Been in love w/ the Vic-20 ever since
~telengard
VIC-20s in schools?
Moderator: Moderators
In 7th grade I suggested to the teacher that we get a computer for the classroom and he surprisingly said OK. We started a fund raiser and through my paper route I was able to get enough donations and the teacher picked up a Vic-20 w/ a B&W TV and 2 programs, Jupiter Lander and Gortek and the Microchips. I was the only person that used it for some reason after the first day or so.
Been in love w/ the Vic-20 ever since
~telengard
Been in love w/ the Vic-20 ever since
~telengard
None of the schools I went to had Vics though some had other Commodores.
Grade 5&6, school got its first computer pet 4016 or 4032 with old style datasette. Only the leet students got more than 5 minutes time on it.
Grade 7&8, several more pets 4032 I think some had disks (4040) others used tapes. Moved during grade 8 to another school which had one Solitary apple II in a locked room which most students weren't even allowed to see. Those who did had reputations for brownnosing.
High school years I was in 2 different schools. One had several 64's and pets, pets were 8032 linked to a single 8050, 1 2001 model with 2031. 64's had metal cabinet thing they were locked into which held the power supply (not educator 64's these were regular 64's in another case) and the 1702 stood on top. they had the typical 1541's as well. That school also had 1 modem, a mighty mo I think which again nobody was ever allowed to use. Other high school had apple II's and deadly slow xt klones. Though many of my friends used commodores including 2 who briefly had vic's.
Was timing I believe why many schools had pets & 64's with little or no Vic's. Pets were still available when the Vic came out and the 64 was released fairly soon after the Vic
Grade 5&6, school got its first computer pet 4016 or 4032 with old style datasette. Only the leet students got more than 5 minutes time on it.
Grade 7&8, several more pets 4032 I think some had disks (4040) others used tapes. Moved during grade 8 to another school which had one Solitary apple II in a locked room which most students weren't even allowed to see. Those who did had reputations for brownnosing.
High school years I was in 2 different schools. One had several 64's and pets, pets were 8032 linked to a single 8050, 1 2001 model with 2031. 64's had metal cabinet thing they were locked into which held the power supply (not educator 64's these were regular 64's in another case) and the 1702 stood on top. they had the typical 1541's as well. That school also had 1 modem, a mighty mo I think which again nobody was ever allowed to use. Other high school had apple II's and deadly slow xt klones. Though many of my friends used commodores including 2 who briefly had vic's.
Was timing I believe why many schools had pets & 64's with little or no Vic's. Pets were still available when the Vic came out and the 64 was released fairly soon after the Vic
My first was in school!
The VIC-20 was the first computer I remember seeing and it was in elementary school. It wasn't school provided, though!
It was my fifth grade teacher's. He had bought two of them and set them up in the front of his class room. Along with generic after-market cassette units. I was in awe, while the other students couldn't care less. This actually led to my teacher, Mr. Clark (e or no e? - I can't remember 100%!), suggesting to my parents that they consider getting me one.
And here I am now. Degree in an I.T. field w/honors, electronics hobbyist, and last year I repaired my original VIC-20 that I both broke in high school, and then butchered internally when I tried to fix it years later. Good to have her alive again!
I love my VIC.
Greg
It was my fifth grade teacher's. He had bought two of them and set them up in the front of his class room. Along with generic after-market cassette units. I was in awe, while the other students couldn't care less. This actually led to my teacher, Mr. Clark (e or no e? - I can't remember 100%!), suggesting to my parents that they consider getting me one.
And here I am now. Degree in an I.T. field w/honors, electronics hobbyist, and last year I repaired my original VIC-20 that I both broke in high school, and then butchered internally when I tried to fix it years later. Good to have her alive again!
I love my VIC.
Greg
Greg
Ah 1981...
Someone told me that if you typed RUN and press return you could play space invaders for free.
I used to go in at 7am and use the single Commodore Pet.
We also had a Northstar time division multiplex machine with 4 screens and twin 5.25" drives.
