Specifications
Commodore 64 had an 8-bit micro processer with a clock frequency at just about one megahertz and 64 Kb of RAM. The extraordinary thing about the C64, though, was its extra graphics chip, which showed 16 colors, 8 sprites, had scrolling capabilities, and a resolution of 320x200 pixels (40x25 characters); its sound chip that could play 8 octaves of sound in 3 channels. The multimedia race had begun (although no one used that word yet).
The C64 was a keyboard with the computer inside, like most other home computers. It did have several connections on the back through which you could connect different types of hardware like joysticks, midi instruments, an external storage device, and a television.
Software was the edge
In the time of the microcomputer, software was written specifically for each computer, as they all came with their own operating system built into them. Burned into their microchips were the commands they understood, and programmers needed to write their programs to the specific machine.
The amount of software available for a particular computer played a significant role in its success. This was one of the reasons for the huge success of the Commodore 64. Its powerful graphics and sound processors were a perfect platform for games, and it gave programmers a robust platform to develop all sorts.
How to write a program
The C64 was a plug-and-play (no one used that word either). When you turned it on, the curser was immediately blinking, ready to take commands. The interface was text-based, and the programming language was Commodore Basic. Anything you wrote would be executed straight away unless you put it into a program. You created programs by adding line numbers in front of your command.
The program was written line by line (not necessarily in the right order) and stored in the computers RAM. If you turned the computer off, your work would be lost unless you had stored it on an external storage device.
Disk drives were, for the most part, too expensive, and a special cassette drive was used as a data storage device.
How to run a program
When the program was ready, you could run it by typing the command RUN, followed by tapping the Return key.
The computer mouse had been invented, but most people had not seen or even heard of it. So to open up a program on a Commodore 64, one would have to write directly to the screen (which was effectively a prompt or a terminal): LOAD "PROGRAM_NAME",8. The number would be the device to connect with. The Commodore would respond with the following lines:
SEARCHING FOR "PROGRAM_NAME"
LOADING
READY.
The program would now be loaded into the Commodore's memory. You could look at the program by writing the command LIST, or you could start the execution of the program with RUN.