Commodore 64 software#Modern Day Development Tools

The Commodore 64’s slow 1541 disk drive limited its suitability as a business computer,{{cite journal |last1=Perry |first1=Tekla S. |last2=Wallich |first2=Paul |date=March 1985 |title=Design case history: the Commodore 64 |journal=IEEE Spectrum |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=48–58 |doi=10.1109/MSPEC.1985.6370590 |s2cid=11900865 |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/ns/pdfs/commodore64_mar1985.pdf |access-date=2011-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513181613/http://spectrum.ieee.org/ns/pdfs/commodore64_mar1985.pdf |archive-date=May 13, 2012 |url-status=dead}} yet it was used for tasks like graphics creation, desktop publishing, and word processing.{{cite web |title=The Commodore 64: A Cultural Icon |url=https://www.retrocomputing.net/commodore64/ |website=Retrocomputing.net |access-date=2023-10-15}} Info 64, the first magazine produced using desktop publishing tools, was created on and dedicated to the Commodore platform.{{cite magazine |title=Info 64: The First Desktop Publishing Magazine |magazine=Compute! |date=January 1985 |url=https://archive.org/details/1985-01-compute-magazine |access-date=2023-10-15}}

Popular graphics software included KoalaPainter, known for its graphics tablet interface,{{cite magazine |title=KoalaPainter Review |magazine=Compute! |date=December 1983 |url=https://archive.org/details/1983-12-compute-magazine |access-date=2023-10-15}} and Doodle!, a widely used drawing program.{{cite web |title=Doodle! for Commodore 64 |url=https://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=1234 |website=Lemon64 |access-date=2023-10-15}} Desktop publishing tools like The Print Shop and "The Newsroom" enabled users to create signs, banners, and newsletters.{{cite web |title=The Print Shop for Commodore 64 |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/print-shop |website=MobyGames |access-date=2023-10-15}}{{cite magazine |title=The Newsroom: A Review |magazine=RUN |date=June 1986 |url=https://archive.org/details/run-magazine-30 |access-date=2023-10-15}} Light pens and CAD software were also available.{{cite web |title=Commodore 64 Peripherals |url=https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Peripherals |website=C64-Wiki |access-date=2023-10-15}}

Image:C64 Multiplan.png - spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft]]

Word processors such as PaperClip and Vizawrite were popular,{{cite magazine |title=PaperClip: A Powerful Word Processor |magazine=Compute!'s Gazette |date=February 1984 |url=https://archive.org/details/1984-02-computegazette |access-date=2023-10-15}}{{cite web |title=Vizawrite for Commodore 64 |url=https://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=5678 |website=Lemon64 |access-date=2023-10-15}} alongside the type-in program SpeedScript, published in Compute!'s Gazette.{{cite magazine |title=SpeedScript: A Powerful Word Processor |magazine=Compute!'s Gazette |date=May 1984 |url=https://archive.org/details/1984-05-computegazette |access-date=2023-10-15}} Spreadsheet programs included Multiplan by Microsoft{{cite web |title=Multiplan for Commodore 64 |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/multiplan |website=MobyGames |access-date=2023-10-15}} and Calc Result,{{cite web |title=Calc Result for Commodore 64 |url=https://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=4321 |website=Lemon64 |access-date=2023-10-15}} while Vizastar offered integrated software features.{{cite web |title=Vizastar for the Commodore 64 |url=http://www.personalcomputernews.co.uk/pcnb/html/075/personal_computer_news_075_vizastar.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421030635/http://www.personalcomputernews.co.uk/pcnb/html/075/personal_computer_news_075_vizastar.html |archive-date=2013-04-21 |access-date=2023-10-15 |url-status=dead}} Office suites like Mini Office II and software from Data Becker were also available.{{cite web |title=Mini Office II for Commodore 64 |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/mini-office-ii |website=MobyGames |access-date=2023-10-15}}{{cite web |title=Data Becker Software |url=https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Data_Becker |website=C64-Wiki |access-date=2023-10-15}}

The GEOS operating system provided a graphical interface akin to the early Apple Macintosh, with office applications and support for peripherals like printers and light pens.{{cite book |last=West |first=Raeto Collin |title=Programming the Commodore 64: The Definitive Guide |publisher=Compute! Publications |year=1985 |isbn=0-87455-001-7 |pages=400–405}} It gained popularity for its affordability and capabilities.{{cite magazine |title=GEOS: A New Era for the Commodore 64 |magazine=RUN |date=December 1986 |url=https://archive.org/details/run-magazine-36 |access-date=2023-10-15}}

Music software included Music Construction Set and MIDI cartridges,{{cite web |title=Music Construction Set for Commodore 64 |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/music-construction-set |website=MobyGames |access-date=2023-10-15}} with the modern Prophet64 cartridge offering advanced sequencing and synthesis.{{cite web |title=Prophet64: A Modern Music Tool for the C64 |url=https://www.prophet64.com/ |website=Prophet64.com |access-date=2023-10-15}}

{{main|List of Commodore 64 games}}

{{quote|Think back for a minute to the first program you ever saw on a Commodore 64. Chances are it was a game, if you've had a 64 for more than a couple of years.|Compute!'s Gazette, 1986{{cite magazine |last=Yakal |first=Kathy |date=June 1986 |title=The Evolution of Commodore Graphics |url=https://archive.org/details/1986-06-computegazette/page/n35 |magazine=Compute!'s Gazette |pages=34–42 |access-date=2019-06-18}}}}

Image:C64 Ghostbusters.png by Activision, 1984.]]

