NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Commodore International

Commodore, the commonly used name for Commodore International, was an American electronics company based in West Chester, Pennsylvania which was a vital player in the home/personal computer field in the 1980s. The company is also known under the name of its R&D operation, Commodore Business Machines (CBM). Commodore developed and marketed the world's best-selling desktop computer, the Commodore 64 (1982). The company declared bankruptcy in 1994, but since then, there have been several attempts to revive its Amiga systems. Image File history File links CBM_Logo. ... Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. ... The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania[1], United States. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Computer hardware is the physical part of a computer, including the digital circuitry, as distinguished from the computer software that executes within the hardware. ... C-64 redirects here. ... The Commodore 128 (C128, CBM 128, C=128) home/personal computer was Commodore Business Machiness (CBM) last commercially released 8-bit machine. ... Amiga is the name of a range of home/personal computers using the Motorola 68000 processor family, whose development started in 1982. ... Jack Tramiel (born December 13, 1928[1]) is a businessman, famous for founding Commodore International, manufacturer of the Commodore PET, Commodore 64, and Commodore Amiga home computers, and later President and CEO of Atari Corp. ... Irving Gould (?-2004) was a Canadian businessperson credited with both saving and sinking Commodore. ... Surface mount electronic components Electronics is the study of the flow of charge through various materials and devices such as semiconductors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, nano-structures and vacuum tubes. ... The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania[1], United States. ... This article is primarily about a certain class of Personal computers from the late 1970s to mid 1980s, see Domotics or Home servers for home computers used in home automation. ... The 1980s was the decade spanning from 1980 to 1989, also called The Eighties. The decade saw social, economic and general upheaval as wealth, production and western culture migrated to new industrializing economies. ... The phrase research and development (also R and D or R&D) has a special commercial significance apart from its conventional coupling of research and technological development. ... C-64 redirects here. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administrationâ€”see text) in the United Kingdom. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ...

History

Foundation and early years

The company that would become Commodore International was started in 1954^[1] in Toronto by Polish immigrant and Auschwitz survivor Jack Tramiel. He had already run a small business repairing typewriters for a few years while living in New York and driving a taxicab, but managed to sign a deal with a Czechoslovakian company to manufacture their designs in Canada, and moved to Toronto to start production. By the late 1950s a wave of Japanese machines forced most North American typewriter companies out of business, but Tramiel instead turned to adding machines. Image File history File links Commodore196x. ... Image File history File links Commodore196x. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 567 pixel Image in higher resolution (2204 Ã— 1562 pixel, file size: 520 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Commodore International Metadata... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 567 pixel Image in higher resolution (2204 Ã— 1562 pixel, file size: 520 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Commodore International Metadata... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ... Auschwitz, in English, commonly refers to the Auschwitz concentration camp complex built near the town of Oświęcim, by Nazi Germany during World War II. Rarely, it may refer to the Polish town of Oświęcim (called by the Germans Auschwitz) itself. ... Jack Tramiel (born December 13, 1928[1]) is a businessman, famous for founding Commodore International, manufacturer of the Commodore PET, Commodore 64, and Commodore Amiga home computers, and later President and CEO of Atari Corp. ... Mechanical desktop typewriters, such as this Underwood Five, were long time standards of government agencies, newsrooms, and sales offices. ... For specific countries see Taxicabs around the world. ... Motto Czech: Pravda vÃtÄ›zÃ (Truth prevails; 1918-1989) Latin: Veritas Vincit (Truth prevails; 1989-1992) Anthem Kde domov mÅ¯j and Nad Tatrou sa blÃ½ska Capital Prague Language(s) Czech, Slovak, Rusyn, Polish Government Republic President - 1918-1935 TomÃ¡Å¡ G. Masaryk (first) - 1989-1992 VÃ¡clav Havel... adding machine Older adding machine. ...

In 1962 the company was formally incorporated as Commodore Business Machines (CBM). In the late 1960s history repeated itself when Japanese firms started producing and exporting adding machines. The company's main investor and chairman, Irving Gould, suggested that Tramiel travel to Japan to understand how to compete. Instead, he returned with the new idea to produce electronic calculators, which were just coming on the market. Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ... Irving Gould (?-2004) was a Canadian businessperson credited with both saving and sinking Commodore. ... For other uses, see Calculator (disambiguation). ...

