wanttaja@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ronald J Wanttaja) (11/08/84)
<All right, I promise, one more review, and then I'll shut up... unless I find something else interesting> An interesting feature of the Commodore-16 is the documentation included with the machine. There isn't any. Not that there isn't an owner's manual, but it is small, and really contains no other information than how to set up the machine and load software. It contains NO information on the built-in BASIC (no command lists, nothing!), or screen maps, error codes, etc. Anytime the manual looks like it is going to give some useful information, it says "Buy the Intermediate owner's manual!" Talk about cheap! The C-16 is going the stereotyped computer merchandising route... "Oh, you actually wanted to do something with it? Well, for $59.99, this little..." I really enjoyed the VIC owner's manual, it was a nice, simple step-by-step introduction to BASIC, and was all I ever needed. All Commodore needed to do was reprint the VIC manual, adding a little on the graphics commands, replacing "VIC" with "C-16" where ever necessary. Maybe Commodore doesn't have a word processor :-) Speaking of graphics commands, whenever you enter one of the GRAPHICS modes on the C-16, 10K of memory gets grabbed for use by the bit-mapping and color definitions. That leaves 2.2K for programming, actually less than a VIC with a Super Expander. Let not my comments on the C-16 manual infer the same state exists with the PLUS/4. The +4 manuals (there is a separate manual for the integrated software) are pretty well done and provide equivalent information to the '64 owner's manual. I made a comment on an earlier review about the possibility of buying a C-16 for $99 and upgrading it to 64k for less money than a +4. It looks like this is not too possible. My technical expert looking into this says the new TED chips is handling everything, and, without detailed information sees little hope of cracking it. He describes the '16 as less a downgraded +4, more like a lobotomized '64. Keep those cards and flames coming, folks... Ron (put all my computers together and get a 143 column screen) Wanttaja (ssc-vax!wanttaja)