In Sweden Commodore was big from the PET onwards so the VIC 20 was an obvious choice for a first computer for many people here. If someone had a computer in the early 80s chances are it was a VIC, or just as likely a Sinclair ZX81. I knew one guy with a TI around that timeframe, although I saw them and played around with them a little in electronics stores. The Radio Shack micros were completely unknown here afaik, while the Apple II was so hideously expensive very few people could afford one. From around 1984 the C64 ruled.InfernalKeith wrote:Funny thing was, NO ONE I knew had a Vic in the 80's. I'd barely heard of it. I had friends into TI, Apple II, even a kid with a Radio Shack Color Computer 3, but no Vic. Later, all my friends had C64's.
In what year did you get your first VIC-20?
Bacon
-------------------------------------------------------
Das rubbernecken Sichtseeren keepen das cotton-pickenen Hands in die Pockets muss; relaxen und watschen die Blinkenlichten.
-------------------------------------------------------
Das rubbernecken Sichtseeren keepen das cotton-pickenen Hands in die Pockets muss; relaxen und watschen die Blinkenlichten.
-
InfernalKeith
- Vic 20 Amateur
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2007 10:01 pm
I think the Radio Shack computers did well here, especially in small towns like the one where I grew up, because they had so many shops. We didn't have any kind of dedicated computer store until the late 80's, so you had to buy at a department store (Kmart, etc - Wal-Mart was not this far north yet), or Radio Shack. The kid I knew with an Apple had rich parents. 
Most kids I knew didn't have any computer at all, until the C64 came down in price and took off in the mid-80's.
I've been trying to get my hands on a Timex-Sinclair 2068 (I think that's the US equivalent of the Speccy, right?). I have a TS1000 (the US version of ZX81) but I haven't had the time (or, frankly, the patience) to deal with its weirdnesses and get used to it yet. I have an adventure game for it that takes up six cassette tapes, which I hope to get into one of these days.
Most kids I knew didn't have any computer at all, until the C64 came down in price and took off in the mid-80's.I've been trying to get my hands on a Timex-Sinclair 2068 (I think that's the US equivalent of the Speccy, right?). I have a TS1000 (the US version of ZX81) but I haven't had the time (or, frankly, the patience) to deal with its weirdnesses and get used to it yet. I have an adventure game for it that takes up six cassette tapes, which I hope to get into one of these days.
Yes, the TS 2068 (48K RAM) is the closest match to a ZX Spectrum 48K. I think you can load an emulator onto it to run most Speccy software. The 2068 was advertised as having 72K; 48K RAM + 24K ROM. It would be like saying the unexpanded VIC-20 has 25K, expandable up to 60K.
To add to the confusion the TS 2048 model (never released?) has 16K RAM, while the Portuguese/Polish TC 2048 model has 48K RAM.
By the way, the TS 2068 has a RRP of US$ 199.99 when it was released in the fall of 1983. It seems to have been close to what a Commodore 64 cost at that time, more than twice of what a VIC-20 cost for sure. With a capacity somewhere in the middle of those two, quite possibly the 2068 was overpriced at the launch. With "fond" memories of the TS 1000 and 1500 models, I suppose Timex had quite some work ahead of themselves to gain some market shares for this ZX Spectrum-esque machine.
To add to the confusion the TS 2048 model (never released?) has 16K RAM, while the Portuguese/Polish TC 2048 model has 48K RAM.
By the way, the TS 2068 has a RRP of US$ 199.99 when it was released in the fall of 1983. It seems to have been close to what a Commodore 64 cost at that time, more than twice of what a VIC-20 cost for sure. With a capacity somewhere in the middle of those two, quite possibly the 2068 was overpriced at the launch. With "fond" memories of the TS 1000 and 1500 models, I suppose Timex had quite some work ahead of themselves to gain some market shares for this ZX Spectrum-esque machine.
Anders Carlsson
I got my first Vic20 1984 when I was 14years. I had been working for a shop handing out flyers a few hours every weekend. I earned SEK 70 ~ $10/weekend And I also got some money from my grandmother and saved my weekly allowance. I bought a used one with casetteplayer and lots of copied games for SEK 1500 ~ $100.
I really loved my Vic. Soon I learned to program it in basic and became preatty good at it.
Two years later I swapped it for a moped... And now finally after 24 years I got a Vic again!
/Rickard
I really loved my Vic. Soon I learned to program it in basic and became preatty good at it.
Two years later I swapped it for a moped... And now finally after 24 years I got a Vic again!
/Rickard
2005 by the time I got my very own.
All the other ones I used in the past were borrows.
Since the 1980's I have had a C64, an Atari and an Apple but I still enjoy the VIC 20 more than the rest. I guess you never forget your first love.
