Not Amiga, but C=128!!!

[bonkers]

Even though GEOS is a nice piece of software you should try Contiki instead. It runs on an unexpanded c64 and includes a TCP/IP stack and a webbrowser, it even supports VNC. Have a look at http://www.sics.se/~adam/contiki/ . To be able to use the internet thingie you are best of buying a Retro Replay with the network card module.

[redrumloa]

angrybrit wrote:
Can people still buy blank 5¼ diskettes? :-?

HERE

[itix]

You need this:

http://psid64.sourceforge.net/

SID player for C64 :-D

[redrumloa]

Man, I've seen some crazy stuff for the C=8-bit (SCPU for one), but I really need to find a way to get stuff from my iBook or Inspiron, straight to the 128D.

Inspiron? Is that a desktop or laptop? If you have a PC with a spare PCI slot (or ISA) there is always the famous Catweasel. Otherwise there is always the X1541 cable with Star Commander.

[Holley]

Yeah, I have a C128 too, havn't used in an age and it recently had an accident, so needs a new case and keyboard :-(

I prefer Amigas (used to just have the C128 just for games, though I did used to use Geos 1.1 with a joystick rather than a mouse), but the C-1 has sparked my interest, especially with the ability to work as an Amstrad, too ... shame it's still a good way off.  Now there's a geek toy if ever there was :-D

[Elektro]

GO64

[McNorris]

Can people still buy blank 5¼ diskettes?  

Some places... but you can still buy audio cassettes! :-D

[McNorris]

Inspiron? Is that a desktop or laptop? If you have a PC with a spare PCI slot (or ISA) there is always the famous Catweasel. Otherwise there is always the X1541 cable with Star Commander.

The Inspiron is a squishy, filmy-looking screened, middle of the line Dell Laptop from a couple years back. That I gave to my wife who either can't or won't leave Windows behind.

I wouldn't run BeOS so it had to go (no sound and only the VESA drivers).

I wasn't a huge C= guy. My second computer was a VIC=20, but I was still too young to really get down with it. By the time I became aware of my own existence I had a Macintosh. (later to sell it, get a kick-ass A500 setup, a van and an electric guitar  :-D )

My prefered way would be to format a disk on my OS X machine, save the file, get it to a 1581 and go.

With my Ami, I needed only a few files from AmiNET.

1-lha.run
2-unzip.lha
&
3-disk2file.lha

I think this solution was provided to me by my great political emeny (and hell of a guy) KennyR (the K-dog).

(by the way this is an outstanding example of folks here @ Amiga.org keeping the coffee house in the coffee house and a testament to this member's nature in particular)

I looking for something similar here.

[Holley]

The X1541 allows a PC serial (edit: sorry, it's parallel!) port to emulate a 1541 disk drive, anything with Windows9x should run it fine (requires running in DOS mode for timing reasons) - you just point it at disk images on the PC harddisk.

As for the Vic20 - Rock Man and Chariot Race were great fun :-) I also had a Space Invaders cart for it once, too ... those were the days!

[Akira]

The XE1541 cable works like a charm on my PC, never tried the Amiga solution, Easy1541, though.

The program you use on the PC is nothing but a clone of Norton Commander, very easy to get your disk images into floppies and all that. Straightforward!

Jens: I was "out of the loop" for a while, glad to see you kind of revived the project. Are you selling these disks, if so where?

woops, forgot to say, there's not such an easy solution on teh C64. but the XE1541 cable is easy to build or a jiffy to order, and in seconds you will be set. I suppose you could use an Inspiron to do this (provided it has a parallel port) but there's no OS X solution.

If you do have a 1581, I think there is an Amiga program that can write 1581 disks, so you can transfer a few files. But this is not recommended, it's easier to have your drive connected to a PC and write your disks in Star commander.

If you DON'T havea 1581, don't get it. They are expensive, and lots of software wont run off them.

[bloodline]

Schoenfeld wrote:
This "bunch of guys" did not succeed in doing all the paperwork to get the disks manufactured and transported to Europe. Since everyone was asking, but nothing happened, I took care of the project. I now have a huge stock of brand new DS/SD (single density!) disks.

Jens Schoenfeld

Hey Jens, I sent you an Email about SID chips. Did you get it?

[McNorris]

Any place Stateside to get this XE1541 cable w/ the software required?

As for the 1581, do they really suck?

The 800K floppy I had on my Apple IIc+ was great I could tinker with stuff, throw tons of games on the same disk.

Is it that it is just not worth the price/effort to get one?

The C128D I bought came with an external 1571 for a total of two.

to 1581 or not to 1581?

[Jiffy]

McNorris wrote:
As for the 1581, do they really suck?
Is it that it is just not worth the price/effort to get one?
to 1581 or not to 1581?

They don't suck, but they have certain disadvantages.

The advantages of the 1581 are that they have lots of storagespace (about 5 times as much as a 1541 disk) and are about 50% faster compared to a 1571.

The disadvantages are that they are hard to find and hugely expensive... Another disadvantage is that compatiblity compared to the 1541/1571 is rather low. Games with built-in diskspeeders unvariably fail to load, for example. Turbocartridges also don't really like the 1581.

They are great for datastorage and programming, but suck when it comes to gaming (when it comes to multipart games, that is. Singlepartgames work great).

If you can get one for cheap: buy it. They're nice to have as a second (or third) drive. If you're only into gaming: leave the 1581 be and just use two 1541's.

[Akira]

Lots of your games will just not run off a 1581. This is very diferent to an Apple II (is the same like coomparing amiga disks to pc or st disks, everybody knows how different amiga disks are, the case is the same with c64 disks)

You can go to http://sta.c64.org , download the program for free and the schematics to builkd the cable on your own!