Commodore soon had a profitable calculator line and was one of the more popular brands in the early 1970s, producing both consumer as well as scientific/programmable calculators. However, in 1975, Texas Instruments, the main supplier of calculator parts, entered the market directly and put out a line of machines priced at less than Commodore's cost of the parts. Commodore had to be rescued once again by an infusion of cash from Gould, which Tramiel used beginning in 1976 to purchase several second-source chip suppliers, including MOS Technology, Inc., in order to assure his supply. He agreed to buy MOS, who were having troubles of its own, only on the condition that its chip designer Chuck Peddle join Commodore directly as head of engineering. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), better known in the electronics industry (and popularly) as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA, renowned for developing and commercializing semiconductor and computer technology. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... MOS Technology, Inc. ... Electronics engineer Chuck Peddle is mostly known as the main designer of the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor; the KIM-1 SBC; and its successor the Commodore PET school/business/home computer, both based on the 6502. ...

In December 2007 when Tramiel was visiting the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, for the 25th anniversary of the Commodore 64, he was asked why he called his company Commodore, he had this to say: "I wanted to call my company General, but there's so many Generals in the U.S.: General Electric, General Motors. Then I went to Admiral, but that was taken. So I wind up in Berlin, Germany, with my wife, and we were in a cab, and the cab made a short stop, and in front of us was an Opel Commodore."^[2]

"Computers for the masses, not the classes"

Once Chuck Peddle had taken over engineering at Commodore, he convinced Jack Tramiel that calculators were already a dead end and that they should turn their attention to home computers. Peddle packaged his existing KIM-1 single-board computer design in a metal case, along with a full-travel QWERTY keyboard, monochrome monitor, and tape recorder for program and data storage, to produce the Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor). From its 1977 debut, Commodore would be a computer company. This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This article is primarily about a certain class of Personal computers from the late 1970s to mid 1980s, see Domotics or Home servers for home computers used in home automation. ... The KIM-1, short for Keyboard Input Monitor, was a small 6502-based microcomputer kit developed and produced by MOS Technology, Inc. ... One of the first 10 MMD-1s, a prototype unit, produced by E&L Instruments in 1976. ... For the song by Linkin Park, see QWERTY (song). ... A photograph of a sign in grayscale The same photograph in black and white Monochrome comes from the two Greek words mono (Î¼Ï‰Î½Î¿, meaning one), and chroma (Ï‡ÏÏ‰Î¼Î±, meaning surface or the color of the skin). A monochromatic object has a single color. ... Nineteen inch (48 cm) CRT computer monitor A computer display, monitor or screen is a computer peripheral device capable of showing still or moving images generated by a computer and processed by a graphics card. ... The Commodore 1530* (C2N) Datassette (a portmanteau of data + cassette), was Commodores dedicated computer tape recorder. ... The PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) was a home-/personal computer produced by Commodore starting in the late 1970s. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Commodore had been reorganized the year before into Commodore International, Ltd., moving its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and its operational headquarters to West Chester, Pennsylvania, near to the MOS Technology site. The operational headquarters, where research and development of new products occurred, retained the name Commodore Business Machines, Inc. The corporate offices are now home to QVC Studio Park. [--168. ... The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania[1], United States. ... QVC is a West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, multinational corporation, specialising in televised home shopping. ...

The PET computer line was used primarily in schools, due to its tough all-metal construction (some models were labeled "Teacher's PET"), but did not compete well in the home setting where graphics and sound were important. This was addressed with the introduction of the VIC-20 in 1981, which was introduced at a cost of US$299 and sold in retail stores. Commodore took out aggressive ads featuring William Shatner asking consumers "Why buy just a video game?" The strategy worked and the VIC-20 became the first computer to ship more than one million units. A total of 2.5 million units were sold over the machine's lifetime.^[3] A primary school in ÄŒeskÃ½ TÄ›Å¡Ãn, Poland Primary education is the first stage of compulsory education. ... The VIC-20 (Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit home computer. ... AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... USD redirects here. ... William Alan Shatner (born on March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor who gained fame for playing James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven of the subsequent movies. ...

