The Computer Connection

` Welcome to my C= Computer Connection. Yes, we're still beatin' the bits out of these faithful machines. If you haven't got a life, I'll tell you horror stories of Windows platforms versus my trusty Commodore 8-bit. Below are some sites that have information and software for Commodore 8-bit computers, especially the Commodore 64 and 128. You'll also find helpful articles and downloadable software.

Though Commodore 8-bit machines armmodore 8-bit machines are essentially orphaned, software and hardware is still being developed for them both in native mode and under several alternate operating systems, ACE, GEOS/Wheels, CP/M, CS-DOS, LUnix, JOS, etc. One of the most exciting things to happen in the last year is the beginnings of a real graphical Web browser and TCP/IP software for the C64/128 machines. Creative Micro Design's Super CPU accelerator makes this possible from the hardware side. Maurice Randall, with the help of other Commodore programmers, is making the software a reality. In fact, I've used Wave128 to create, proof, and upload this page!

About myself
Photos of my C128 system

Articles

C-128 Boot Sectors
Modem to Modem Problems Have you had trouble making direct connections from modem to modem or fax machine to modem?
Canon BubbleJet printer setup.
1541 Disk Drive cleaning and alignment.

Software and Projects

Versatile RS-232 Interface. A do-it-yourself RS-terface. A do-it-yourself RS-232 interface for the C64/128 User Port. Although many have switched to the Swiftlink, Turbo232, Hartcart, or CommPort for telecommunications, this interface can be used for printers or slower modems. Download complete plans, including pc-board layout. Geos format.
Expand your REU up to 2 Megabytes! Download complete plans in Geos format.
Documents about the Dallas SmartWatch chip that can be used as a real time clock in your C64/128. Includes Geos drivers.

Internet Tools

JOS, soon to be WiNGS, is the newest in operating systems for the C64/128. JOS requires a SuperCPU to run this 16-bit os. For more information and downloads go to the JOS homepage, or see my own JOS page.
Wave64 & Wave128 fonts. These fonts are a work in progress, k in progress, and are the most current versions. User input is encouraged! The Wave64 and Wave128 are the internet tools for Wheels users. For more information and the latest updates visit Maurice Randall Talks GEOS.
geoGIF 1.2, by Randy Weems, will convert .GIFs into decent geoPaint files. With delacer.sfx, you can convert interlaced .GIFs to non-interlaced, for compatability with geoGIF and other GIF viewers.
I've put a list of HTML tags in the form of a Write Stuff macro file. Just download the text file (ASCII) and import into The Write Stuff. Save as your macro default file.
I find ZED,by Craig Bruce, a great text tool for any purpose on my C128. Likewise, Little Red Reader, also by Craig Bruce, is an easy and fast way to translate files to your Commodore 128 from those "other" disks.

Productivity and Misc. Tools

PostScript, the printer language developed by Adobe, has been used by geoPublish for nearly 15 years. Now there are new tools available for PostScript prinable for PostScript printing with a Commodore, including Encapsulated PostScript. Printshop quality printing has never been easier. For more info see the Commodore Owners Printer Support.
Customized mouse pointers for Geos 128 v2.0. This is a batch of pointers I whipped up after I discovered how to do it. It was also my first real use of geoProgrammer. I went nuts for a few hours designing all kinds of cursors. Fingers, objects, even a dry fly, my personal favorite, are in this archive. They are autoexec files, so put the one you want to use on your boot disk and it will load when you boot Geos.
A pin-out map for making your own GeoCable.
A patch for The Write Stuff so you can print through a geoCable.
PrintGWpages is a two-sided page printing utility for Geos. I have translated the docs and most of the program from the original German by Markus Kanet. It works great with most Normal printer drivers and all types of Commodore and CMD hardware. I use it on a HP LaserJet IIp! It works with both Geos 2.0 and Geos128 2.0. Un pack it with Lynx or geoPack.
Perfect Print for Geos is a great little program. There are scads of commercial fonts around for PP but Susan and I worked out Susan and I worked out some of our own. They are based on some fonts used on other platforms that you may be familiar with. Because of space limitations the fonts have been packed into ten .SFX archives. "Run" them from Basic (either 64 or 128 mode) and then CONVERT them in Geos.
A lot of hard work went into the making of these fonts. We appreciate your comments one way or the other. Some fonts are better than others and some screen fonts in the smaller point sizes don't look much like the near-laser printed results you will see using PP. Perfect Print is now available from Maurice Randall.

lq1.sfx (35.9k)	LQ_Birch, LQ_Bodin, LQ_BodinCond
lq2.sfx (37.5k)	LQ_Bookworm, LQ_Contemp
lq3.sfx (43.8k)	/B> (43.8k)	LQ_DropShadow, LQ_Frutiger, LQ_Geneve
lq4.sfx (34k)	LQ_Janus, LQ_Huxter, LQ_Industrial
lq5.sfx (47.3k)	LQ_Kabel, LQ_LaLaLand, LQ_MASH, LQ_Matrix
lq6.sfx (45.6k)	LQ_NewGarde, LQ_New York, LQ_NewYorkCond,
lq7.sfx (37.4k)	LQ_NewYorkWide, LQ_Oblong, LQ_PaintBrush
lq8.sfx (39.5k)	LQ_Palatino, LQ_PalatinoWide, LQ_Polo
lq9.sfx (43.3k)	LQ_Raven, LQ_SchoolBook, LQ_TinkerBell
lqa.sfx (31.4k)	LQ_TinPan, LQ_Typrite, LQ_WindyCity

Someone asked for a copy of QWIKSTASH, a Geos autoexec utility that copies files from one drive to another on boot-up. Simply run the .SFX and put the two application files that are extracted onto your boot disk, with Qwikstash positioned after most of your autoexecs. You maypositioned after most of your autoexecs. You may have to fiddle with this to get your particular disk to boot properly. Use Qwikpick to select the files you wish to auto-copy. Note: Qwikpick only shows the first 8 pages (64 files) of your directory. Some files may refuse to be auto-copied, geoCalc128 being the most notable! I've set the screen flag to work in both 40 and 80 columns, but the menu bar looks truncated in 80 cols. Click here to download.

Links

AntiGrav ToolKit Page Randy Winchester's collection of CP/M, Geos, and C64/C128. Great stuff including information on his KeyDos ROM for the C128, and his Postscript articles from the now defunct GeoWorld magazine.
Gaelyne Gasson's Home Page
FTP site in Finland One of the planet's major Commodore sites!
Commodore Owners Printer Support web site. Commodore printer support for all types of printers. Drivers, utilities, fonts, and tips.

Newsgroups

comp.sys.cbm This is the only really active Commodore newsgroup on the Internet.
comp.binaries.cbmomp.binaries.cbm">comp.binaries.cbm Oldies but goodies are often posted here.

Last updated 10/8/2001
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