10 Input a$
20 Input Q
30 For I=1 to 30
40 Print#Q, A$
50 Next I
60 For I=1 to 30
70 Print#Q, ""
80 Next I
Oh the fun of rude messages on someone else's screen flashing up and quickly eliminating the evidence
Six Formers had a PDP11 I think.
We made our own Hollerith cards and punched tape on a Teletype
I have been hooked ever since.
Space Invaders, Galaxians and Vic-20 = Heaven
Someone told me that if you typed RUN and press return you could play space invaders for free.
I used to go in at 7am and use the single Commodore Pet.
We also had a Northstar time division multiplex machine with 4 screens and twin 5.25" drives.
10 Input a$
20 Input Q
30 For I=1 to 30
40 Print#Q, A$
50 Next I
60 For I=1 to 30
70 Print#Q, ""
80 Next I
Oh the fun of rude messages on someone else's screen flashing up and quickly eliminating the evidence
Six Formers had a PDP11 I think.
We made our own Hollerith cards and punched tape on a Teletype
I have been hooked ever since.
Space Invaders, Galaxians and Vic-20 = Heaven
Vic20-Ian
The best things in life are Vic-20
Upgrade all new gadgets and mobiles to 3583 Bytes Free today! Ready
The best things in life are Vic-20
Upgrade all new gadgets and mobiles to 3583 Bytes Free today! Ready
Had Vic-20's at my Jr. High School (grades 7 to 9), in Toronto, for sure! The Math class had 4 Pets in it, and then part way through grade 7, the Library set up a computer room, and had I believe 6 or 8 Vic-20's set up. You could check out tapes and game cartridges from the front desk, and spend your free time going crazy with them, however there was always a line up to get in, so you had to be quick to get out of class and make it to the library ahead of everyone else
Once I got to high school, they were loaded with C-64's, and the last year there, is when a few Amiga's (1000's I think), showed up.
Damn those were good times!
Once I got to high school, they were loaded with C-64's, and the last year there, is when a few Amiga's (1000's I think), showed up.
Damn those were good times!
My first sight of a Commodore computer was at high school. However it wasn't a VIC-20, but a Commodore 64 with a colot tv-set and a datasette. They only had one, but that was enough to fall in love with 
They had a cassette with games like Moto Mania, Choplifter etc. After school we used to play for hours, and eventually I copied that whole cassette and kept it for about two years in a box with a brochure of the C64. Then, at last I got my own Commodore!
They had a cassette with games like Moto Mania, Choplifter etc. After school we used to play for hours, and eventually I copied that whole cassette and kept it for about two years in a box with a brochure of the C64. Then, at last I got my own Commodore!
8-bit assimilation
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Schema
- factor
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- Website: http://www.jammingsignal.com
- Location: Toronto, Ontario
Now available for Android!Vic20-Ian wrote:Nightmare Park on the Pet, now there was a game in Petscii played at school.
Beware the unicorn stampede (cue lots of PI symbols racing up the screen)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... park&hl=en
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Muzz73
- Vic 20 Hobbyist
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- Location: Farmersville, CA,
- Occupation: Consultant
Yeah... I remember seeing just about everything BUT VIC's in the school districts in Santa Cruz County (California, USA)... Apple ][ series, Macs, C=64's, Amigas, 8-bit Ataris, even a couple of TRaSh-80's back in the day.
If we had VIC's in BASIC class, instead of those abismal Apple machines, I might have paid attention...
If we had VIC's in BASIC class, instead of those abismal Apple machines, I might have paid attention...
BCNU,
Louis
Louis
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Pedro Lambrini
- Vic 20 Scientist
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Why isn't this on the VIC? Orion, got a job for you - It's time for Green on Black Volume 2!Schema wrote:Now available for Android!Vic20-Ian wrote:Nightmare Park on the Pet, now there was a game in Petscii played at school.
Beware the unicorn stampede (cue lots of PI symbols racing up the screen)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... park&hl=en
"...That of the Eastern tribe being like a multitude of colours as if a rainbow had settled upon its brow..." Daniels 1:3
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Clockmeister
- Vic 20 Amateur
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:39 am
At school we had a couple of Microbees and some old terminal thing that had punchcard reader attached to it. Might have been a System 2000 or something similar to that.
