RUN/STOP-RESTORE: 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

By LENARD R. ROACH

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Lenard R. Roach
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-1924-1

Contents

Introduction...........................................................................................ixThe New Façade To – "Welcome To My World"...................................................1Welcome To My World (A parody).........................................................................2The New Façade To—"My Personal History With The Commodore"..................................6My Personal History With The Commodore.................................................................8The New Façade To – "I'll Never Touch Your Commodore Again!"................................11"I'll Never Touch Your Commodore Again!"...............................................................12The New Façade To – "Let's Get Back To Basics Again"........................................16Let's Get Down To Basics — Again!................................................................17The New Façade To—"In Praise Of My Sons"....................................................20In Praise Of My Sons...................................................................................21The New Façade To—"The Most Destructive Baby In The Commodore Universe".....................25The Most Destructive Baby In The Commodore Universe....................................................27The New Façade To – "Add The Following: 3 Cats + 1 Commodore = Trouble".....................30Add The Following: 3 Cats + 1 Commodore = Trouble!.....................................................31The New Façade To – "Raiders At Midnight"...................................................33Raiders At Midnight....................................................................................34The New Façade To – "A Call To Life"........................................................39A Call To Life.........................................................................................40The New Façade To – "A View On Geos"........................................................41A View On Geos.........................................................................................42The New Façade To – "Commodore And Y2k".....................................................44Commodore And Y2k......................................................................................45The New Façade To—"I'm An Idiot"............................................................48I'm An Idiot!..........................................................................................49The New Façade To—"So Much To Do, So Little Time"...........................................53So Much To Do, So Little Time..........................................................................54The New Façade To – "Birth Of A Commodore Innovation".......................................58Birth Of A Commodore Innovation........................................................................59The New Façade To – "My Fight With Cdc".....................................................63My Fight With Cdc......................................................................................64The New Façade To-"Commodore Games For Girls".....................................................67Commodore Games For Girls..............................................................................68The New Façade To-"A Typical Meeting Rundown".....................................................71A Typical Meeting Rundown..............................................................................72The New Façade To – "Writer's Block Over A Newslettter".....................................77Writer's Block Over A Newsletter.......................................................................78The New Façade To-"The Rise And Fall Of The Pulpit"...............................................80The Rise And Fall Of The Pulpit........................................................................81The New Façade To-"... And Now For Something Different ...".......................................92And Now For Something Different........................................................................93The New Façade To-"What's Going On With The Pulpit?"..............................................100What's Going On With The Pulpit?.......................................................................101The New Façade To – "Program Where Are You?"................................................103Program, Where Are You? A Short Play In Less Than One Act..............................................104The New Façade To – "Advertisement For Off".................................................107Advertisement For Off..................................................................................108Bibliography...........................................................................................113

Chapter One

THE NEW FAÇADE TO — "WELCOME TO MY WORLD"

This is a new story added to this edition. This story was first released in the magazine The Interface, the Fresno Commodore Users Group's bi-monthly publication. I have always wanted to make a farce piece about where I lived and this was one of those times where something like this would fit into the world of Commodore. This story takes you through my neighborhood and down the streets to the Roach Hotel which houses the mighty Commodore machine and selected hardware that makes it work. I also go through the personnel and each room of the house nicknamed The Roach Hotel by one of my pastor friends out in Colorado. Many good things have happened to us in this place, as well as much wickedness; but I am guessing that is pretty much what would happen in anybody's home. The hard part I think is to get past all the problems and go into remembering the good stuff and keeping our focus on that. We live in a world where the family unit is slowly starting to erode into something that it was never meant to be and without the family staying together, there will be little hope for a future for our children and our children's children.

But I wisp philosophical and I do apologize for stepping off the path. The point behind this story is to just have fun with the gift of words we all possess and to reveal to the reader what it takes to house the great Commodore machine that has been my electronic friend for almost two decades. When this story was first published I got some great feedback like "I was laughing my head off with every word" to "It makes me glad that I pass through your town on my way to my destination and never stop in." Please enjoy.

WELCOME TO MY WORLD (A parody)

Hail and well met fellow Commodore users! This time I am going to talk a little about what can be found when you come to visit the Roach Hotel, situated in lovely Kansas City Kansas.