In 1982, Commodore introduced the Commodore 64 as the successor to the VIC-20. Thanks to a well-designed set of chips designed by MOS, the C64 possessed remarkably capable sound and graphics for its time and is often credited with starting the computer demo scene. Its US$595 price was high compared to the VIC-20, but it was still much less expensive than any other 64K computer on the market. Early C64 ads boasted, "You can't buy a better computer at twice the price."
Australian ads used a tune speaking the words "# Are you keeping up with the commodore? Because the commodore is keeping up with you. #" Download high resolution version (2048x1150, 588 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1150, 588 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... C-64 redirects here. ... Integrated circuit of Atmel Diopsis 740 System on Chip showing memory blocks, logic and input/output pads around the periphery Microchips (EPROM memory) with a transparent window, showing the integrated circuit inside. ... The demoscene is a computer sub-culture that came to prominence during the rise of the 16 bit micros (the Atari ST and the Amiga), but demos first appeared during the 8-bit era on computers such as C64 and ZX Spectrum. ...

In 1983, Tramiel decided to focus on market share and cut the price of the VIC-20 and C64 dramatically, starting what would be called the "home computer war." TI responded by cutting prices on its TI-99/4A, which had been introduced in 1981. Soon there was an all-out price war involving Commodore, TI, Atari and practically every vendor other than Apple Computer. This price war likely contributed to the video game crash of 1983. By the end of this conflict, Commodore had shipped somewhere around 22 million C64s—making the C64 the best selling computer of all time—and in the process, drove TI out of the home-computer market, almost destroyed Atari, bankrupted most smaller companies, and wiped out its own savings. Tramiel's motto, "Business is war," had taken its toll. For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... 1979 TI-99/4 with RF modulator, optional Speech Synthesizer, keyboard overlays, and a cartridge. ... This article is about the corporate brand. ... Apple Inc. ... ET for the Atari 2600 is considered by many to be emblematic of the crash along with the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man. ...

Tramiel quits; The Amiga vs. ST battle

Commodore's board of directors were as impacted as anyone else by the price spiral and decided they wanted out. An internal power struggle resulted; in January 1984, Tramiel resigned. He founded a new company, Tramel Technology (spelled differently so people would pronounce it correctly), and hired away a number of Commodore engineers to begin work on a next-generation computer design. Image File history File links Commodore_logo. ... Image File history File links Commodore_logo. ... This article is about the year. ...

Now it was left to the remaining Commodore management to salvage the company's fortunes and plan for the future. It did so by buying a small company called Amiga Corporation. The company was better known for its forays into the video game market, designing controllers for game consoles as well as making games for the Atari 2600. Their video game business was successful, but the company had a strong interest in designing a groundbreaking new personal computer. Commodore brought this new 16-bit computer design (known initially as the Lorraine, later dubbed the Amiga 1000) to market in the fall of 1985 for US $1295. Amiga Corporation was a computer company formed in the early 1980s as Hi-Toro. ... In computer science, 16-bit is an adjective used to describe integers that are at most two bytes wide, or to describe CPU architectures based on registers, address buses, or data buses of that size. ... The A1000, or Commodore Amiga 1000, was Commodores initial Amiga personal computer, introduced on July 24, 1985 at the Lincoln Center in New York City. ... This article is about the year. ...

But Tramiel had beaten Commodore to the punch. His design was 95% completed by June (which only fueled speculation that his engineers had taken technology with them from Commodore). In July 1984 he bought the consumer side of Atari Inc. from Warner Communications which allowed him to strike back and release the Atari ST earlier in 1985 for about $800. Time Warner Inc. ... The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ...

During development in 1983, Amiga had exhausted venture capital and was desperate for more financing. Jay Miner and company had approached former employer Atari, and the "Warner owned" Atari had paid Amiga to continue development work.^[4] In return Atari was to obtain one-year exclusive use of the design. Atari had plans for a 68000-based machine, code-named "Mickey", that would have used customized chips – but details were sparse. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Amiga Corporation. ... This article is about the corporate brand. ...

The following year, Tramiel discovered that Warner Communications wanted to sell Atari, which was rumored to be losing about $10,000 a day. Interested in Atari's overseas manufacturing and world-wide distribution network for his new computer, he approached Atari and entered negotiations. After several on-again/off-again talks with Atari in May and June of 1984, Tramiel had secured his funding and bought Atari's Consumer Division (which included the console and home computer departments) in July. Warner Communications, formerly Kinney National Company, was the parent company for Warner Bros. ...

