Articles
Making and breaking codes Part 14- VIC Cipher on the Commodore VIC-20
Implementing the VIC cipher—used by Soviet spies during the Cold War—on the Commodore VIC-20. A simplified version using straddling checkerboards.
C64 · code
Can you do Advent of Code on 8-Bit Machines?
Attempting the annual Advent of Code challenge on vintage 8-bit computers. Completing about 60% of puzzles on Commodore hardware.
C64 · code
Quick Tower of Hanoi with Sound on the Commodore 64
Implementing Tower of Hanoi with SID sound on the Commodore 64, inspired by Numberphile’s Ayliean MacDonald video.
C64 · code
Dice frequency
Testing the Commodore 64’s random number generator by simulating dice rolls and comparing the frequency distribution to theoretical values.
Atari · code
A week of diving a little deeper into my Atari 800XL
A week exploring the Atari 800XL from a Commodore guy’s perspective. Comparing BASIC implementations and discovering the platform’s …
Coco · code
Two weeks with a Coco 2 in September
Two weeks with a Tandy Color Computer 2 for SepTandy. Exploring a machine I’ve owned for years but never really used.
Coco · code
Slot Game On Tandy TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-4
A simple slot machine game written in BASIC for the Tandy TRS-80 PC-4 pocket computer during SepTandy.
C64 · code
Calculating Pi via the Gregory-Leibniz series in BASIC on the Tandy Color Computer 2
Calculating Pi on a Tandy Color Computer 2 with basic (non-Extended) BASIC. Working around the missing exponent function.
C64 · code
Just for fun, the 100 door problem on several different systems
Solving the classic 100 door problem with visual output on multiple vintage systems: VIC-20, C64, PET, Atari, and Color Maximite.
Articles
Recreational Math Challenge: Border Crossings - but on 40 year old computers
Solving a graph theory road trip puzzle on 40-year-old computers. Finding routes through eight US states where you cross each border exactly once.
C64 · code
Running Commodore 64 BASIC Programs on a PET
How to load and run Commodore 64 BASIC programs on a PET. Working around the PET’s lack of program relocation.
code · hardware
The CERBERUS 2080
Building the CERBERUS 2080, an open-source computer with three processors: ATMega328p, W65C02, and Z80. A project to truly understand how computers …
Articles
Making and Breaking Ciphers with Commodore 64 - The Vigenère Cipher
Implementing and understanding the Vigenère cipher on the Commodore 64. A polyalphabetic cipher that builds on Caesar with rotating keys.
C64 · code
Making and breaking Ciphers on the Commodore 64, er VIC-20 - Lagged Fibonacci Sequence and a little Monte Carlo while embracing contraints
Generating pseudo-random numbers with the Lagged Fibonacci Sequence on the VIC-20. Building reusable BASIC subroutines for the cipher toolbox.
Articles
Quick Post: XOR in Commodore BASIC 2
Two methods for XOR operations in Commodore BASIC 2, which lacks a built-in XOR function. Comparing speed of logic operators vs addition with carry.
C64 · code
Running the 8 Bit Show and Tell VIC-20 Super Expander Programming Challenge on the Commodore 64
Porting Robin’s VIC-20 Super Expander programming challenge to the Commodore 64 using Super Expander 64 and Simon’s BASIC.
C64 · Commodore
The retro pinout project
Documenting oscilloscope readings from working vintage computer chips to help diagnose faulty machines. A collaborative troubleshooting resource.
C64 · code
Quick Post: Modulus in BASIC 2 without a cartridge
How to perform modulo operations in Commodore BASIC 2 without a cartridge. A one-line solution for VIC-20 and C64.
C64 · code
Making and breaking Ciphers on the Commodore 64 Part 12 - Pontifex - Solitaire from Cryptonomicon
Implementing Pontifex/Solitaire—the playing card cipher from Cryptonomicon designed by Bruce Schneier—on the Commodore 64.
C64 · code
Making and breaking Ciphers on the Commodore 64 Part 11 - One time pads on a Commodore 64, probably a bad idea
Generating one-time pads on a Commodore 64. Probably a bad idea for real security, but it looks cool.