commodore vic 20 emulators on other platforms windows 1. They are supplied as a machine language programs which take over some of the basic printing routines to provide you with a display using a smaller font. Power20 emulates all important features of a real vic 20 such as. The vic20 programmers reference guide is an amazing book. Full text of vic 20 programmers reference guide 1st edition 6th printing see other formats. The vic had a sizable library of public domain and freeware software. May 20, 2018 restoration the worst vic20 ive ever seen part 1 the 8bit guy.
The vic 20 programmers reference guide 1st edition 6th printing. The vic 20 was the first computer of any description to sell one million units. Please get in touch with us if you want to help improving the windows ports andor want to provide binaries. Now i take my old copy of programmers reference guide with me when i need something to read. There arent many videos this app cant play and play amazingly. Pfau zeh is a commodore vic 20 emulator for linux that runs nearly all vic 20 software. Vic20s basicis easy to learn and has a wonderful range of capabilities. The vic 20 in germany, vc 20, in japan, vic 1001 is an 8bit home computer that was sold by commodore business machines. The vic20 is an 8bit home computer that was sold by commodore business. The vic 20 hit a sweet spot on price and because of its pet lineage the software market was quick to support it. Full text of vic20 programmers reference guide 1st edition 6th printing see other formats. Today, we are releasing commodore basic as a scripting language it works on linux, windows, mac os x 10. Play your favorite cartridge games or code some basic programs. Here is a short summary of the commands for the built in commodore vic20 basic v2.
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