As more execs and researchers left Commodore to join up with Tramiel's new company Atari Corp. after the announcement, Commodore followed by filing lawsuits against four former engineers for theft of trade secrets in late July. This was intended, in effect, to bar Jack from releasing his new computer. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

One of Jack's first acts after forming Atari Corp. was to fire most of Atari's remaining staff, and to cancel almost all ongoing projects, in order to review their continued viability. In late July/early August, Tramiel representatives discovered the original Amiga contract from the previous fall. Seeing a chance to gain some leverage, Jack immediately used the contract to counter-sue Commodore through its new subsidiary, Amiga, on August 13.

The Amiga crew, still suffering serious financial problems, had sought more monetary support from investors that entire spring. At around the same time that Jack was in negotiations with Atari, Amiga entered into discussions with Commodore. The discussions ultimately led to Commodore's intentions to purchase Amiga outright, which would (from Commodore's viewpoint) cancel any outstanding contracts - including Atari Inc.'s. This "interpretation" is what Jack used to counter-sue, and sought damages and an injunction to bar Amiga (and effectively Commodore) from producing any resembling technology. This was an attempt to render Commodore's new acquisition (and the source for its next generation of computers) useless. The resulting court case lasted for several years, with both companies releasing their respective products. By March of 1987 they had settled out of court, with all suits against Tramiel's engineers dropped. His "Business is War" tactics had succeeded again.

Throughout the life of the ST and Amiga platforms, a ferocious Atari-Commodore rivalry raged. While this rivalry was in many ways a holdover from the days when the Commodore 64 had first challenged the Atari 800 (among others) in a series of scathing television commercials, the events leading to the launch of the ST and Amiga only served to further alienate fans of each computer, who fought vitriolic holy wars on the question of which platform was superior. This was reflected in sales numbers for the two platforms until the release of the Amiga 500 in 1987, which took over the market from the ST. Ultimately, the Amiga outsold the ST about 1.5 to 1, in spite of reaching the market later. However, neither platform captured a significant share of the world computer market. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2978x2232, 2382 KB) This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2978x2232, 2382 KB) This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2. ... This article is about the Internet meaning of the word flaming. For other meanings, and meanings of the word flame, see Flame. ... Missing image A500 The A500, also known as the Amiga 500, was the first low-end Commodore Amiga 16_bit multimedia home/personal computer model. ... This article is about the year 1987. ...

Demise and bankruptcy

In the 1970s and early 80s, the computer press had often sought Commodore (one of the industry's leading players), and its colorful management for information. The VIC-20 and C64, although aggressively marketed, were arguably more successful because of their price than their marketing. After Tramiel's departure, Commodore executives shied away from mass advertising and other marketing ploys, fearful of repeating past mistakes. Commodore also retreated from its earlier strategy of selling its computers to discount outlets and toy stores, and now favored authorized dealers.

By the late 1980s, the personal computer market had become dominated by the IBM PC compatible and Apple Macintosh platforms. Commodore's marketing efforts for the Amiga were less competitive and seemed half-hearted and unfocused. The company also concentrated on consumer products that would not see a demand for another few years—including a digital TV system called CDTV. IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC, XT, or AT internal design, facilitated by various manufacturers... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... Digital television (DTV) refers to the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by means of discrete (digital) signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV. Introduced in the late 1990s, this technology appealed to the television broadcasting business and consumer electronics industries as offering new... The Amiga CDTV (for Commodore Dynamic Total Vision) was a computer made by Commodore International and launched in March 1991. ...