All the other ones I used in the past were borrows.
Since the 1980's I have had a C64, an Atari and an Apple but I still enjoy the VIC 20 more than the rest. I guess you never forget your first love.
There are only three kinds of people in the world: those who can count and those who can't.
Paul Lambert
Berlin
Federal Republic of Germany
Paul Lambert
Berlin
Federal Republic of Germany
first love....lol
I got my first from my uncle in 1983 as a xmas present with a load of games.......
absolutely loved it, but I was only 7 so didn't quite get the BASIC stuff, I could do the easy stuff from the manual but I had an advanced book which I could not make head nor tail of.....
I have ended up in IT (now 33) but not as a programmer, just not my area or interest....
Anyway, got one off the Bay last year and recently connected to my LCD but no sound....
weird,
put a post up about it so hopefully someone can help..
Bob
absolutely loved it, but I was only 7 so didn't quite get the BASIC stuff, I could do the easy stuff from the manual but I had an advanced book which I could not make head nor tail of.....
I have ended up in IT (now 33) but not as a programmer, just not my area or interest....
Anyway, got one off the Bay last year and recently connected to my LCD but no sound....
weird,
put a post up about it so hopefully someone can help..
Bob
I got my first VIC 20 in January 1983. Unfortunately I don't have it any more (wish I did). It was sold to help fund its replacement which was a ZX Spectrum +3, this was a massive upgrade at the time. After the Spectrum, we got an Amiga A500+. The +3 later went with my brother, and then died.
My next VIC 20 was bought at a car boot sale in 1998, it worked for 1 whole solid weekend of games playing, and then died. I still had all my old VIC software and 2 C2N tape decks, plus a 16K RAM pack.
I bought another VIC 20 about 2 weeks later, but was never able to get it to work.
About 2 years later, when we moved and had not much space, I got rid of the lot. The computers and leads went in the bin, and the tapes etc went to the charity shop.
Since then, I have got back into retro computing. I now have a rubber key Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K, with a DivIDE+ interface and AY Sound module. It is quite an impressive set up. On the other hand I do miss my VIC. If I find one at a suitable price at the boot sales this year, I will get it, and very much consider FE3. It seems to be the VIC equivalent of DivIDE+, which is literally amazing for the Spectrum. The best add on that a speccy owner could ever buy.
My next VIC 20 was bought at a car boot sale in 1998, it worked for 1 whole solid weekend of games playing, and then died. I still had all my old VIC software and 2 C2N tape decks, plus a 16K RAM pack.
I bought another VIC 20 about 2 weeks later, but was never able to get it to work.
About 2 years later, when we moved and had not much space, I got rid of the lot. The computers and leads went in the bin, and the tapes etc went to the charity shop.
Since then, I have got back into retro computing. I now have a rubber key Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K, with a DivIDE+ interface and AY Sound module. It is quite an impressive set up. On the other hand I do miss my VIC. If I find one at a suitable price at the boot sales this year, I will get it, and very much consider FE3. It seems to be the VIC equivalent of DivIDE+, which is literally amazing for the Spectrum. The best add on that a speccy owner could ever buy.
It was 1982, my father, who worked for a telecommunications company bought a Vic20 with the idea that it would be an aid for his job and with the intent to keep financial records and such as this was the way of the future. I don't think that in the long run, he ended up using the Vic for these purposes to any great extent. But thanks to this great machine, and the Usborne Programming Books obtained via a school book club, his youngest son began a life long love affair with programming computers. Without this wonderful machine, I would hate to imagine the person that I would be today. Thank you Commodore, and God bless the humble little Vic. 
Android Tablet running Frodo 64 emulator running VIC 20 emulator....
bought it from a guy living in Valbo, Gävle that i talked with at http://commodore64.se/forum/index.php but i live in Stockholm, but was on my way to Gävle anyways as my sister lives there and her birthday was this weekend, plugged it in and the basic on it works, only got powercables, videocables and the computer so far but thats a good start think i should get a Mega-Cart next when i got the moneyspitcalco wrote:So have you just joined us in this fascinating hobby? If so, welcome.
Where did you get your VIC?
before i got it i found a sticker under it said it had been used on a gas station near where my family used to live
And get yourself a tape drive or disk drive. Without being able to save anything, the drive to explore more and more will wither.
The Mega Cart is an excellent deal. That is a must have as far as I am concerned.
The Mega Cart is an excellent deal. That is a must have as far as I am concerned.
There are only three kinds of people in the world: those who can count and those who can't.
Paul Lambert
Berlin
Federal Republic of Germany
Paul Lambert
Berlin
Federal Republic of Germany
-
Spectrum
- Vic 20 Hobbyist
- Posts: 113
- Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:15 am
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/honeyvenom666/
- Location: Rome, Italy
- Occupation: comic artist
Christmas 1983. I was 11 yo.
