If you’re into vintage computing then chances are you’re at least familiar with the venerable 8-bit computing sensation released by Commodore – the Commodore 64. The Commodore 64, or C64, was a huge success by several measures. With that in mind, I am starting a series of posts on some quick facts (Quick Bits) on some of my favorite vintage computing devices. I am kicking off this series with the Commodore 64.

Quick Bits on the Commodore 64

1. The C64 was originally released in August 1982 with a sales price of $595 (USD). Being that Commodore produced many of its own parts, the sales price of the C64 eventually fell to around $200 (USD) – in some cases, even lower! ^{[1] [2]} My first C64 was bought used, so it was well below the $200 mark at the time.
2. The C64’s operating system is Commodore Kernal. It is believed that “kernel” was originally misspelled as “kernal” in some internal notes and the name stuck. ^[3] As a side note, when I first read about the “Kernal” in one of the C64 programmer’s guides (I don’t recall which one), I thought it was a play on the word “Colonel”. I didn’t have any formal computer science background at that time (pre-university days) so I didn’t know what a kernel was.
3. The C64 holds the record for best selling desktop computer of all time (with somewhere between 12.5 million and 30 million units sold). Not bad! ^[4]
4. The C64 was manufactured from August 1982 – April 1994. Almost 12 years as of the time of this writing. That’s a respectable run for any product. ^[4]
5. Commodore licensed BASIC from Microsoft in 1977 for a flat fee (i.e., no royalties). Future versions of Commodore BASIC, including the Commodore 64 BASIC V2 that shipped with the C64, were based on Microsoft’s BASIC interpreter. ^[5]
6. Although CBM BASIC V4 was available when the C64 released, V2 was shipped with the C64 because it could fit into smaller ROMs, reducing the manufacturing cost. ^[5]
7. Commodore sold a version of the C64 as the Commodore 64 Games System. The C64GS form factor included a game cartridge slot with no keyboard. It was released only in Europe and did not sell well. ^[6] It’s only been in recent years that I first heard about this game system. If anyone reading this has ever seen/own one, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
8. By the end of the C64 manufacturing run, the C64 had about 10,000 commercial software titles available. ^{[1] [13]} That’s nothing compared to the Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play store, but was a pretty impressive feat for the early 1990’s.
9. While it’s been nearly three decades since the C64 was last produced, there is still a thriving community for the C64. There are new games, apps, and even operating systems being produced for the C64 today! ^{[7] [8]} Those of us that find vintage computing interesting and fun no doubt only helps to keep these 8-bit developers motivated to keep creating new software.
10. Today, if you can find one, you can purchase THEC64 – a modern replica of the beloved C64. THEC64 comes with 64 built-in games, multiple USB ports (game controllers, USB thumb drives, etc.), HDMI output, and more. With a USB thumb drive, you have access to thousands of apps and games. It’s also worth noting that THEC64 can also run in VIC-20 mode.
11. In the 1980’s, there were some radio stations that would broadcast programs for computers, including the C64, via a radio’s audio output. The broadcaster would let you know to “get your recorders ready” and you would record the audio onto cassette tape to later load onto your computer. ^{[9] [10]}
    
    This seems to have been a mostly European “feature”. I don’t recall ever hearing of this in the United States. I’d be curious if anyone reading this has ever downloaded software from a radio broadcast.
12. There are numerous emulators available for the C64. Some emulators run directly in your browser, such as this one, whereas others can be installed on your PC, such as VICE (the Versatile Commodore Emulator) which includes many more features. There are also C64 emulators available for your smartphone.
13. The CPU of the C64 ran at 1.023 MHz for NTSC (used in the United States, plus other countries) versions and 0.985 MHz for PAL versions (used by most European countries, as well as others). Many common computers today run thousands of times faster than this! ^{[1] [11]}
14. The sound chip in the C64 has three independently programmable channels with an 8 octave range and can produce four different waveforms (sawtooth, triangle, pulse, and noise). ^[12]
15. While the C64 has 64K RAM built in, only 38,911 bytes (about 61%) are available for BASIC programs when you turn it on. By comparison, my current laptop has one thousand times as much RAM (64GB)!
    
    My first computer was a Commodore VIC-20 which had 5K of RAM. When you turned it on, you were presented with 3,583 bytes of available RAM. That’s about 72% of the total 5K. When I got my first Commodore 64, you can imagine my disappointment with having only 61% of the total RAM available for programs. It was still much more than what I was used to having on the VIC-20, but was definitely an opportunity to learn more about the Kernal, screen memory, etc.

References

1. Commodore 64: Everything You Need To Know. History-Computer. January 4, 2021/November 23, 2022.
2. Commodore 64 – The Best Selling Computer In History. Commodore.ca. May 19, 2003; Revised February 1, 2020.
3. Kernal. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
4. Best-selling desktop computer. Guinness World Records. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
5. Commodore BASIC. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
6. Commodore 64 Games System. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
7. C64 OS. C64 OS. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
8. Attack of the PETSCII Robots. The 8-Bit Guy. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
9. Experiments in airborne BASIC—”buzzing” computer code over FM radio. Ars Technica. August 19, 2012.
10. People Once Downloaded Games From The Radio. Amusing Planet. April 6, 2019
11. Commodore 64. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
12. MOS Technology 6581. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
13. Commodore 64—25th Anniversary Celebration. Computer History Museum. Retrieved December 30, 2022.

What’s Next?

As mentioned above, I will be doing similar posts on other vintage computers that I’ve found interesting. Some of these include:

1. Commodore 64
2. Commodore VIC-20
3. Texas Instruments TI-99/4 & TI-99/4A
4. TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-2
5. TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo) 2
6. TRS-80 Model 102
7. Palm IIIe
8. Compaq C120 (Pocket PC)
9. Compaq Portable

If you prefer seeing this type of information in video format, be sure to check out the Bits && Bytes YouTube channel.