At home the most common was the C64, followed by the ZX Spectrum I'd say with a sprinkling of CoCo's and Atari's here and there. VZ200's were reasonably common too at one point. I only remember one person with a VIC-20 but he no longer used it as his parents were loaded and he had a massive C64 setup.
I remember the computer wars at school were quite fierce particularly one kid who was such a staunch ZX supporter that he would literally fight to defend it's honour against C64 fans who obviously had a superior computer
Those were the days.
At home the most common was the C64, followed by the ZX Spectrum I'd say with a sprinkling of CoCo's and Atari's here and there. VZ200's were reasonably common too at one point. I only remember one person with a VIC-20 but he no longer used it as his parents were loaded and he had a massive C64 setup.
I remember the computer wars at school were quite fierce particularly one kid who was such a staunch ZX supporter that he would literally fight to defend it's honour against C64 fans who obviously had a superior computer
Those were the days.
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highinfidelity
- Vic 20 Nerd
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Oddly enough, my middle school had a computer laboratory and an optional computer course in the afternoon. It was 1984. The computers were a half dozen of VIC 20s and one C 64, plus one plotter printer.
In those days, in Italy, I guess having a computer lab at school was an exception. Unfortunately we didn't take pictures (nobody would take pictures at school back then, God only knows what a pupil could go through if caught taking pictures at school back then) otherwise those would be very nice snapshots of the eighties.
Quite obviously, considered our age, the lessons were extremely basic (in every sense). Most of the pupils who took the course, myself included, were already home computers geeks by the time, and the course for us was mostly a shortcut to get high grades with little to no effort.
It was fun, though. I mean: typing on a VIC at school rather than go through boring books of boring ancient italian writers...
In those days, in Italy, I guess having a computer lab at school was an exception. Unfortunately we didn't take pictures (nobody would take pictures at school back then, God only knows what a pupil could go through if caught taking pictures at school back then) otherwise those would be very nice snapshots of the eighties.
Quite obviously, considered our age, the lessons were extremely basic (in every sense). Most of the pupils who took the course, myself included, were already home computers geeks by the time, and the course for us was mostly a shortcut to get high grades with little to no effort.
It was fun, though. I mean: typing on a VIC at school rather than go through boring books of boring ancient italian writers...
GOD is REAL. Unless declared DOUBLE PRECISION.
My school got computers early, so of course it had Apple II's. If they had bought Commodores, they could have had two or three times as many.
The computer room was the software pirating center for everyone that had an Apple machine at home.
For historic reasons, the Apples were adopted early by programmers and technical people, and as a result, the Apples had the best software for software development. I envied the tools that were available, but ultimately the 64's hardware supported better software than could be produced with even the best Apple II tools could produce. And when I talk about the best software, I'm talking about games, which were the most advanced software being produced at the time.
The computer room was the software pirating center for everyone that had an Apple machine at home.
For historic reasons, the Apples were adopted early by programmers and technical people, and as a result, the Apples had the best software for software development. I envied the tools that were available, but ultimately the 64's hardware supported better software than could be produced with even the best Apple II tools could produce. And when I talk about the best software, I'm talking about games, which were the most advanced software being produced at the time.
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orion70
- VICtalian
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- Location: Piacenza, Italy
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Looks like there's already a VIC version, at least for personal use...Pedro Lambrini wrote:Why isn't this on the VIC? Orion, got a job for you - It's time for Green on Black Volume 2!Schema wrote:Now available for Android!Vic20-Ian wrote:Nightmare Park on the Pet, now there was a game in Petscii played at school.
Beware the unicorn stampede (cue lots of PI symbols racing up the screen)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... park&hl=en
http://www.commodorefree.com/magazine/v ... l#ARTICLE7
Since playing Nightmare Park in the early 80s, I have recreated it for my own personal enjoyment on the VIC-20, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Windows Mobile and now the Android platform.