Arnuphis

I guess it depends if you want a WIMP environment or you are okay with 'Terminal' type display. Also you probably want WYSIWYG formatting on screen too? For basic Word Processing, an old PC running Word Perfect is probably a good choice. You also have the the Amstrad PCW256, which came with a printer. However, the 3 inch disks are hard to find so you would want a Gotek fitted. For the mouse and icon fans then the Amiga, Atari ST, Apple IIGS, Archimedes(Loved it) or classic baby Mac. A 386/486 with Windows 3.1 would also work. But obviously with these you can be lured to other apps that may distract you. I thought my C64 was great in the day but I couldn't see myself putting up with it's word processor today. If I had to choose from my current collection which device I was going to use to write my bestselling novel on then I would probably choose either Office on my Mac SE/30, EasiWriter on my Archimedes or my Amstrad PCW for that classic green screen goodness and all in one solution with printer. The first two can work with MSWord format so you can get your files onto a modern machines.

The timing is amusing. Especially since the tech world is going nuts over Apple moving to ARM and how amazing it is. Hardly innovative when Acorn had an ARM desktop in 1987 and a laptop in 1992. But that is Apple's reality distortion for you. RiscOS is a great little OS. Blindingly fast, even on an original Raspberry Pi. It just needs some modern refinements like Wi-FI, Modern Browser and something like Libre Office to really make it shine. I am hoping this campaign brings that closer to a reality. It kind of reminds me of the modern "Amiga" machines with their OS4 and the similar issues they face. However, unlike the Amiga you don't have to spend $1500+ on a machine with RiscOS. Just buy a Pi for under $100 and off you go. I would recommend RiscOS Direct if you decide to try it. It is set up to be easier out of the box for a new user.

IF you had an Acorn Archimedes/Risc-PC back in the day or if you are curious about RiscOS there is a brand new Kickstarter campaign here. https://riscoscloverleaf.com/ Of course you can just get a Raspberry Pi and get stuck in yourself but it's nice to see an active campaign going and I hope it's a success.

When I finally got my setup of a Commodore 64C, 1541-II Disk Drive, MPS-803 Printer and a copy of Mini Office II on disk in 1987. I remember thinking 'This is it. My serious computer setup. I can write, print, do everything. This is the moment I finally get serious about computing. This is all I will ever need.'

Not sure how heavily advertised it was. But the light pen for my Vic-20 was a huge flop for me. Saw the Ad in a magazine, was instantly excited. Got it and it quickly was discarded. Never bought another light pen ever.

Contact Retro Clinic. I got mine from them. It cost me around $300 plus about $50 shipping. Was converted to US power supply, had all their mods installed and was ready to run out of the box. All I needed to add was a Scart to HDMI converter box. I use mine with a Dell LCD and the display looks amazing. Well worth the money to re-acquaint myself to the machines I used in college. The master is probably one of the best (if not the best) 8 bit machines ever made. I ended up adding a Raspberry Pi Co-Processor to mine just to play the enhanced Elite plus run some other CPUs like Z80, Risc etc. Blows my mind what this machine can do. The only thing I hate is that annoying odd DIN serial port simply because its all too easy to put the cable connector in the wrong way around!

I had a TI-99/4a back in the day. I thought it was a great machine and I still love the design. However, it had to be expanded to get anything out of it. The built in Basic was pretty hopeless and forget a disk drive unless you wanted to shell out for an expensive controller and then a drive. All the goodness of the Processor and sprites was locked up behind a paywall. Plus that huge Peripheral Expansion Box! Beastly! There were a lot of fun programs on cart from TI but third party software was lacking. I won't deny how good the machine started to look back then when you had Parsec/Alpiner running with the Speech Synth but then TI exited the market and it was all over. I agree the TI-99/8 would have been something had it come out. Such a shame. I was so excited for it. It is very true that today with FinalGROM and the TI-PI you can get a system fully expanded for not much money compared to back then, but the same is true with other systems that still offer a larger userbase and more software.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Commodore-amiga-2000-original-box-only-RARE/153952119650?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D339f8b75fdb648518805c316bf3ad97d%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D383682484289%26itm%3D153952119650%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057%26brand%3DCommodore&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A1be3fce3-18b7-11eb-81dd-b25bfb242517|parentrq%3A6cac3efa1750a6e558593cd4fffff24e|iid%3A1 If you want the Amiga that's extra!

