The 1980s saw an array of amazing C64 titles: think Dropzone, Impossible Mission, Elite, Mercenary, Uridium, The Last Ninja… These and others represented an incredible variety of genres, from shoot ’em ups to puzzlers, racing games to arcade adventures, plus games that still defy categorisation – The Sentinel, anyone? By the time the 1990s rolled around, talented coders were making the machine do things the original hardware designers didn’t think were possible; games like Turrican, Creatures and Lemmings showed that there was life left in the old CPU yet. Even when Commodore went bust, and the computer was no longer being manufactured, the games still kept coming.

So, this book pays homage not only to the seminal games of the C64’s official lifespan, but also to the developers that kept the system alive, featuring games that were completed and released a decade after the last boxed C64 left the high street.

Both beginners and professionals will find many tips and tricks in this amazing compilation to put the finishing touches to their programs.

Highlights of FOR BASIC TO ONE-LINERS:

• Over 170 tips & tricks for shorter code and faster programs in BASIC
• Basics of BASIC and exercises in BASIC to suit readers of all levels of experience
• User-friendly benchmark comparisons, screenshots and graphics
• More than 300 BASIC commands (POKEs, PEEKs, SYSs, WAITs and CHR$s) with explanations
• Useful appendices with tables and overviews of BASIC abbreviations, screen codes and PETSCII codes of the C64

The book is aimed specifically at programmers on the Commodore 64, but is also suitable for users of 8-bit computers of other brands such as Acorn, Atari, Amstrad, Apple, BBC, Dragon, MSX, NEC, Schneider, Sinclair, Robotron, Tandy or Texas Instruments.

The tutorials can be executed with various BASIC interpreters such as Color, Exos, Extended Color, GFA, GW, HC, IBM Cassette, Integer, Level I & II, MS, N88, Oric, RC or Vision.

Chapters

• basics of BASIC
• BASIC memory
• BASIC abbreviations & tokens
• time measurement
• tips for beginners
• saving characters
• tips and tricks
• speed
• best of one-liners
• curiosities
• overview of PEEKs, POKEs, SYSs, WAITs & CHR$s
• screen codes of the C64
• PETSCII codes of the C64
• command overview of BASIC dialects

About the authors

Holger Weßling, born in 1965, is an accomplished author and former employee of the renowned Data Becker publishing house. After a creative break of several years, he has returned to the world of writing and has become well known for his specialised books about the THEC64 and THEA500 and for the official guide to Impossible Mission.

Martin Roscher is a teaching computer science professor and well-known BASIC programmer. In “FOR BASIC TO ONE-LINERS” he shares his in-depth knowledge to help programmers get the most out of 8-bit programming.

• Chapter 1: Powering on
• Chapter 2: Liquid silicon and retro clones
• Chapter 3: The Apollo story
• Chapter 4: Technology triumphs: The makers and shakers
• Chapter 5: The never-ending story
• Chapter 6: Détente
• Chapter 7: We are Amiga

The Author

With a career spanning more than 45 years in the computer industry, David John Pleasance’s success is legendary – it is estimated that he was directly responsible for the sale of some 2.25 million computers.

During his influential tenure at Commodore, which included offices in the UK, Switzerland (responsible for 35 countries) and the US, David formed long-term partnerships with the world’s leading publishers of games and productivity software, always at least one step ahead of the competition. He has set the standard in marketing and is specifically known for his pioneering idea of bringing combined computer and software packages to market.

No one else could be better qualified to tell this compelling, unbelievable (but true) story about the mismanagement of a global computer giant.

• Chapter 1: The circle of life: Happy 20th Birthday, Amiga!
• Chapter 2: Getting better? It can’t get no worse?
• Chapter 3: Powered up
• Chapter 4: Swimming against the tide
• Chapter 5: Breakthrough
• Chapter 6: A new beginning
• Chapter 7: Commodore revisited

The Author

With a career spanning more than 45 years in the computer industry, David John Pleasance’s success is legendary – it is estimated that he was directly responsible for the sale of some 2.25 million computers.

During his influential tenure at Commodore, which included offices in the UK, Switzerland (responsible for 35 countries) and the US, David formed long-term partnerships with the world’s leading publishers of games and productivity software, always at least one step ahead of the competition. He has set the standard in marketing and is specifically known for his pioneering idea of bringing combined computer and software packages to market.

No one else could be better qualified to tell this compelling, unbelievable (but true) story about the mismanagement of a global computer giant.

17 of the gripping chapters are written by David John Pleasance, the former managing director of Commodore UK. His precise descriptions and many personal photos reveal exclusive details and an intimate perspective on events.

Furthermore 13 former Commodore legends like RJ Mical, Dave Haynie, Gail Wellington or Peter Kittel tell about their eventful time at the American home computer giant of the 80s. These extraordinary stories provide a deep insight into the culture, innovation and passion that shaped Commodore.

“Commodore: The Inside Story” is the ultimate tribute to an era that changed the computer world forever. With his in-depth insights, compelling anecdotes, and personal contributions from industry legends, David John Pleasance delights readers and transports them back to the golden age of home computing.

Table of contents

Part 1: The Inside Story

1. In the beginning
2. Commodore UK − The first five months
3. Commodore Corby
4. Interlude 1: Spirit of the Stones
5. Maidenhead, Pt. 1: We don’t sell computers, we sell dreams
6. Maidenhead, Pt. 2: The Distributor Incentive Program
7. Commodore Electronics Limited: Basle, Switzerland
8. Interlude 2: Commodore Netherlands
9. Commodore Inc.: West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA
10. A comedy of errors: Our illustrious leader, Mehdi Ali
11. Interlude 4: Irving Gould
12. The launch of the CD32
13. The SCI Amiga 1200 manufacturing saga
14. Interlude 4: The PC Week lawsuit
15. Management buyout
16. Interlude 5: Chelsea FC shirt sponsorship
17. After Commodore

Part 2: Commodore Memories

1. RJ Mical: One more untold Amiga story
2. Dave Haynie: RUN
3. Tim Chaney: Commodore UK − The early days
4. Gail Wellington: Memories from the soft side
5. Peter Kittel: My time at Commodore Germany
6. Beth Richard: Design many, ship few
7. Miguel De Gracia: Memories of a young recruit
8. Joe Benzing: Commodore memories
9. François Lionet: How the Amiga changed my life
10. Wim Meulders: Death by management, customers and users
11. Kieron Sumner: It’s all in the value
12. Stephen Jones: A love letter to AROS
13. Carlo Pastore: The story of the Commodore 65

The Author

With a career spanning more than 45 years in the computer industry, David John Pleasance’s success is legendary – it is estimated that he was directly responsible for the sale of some 2.25 million computers.

During his influential tenure at Commodore, which included offices in the UK, Switzerland (responsible for 35 countries) and the US, David formed long-term partnerships with the world’s leading publishers of games and productivity software, always at least one step ahead of the competition. He has set the standard in marketing and is specifically known for his pioneering idea of bringing combined computer and software packages to market.

No one else could be better qualified to tell this compelling, unbelievable (but true) story about the mismanagement of a global computer giant.