Commodore 64 User Manual page 35

RETURN KEY
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The RETURN key serves a much more critical
function on your VIC or 64 computer than it
does on a typewriter. It is, literally, the only
way for the computer to understand what you
want it to do. Once you type a command on
the screen, you press the RETURN key, which
tells the computer that you are finished typing
and sends the message to the computer. Until
you press RETURN, the computer has no idea
of what you are typing, if anything.
RETURN KEY BY ITSELF:
COMMUNICATION "ON"
To see how the RETURN key works, type this
simple command:
PRINT Tl
This command instructs the computer to tell
you how long your computer has been turned
on, in I4oths of a second (called jiffies).
SCREEN 1
Now, press the RETURN key, and watch the
answer appear.
SCREEN 2
Each time you type a command that you want
the computer to be aware of, you must press
the RETURN key. Try an experiment now.
Move the cursor back up to the PRINT Tl line.
SCREEN 3
Then, press RETURN again. Watch as the pre
vious answer changes to a new number.
SCREEN 4
Each time you place the cursor on a command
line and press RETURN, the computer puts the
command into its memory, and if the answer
to your command changes, it will display the
new answer.
Do not clear the screen and do not turn off
the computer before going on to the next
exercise.
n
SCREEN 1
The Tl command Instructs the computer to
print the amount of time It has been on.
SCREEN 2
Pressing RETURN by Itself sends your
command to the computer.
SCREEN 3
To see the effect of the RETURN key, first
move the cursor back to the command line.
i=r in r
1263
SCREEN 4
Pressing RETURN sends the command back
to the computer, and the number changes.
RETURN key
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