Commodore 64 Live!

Do you remember those old arcade machines where, when no one played them, the "computer" would play the games? Kind of like a demonstration of the game instead showing some fancy graphics. I came across the übergeeky page C64 Longplays a few days ago and I feel that I must do my small part to spread the word through the world.

It's basic like those computer-played arcade machines, with the difference that it's actually someone who plays through the entire game. Didn't you solve the third level of Boulder Dash or did you think no one ever cared to finish Ghostbusters? Everything is on C64 Longplays for you to watch.

I personally liked the video of Yie Ar Kung Fu... some fights was really close... the energy bar was down to the last pixel!

Programatically Speaking

This is not the first submission I make to Programatically Speaking; neither is it the first blog about programming and programming languages I have started...  well, kind of anyway.

I think the first thing I ever wrote that can be considered programming was back in 1989 when me and my two older brothers bought a Commodore 64. The Commodore, its Datassette, and I was on the floor of our living room and I typed some strange words I had found in the User's Manual into the computer. When I was done I typed RUN and hit RETURN.

On to the blue screen came I'VE GOT THE NUMBER. WHAT'S YOUR GUESS?. I joyfully played this number-guessing-game until I got bored, which probably took about ten mintes or so. Then I started fiddling with the program instructions, which most of the time resulted in the typical ?SYNTAX ERROR IN 50 error message.

Now, about 20 years later, I and available programming languages, have evolved and improved considerably (i.e., using agile test-first methodologies, I now develop object-oriented multi-platform number-guessing-games :))

During these years I have learn how not to develop software, and I still learn how not to develop. Luckily, I've also picked up some neat ways for how to develop software. To bad I pick up these good things after I have learn how not to do things (or is learning how not do things actually a good thing?).

By the way, to be completely honest this is actually the first thing I submit to PS (which, as it turns out, is actually the first blog about programming I have started). I hope I learn to write good post about programming a bit faster than I learn how to develop, otherwise this blog will contain numerous misstakes for the next 20 years -- and, of course, many many years after that as well.