In the early 1990s, CBM continued selling Amigas with 7–14 MHz 68000-family CPUs (even though Amiga 3000 with 25 MHz 68030 was in the market by that time), when PCs with 33 MHz 486's, high-color graphics cards and SoundBlaster (or compatible) sound cards offered comparable, and eventually higher, performance, albeit at higher prices. By way of contrast, when introduced in 1985, the Amiga had competed favorably against 286-based systems with EGA graphics and rudimentary sound capabilities that frequently cost 2–3 times as much. MegaHertz (MHz) is the name given to one million (106) Hertz, a measure of frequency. ... The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-Bit [1] CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor (formerly Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector). ... The Amiga 3000T, a towerized version of the A3000. ... Motorola 68030 Processor from a Macintosh IIsi The Motorola 68030 is a 32-bit microprocessor in Motorolas 68000 family. ... The Intel486[1] brand refers to Intels family of i486 (incl. ... A graphics/video/display card/board/adapter is a computer component designed to convert the logical representation of visual information into a signal that can be used as input for a display medium. ... The Sound Blaster family of sound cards was for many years the de facto standard for audio on the IBM PC compatible system platform, before audio has been commoditized. ... A sound card (also known as an audio card) is a computer expansion card that can input and output sound under control of computer programs. ... AMD 80286 at 12 MHz. ... The Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) is the IBM PC computer display standard specification located between CGA and VGA in terms of graphics performance (that is, colour and space resolution). ...

In 1992, the production of the A600 seemed like a backward move; it replaced the A500, yet it removed the numeric keypad, Zorro expansion slot, SCSI capability, and other functionality in favor of PCMCIA and a theoretically cost-reduced design. It was basically unexpandable and lasted less than a year. Productivity developers moved to PC and Macintosh, while the console wars took over the gaming market. David Pleasance, managing director of Commodore UK, described the A600 as a 'complete and utter screw-up'. (Smith, 1994) The Amiga 600, also known as the A600 (codenamed June Bug after a B-52s song), was a home computer introduced at the CeBIT show in March 1992. ... Missing image A500 The A500, also known as the Amiga 500, was the first low-end Commodore Amiga 16_bit multimedia home/personal computer model. ...

In late 1992, Amiga hardware began to reach parity with PCs with the release of the A4000 and A1200 computers, which featured an improved graphics chipset, the AGA. By this point, both the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh had a much larger market share than the Amiga platform. As software developers shifted to these platforms, the Amiga lost value for mainstream consumers. The custom-designed and custom-built AGA chipset also cost Commodore considerably more than the commodity chips used in IBM PCs, further reducing Commodore's profit margins. Common wisdom was that even though the AGA clearly improved upon the original chipset (OCS), it never returned to Amiga the clear dominance of multimedia computing that it once promised. The A4000, or Commodore Amiga 4000, was the successor of the A2000 and A3000 computers. ... The Amiga 1200, or A1200, was Commodore Internationals third-generation Amiga computer, aimed at the home market. ... Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) was the name used for the improved graphics chipset of the third generation Amiga computers at the beginning of the 1990s. ...

Software piracy has often been given by trade publications and user groups as the reason for the Amiga's demise, but this view is controversial. For information on the specific challenges in the Amiga market of the time, see the Amiga Software article. The copyright infringement of software (also known as software piracy) refers to several practices when done without the permission of the copyright holder: Creating a copy and/or selling it. ... Amiga software covers a wide range of software for the Amiga computer, both productivity and games, both commercial and hobbyist. ...

In 1994, the 'make or break' system, according to Pleasance, was the 32-bit CD-ROM-based game console: the CD32, but it was not sufficiently profitable to put Commodore back in the black. The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... The Nintendo GameCube is an example of a popular video game console. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

By 1994, only its operations in Germany and the United Kingdom were still profitable. Commodore declared bankruptcy on April 29, 1994, and its assets were liquidated. The former site of Commodore's operational headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania, now houses the headquarters and broadcast studios of leading cable retailer QVC, Inc. (On November 26, 2004, QVC became the first retailer to sell the DTV, a "C64 in a joystick" designed by Jeri Ellsworth.) Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania[1], United States. ... QVC is a West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, multinational corporation, specialising in televised home shopping. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short, is a single-chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer, contained in a joystick with 30 built-in games. ... Jeri Ellsworth, 2002 Jeri Ellsworth (born 1974) is an American entrepreneur and self-taught computer chip designer. ...

The company's computer systems, especially the C64 and Amiga series, retain a cult-following among their users years after its demise.

Post-Commodore International, Ltd.

Following its liquidation, Commodore's former assets went their separate ways, with none of Commodore's successors repeating Commodore's early success.