I think I would have loved to have an Atari 800 back in the day. Such a great machine. Rocking one of those in 1981 with that big 810 floppy drive may have changed the course of my computing history. Instead of going for an Amiga, I may have gone for a ST etc. I have one now and I still think it's a tank of a machine. The other one would have been a Camputers Lynx. I remember reading up on them and being very excited but when they launch I had moved on.

Okay. I got my first computer in 1981. It was going to be a ZX-81. Two of my school friends got one and having seen 3D Monster Maze and 3D Ant Attack I was blown away. Plus it was so much cheaper than an Atari VCS and you could type in programs. I remember asking my Dad for one and using the usual guff of 'I can do my homework on it'. After a week of begging he said 'Let's go have a look'. We went to WH Smith (Popular UK chain store) and there was the ZX81 on sale for around 75 pounds. I remember it was mounted flat on a wall display with a working one nearby and various tape programs and stuff. I also remember my father not being very impressed with it as it was small and cheap looking and 75 quid was a lot of money back then. He then said to me 'Let's go see if Debenhams (a large UK department store chain back then) Has any'. He had a store card for Green's Electronics which were housed there and sold various TV and Hi-FI appliances. So off we went. My hopes still high for a ZX-81. Anywhere we got there and sadly no ZX81 to be seen. I was crushed. My Dad then pointed at a VIC-20 and said 'How about this one?'. I had never seen or heard of a VIC-20 before. It was so much bigger. It had a real keyboard and the blurb said 'Colour and Sound'. I was just so in awe of it. It was all I could do to say 'Yes'. My father bought it on the spot and I cradled the box all the way home. I recall being up very late those next few days just going through the amazing manual and just being stunned at all the things it could do. Truly a magical experience. Of course when I told my friends I had a Vic-20 they were insanely jealous. Life is great sometimes. My love of the VIC made me get a part time job so I could buy games for it. So not only did the VIC teach me computing/programming, it taught me that you have to work and earn the things you want. Both lessons have stayed with me all my life. Thank you VIC-20.

You are probably right. I think the 'iconic' machines will still have people looking for them every time the generation at the time goes through a 'throwback' phase but in large as we all die off most if not all of what we have with end up in yard sales or just dumped. Sad really but then we will be long past caring!

This is quite something. With all the licensing/rights nightmares with the Amiga I still cannot believe it is happening. If it turns out to be a FPGA based Amiga with HDMI output and USB drive support for HD/Floppy then they cannot take my money fast enough. I would even be happy if it was just a WB 1.3 A500. Price is obviously a factor, but since all Amiga hardware is stupidly overpriced these days they could sell it for $299 and shift loads. Especially given that the horrible modern 'Amiga' machine costs more than a gaming PC.

Me too. Got my 'TheC64' from the UK last year. Just bought a US PSU and ran it through my TV that supports PAL refresh and all was good. I know 'The VIC20' is essentially the same machine in a different case but the Vic-20 was my first computer so having a new one in a box again takes me back to when I was 13.

Ebay is not a good place to get a C64 or any common computer for that matter. Prices are jacked up due to Ebay/Paypal fees and a sense of collectable value. Best best is local ads or a computer club. I got given a ton of them by people who were clearing out lofts/garages etc. once they knew I was in a local club. I cleaned them up and sold them for $20 each at a computer show to cover the cost of the heatsinks I put on the chips. It was hard to get people to even pay that. I still have a few left. But yes the new 'The64' is a great choice. I bought one last year and I was very impressed for what it was. It felt like 1985 again when I opened the box.

That's Amiga for you. Two steps forward three steps back in pretty much everything people try to do. So much strife. Plus legal infighting over this and that. I gave up on Amiga hardware a couple of years back. Sold off everything. Emulation is good enough for me to enjoy the odd classic game.

