I Adore My 64
I have successfully managed to make my computer -a Pentium IV, 3.2gHz machine- think it is a 64K machine. This is roughly the equivalent of getting a PhD in applied sciences to behave exactly like a squirrel monkey.
Yes, I have started running a Commodore 64 emulator on my home PC. The Mighty 64 was the first computer I ever owned1 (I had a Commodore Vic20 before that, with a whopping 5K of memory and a 20-column display screen, but it was a loaner from a friend). I have hundreds of disks of programs for it, which for some reason I have never gotten around to discarding. My C64 hi-res monitor was still in use until just two years ago, while it served as the television set in my bedroom (it was hard-wired to a VCR which served as a channel changer). The monitor is still good; it got replaced simply because a free TV set came our way. Long before the Internet, I was riding the ether on a 300 baud2 modem, bouncing around on BBSes3 (sort of early predecessors to forums and chat rooms), and meeting people I would never have otherwise had the opportunity to meet.
I mourned the advent of the Commodore Amiga, because I knew it was the death knell for the C-64.
I have, of course, long since progressed past the C-64 in terms of power requirements, but I still recall fondly some of the games and programs I used to enjoy on its wee system.
Which brings us back to the emulator. The shot on the right was made last night as I fired up one of my favourite C64 games, Elite. gmajor made us wicked t-shirts with the Elite logo on them, and I wore it until it was a loose collection of rags. The game plays out exactly like it did on the old C64, the emulator appears to work perfectly, and I could think of no C64 program that I did not immediately find on the web (mostly at c64.com).
Sadly, my joystick cannot as easily be dumbed down. The complex feedback signals given by my Sidewinder Pro joystick are far too complex for the wee C64 to interpret, so I am reduced to using the keybard controls for now (S and X for up and down, < and > for left and right - ew). I will attempt to locate a suitably stupid joystick this weekend, or at least do some research on the 'net as to how to dumb my existing one down so the emulator can understand it. As well, I may root around in the Closet of Doom to see if I still have my old Commodore 1541 disk drive - there are cables available that can hook it up to a PC, and there is freeware on the 'net to allow you take images of your old Commodore 5¼" floppies so your emulator can use them.
Then again, I may simply decide this is far too much effort a fledgling whim/hobby and simply drop it all. For now, though, it's fun to do the research, and even though using the keyboard was a pain, playing Elite again was a hoot and a half.
1The C-64 was actually the first six computers I ever owened. I had a bad tendancy to fry the main chip (the SID chip) because I would walk across my carpeted floor, reach for the on button, and my finger would brush against the metal pins of the joystick port... ZZZT! One C64 died because, in a fit of rage, I yanked it free of all its cables and frisbeed it off my 6th floor balcony. Then I sighed, went out to my car (stepping over the shattered remains of my computer on the way), and drove to Zellers to buy a new one.
2That's 300 baud, boys and girls. Not 300KB per second. 300 BITS per second. Almost 1K every THREE seconds. One 187th the speed of a 56K modem. Slow enough so you read the text as it scrolled up your screen. Also, it was pulse-dial. Whee!
3My spell checker does not know the term "BBSes". Bah.