[Coco] CoCo Progression...

[Robert Emery]

--- "Boisy G. Pitre" <boisy at boisypitre.com> wrote:
> >
> > Over the years people have repackaged thier CoCo's into PC Cases, 
> > installed enhanced keyboards, etc. I don't see how that can feel any 
> > more like the vintage coco than an emulator on a PC using the same 
> > keyboard.
> 
> Personally, I have always had a fundamental problem with repacking for 
> the very reason you mention.  It is stripping the CoCo from its true 
> "home" and trying to retrofit it into, of all things, a PC case.  To 
> me, part of the CoCo being a CoCo is seeing it in its small white case.
>
> 	- Exchanging the CoCo keyboard with a PC keyboard takes away a "piece" 
> of what the CoCo is, but doesn't void the CoCo from being a CoCo.
> 
> 	- Removing a CoCo from its case and sticking it in a PC case is taking 
> away its basic identity.  Sure, it's still running CoCo software, etc., 
> but the "spirit" of the CoCo is sacrificed in such a configuration.

Personally, I think a PC keyboard (the user interface) takes a LOT more away
from the "true" CoCo experience than whatever box it resides in (especially on
emulators!) I'm kind of proud of the fact that my repack has a handwired custom
keyboard rather than a PC keyboard. If nothing else, it's unique.

As a game player, my least favorite "improvement" on the tre was the
"pre-intelligence" arrow key layout. I think I modified more than one Rainbow
game to use Q/A (or A/Z?) for Up/Down.

And for the record, if I only had the one CoCo, I probably would NOT have
repacked it. I have 5 CoCo3's: two originals, one for parts, one repacked and
one made portable (and I really love that internal joystick!) I do believe in
maintaining *at least* one true original.

It is the instant-on, nuclear-green screen greeting me and easy-to-program but
extremely powereful disk basic that makes my CoCo feel like "home" to me.

cheers,
Bob


		
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