Commander X16

Hello! I'm a programmer from Oregon. I heard about the Commander X16 project on the Lunduke Journal Locals (https://lunduke.locals.com), and found it interesting enough to sign up over here and say hello.

I didn't grow up with 8-bit computers, having been born in the late 80s, but am very interesting in them for the way they're programmed, mostly the hardware access. I find programming and using a modern computer and communicating with the hardware only through system calls to be rather joyless. It makes writing in assembly feel hollow.

Welcome.

I'm a geezer myself, I'm always happy to welcome younger people here (and late 30's early 40's is younger ).
I've actually got a unique background. I never got into the commodore scene initially. When they came out I was a sheltered country youth that only knew about computers from Star Trek and 2001 A Space Odyssey. I was about 24 pushing 25 when I got my hands on a U.S. Navy owned mini-computer. From there I was hooked, but for about 3 years that Mini-computer was what I programmed on. So when I started out I had 1 mb of user RAM (The system had 24 mb total, it allocated 1mb per user !!!) and a 32 bit computer with 1.6gb of Hard PACK storage space. This in 1985. (The computer filled 1/2 a room and probably cost > than my lifetime income).

When I finally got my own system, It was a 80286, A Tandy 1000 tx. In all respects but sound and color it was inferior to what I started on but it was mine. I kind of wish now I had started on a Commodore, I know BASIC pretty well, but theres a bunch of gotchas with CBM that didn't exist with GW-BASIC or QBASIC.

Again.. Welcome.. See if you can get a buddy to join up to. The more the merrier.