TCW Podcast Episode 246 - The History of Commodore Pt 3 After Jack Tramiel left Commodore and founded Tramel Technology, the company pressed on with mixed results. Systems like the SX 64, the C900, the Plus/4, the C16, and the C116 failed to gain traction, which led to the development of the C128. It improved on the C64 in many ways, but because so many games relied on C64 quirks, Commodore included a full C64 mode to preserve compatibility, so software support was poor. During this period Amiga was shopping its advanced chipset and entered a tentative agreement with Atari, but Jack’s impending purchase of Atari from Warner disrupted the arrangement. Commodore stepped in to pay off the outstanding note, which led to Commodore acquiring Amiga outright. This set the stage for the Amiga 1000, its famous bouncing ball demo, and a new chapter in Commodore’s history as the company entered the sixteen bit era

TCW 2025 Livestream: https://youtu.be/BXXAhEVD4Lk

Computer Chronicles Revisited - SMOliva: https://computerchronicles.blog/post/computer-chronicles-revisited-038-atari-520st-commodore-128/

Computer Chronicles Revisited - SMOliva: https://computerchronicles.blog/post/computer-chronicles-revisited-052-amiga-workbench-deluxe-paint-neochrome-vip-professional/

Commodore C900: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbVjNInzrw8

Commodore SX-64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIGjT-RjNbk

Commodore Plus 4 C16 & C116: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICiZbUypMlQ

XKCD - Workflow: https://xkcd.com/1172/

Star Raiders (Atari 8-bit): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwqMqmo_jho

Joyboard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdFzdz3o1hU

Boing Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlAhRJjOhDg

Amiga 1000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjapiUQOi2s

Launch Event of the Amiga in 1985: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OeQ5uzm-Qs

Amiga 1000 Sidcar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPfArIhoy0s

TCW 172 - The Computer Price Wars Pt 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-price-wars-part-1/

TCW 173 - The Computer Wars Pt 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-wars-part-2/

TCW 174 - The Computer Wars Pt 3: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-wars-part-3/

New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1

Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode

Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love

Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

TCW Podcast Episode 245 - The History of Commodore Pt 2

Commodore’s shift from calculators to computers began with the PET, which found success in Europe as a business machine. After seeing the ZX80 in Britain, Jack Tramiel pushed for an affordable home computer, leading to the VIC-20. Guided by marketing manager Michael S. Tomczyk, Commodore promoted the VIC-20 as “the friendly computer” with William Shatner as spokesman. It first launched in Japan before reaching the United States and Europe, becoming a hit worldwide. Building on that success, Commodore released the C64, featuring the powerful SID sound chip and far more memory than its competitors. Marketed again under Tomczyk’s direction at a price under six hundred dollars, the C64 became one of the best-selling computers of all time, driving Commodore’s revenue past a billion dollars and securing its place in computing history.

TCW 2025 Livestream: https://youtu.be/BXXAhEVD4Lk

TCW 165 - Allied Leisure: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/allied-leisure/

TCW 172 - The Computer Price Wars Part 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-price-wars-part-1/

TCW 173 - The Computer Price Wars Part 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-wars-part-2/

TCW 174 - The Computer Price Wars Part 3: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-wars-part-3/

TCW 130 - Uncle Clive's Radionics: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/uncle-clives-radionics/

TCW 131 - Sir Clive of ZX: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/sir-clive-of-zx/

KIM-1 Computer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMxOWngmy8I

The 8-Bit Guy - Commodore PET: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP9y_7it3ZM

The 8-Bit Guy - Commodore VIC-20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg04GyhS3ss

The 8-Bit Guy - Commodore C64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpXFB8ZEH30

Commodore VIC-20 Commercials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak0YU8ymkBc

Wiliam Shatner VIC-20 Commercials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JAU9Ntpoms

Commodore 64 Commercials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd_yiMhu1DM

New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1

Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode

Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love

Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

TCW Podcast Episode 244 - The History of Commodore Pt 1

We kick off our look at Commodore with the story of its founder, Jack Tramiel. A Holocaust survivor who emigrated to the United States, Tramiel began repairing lamps and typewriters before founding a typewriter import business in Toronto. His early success was nearly undone by the Atlantic Acceptance financial scandal, which forced him into partnership with investor Irving Gould. Commodore’s venture into calculators nearly bankrupted the company, but the acquisition of MOS Technology set the stage for its move into computers. This episode explores the corporate maneuvering, twists of fate, and personal drive that shaped Commodore’s early years. Featuring audience input, it’s the start of a lively three-part (and possibly four-part) deep dive into one of computing’s most fascinating companies.

TCW 2025 Livestream: https://youtu.be/BXXAhEVD4Lk

Jack Tramiel 1983 Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5skpKlVOqc

Commodore - A Company On The Edge by Brian Bagnall: https://archive.org/details/commodorecompany0000bagn/page/n1/mode/2up

Computer Chronicles Revisited - SMOliva: https://computerchronicles.blog/post/computer-chronicles-revisited-107-koalapainter-the-wine-steward-skate-or-die-master-composer-keyboard-controlled-sequencer/#the-atlantic-acceptance-scandal-and-irving-goulds-takeover

New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1

Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode

Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love

Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/