Commodore UK was the only subsidiary to survive the bankruptcy and even placed a bid to buy out the rest of the operation, or at least the former parent company. For a time it was considered the front runner in the bid, and numerous reports (all false), surfaced during the 1994-1995 time frame that Commodore UK had made the purchase. Commodore UK stayed in business by selling old inventory and making computer speakers and some other types of computer peripherals. However, Commodore UK lost its financial backing after several larger companies, including Gateway Computers and Dell Inc., became interested, primarily for Commodore's 47 patents relating to the Amiga. Ultimately, the successful bidder was German PC conglomerate Escom, and Commodore UK was absorbed into Escom in mid-1995. The front cover of the April 1981 issue of BYTE (Vol 6. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Gateway, Inc. ... Dell, Inc. ... Escom Ltd. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Escom paid US$14 million for Commodore International, primarily for the Commodore brand name. It separated the Commodore and Amiga operations into separate divisions and quickly started using the brand name on a line of PCs sold in Europe. However, it quickly started losing money due to over-expansion, went bankrupt on July 15, 1996, and was liquidated. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

In September 1997, the Commodore brand name was acquired by Dutch computer maker Tulip Computers NV. Tulip's ownership was largely academic until July 11, 2003, when Tulip announced it would re-launch the Commodore name, including new Commodore 64-related products, and threatened legal action against commercial Web sites that used the computer's name without a license. On 18 June 2004, Tulip introduced the website CommodoreWorld.com (see external links, below), run by its new daughter company Commodore International BV. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Tulip Computers NV is a Dutch computer manufacturer that manufactures PC clones. ... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Commodore brand name also resurfaced in late 2003 on an inexpensive portable MP3 player made in the People's Republic of China by Tai Guen Enterprise, sold mostly in Europe. However, the device's connection to Tulip, the legal owners of the name, is unclear. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see MP3 (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

In July of 2004, Tulip announced a new series of products using the Commodore name: fPET, a flash memory-based USB Key drive; mPET, a flash-based MP3 Player and digital recorder; eVIC, a 20 GB music player; and the C64 DTV. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short, is a single-chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer, contained in a joystick with 30 built-in games. ...

In late 2004 Tulip sold the Commodore name to Yeahronimo Media Ventures for €22 million [1]. The sale was completed in March 2005 after months of negotiations. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Commodore Semiconductor Group (formerly MOS Technology, Inc.) was bought by its former management and in 1995, resumed operations under the name GMT Microelectronics, utilizing a troubled facility in Norristown, Pennsylvania that Commodore had closed in 1992. By 1999 it had $21 million in revenues and 183 employees. However, in 2001 the United States Environmental Protection Agency shut the plant down. GMT ceased operations and was liquidated. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Norristown is a home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 6 miles (10 km) northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... This article is about the year. ... EPA redirects here. ...

Ownership of the Amiga line passed through several owners, from Escom of Germany in 1995, and then to U.S. PC clone maker Gateway in 1997, before being an exclusive lifetime licence to was made to Amiga, Inc., a Washington company founded by former Gateway employees Bill McEwen and Fleecy Moss in 2000. On March 15, 2004, Amiga, Inc. announced that on April 23, 2003 it had transferred its rights over past and future versions of the Amiga OS (but not over other intellectual property) to Itec, LLC, later acquired by KMOS, Inc., a Delaware company. On March 16, 2005, KMOS, Inc. announced that it had completed all registrations with the State of Delaware to change its corporate name to Amiga, Inc. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Gateway, Inc. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Commodore Gaming was formed to reintroduce the brand to the booming gaming PC market, after jointly acquiring the Commodore name with Commodore International Corporation in 2005.^[5]. At the CeBIT 2007 show in Germany, four new gaming geared PC's were introduced; named Cg, Cgs, Cgx and Cxx. These are described as ranging from an entry level gaming PC to an “extreme specification model”. Each machine running Windows Vista with customization from a range of high end components and peripherals. Commodore Gaming are a recent rebirth of Commodore International that manufactures gaming-oriented PCs. ...

