Here's a collection of classic computer commercials from over the past years. Amazingly enough, there are some Commodore's in there. Including a classic VIC 20 ad with William Shatner proclaiming the "wonder computer of the 1980's".
http://blogs.pcworld.com/techlog/archives/002950.html
December 25, 2006
The Most Untold Story in the History of Computers
If you want to know more about the history of computers than the shallow Apple vs Microsoft story most books, websites and movies dwell on, take a look at The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore. Here's a review from Slashdot.
Almost everyone recognizes the name, but most realize the scale and impact that Commodore had in the computer industry. First computer sold in retail, first computer to sell more than a million, first computer with multitasking, full-color graphics and video.
Every time I see a mention of Commodore, the C64 or Amiga computers, I get nostalgic for those days when I was making 3d animations while everyone else was either drawing 1-bit graphics in MacPaint or doing whatever DOS & Windows 3.1 did. The only things comparable were six figure Silicon Graphics workstations.
One year Commodore made a billion dollars. Not too much later, the company filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated. The technology and brand name traded hands several times, and there were several attempts to revive it. But Commodore had lost its greatest asset- the people who designed and used it. As people were laid off or left, they spread to startups and other companies, their talents diluted in the giant ocean of the technology industry.
As a user (VIC, 64, 128, A500, A2500, A1200) and former employee, I am grateful to have experienced Commodore from both sides. I learned to program in BASIC and Assembly. I made really cool graphics and animations. And I worked with some really innovative and dedicated people (I still do, actually).
You can get a taste of the nostalgia at the Amiga Forever website.
Almost everyone recognizes the name, but most realize the scale and impact that Commodore had in the computer industry. First computer sold in retail, first computer to sell more than a million, first computer with multitasking, full-color graphics and video.
Every time I see a mention of Commodore, the C64 or Amiga computers, I get nostalgic for those days when I was making 3d animations while everyone else was either drawing 1-bit graphics in MacPaint or doing whatever DOS & Windows 3.1 did. The only things comparable were six figure Silicon Graphics workstations.
One year Commodore made a billion dollars. Not too much later, the company filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated. The technology and brand name traded hands several times, and there were several attempts to revive it. But Commodore had lost its greatest asset- the people who designed and used it. As people were laid off or left, they spread to startups and other companies, their talents diluted in the giant ocean of the technology industry.
As a user (VIC, 64, 128, A500, A2500, A1200) and former employee, I am grateful to have experienced Commodore from both sides. I learned to program in BASIC and Assembly. I made really cool graphics and animations. And I worked with some really innovative and dedicated people (I still do, actually).
You can get a taste of the nostalgia at the Amiga Forever website.
December 16, 2006
XBOX 360
It's a game console, no it's a PC. Maybe a little both, but definitely made user friendly enough to fit in the game console market. I only wish PCs were this easy to set up and use.
It comes with a wireless controller. That's neat but with a load of batteries, it's kinda heavy. The XBox itself is also heavy, and the power supply is huge. When on, you can hear the fan running. It's a PC in game console disguise.
The controller has feedback, which is a nice added feature. It rumbles when you drive off the road or get shot in games.
The output works with a custom cable that lets you choose either composite or component video. The component can be either 720p or 1080i. Both look really nice. Since all XBoxes are the same, game designers can all work on a narrowed down spec and focus on quality instead of compatibility. The result is truly astonishing image quality and smoothness.Mine came with Need for Speed. It's pretty cool. I've tried the demo for Ridge Racer 6 and I think I like that better.
I also have Gears of War, which is a must-have for the XBox 360. It's hard to control but I'm getting it. It must be good, after all there are over 2 million sold.
There's this thing called "XBox Live" which is supposed to be an online community. It's mostly a place where you can get demos, videos and other downloads. It has potential but needs more selections. There are both free and paid membership available. You can also get classic arcade games like Frogger, Pacman and Defender, which are fun and nostalgic to play.
I've tried out demos of current/upcoming games. The process of downloading and playing them is so much more convenient that a PC. There's no installation, downloads queue in the background and you get a little pop-up letting you know when they're ready to play.
But where's the community? There's no chat, bbs or similar thing. The closest is blowing up strangers in Battlefield: Modern Combat. How about a Sims or Second Life kind of place?
There are also some nice media features. It can play music, video or show pics from your PC, using extra software on your PC. You can use Windows Media Center Edition, Windows Media Player 11 (with Vista) or install the Zune software which is an iTunes ripoff.
It's pretty picky about file formats. Not all the WMVs I tried worked, like ones generated by Beyond TV's ShowSqueeze feature. And it doesn't work with video shared from another PC- the files show up but won't play. That was using a UNC path- I haven't tried mapping a drive yet.
I hear the XBox 360 is doing well against PS3 and Wii. I can see why. It's a good solid game system. The games aren't as innovative as Nintendo's, but they suite my tastes. I hope they can do more with the "community" thing.
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