<![CDATA[So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned.]]>So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. It was too expensive for 16-year-old me in 1982, but the C64U costs the same in real terms and I'm not 16 any more.

It also comes with 128Mb of RAM, a 50MHz CPU (emulated in hardware by an FPGA), 64Gb of various C64 software and demos on a "cassette" (actually a USB drive), and has a bunch of 21st century bells and whistles like wifi and an SD card drive emulator.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/topic/b1726b9e-ce1a-45f7-896e-c1fe04e1de5c/so-i-just-unboxed-the-first-c64-i-ve-ever-owned.RSS for NodeMon, 27 Jul 2026 09:31:25 GMTWed, 22 Jul 2026 18:22:15 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:21:03 GMT]]>@leeloo @noctuaminervae @simonzerafa @mwl @scrivenerapp There's a vim port for the iPad; you just have to remap the ยง or ` key to [esc].

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/cstross/statuses/116968316186255917https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/cstross/statuses/116968316186255917Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:21:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:20:21 GMT]]>@dougmerritt @isaackuo @anthracite The C64 is about the right size that a hacksawed 40cm length of pool noodle would be a good fit.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/cstross/statuses/116968313405055885https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/cstross/statuses/116968313405055885Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:20:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:19:27 GMT]]>@seniorfrosk @dougmerritt @lauren For context, it helps to tell the wee ones these days (anyone under 40) that cup holders only really caught on in the late 1980s: my first car with one was a 1990 design. And CD-ROM drives with built-in trays showed up in the early to mid 90s. So they were both novelties around the same time.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/cstross/statuses/116968309870935126https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/cstross/statuses/116968309870935126Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:19:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:13:23 GMT]]>@cstross @noctuaminervae @simonzerafa @mwl @scrivenerapp
A C64 implementation of vi?

Impossible, the C64 doesn't have an ESC button. ๐Ÿ˜œ

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://c.im/ap/users/116216635389955538/statuses/116968286055854238https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://c.im/ap/users/116216635389955538/statuses/116968286055854238Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:13:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:01:50 GMT]]>@cstross now do the cpc464!

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.ie/users/markdennehy/statuses/116968240595472651https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.ie/users/markdennehy/statuses/116968240595472651Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:01:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Thu, 23 Jul 2026 06:31:20 GMT]]>@dougmerritt @lauren @cstross I believe it was an IT Support joke from the nineties "my cup holder broke"

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://snabelen.no/users/seniorfrosk/statuses/116967884726288828https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://snabelen.no/users/seniorfrosk/statuses/116967884726288828Thu, 23 Jul 2026 06:31:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:52:43 GMT]]>@cunobaros @cstross @anthracite odds are good, but you'll want to find the actual 5V trace so you can feed it with a modern power supply instead of relying on the linear regulator power section. I patched some breakout wires onto a Vic20 for this. It only had a 9v input, and the original wallwarts are either unobtanium or Long Since Gone Bad and I couldn't be assed to try and find one

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://yiff.life/users/hyratel/statuses/116966081398247533https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://yiff.life/users/hyratel/statuses/116966081398247533Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:52:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:47:02 GMT]]>@isaackuo
Actual wrist rests are plentiful and cheap at Amazon or equivalent, but yes.

@cstross @anthracite

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mathstodon.xyz/users/dougmerritt/statuses/116965823124561831https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mathstodon.xyz/users/dougmerritt/statuses/116965823124561831Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:47:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:33:59 GMT]]>@masek @cstross

Mine slumbers in the attic.

I remember using it to type my German translation of Kurt Vonegut's Cat's Cradle* which I then printed using a 9 dot needle printer on folded A4 paper to eventually turn into a bound book with needle and thread.

I had a lot of time and dedication back then.

*At the time no professional German translation existed. One came out soon after. Mine was better, or so I keep telling myself.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://bonn.social/users/mclibboc/statuses/116965771788677351https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://bonn.social/users/mclibboc/statuses/116965771788677351Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:33:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:31:20 GMT]]>@seniorfrosk
Cup holder is always funny, but it rings a faint bell. Was it originally from a cartoon? Bloom County perhaps?

It's coming back to me; he heard an ad for a new version of his prized computer, "now with cup holder!" and shows him immediately dumping the computer he loved so much until a moment ago into the trash. [1]

Perfect.

[1] assuming I haven't fooled myself with a false memory.