Product line

Computers, 8-bit

The KIM-1, short for Keyboard Input Monitor, was a small 6502-based microcomputer kit developed and produced by MOS Technology, Inc. ... The PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) was a home-/personal computer produced by Commodore starting in the late 1970s. ... The VIC-20 (Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit home computer. ... The Commodore CBM-II series was a short-lived range of 8-bit personal computers from Commodore Business Machines (CBM), intended as a follow-on to the Commodore PET series, released in 1982. ... C-64 redirects here. ... Commodore SX-64 The Commodore SX-64, also known as the Executive 64, was a portable, briefcase/suitcase-size luggable version of the popular Commodore 64 home computer and holds the distinction of being the first full-color portable computer. ... A Portable computer is a computer that is designed to be moved from one place to another (in other words, it is a computer that is portable). ... The Commodore 16 was a home computer made by Commodore with a 6502-compatible 7501 CPU, released in 1984. ... Commodore Plus/4. ... The Commodore LCD was a LCD-equipped laptop computer made by Commodore International. ... LCD redirects here. ... Laptop with touchpad. ... The Commodore 128 (C128, CBM 128, C=128) home/personal computer was Commodore Business Machiness (CBM) last commercially released 8-bit machine. ... The Commodore 65 (also known as the C64DX, not to be confused with the Commodore DX-64 portable unit) was a prototype computer created by Fred Bowen and others at Commodore Business Machines (CBM) (part of Commodore International) in 1990â€“91. ...

Computers, 16/32-bit

The Commodore 900 (also known as the Z-8000) was a prototype computer intended for business computing created by Commodore in 1985. ... Amiga is the name of a range of home/personal computers using the Motorola 68000 processor family, whose development started in 1982. ... The A1000, or Commodore Amiga 1000, was Commodores initial Amiga personal computer, introduced on July 24, 1985 at the Lincoln Center in New York City. ... Missing image A500 The A500, also known as the Amiga 500, was the first low-end Commodore Amiga 16_bit multimedia home/personal computer model. ... The A1500, also known as the Commodore Amiga 1500, was an 16-bit home/personal computer released in 1990. ... The A2000, also known as the Commodore Amiga 2000, is the high-end Amiga personal computer that was released in 1987 at the same time as the low-end high-volume model A500. ... The Amiga 2500, also known as the A2500, was not a distinct Amiga model, but simply a marketing name for a Commodore Amiga 2000 bundled with a Motorola 68020 or 68030-based accelerator card. ... The Amiga 3000T, a towerized version of the A3000. ... The Amiga 600, also known as the A600 (codenamed June Bug after a B-52s song), was a home computer introduced at the CeBIT show in March 1992. ... The Amiga 1200, or A1200, was Commodore Internationals third-generation Amiga computer, aimed at the home market. ... The A4000, or Commodore Amiga 4000, was the successor of the A2000 and A3000 computers. ...

Peripherals

(listed by model number; IEEE-488 devices primarily used with PET/CBM range systems) The Hewlett-Packard Instrument Bus (HP-IB), is a short-range digital communications cable standard developed by Hewlett-Packard (HP) in the 1970s for connecting electronic test and measurement devices (e. ...

REDIRECT RGB color model ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... GEOS (Graphic Environment Operating System) was an operating system from Berkeley Softworks (later GeoWorks). ... For other uses, see Plot. ... The Commodore 1530* (C2N) Datassette (a portmanteau of data + cassette), was Commodores dedicated computer tape recorder. ... Typical 60-minute Compact Cassette. ... The Commodore 1531 was Commodores computer cassette recorder for its C16 and Plus/4 computers. ... The Commodore 1540 (also known as the VIC-1540) was the companion floppy disk drive for the Commodore VIC-20 home computer. ... A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible (floppy) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. ... Front view of the most common version of the Commodore 1541 disk drive, with open disk slot. ... The Commodore 1551 was a floppy disk drive for the Commodore Plus/4 home computer. ... Commodore 1570 external floppy drive The Commodore 1570 was a 5¼ floppy disk drive for the Commodore 128 home/personal computer. ... The Commodore 1571 was arguably Commodores finest 5¼ floppy disk drive, having the ability to use double-sided disks without the need to remove them and turn them over (flippy disk) as in the previous Commodore drives on which it was based (Commodore 1541, 1570). ... The Commodore 1581 is a 3Â½ inch double sided double density floppy disk drive made primarily for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 home/personal computers. ... Composite video, also called CVBS (Composite Video Blanking and Sync), is the format of an analog television (picture only) signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF carrier. ... S-Video (also known as Y/C) is a baseband analog video format offering a higher quality signal than composite video, but a lower quality than RGB and component video. ... Commodores RAM Expansion Unit (REU) range of external RAM add-ons for their Commodore 64/128 home computers was announced at the same time as the C128. ... According to the International Electrotechnical Commission a kibibyte (a contraction of kilo binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage. ... REDIRECT RGB color model ... The Commodore 2031 and Commodore 4031 were single unit 5¼ floppy disk drives for Commodore International computers. ... The Hewlett-Packard Instrument Bus (HP-IB), is a short-range digital communications cable standard developed by Hewlett-Packard (HP) in the 1970s for connecting electronic test and measurement devices (e. ... The Commodore 2031 and Commodore 4031 were single unit 5¼ floppy disk drives for Commodore International computers. ... Commodore 4040 The Commodore 4040 and its sibling(s), the 2040 and the European marketed 3040, were dual unit 5Â¼ floppy disk drives for Commodore International computers. ... The Commodore 4040 and its sibling(s), the 2040 (and according to some sources, the European marketed 3040), were dual unit 5¼ floppy disk drives for Commodore International computers. ... The Commodore 8050 and Commodore 8250 were dual unit 5¼ floppy disk drives for Commodore International computers. ... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... This article is about a unit of data. ... The Commodore 8050 and Commodore 8250 were dual unit 5¼ floppy disk drives for Commodore International computers. ...

