I dug out my childhood c64 a few years ago and have been exploring computing again on it since then. As an adult with a much more informed knowledge of electronics and computing than my childhood version, I really appreciate the c64 even more.
A few months ago I started programming on it and found it quite fun! Instead of having to work through intermediaries or APIs you have direct access to the hardware. You access the actual contents of video memory by HEX address. Sound generation (on the SID chip) is another HEX address. Load some values directly into the CPU registers, shift them in memory, and you’re deriving output directly.
There’s something very vicerally fun about knowing your commands aren’t being abstracted (well except HEX to actual binary), but instead talking directly to the ICs inside the computer. I’m realizing its a computer one person can truly understand EVERYTHING about from end-to-end. From power switch to any piece of software, its a knowable quantity of information for a single human. How many decades ago could we say the same thing for PCs or Macs?
I see c64, I upvote.
I dug out my childhood c64 a few years ago and have been exploring computing again on it since then. As an adult with a much more informed knowledge of electronics and computing than my childhood version, I really appreciate the c64 even more.
A few months ago I started programming on it and found it quite fun! Instead of having to work through intermediaries or APIs you have direct access to the hardware. You access the actual contents of video memory by HEX address. Sound generation (on the SID chip) is another HEX address. Load some values directly into the CPU registers, shift them in memory, and you’re deriving output directly.
There’s something very vicerally fun about knowing your commands aren’t being abstracted (well except HEX to actual binary), but instead talking directly to the ICs inside the computer. I’m realizing its a computer one person can truly understand EVERYTHING about from end-to-end. From power switch to any piece of software, its a knowable quantity of information for a single human. How many decades ago could we say the same thing for PCs or Macs?