The Roach Hotel sits on Corona in middle downtown Kansas City Kansas. It is a lovely one story building that houses me, my youngest son, one rat, two fish, one dog, and three cats. The dog just recently stopped trying the eat the cats, and the cats just recently stopped trying to eat the fish and rat, so all is harmony when you come for a visit to our little hovel in the Coronado Hills subdivision just off US 24 highway (State Avenue).

The neighbors here at the Roach Hotel are friendly and always glad to hear from you, and they let you know it. Every time my Neon starts at 7:00 am and the alternator belt squeals it's good morning to the neighborhood, everyone comes out to say hello. However, I don't think that "Shut that d—m thing up." Or "Why don't you fix that piece of s—t?" constitutes as a hello, but when it comes to the Hotel, everything is bright and rosy.

As you cruise into Coronado Hills, everybody greets you with a wave. Yet, at some times, I wish they would use all their fingers when they wave. However, they are kind enough to let you know that you are number one by extending the longest digit of the hand to you. Such great people live here near the Hotel, and there is always a cheery hello that comes from all of them in the form of "F—k you, cracka!"

As you enter the hotel, you enter the lounging room, complete with our large in a wooden box 26 inch television complete with some of the best cartoon shows and movies on DVD like The Incredulous, Dora the Exploder, and Ice Aged. On top of the entertainment complex is where Sable, the guard rat keeps an eye on each person entering the Hotel, wondering what each of you would be like for dinner. Don't worry, however, she is harmless – sometimes. Next to her near the closet door are the dragon fish Spike, and the picosamus Zoom. They like to be fed promptly at 7:00 am, and they will just about eat anything – fish food, tin cans, fingers – whatever they can get a hold of.

A turn to the right and you have our lounging chair – one sofa, one loveseat, and one recliner, or the "Command Chair" as I put it. Everyone is welcome to sit and enjoy themselves while they wait on whatever it is they are waiting on – dinner, a snack, or an escape plan out of there. In the command chair is where I do most of the work when it comes to putting things onto computer as the Hotel has, not one, not two, but THREE computers that are all tied together by a router found in one of the rooms.

About eight steps to the west and a turn to the south you will find yourself in the kitchen/laundry room. Here is where the great meals consisting of Hamburger and Tuna Helpers are concocted and set before you to enjoy or feed to the fish at your leisure. A few steps into the kitchen and a turn to the left puts you into the back of the Hotel where the washer and dryer are. Sometimes we get a little absent minded at the Hotel and we either serve your laundry and wash your food, or the other way around. Such is the life as it is in the Hotel.

From the main entrance to the left you find the first door to the left, which is our luxurious bathroom, decorated in a seaside setting. Here is where our guests shower, shave and poo, whichever the case may be. Towels are plentiful in the towel closet at the end of the hall, but be sure to get your towel before you get ready for your bath, or else you're in for an embarrassing time of it as everyone in the lounging room will be able to see everything whole and natural, just as the good Lord made you.

One thing I must mention about the loo: On the back of it is a beautiful sculpture of dolphins playing in the surf that comes with built in sound. As you rise from completing your business, the dolphins made a playful noise of clicks and chirps while water flows from the top of the sculpture, congratulating you on a successful trip. Just one of the extras you will find when your visit the Roach Hotel.

As you head down to the end of the hall you come to one of our great rooms in the Hotel. This one is occupied by our resident technician, mechanic, all around fixit guy, and my son, Gabriel. He works hard to make sure all the computers and household items, as well as vehicles, work to top mechanical performance. His bed takes up over eighty percent of his room, making closet access and access to his desktop computer, which houses also the router and wireless printer I must add, a little difficult but even though Gabe is six feet six, he moves around that room like a cat.

A half step out of his room to the west and a head turn to the left you will find where I, the great and mighty, omnipotent, stomper and poobah of newsletter writing and editing hang my hat. My room is larger than Gabe's, so I get to house more stuff like a dresser, a china cabinet (which I use for a work clothes cabinet) a queen size bed, and my wife's vanity table. These chambers are off limits to all guests except those invited in, and that is only for an open door visit, so don't get any silly ideas!

Another full step to the west and another turn of the head to the left and you will come across the pride and joy of the Roach Hotel — the computer room. Here is where the great Commodore 128 sits on a large desk facing the west wall. Out of this room come such great writings as The Interface, Ryte Bytes, books, plays, and other miscellaneous trinkets that happen to come in my head. This room is open to everyone who is interested in using a Commodore computer.