I usually toss in half a bottle. Depends on the size of the item. I did throw a whole bottle in for the 'caramel' 128 though. May have been overkill but boy was that thing brown!

I purchased one of these for my C64/128 with extra power for 2 external drives. Rock solid performance and well made. If you care about your commodore then give it the best juice! It's worth the extra cost.

And I have done several 128s. I had one that was half brown half white with a perfect dividing line down the middle. As if one side had just had sunlight on it 24/7. 8 hours in the tub with the method above took it right back to its original color and it remains the same to this day.

No worries. Here is the video that turned me onto this method.

Also the MiSTer is a great option for someone looking for a retro experience with limited space. It's more expensive than the Pi option but its true FPGA machine experience and supports many platforms. Gonna check out that Atari kit though. Woodgrain case...

The Aquarius came out in 1983. And it was in no way any kind of success. And yes, since several posters have drifted away from the very clear parameters set by the OP lets remind ourselves of them. 1. Price. These retro computers can end up quite expensive, sometimes well above the budget a newbie to world of retro computing would be willing to pay. 2. Game library. Most people who want to get into retro computers are most likely going to want to play games. 3. Ease of file transfers to/from modern devices. It is quite a hassle to deal with old cassettes and floppies, so modern forms of file transferring would be handy. 4. Powerfulness(or whatever you call it) of the computer. A computer has to be powerful to be able to run fun games. 5. Ease of use. Who would want to use a computer that requires you to be a rocket scientist to operate? 6. Reliability. Newbies are probably not capable of repairing a broken computer. It can't just randomly blow up. 7. Video output. RF sucks. 8. BASIC. Some people might want to mess with a bit of BASIC. A horrible version of it won't do. So the computer you suggest needs to meet all are nearly all of these criteria and not just number 8.

Yes because BASIC is the only thing you should consider for a computer... Ever! Besides, not like there is much else going on with the platform.

I got retrobriting down to a fine art. I tried the brush and cream approach and that was a disaster. In the end the tank of water and salon 50 peroxide mix did the job. I've de-yellowed countless things now and all still look good with no signs of brittleness. I recommend covering any labels with electricians tape to protect the colors as I accidentally drained the colors out of an apple logo on one item! Otherwise I recommend it of your machine has the 'smoker' look. @ the OP - How is your Vic-20 doing? Excited for you. It was my first computer so it has a special place in my heart.

and even the Vic 20 version is better. You can bang on and on about how the BASIC is 'better' but again that is one out of eight parameters that the OP requested. So big deal. It doesn't take a genius to see a machine from 1986 with a faster processor is going to outperform one from 1982. Still does not make that machine the best choice for a first retro computer for someone looking to try one out who has never had one before. Stick to the OP list and stop going off on a tangent. To recap: They want to have fun (Game Library was a criteria remember?), Powerful enough to run games was another criteria. Sprites? Good Sound Chip? Hardware Scrolling?, Good Video output (No RF), good price. Ease of Use? Ease of file transfers? The answer is staring you in the face. It likely has a Commodore or Atari logo stamped on it. Plus any situation or problem that arises, there are such large user bases today that someone has probably been through it and the fix will be fast. Plus the other posts on this thread about how someone should be made to suffer on a crippled 4k machine because any more would spoil them as a future programmer? Good lord. That's certainly going to make the average person eager to get started! For the record, I wrote all kinds of programs on my Vic-20. The BASIC never held me back. In fact working with memory addresses helped me get a better understanding of how the machine worked and made the step into assembly much easier. It may have been crude. It may have been slower, but it was good enough for a beginner to play around on and that fits the criteria. And like many others have stated, you can slap in an extender cart if you wanted fancy stuff done quickly. I think the BBC Master, C128 and Camputers Lynx were the finest 8 bit machines ever produced but even I would not automatically recommend them as the first one to get. Maybe the C-128 but there were less of them produced than the C64 and unless you plan to use the extra features, you will probably just be typing 'Go 64' a lot.

Someone got triggered.