Software

AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. ... Commodore-Amiga, Inc. ... It has been suggested that Traditional Unix be merged into this article or section. ... Commodore BASIC is the dialect of BASIC used in Commodore Internationals 8-bit home computer line, stretching from the PET of 1977 to the C128 of 1985. ... Microsoft BASIC is the foundation product of the Microsoft company. ... Commodore DOS, aka CBM DOS, was the disk operating system used with Commodores 8-bit computers. ... The KERNAL is Commodores name for the ROM-resident operating system core in its 8-bit home computers; from the original PET of 1977, via the extended, but strongly related, versions used in its successors; the VIC-20, C64, Plus/4, C16, and C128. ... Simons BASIC was an extension to BASIC 2. ... The VIC-1211 Super Expander was a cartridge for the Commodore VIC-20 home computer. ... The Super Expander 64 was a cartridge-based extension to the built in BASIC V2 interpreter of the then hugely popular Commodore 64 home computer: Since the 64 was developed in a hurry, Commodore simply adapted the BASIC V2 from the PET line of computers and the VIC 20 for...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Dave Haynie Dave Haynie is the former Commodore International chief engineer on high end and advanced projects. ... AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. ... The term company may refer to a separate legal entity, as in English law, or may simply refer to a business, as is the common use in the United States. ... Hyperion Entertainment developes Amiga, Linux and Macintosh games. ... This article is about the machine. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... Amiga Workbench (1985) Workbench is the name given to both the core AmigaOS software that is not stored in the Kickstart ROM (the Workbench disk), and also the native graphical shell for the Amiga computer. ... Amiga Workbench (1985) The Amiga computer was launched by Commodore in 1985 with a GUI called Workbench based on an internal engine which drives all the input events called Intuition, and developed almost entirely by RJ Mical. ... AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga and AmigaOne personal computers. ... ARexx is the Amiga version of scripting language REXX by IBM. It has been not licensed from IBM, but it is a version written by Bill Hawes who ported REXX to the Amiga, with many special Amiga features. ... AmigaBASIC was a BASIC implementation for the Amiga, designed by Microsoft. ... Amigaguide is a hypertext document file format designed for the Amiga, files are stored in ASCII so it is possible to read and edit a file without the need for special software. ... Amiga software covers a wide range of software for the Amiga computer, both productivity and games, both commercial and hobbyist. ... The Amiga 500 running Leander (1991) Amiga games are computer games compatible with the Commodore Amiga. ... Amiga demos are demos created for the Commodore Amiga home computer. ... An operating system (OS) is a software that manages computer resources and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources. ... AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. ... There have been many different versions of the AmigaOS operating system during its two decades of history. ... What is AROS? AROS (Amiga Research Operating System) is an open source implementation of the AmigaOS 3. ... MorphOS is a mixed proprietary and open source operating system produced for the Pegasos PowerPC (PPC)-processor-based computer, most models of PPC-accelerated classic Amiga computers, and the EFIKA PPC consumer device. ...

Contents

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