So where do guests sleep? Well, if you're adventurous – and I know you are – you can stretch out in our lounging area in sleeping bags, or blankets that can be provided by the Hotel. If you don't mind being used as a raceway for the cats during their midnight rampage through the Hotel, you can get a decent night's sleep and wake up stiff and tired and ready for day of fun at the Hotel.

What do we do for fun here at the Roach Hotel? If you are game, you can stroll in our somewhat well kept back yard that views all the neighbor houses, but be careful of the recycled Alpo piles that dot the yard. We use these for fertilizer to make sure that the Hotel's grass is green and lush each spring after the winter thaw. Out the front door, you can always play the never ending game of "Dodge the Drunk Driver" or run with the game of "Escape the Rabid Dog." For those wishing to venture off property kevlar, flak jackets, and M-16s will be issued free of charge by Hotel staff.

From what I have described you can already tell it's nothing but non-stop fun and adventure at the Roach Hotel, so be sure to book your visit with us soon. Our phone number can be found on most of the bathrooms walls around some of the biggest name truck stops of the country.

We look forward to meeting you!

THE NEW FAÇADE TO—"MY PERSONAL HISTORY WITH THE COMMODORE"

As I was going over this entry to the book, I was looking at all of the grammatical and spelling errors that I committed during its writing that sneaked into the first edition. As you read it, I hope you get to see a cleaner, more readable article.

Reading this piece again brought back memories that I had almost forgotten. Carl, the man mentioned at the beginning, has been gone for almost twenty years. He died early in one of those "not fair" situations of life that seems to rear its ugly head from time to time, claiming the lives of good people, while unscrupulous people seem to live long, get wealthy, and cheat their way into a distant grave. Carl left behind a beautiful wife and two children, both of whom should be about in their early to late teens by the printing of this edition. I hear nothing from his widow or his parents anymore, so I always pray that all are doing well, in good health, and prospering.

Getting into Commodore was one of those brilliant moves that, if it were done earlier in my career, would have been much more beneficial then back in 1988 when I finally jumped into the game. Back then, when Commodore clubs were more plentiful, it would have been of much greater help reach out with the Commodore writings and Commodore products that I had worked on much later, than now, but I have been told time and time again, "to everything there is a season, and for everything a time and purpose under heaven." There was a good reason for me to enter into the Commodore realm when I did, and I am thinking that one of those reasons was to get me back behind a keyboard, changing from a typewriter to a computer, and into the world of writing. Even programs fall into the writing genre since each piece of code has to be typed in some form of funky English that only can be understood by anther coder and the Commodore computer. Believe it or not, I got into programming the Commodore because I liked writing the directions on how to use my programs. I talk more about programming in a later chapter.

MY PERSONAL HISTORY WITH THE COMMODORE

I met my first Commodore Business Machine in 1982. My best friend Carl got a Commodore 64 and 1541 disk drive for his seventeenth birthday at the cost to his parents of $850. It was cool - all the colors, the games, and you could use your television with it, just like the Atari 2600 game system, but like an ass head I looked down on it. It wasn't "for me" - I was raised under the old school of the "if it works, don't fix it" philosophies. My pen and stacks of blank writing paper has worked in the past and it'll still work today; so I walked away from what would soon become my future.

When my buddy graduated in 1983, he quickly applied at Wichita State University, was accepted, and for the next nine years he and his Commodore 64 (which expanded to a Commodore 128 while there) and 1541 disk drive (which transformed into a 1571) got an education. In Wichita, he joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity, where he became quickly known as the only man with an on-site computer at any frat house on campus. Anything a fraternity brother needed to know, Carl was the man who got on-line and checked the local boards and GEnie, and found the tidbit of information the brother needed.

I came to Wichita one day on business in 1986, and detoured myself to the WSU campus to check on him and his welfare. I saw the Commodore 128, I saw what he was doing with it, and I was hooked. I wanted in on this computer business stuff - real bad. What finally sold me on getting a Commodore computer was the game entitled "The Incredible Hulk." I stayed in his room playing that game all night while he slept, but I never solved it.

For the next twelve months I looked for a Commodore 64 and disk drive but everything was too pricy for a man who made $13,000 a year. I was hurt, but I carried on in my quest.