To be honest, I asked an Atari 2600, but my dad -proudly- told me: "This is not just a videogame! You could even learn how to program your own games!"
When I saw the box I was all excited! The Vic came to me with the "Garden Wars" cart and a Wico "the Boss" joystick. No datassette.
It was such an amazing experience. I truly loved the Vic. My little bro called it "Signor Vic", that in italian means "Mr. Vic".
The Vic 20 was a real "presence" in my house, like if it was a real person.
I played a lot with it. At that time, in Italy, the Datassette was quite expensive, so I couldn't buy it at first. I had to type KILLER COMET and ROCKET COMMAND (just like Ghislain!) again and again...
I have very sweet memories of my Vic.
I learned about programming in BASIC and, eventually, got my datassette and the VIC-Avenger cart.
I never got the memory expansion, and I regret of it.
My Vic20 was such a good friend of mine for some years.
Then happened something very bad that I never told anyone. I'm confessing this secret of mine to the community. I still feel guilty for what I did and my bad action was the main reason I never bought a Commodore 64.
Well, there was a friend of mine that got a C64. I fallen in love with that powerful computer, and I asked my dad to buy one to me. But at that time the 64 was too expensive for my family, so my father told me that I had to wait.
I was just a stupid 14 yo. I thought that, if my Vic was broken, my dad would surely have done his best to buy me a new computer.
So I willingly damaged my Vic and then I played the role of the desperate child who lost his best friend.
My dad brought the Vic to repair, but the technicians told him that it would be an expensive work and it would be better to buy a 64.
My dad told me that in few time, he would have brought a Commodore 64 at home.
But I began to feel sick and guilty. I thought to how much my family had to work to buy my Vic 20. And how my little bro loved the "friendly computer". And how I myself loved to play with the Vic.
I realized I "killed" my friendly Vic and, with it, part of my dreams and of my childish innocence.
Finally, I decided to do not get the C64. I bought another Vic20 (this time with a +16k expansion memory) from my cousin and I still have it.
When the time to buy a new computer came for real, I choosed a ZX Spectrum 48k, but I still kept my Vic20.
I still have that Vic, and I am managing to resurrect it. I bought a MegaCart and I am sure I'm gonna have fun again with my good, old, friendly computer. I imagine my Vic as a "reincarnation" of the previous friend I foolishly "killed"...
That's the story.
To be honest, I asked an Atari 2600, but my dad -proudly- told me: "This is not just a videogame! You could even learn how to program your own games!"
When I saw the box I was all excited! The Vic came to me with the "Garden Wars" cart and a Wico "the Boss" joystick. No datassette.
It was such an amazing experience. I truly loved the Vic. My little bro called it "Signor Vic", that in italian means "Mr. Vic".
The Vic 20 was a real "presence" in my house, like if it was a real person.
I played a lot with it. At that time, in Italy, the Datassette was quite expensive, so I couldn't buy it at first. I had to type KILLER COMET and ROCKET COMMAND (just like Ghislain!) again and again...
I have very sweet memories of my Vic.
I learned about programming in BASIC and, eventually, got my datassette and the VIC-Avenger cart.
I never got the memory expansion, and I regret of it.
My Vic20 was such a good friend of mine for some years.
Then happened something very bad that I never told anyone. I'm confessing this secret of mine to the community. I still feel guilty for what I did and my bad action was the main reason I never bought a Commodore 64.
Well, there was a friend of mine that got a C64. I fallen in love with that powerful computer, and I asked my dad to buy one to me. But at that time the 64 was too expensive for my family, so my father told me that I had to wait.
I was just a stupid 14 yo. I thought that, if my Vic was broken, my dad would surely have done his best to buy me a new computer.
So I willingly damaged my Vic and then I played the role of the desperate child who lost his best friend.
My dad brought the Vic to repair, but the technicians told him that it would be an expensive work and it would be better to buy a 64.
My dad told me that in few time, he would have brought a Commodore 64 at home.
But I began to feel sick and guilty. I thought to how much my family had to work to buy my Vic 20. And how my little bro loved the "friendly computer". And how I myself loved to play with the Vic.
I realized I "killed" my friendly Vic and, with it, part of my dreams and of my childish innocence.
Finally, I decided to do not get the C64. I bought another Vic20 (this time with a +16k expansion memory) from my cousin and I still have it.
When the time to buy a new computer came for real, I choosed a ZX Spectrum 48k, but I still kept my Vic20.
I still have that Vic, and I am managing to resurrect it. I bought a MegaCart and I am sure I'm gonna have fun again with my good, old, friendly computer. I imagine my Vic as a "reincarnation" of the previous friend I foolishly "killed"...
That's the story.