Re: Apple ///?

["Pete" <petedu@microsoft.com>]

pubpc1@library.ucla.edu wrote in article
<5j2vu2$18ls@uni.library.ucla.edu>...
> jcompton@typhoon.xnet.com (Jason Compton) wrote:
> >pubpc1@library.ucla.edu wrote:
> >: Hey, Beavis: you could take your PC Jr software to your PC and your
> >: Vic20 software to your C64 and then Amiga from DAY ONE.
> >
> >Now, wait a second, this isn't remotely true.
> >
> >The 64 and Vic-20 were pretty different, and while you could recode a
VIC
> >BASIC program to run on the 64, anything else would be a serious bit of
> >coding to port.
> 
> Well, most Vic-20 programs were BASIC.  Commodore BASIC between
> computers were very similar.  Also, the hardware was compatible.
> The 1541 disk drive worked with many Commodore computers, for
> example, as did the datasette.

(amusing story of the joys of youthful hacking snipped)

My point is still that, although, ok, you could port plain vanilla basic
programs, anything that involved sound (even a simple beep), graphics at
all, or even changed the screen color or background color, could not be
taken from the VIC to the C64 from day one.  I mean, geez, you had to
recode VIC20 programs depending on the kind of memory expansion you
installed (The unexpanded VIC had screen memory at one location, which
moved to one place if you had a 3K expander, and to a different place if
you had the 8, 16, or 32K expander).

No binary file (Any disk game you bought) would transfer, and none of the
cartridges were compatible.  So your rant about how only Apple left their
legacy systems in a lurch is flat-out not true.