@lauren @cstross

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mathstodon.xyz/users/dougmerritt/statuses/116965761415711266https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mathstodon.xyz/users/dougmerritt/statuses/116965761415711266Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:31:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:27:27 GMT]]>@Tom_ofB @cstross @rollbear The C64U can output HDMI, PAL, and NTSC.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://spacey.space/users/isaackuo/statuses/116965746102520518https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://spacey.space/users/isaackuo/statuses/116965746102520518Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:27:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:26:21 GMT]]>@cstross @anthracite Yeah, the C64c version has been announced but not available for a bit.

As for how to prevent wrist pain - a thick encyclopedia volume in front of the C64U to be used as a handrest works.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://spacey.space/users/isaackuo/statuses/116965741817813113https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://spacey.space/users/isaackuo/statuses/116965741817813113Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:26:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:49:21 GMT]]>@cstross @weekend_editor During a bored pandemic moment of ZX nostalgia, I discovered I'd just missed out on getting a Spectrum Next, so proceeded to build one from a N-Go FPGA board + parts. It was kind of neat looking at the code student-me had written 40 years previously to catalog my SF book collection, but at the end of it, having done the build turned out more fun than having a future-Spectrum.

Still have the Next-clone and my original Issue 1 48k. Enjoy your C64U.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/dualkei/statuses/116965596293825566https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/dualkei/statuses/116965596293825566Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:49:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:48:03 GMT]]>@cstross My families first computer was the "portable" C64 SX. My dad gave the neighbors an extra wheelbarrow he had and they had just upgraded their computer and offered him their old C64 SX. I loved that machine.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/davidrisney/statuses/116965591169687834https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/davidrisney/statuses/116965591169687834Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:48:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:38:27 GMT]]>@weekend_editor There's an equivalent Sinclair Spectrum FPGA machine, the Spectrum Next, which has FPGA cores to emulate the Sinclair QL, the BBC Master, and a couple of other computers (I think the C64 is one?)!

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/cstross/statuses/116965553441214129https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/cstross/statuses/116965553441214129Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:38:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:33:49 GMT]]>@cstross

So if the CPU is really an FPGA, and the "field programmable" part is still accessible to you... you could write microcode. ๐Ÿ™‚

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mathstodon.xyz/users/weekend_editor/statuses/116965535226997659https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mathstodon.xyz/users/weekend_editor/statuses/116965535226997659Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:33:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:32:19 GMT]]>@lauren @cstross I'm miffed that my new computer does not come with a cup holder.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://snabelen.no/users/seniorfrosk/statuses/116965529322302792https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://snabelen.no/users/seniorfrosk/statuses/116965529322302792Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:32:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:23:14 GMT]]>@cstross I still have my original C64 for which I took out a loan under oppressive terms from my parents ๐Ÿ˜. Serial# is 600

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/masek/statuses/116965493573412080https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/masek/statuses/116965493573412080Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:23:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:18:04 GMT]]>@cstross Lucky!

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/drbobtesla/statuses/116965473258061671https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/drbobtesla/statuses/116965473258061671Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:18:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:05:59 GMT]]>@cstross They really nailed the keyboard.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/ap/users/115880919086350110/statuses/116965425778143277https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/ap/users/115880919086350110/statuses/116965425778143277Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:05:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:03:04 GMT]]>@cstross @anthracite I have the slimline C64 I bought in 1986 for the money I earned from my first summer job (hydropower village gardener) sitting in a box in the basement, retrieved from a barn on my parents' farm last summer.

Haven't had time or space to see if it works yet. Much be to terrified to try...

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mendeddrum.org/users/cunobaros/statuses/116965414315064250https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mendeddrum.org/users/cunobaros/statuses/116965414315064250Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:03:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:46:52 GMT]]>@cstross @simonzerafa @mwl @scrivenerapp It's a C64, we use geoWrite around these parts ๐Ÿ™ƒ

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/landelare/statuses/116965350610365671https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/landelare/statuses/116965350610365671Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:46:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:45:02 GMT]]>@cstross Gigabit? That's an illegal unit, sir! ๐Ÿ™‚

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/landelare/statuses/116965343401234756https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/landelare/statuses/116965343401234756Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:45:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So, I just unboxed the first C64 I've ever owned. on Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:43:29 GMT]]>@cstross @JdeBP @simonzerafa @mwl

Psst, mister, can I interest you in a v editor included with the C64 Forth enticingly named โ€ฆ drumroll โ€ฆhttps://github.com/jkotlinski/durexforth

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://toot.si/users/noctuaminervae/statuses/116965337316620704https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://toot.si/users/noctuaminervae/statuses/116965337316620704Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:43:29 GMT