By 1985, games comprised 60–70% of Commodore 64 software,{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/The_Official_Book_for_the_Commodore_128#page/n91/mode/2up |title=The Official Book for the Commodore 128 Personal Computer |publisher=Howard W. Sams & Co. |author1=Waite, Mitchell |author2=Lafore, Robert |author3=Volpe, Jerry |year=1985 |pages=80 |isbn=0-672-22456-9 |chapter=The C64 Mode}} driven by its advanced sound and graphics hardware. Over 23,000 unique game titles were released.{{cite web |title=Gamebase64 Database |url=http://www.gamebase64.com/ |website=Gamebase64 |access-date=2023-10-15}}

Image:C64 Winter Games.png: the "Hot Dog" event.]]

Notable titles included International Soccer, Impossible Mission, and Epyx’s multievent series (Summer Games, Winter Games, World Games, and California Games).{{cite magazine |title=Top 100 Commodore 64 Games |magazine=Zzap!64 |date=December 1989 |url=https://archive.org/details/zzap64-issue-056 |access-date=2023-10-15}} Other significant games were Boulder Dash, The Sentinel, and Elite.{{cite book |last=Maher |first=Jimmy |title=The Future Was Here: The Commodore Amiga |publisher=MIT Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0262017206 |pages=45–50}} Budget games from Mastertronic and Codemasters were popular on cassette.{{cite web |title=Mastertronic: Budget Games for the Masses |url=https://www.retrogamer.net/profiles/company/mastertronic/ |website=Retro Gamer |access-date=2023-10-15}} In 1993, Mayhem in Monsterland earned a 100% rating from Commodore Format for its graphics and gameplay.{{cite magazine |title=Mayhem in Monsterland Review |magazine=Commodore Format |date=November 1993 |issue=38 |pages=45–47 |url=https://archive.org/details/commodore-format-38 |access-date=2023-10-15}}

Image:Loadstar-53.jpg

The Commodore 64 featured a large library of type-in programs published in magazines like Compute!'s Gazette, Ahoy!, and RUN.{{cite magazine |title=Type-In Programs: A Staple of Commodore Magazines |magazine=Compute! |date=July 1984 |url=https://archive.org/details/1984-07-compute-magazine |access-date=2023-10-15}} Disk magazines like Loadstar provided ready-to-run programs.{{cite web |title=Loadstar: The Disk Magazine for Commodore Users |url=https://www.lyonlabs.org/commodore/loadstar/ |website=LyonLabs |access-date=2023-10-15}} BBSs distributed public domain and freeware software via services like Q-Link and CompuServe.{{cite book |last=Dillon |first=Roberto |title=Ready: A Commodore 64 Retrospective |publisher=Springer |year=2014 |isbn=978-9812873408 |pages=120–125}}

Software piracy was prevalent, with warez groups like Fairlight distributing cracked software via BBSs and sneakernets.{{cite journal |last=Carlsson |first=Anders |title=The Rise and Fall of the Commodore 64 |journal=IEEE Annals of the History of Computing |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=22–35 |year=2015 |doi=10.1109/MAHC.2015.67}} Tools like Fast Hack'em bypassed copy protection.{{cite magazine |title=Copy Protection and Piracy on the Commodore 64 |magazine=Compute! |date=August 1985 |url=https://archive.org/details/1985-08-compute-magazine |access-date=2023-10-15}}

{{main|Commodore BASIC}}

The Commodore 64 shipped with BASIC 2.0, limited in accessing advanced features, requiring PEEK and POKE or extensions like Simons' BASIC.{{cite book |last=Zimmermann |first=Kim |title=Commodore 64: A Visual Compendium |publisher=Bitmap Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-0993012983 |pages=30–35}} Commodore opted for BASIC 2.0 to reduce costs.{{cite magazine |title=Why Commodore Stuck with BASIC 2.0 |magazine=Ahoy! |date=March 1986 |url=https://archive.org/details/ahoy-magazine-27 |access-date=2023-10-15}}

{{main|Commodore 64 music}}

The SID chip enabled music software like Kawasaki Synthesizer and Music Construction Set.{{cite web |title=Kawasaki Synthesizer for Commodore 64 |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/kawasaki-synthesizer |website=MobyGames |access-date=2023-10-15}}{{cite magazine |title=Music Construction Set: A Review |magazine=Compute! |date=November 1983 |url=https://archive.org/details/1983-11-compute-magazine |access-date=2023-10-15}} Modern tools include GoatTracker.{{cite web |title=GoatTracker: A Modern SID Music Editor |url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/goattracker/ |website=SourceForge |access-date=2023-10-15}}

Development tools included assemblers like MIKRO and compilers for C and Pascal.{{cite web |title=Development Tools for the Commodore 64 |url=https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Development_tools |website=C64-Wiki |access-date=2023-10-15}} Game creation kits like SEUCK and GameMaker were popular.{{cite magazine |title=SEUCK: Create Your Own Shoot-'Em-Ups |magazine=Zzap!64 |date=May 1988 |url=https://archive.org/details/zzap64-issue-037 |access-date=2023-10-15}}

Current tools include CBM prg Studio, Relaunch64, and assemblers like Kick Assembler and cc65.{{cite web |title=CBM prg Studio |url=https://www.ajordison.co.uk/ |website=Ajordison.co.uk |access-date=2023-10-15}}{{cite web |title=Relaunch64 |url=https://www.popelganda.de/relaunch64.html |website=Popelganda.de |access-date=2023-10-15}}

Preservation efforts involve transferring software to modern media and developing emulators like VICE.{{cite web |title=VICE: The Versatile Commodore Emulator |url=https://vice-emu.sourceforge.io/ |website=SourceForge |access-date=2023-10-15}} The GameBase 64 project catalogs nearly 29,000 titles.{{cite web |title=GameBase 64: Preserving Commodore 64 Games |url=https://www.gb64.com/ |website=GB64.com |access-date=2023-10-15}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commodore International}}