[Coco] [Color Computer] Re: Hello All

[Boisy G. Pitre]

On May 25, 2004, at 3:45 PM, Charlie wrote:

>  I find it.... well .... wierd that there doesn't even barely seem to
> be an online COCO community yet people still have COCO fests.
>  There doesn't seem to be any real software dealers. No one from the
> old software companies like Sundog or Diecom are active with the COCO
> at all. These floppys are 15+ years old and when they go bad we are
> SOL.

You bring up some good points.

There is actually very little in the way of software development for 
the CoCo anymore.  The only new software products available are from 
Cloud-9, and those are mostly drivers and system software.  There is 
also the NitrOS-9 Project at www.nitros9.org which is quite active.   
But that is an operating system, and leaves nothing in the way of 
application software, games, etc.  Indeed, the CoCo is dead in that 
arena.

The tools are there to make some great software, but no one is making 
it.
>
>  Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking bad, I'm just saying the COCO
> community seems very much dead. I think I find this so shocking
> because all the years I spent reading Rainbow magazines, going to
> Rainbow fests in NJ, and ordering every COCO game I could buy as a
> young person, and now ..... nothing.

Speaking of fests, I was disappointed this year.  Frankly, it was 
abysmal.  No new products, lots of "junk" and vendors that have been 
selling the same software for years.  I would hope that Bro. Jeremy's 
25th anniversary fest idea takes hold.  However, it won't be nearly as 
exciting and enthusiastic if there aren't new products to be 
introduced.

>  I mean, go on over to an Atari community... Maybe not Atari
> computers, I don't know I never liked Atari computers, but the old
> game systems. Now those are active and working online groups.

Right.  Even the Atari 2600 guys are putting out NEW GAMES for that 
machine.  No one is doing that for the CoCo right now.

Unfortunately, that's the state of things.  One or two people could 
shake things up and make things happen.

Boisy