Then on Christmas of 1987, I got a present from my wife's best friend that was in the shape of a Commodore 64 and tape drive. I went nuts!! I immediately went to Wichita before the year's end and Carl got on-line for me and downloaded a copy of Speedscript 3.0. That's all I needed - I spent two years writing on Speedscript all my material. I got a modem from my son for my birthday the following year and began entering the world of cyberspace at the breakneck speed of 300 bps.

As time continued to march forward I increased in Commodore knowledge and equipment. I wore out my Commodore 64 and upgraded to a Commodore 128. My wife, for another Christmas, got me a 1541 II disk drive, which I still have and use today. It's about seven years old and I know that the Commodore Man has rebuilt it at least three times.

During the early '90s, I made two crowning achievements in the Commodore computing universe - I submitted and published my first real programming attempt called "Check It Out," which appeared in the November/December 1992 issue of RUN magazine. I was now a professional computer programmer and writer. Also, I stepped out on my own and opened my first and only BBS, "The Pulpit." I had a Commodore 128, Ivory BBS v3.3 and four 1541s for start up. During its one year run my wife went to Sgt. Butch of the KBPD BBS in Belton, Missouri, and made a bid on dismantling and buying all his Commodore software and hardware. For the total cost of an Amiga 1000, Amiga 500, two 1541s, three 1571s, a 1581, a HD-100 hard drive, three monitors (two 40/80s and a 40 column), three Commodore 128 (two with JiffyDOS) and two Commodore 64s, along with C*Base 3.0 and C*Base 2.0, and acres and acres of software, my wife paid $500. It took two maxi-van loads to haul all that stuff from Belton, Missouri, to Kansas City, Kansas. I eventually sold half the software to the Commodore Man, sold a Commodore 64 to a friend's mother for a word processor, and gave two complete Commodore 128 systems away as Christmas gifts. I sold the Amiga 500 to a user of the Pulpit. I merged the rest of the KBPD's inventory with the Pulpit and for the remaining six months of my BBS' life I ran a large BBS setup. But the cost of running a bulletin board system caught up with me so I dropped the project and shelved the files where they now sit to this day. It also contributed to the demise when the local electric company sent a man with a law enforcement official out to my home to investigate as to why I had such a binge of electrical consumption. They were kind enough to explain that sometimes unscrupulous people grew illegal substance in their homes and the surge of power was their attempt to create an artificial climate to make the necessary vegetation grow properly. I let them examine my home and showed them that I was running a bulletin board system from here and this was where the extra power was going. Needless to say they apologized and left my home dignified, but embarrassed.

In October of 1994, I was introduced to the Commodore User's Group. A bunch of whacked out computer users who were avid about the Commodore computer. These folk were the exact group I was looking for, so in January of 1995, I signed on. It was the best move I ever made for my Commodore and me. From this club I've learned that even though support from public sources was failing there was still help out there for the Commodore. To this day I always turn to the users group for help, repair/replacement of equipment, and advice.

As I sit here today and I look back on the past, I have come to the conclusion that Commodores are best described by me as the "poor man's computer." And if any of you are like me, you're so poor you can't afford a free lunch. I like to stress to computer shoppers that if you need a computer but can't afford the latest IBM or Macintosh, consider a Commodore. My best calculations say that a full Commodore set up costs about 1/10th the price of an IBM or Mac and still accomplish the same tasks to an acceptable degree. I also would like to point out that since Commodore can only extract text from the Internet and the World Wide Web, no nasty pictures can enter into the hands of young children or curious teenagers. Repairs and replacement parts for the Commodore are relatively inexpensive and mostly easy to come by. I try to encourage people who are about to trash their Commodores to make room for an upgrade, to bring the unit to our users group meeting for our team to look at and possibly purchase. Commodore, in my opinion, is the best computer ever made by men. It's a shame that at Commodore's prime, the executives of the time didn't take the lead and make it the mainstream of computers like IBM is today.

With all this need for faster processors and more memory, it makes me wonder when this computer upgrade madness will end. At the same time, it pleases me that though Commodore uses only 64K or 128K of memory at 2mhz of speed, it gives me a proper chance to do my work right and right the first time. Remember, it's not how much memory you have, it's what you do with what you got that counts. In my ten years of using Commodore, I've never seen so many imaginative people make such a small space memory do so much, and the list still grows.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from RUN/STOP-RESTORE: 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONby LENARD R. ROACH Copyright © 2011 by Lenard R. Roach. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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