The New
Commodore Computer

Colic Thompson
Santa Monaco, CA

Originally called the "TED', Commodores' new 264 and 364 are their latest entries.

Commodore has finally given us computer. The long awaited event looks place at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in early January. The C264 is not an enhance CM, but a completely new machine geared Inc the home market. The new 8-Bit machine, announced amidst much hoopla and fanfare will feature "built-in'' software on ROM.

Commodore has gone to outside sources for much of the software on the 264.  When the new computer is released this spring you will be able to buy several versions of the 264 depend which software package you want on ROM". The final selection of which programs go on ROM has not yet been made, but likely candidates include:

Word Manager/Plan Manager by Data 20
Magic Desk by Commodore 3-IN-1 by Tri-Micro
SuperScript 64 by Commodore
Logo by ??

The idea behind the 264 is simple. If you are going to be using the computer for word-processing, then buy a 264 with a built in wordprocesor. At CES, Commodore brandished the word "Productivity' like a club. New 264 owners should be able to plug in the computer and immediately begin writing letters to the editor.

BASIC 3.5 contains several new commands in all areas including editing, program structure, graphics, disk operation, I/0, and machine language. Here's a summary:

Editing:
The 264 has new cursor controls that are arrow shaped keys and separate from the main keyboard unlike former models FIND/CHANGE -search or search & replace BASIC text
AUTO -auto line numbering RENUMBER
DELETE-10 -delete BASIC lines up to Iine 10
                   parameters work like LIST
TRACE
HELP -hi-Iites error In RVS field

The Transactor

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Volume 5, Issue 01

STRUCTURE:
IF THEN ELSE -all must be on the same line
TRAP1000 - equivalent of ON ERROR GO 1000
DO LOOP - Can be followed by WHILE or UNTIL
EXIT - Terminates Loop
GET KEY -instead of of 10 GET A$:IF A$"" THEN 10

GRAPHICS:
The 264 contains most if not all of the VSP commands you can buy on cartridge from Commodore for the VIC and the C64, plus some extras
FLASH - flashes strings
COLOUR - sets background, multicolours. etc. AND luminance
GRAPHIC - sets hi-res multicolour or text screen including combinations, can set hi-res/multi-colour at top plus 5 lines of text at the bottom
BOX
CIRCLE
PAINT
SCNCLR -same as print chr$(147)
CHAR -CHAR X, Y, "STRING" will print "STRING' at an X,Y position on the hi-res screen. very handy.
LOCATE -will plot a pixel at X,Y
DRAW -for line drawings, just like VSP
SSHAPE -Save Shape will store a limited area of the screen into a string variable
GSHAPE - will get a shape from a a specified variable and print it on the hi-res screen at X,Y
SOUND - single voice, followed by a parameter for a note, tone etc
VOLUME
JOY(N) - needs joystick 1 or 2 and returns a number from 1-8

Machine Language:
The Machine Language Monitor has additions as well some new BASIC commands to do conversions
DEC - DEC "'FFFF" converts the string to  FFFF decimal, variable can also be used
HEX$ - HEX$(1124)  converts a the number 1024 to a string representing the hexadecimal equivalent.  the two complement much like ASC and CHR$
MLM .F- FiII memory from ADDRESS1 to ADDRESS2 with specified HEX value
        .H - Hunt Memory
        .A - Assemble works like supermon assembler
        .D - Disassemble
        .M - Memory dump displays memos contents in hex and screen POKE
                characters much like Interrogate in Extramon
       .G .X .S. L .R  are still the same from other MLM's

Disk Operatting:
The 264 has most common disk commands from BASIC 4 0. For some reason though  the DOPEN command  is missing

(The operating system supports more commands than listed here.)

We'll bring you more information as release version manuals become available (Ed)

Several new peripherals will accompany the 264 including a letter quality and dot matrix printer, A new colour monitor, the 1703 is merely the 1702 in a new black case, but a new faster disk drive, the SFS 481 another 264 peripheral.  The 1531 Datasette is the same unit with a new plug, useable only on the 264.  The 264 Modem is supposed to be auto answer/auto dial.  Rounding out the hardware end of the computer is a new plotter.

Software compatibility will be a sore spot with new owners of the 264.  VIC and 64 cartridges won't work. Most existing programs won't work either unless they are pure BASIC.  The problem lies in the systems electronic architecture.  If you know the difference between an operating system and an operating table, you may be wondering how an 8-bit microprocessor can address 64K of RAM.  32K of O/S ROM and an additional 32K of program ROM.  The feat is accomplished with a sleight of hand called "bank selected memory".  The 7501 Microprocessor can only "see" 64K of anything at once, but with careful memory management, it can switch in (or out) different blocks of memory so the total o