As if....

Blacklord · April 01, 2010, 05:29 PM

Has anyone seen this abomination - http://www.commodoreusa.net/index.html ?

quarkx · April 01, 2010, 08:04 PM

Yeh, there is a thread on either amibay, or amiga.org.
they wer saying there it is a fake (site) if you call the phone number you get a furniture store or something like that. I am not sure who would go to all that trouble to set up a fake site, but i sure causes a bunch of buzz.
The biggest problem with that monstrosity is the touchpad (god I HATE touchpads, after 20 years, you would think that they would have come up with something better)
I know if I was going to design a "Commodore" branded PC, I would make sure that the keyboard was already mapped for stuff like VICE (ie: the keyboard had the PETISCI symbols and such- useless, i know in windows, but it would be ready for and emulation machine.).

BigDumbDinosaur · April 02, 2010, 02:05 AM

Quote from: Blacklord on April 01, 2010, 05:29 PM
Has anyone seen this abomination - http://www.commodoreusa.net/index.html ?

Are they trying to call that doorstop a Commodore computer? Looks like just another PC in a strange-looking housing.

commodorejohn · April 02, 2010, 03:02 AM

Because it was totally the integrated keyboard housing that made the Commodore special; this was a trait which no other computer of the era had, and it did far more to set the machine apart than the powerful yet easy-to-understand sound and video hardware, comprehensive, well-written documentation, or affordable price tag. No question about it. Designing another generic Intel PC and putting it in a keyboard housing is absolutely in keeping with the spirit of the original.

quarkx · April 02, 2010, 03:31 AM

Thats exactly what it is, and they have actually been around for a few years. They are called the "zero footprint PC" and you could get them here.
Someone just slapped a Commodore badge on it and called it a day. Not really innovative, or anything.

quarkx · April 02, 2010, 04:06 AM

Quote from: commodorejohn on April 02, 2010, 03:02 AM
Because it was totally the integrated keyboard housing that made the Commodore special; this was a trait which no other computer of the era had, and it did far more to set the machine apart than the powerful yet easy-to-understand sound and video hardware, comprehensive, well-written documentation, or affordable price tag. No question about it. Designing another generic Intel PC and putting it in a keyboard housing is absolutely in keeping with the spirit of the original.

Wow, are you forgetting about all the other 8 bit computers? They all were integrated in the keyboard. The Apple 2,3. The TRS 80, (Model 1, Color Computer 1,2,3), the Tandy 1000, HX,TX, and a few others. The Timex Sinclair, the TI 99/4A etc. Commodore was not even the first to put it all in the keyboard, look at the SOL, the Exidy Sorcerer, etc.
The TRS 80 Color Computer had an easier basic, and the manuals were excellently written for young people also.8 year olds could easily understand them.
Unless you are being sarcastic, I am not sure of your point.

commodorejohn · April 02, 2010, 04:15 AM

Actually, that was the joke, but I'm afraid my link sarcasm was muted by links not being very obvious on this board...

quarkx · April 02, 2010, 07:06 AM

I see

I must change the color scheme as I can barely see the links.
I still say one of the nicest designs was the Tandy 1000 HX for "all in ones" One of these days, I will get around to modding one with a modern PC inside and replace the floppy drives with a DVD Burrner
Pictures are HERE

commodorejohn · April 02, 2010, 07:59 AM

Ooh, that is nice. I like the integration of the floppy into the front bezel particularily.

quarkx · April 02, 2010, 10:26 AM

I had 2 of them at one time, decked out with the matching monitor. The problem was (as always) lack of proper RAM for the unit and the "PLUS" cards were (then) outrageously expensive and hard to find.250K was just not enough to do anything but run DOS or Tandy's DeskMate software. Tandy had a nice unit, but it was really too crippled to do anything real good with it.
Now, take that same chassis and you have a real nice attractive all in one unit as long as you can get the keyboard (or update it) to work.

BTW, I always figured the C128 would have looked like the EX (at the bottom), if CBM would have shoved the Floppy on the side (kind of ugly IMHO).

commodorejohn · April 02, 2010, 11:14 AM

I dunno, it looked fine on the Amiga, but then, that was with a 3.5" drive. The 5 1/4" does look kind of clunky shoved in there...