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The Denial WIKI
Hello and welcome to the Denial WIKI! The Denial WIKI is an open information base regarding the Commodore VIC-20, a popular home computer of the early 1980s. This WIKI hopes to become a repository of technical, historical & anecdotal information regarding this "friendly" computer. Please feel free to browse and learn something new about our favourite computer and if you have anything to add, please contribute!
Memory Expansion
Next to the Datasette, memory expansion was another very popular peripheral upgrade for Vic 20 owners. Many people ran into limits with 3.5k of memory rather quickly; while it was sufficient for simple games and terminal emulators, more sophisticated programs required more memory. Memory expansion was achieved by plugging a RAM cartridge into the Vic 20's cartridge port. With the exception of the 3k expansion solutions, most memory expansion came in 8k blocks and changed the Vic 20's memory map. For memory expansion needs, the 8k RAM cartridge was one of the more popular solutions.
VicModem
As the world of computer telecommunications grew with various on-line services and computer bulletin board systems, the VicModem became another popular peripheral for the Vic 20. At the time, it was the cheapest modem available for a home computer. Running at up to 300 baud, one would manually dial the phone number of the service on the telephone, with the cord normally running to the telephone handset plugging into the modem. The modem itself plugged into the user port of the Vic 20, leaving the cartridge port free for telecommunications software cartridges or memory expansion. A red LED on the side of the modem showed you if it was active or not, and a switch on the side would set the modem to "Answer" mode or "Originate" (or call) mode.
Programming
Software
Manuals / Documentation
Promotional/Magazine Materials
Byte Magazine, May 1981 VIC-20 Review Media:Bytemay81.pdf