By Tom R. Halfhill — originally published in Volume 1 – Issue 1 – June, 1983
Maybe you’re shopping around for your first home computer, or perhaps you’ve just bought a new VIC-20 or Commodore 64. Usually the advertised price does not include any “extras.” Probably the salesperson tried to sell you a cassette recorder to plug into the computer. But what accessories, if any, do you really need? What is a cassette recorder good for? Most new home computer owners do end up buying a recorder, and here’s why.
Those magazine and newspaper advertisements sure make home computers look attractive: VIC-20 computers are selling for less than half their price of two years ago, and prices of Commodore 64 computers have plunged about $200 since Christmas. But does a $149 computer really cost $149? As you’ve probably already discovered, it really costs only $149 if you can resist the sales pitch to buy some software (programs) and peripherals (accessories). You might be thinking that this is just another sales gimmick — advertise an inexpensive computer, then tack on all kinds of expensive extras. Naturally, it is a salesperson’s job to sell. But the fact is, if you want to get the most out of a home computer, you will need at least some programs and peripherals.
Programs And Peripherals
Without programs, a home computer is little more than a fancy calculator. A computer needs programs the way that a game machine needs cartridges, or a stereo needs records or tapes. Since a program is just a series of instructions which tell a computer what to do (and how to do it), you choose programs based on what you want to do with the computer. If you bought the computer to play games, keep track of your household budget, and help teach a child the alphabet, you’ll need some game programs, a budget program, and educational programs.
Deciding which peripherals to get is not much different. Once you know what you want to do with the computer, you’ll know (or at least be prepared to ask) what peripherals you’ll need. The most common peripheral found on computers is some sort of device for storing programs and other information for later use — a mass storage device. And the most common mass storage device for home computers is a cassette recorder.
Two Kinds Of Memory
Without a mass storage device, you have no way of storing programs while the computer is not in use. The part of a computer’s memory where programs are run — Random Access Memory (RAM) — is erased whenever the power is turned off. That’s because RAM chips need a constant flow of electricity to maintain their information. Each time a computer is turned on, the program you want to run must be entered into RAM from a mass storage device. Without such a device, there are only two ways to enter a program — plug in a cartridge, or copy it from a program listing by typing it on the keyboard.
Cartridges are the easiest way to enter programs. They are quick, handy, and require no additional devices. Cartridges contain a circuit board with Read Only Memory (ROM) chips. Unlike RAM chips, ROMs permanently store their information even when power is turned off. Plugging in the cartridge allows the computer to read the chips and run the program. Since the computer can read the chips directly — as if they were built into the computer — the program enters the computer’s memory instantaneously.
On the other hand, typing a program listing on the keyboard is the hardest way to enter a program into a computer. The program must be typed exactly as listed, or it probably will not run correctly. A very long program could take a couple of hours to type in. And when the computer is turned off, the program is erased and all your work is lost. That’s why you need a mass storage device.
There are two main types of mass storage devices: cassette recorders and disk drives (for an explanation of a third type, Stringy Floppy drives, see this month’s review of the Exatron Stringy Floppy elsewhere in the magazine). Each type of mass storage device has its advantages and disadvantages. Cassette recorders are the least expensive of these devices and they are the most popular with home computers.
Putting Them In Storage
In general, though, all these devices share one thing in common — they allow you to save a program for later use by copying it from the computer’s memory onto tape or disk. For example, to save a program onto tape with a VIC-20 or Commodore 64, you can simply type SAVE and press the RETURN key. When a cassette is inserted in the recorder and the PLAY and RECORD buttons are pressed, the computer converts the program in its memory into sound pulses — something like Morse code — and records them on the tape. Once the program is saved, you can safely shut off the computer. When you want to run the program again at a later time, you type LOAD, press the RETURN key, insert the cassette into the recorder, and press the PLAY button. The computer then reads the program off the tape and loads it into memory again. The program remains on the tape and can be used over and over until it is erased.
With Commodore computers, you can also save programs on tape with a filename. This is a title, up to 16 characters long (including spaces), that sets a program apart from others on the same tape. For example, you can save a program on tape by typing SAVE “PROGRAM ONE”, pressing the RETURN key, and pressing the recorder’s PLAY and RECORD buttons. The program is saved on tape under the title “PROGRAM ONE” (note that because spaces are counted as characters, this is an 11-character filename). If it happens to be the first program on the tape, you can load it by just typing LOAD as usual. But if there are many programs on the same tape, you can find it by typing LOAD “PROGRAM ONE”. The computer will search the tape until it finds “PROGRAM ONE”, and then load it.
Disk drives work in a similar way, only much faster than cassettes. On the VIC-20 and Commodore 64, you use the same SAVE and LOAD commands, except that programs saved on disks must always be given a filename. Also, a comma and the numeral “8” must be appended to the SAVE and LOAD commands: SAVE “PROGRAM ONE”,8 or LOAD “PROGRAM ONE”,8. The numeral “8” is a device number which tells the computer that the command refers to the disk drive, and not the cassette recorder.
Why A Datassette?
Mass storage devices make computers so much more useful that most people consider them indispensable. Without one, you would have to buy all your programs on cartridges or else type them on the keyboard for each use. With a cassette recorder or disk drive, you can buy commercial programs on tapes or disks, which are more common than cartridges. You can also accumulate a program library by trading programs you’ve written with friends, typing and saving programs from magazines, and saving your own programs.
Since cassette recorders are much less expensive than disk drives — averaging about $75 versus $375 — most home computer users choose tape over disk, at least for starters. There are many other factors to weigh besides cost when deciding between cassette and disk, and we’ll explore these alternatives further in future articles. Most people who have disk drives also own cassette recorders anyway, either because they started with one or because some commercial programs are only available on cassettes.
So let’s assume that you’re interested in adding a cassette recorder to your VIC-20 or Commodore 64. Which one should you buy?
There’s not much to consider, because Commodore users basically have only one choice — the Commodore Datassette. The Datassette is a special cassette recorder made by Commodore specifically for Commodore computers. Some home computers, such as the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A and Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer, can use ordinary, high-quality audio cassette recorders. But these recorders will not work with a VIC-20 or 64 (although some companies make adapters for this purpose). Commodore elected to design a system which requires the Datassette.
Contrary to the opinion of some skeptics, this decision wasn’t just a scheme to force Commodore users to buy their recorders from Commodore. Because the Datassette is optimized for computer use, it is more reliable than most cassette recorders on other computers. With good tape, and proper maintenance of the Datassette, programs are almost never lost by accident.
If you want to get the most out of your VIC-20 or 64, you should seriously consider buying a Datassette or disk drive. Without one, your selection of programs — and therefore, the number of applications for your computer — is very small. But with one, there are as many uses for your computer as there are programs.