Commodore 64 User Manual page 6

CHAPTER I
WELCOME TO HOME COMPUTING
Computers are truly changing our world.
Many people believe that computers are creat
ing a revolution as dramatic as the Industrial
Revolution several hundred years ago. One of
the most amazing products of our decade is
the home computer. For a price that barely
would have bought a calculator a decade ago,
you can now buy a home computer that is
more powerful than the room-filling computers
of just a few years ago. Even more amazing
are the uses that people are finding for these
new computers.
Now that you are the proud owner of a VIC
20 or a Commodore 64 home computer, you
have entered the exciting world of computers.
You will find that learning to use your com
puter is not as difficult as you may have
thought. One of the main claims Commodore
makes about its computers is that they are
user friendly. This means that these computers
are simple to use. You do not need to learn
the hundreds of secret passwords and cryptic
commands that made the early large com
puters so difficult to understand.
With the VIC 20 and Commodore 64 com
puters, you can use just a few simple instruc
tions to tell your computer what to do. If you
make a mistake, the computer lets you know
immediately and the problem is usually easy to
correct. In fact, because the VIC 20 and Com
modore 64 computers are so simple to use,
you will feel confident in knowing the basics
after only a few hours of using your computer!
This User's Guide will help you to get started
using your VIC 20 or Commodore 64 com
puter. Through a combination of reading
about your computer and doing some simple
exercises, you will learn how to get the most
out of your computer in a short amount of
time. Before you begin, though, take a few
minutes to learn about the capabilities of your
computer.
MEET THE VIC 20 AND
COMMODORE 64 COMPUTERS
The VIC 20 and the Commodore 64 com
puters are similar in many ways. Both com
puters use similar keyboards to instruct the
computer to do something. When you type
instructions, you use the same language for
both computers: Microsoft BASIC. This lan
guage is simply a set of words and phrases
that your computer has been programmed to
understand. When you type any of these
words or phrases (called commands) into the
computer, it automatically follows your instruc
tions. Both computers use similar accessories.
and both display messages—yours and the
computer's—on a TV screen or a monitor.
The main difference lies in how much each
computer can do. Each computer has a certain
amount of memory, which allows it to store
information. For computers, memory is mea
sured in units called bytes. Bytes are like mail
box slots that hold information. One byte
holds one character (one letter, number, or
symbol) of information. One kilobyte [or/CJ is
equal to approximately 1,000 bytes. The VIC
20 has 5K of memory, while the 64, quite
aptly, has 64K of memory.
What does this considerable difference in
memory mean? The larger the memory, the
more information the computer can hold. The
Commodore 64, therefore, can store larger
programs than the VIC 20 can. A program is
simply a series of instructions that tells the
computer how to perform specific tasks—like
keeping track of a budget, teaching a foreign
language, or playing a game. You can always
add more units of memory to each computer,
but as to the initial amount of memory that
comes with each, the 64's memory is much
larger than the VIC's. Because of this differ
ence, more complicated programs are available
for the 64 computer than for the VIC.
Both the VIC 20 [which we'll simply call the
VIC) and the Commodore 64 (which we'll call
the 64J have the capabilities to display pictures
and shapes. This is known as graphics
capabilities. While both computers are able
to produce a variety of graphics, the 64 is
capable of doing more with graphics than is
the VIC.
The same is true for sound. While both com
puters have the capabilities to produce sound,
more can be done with sound on the 64
because of its larger memory.
Despite this difference in memory, both the
VIC and the 64 are quite capable computers
that can perform a variety of tasks. In addition,
both computers are able to use different colors
(if you have them hooked up to a color TV or
a color monitor). While the 64 can use more
colors than the VIC, both can use enough
colors to make striking pictures—important for
both interesting educational programs and
exciting games.