[Coco] Was this advertisement "true"...?

[Sean]

So what are the differences between Color Basic and Extended Color
Basic?   I never actually needed to know, since my first CoCo 2 had
Extended.


On Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 10:08 PM, Lothan <lothan at newsguy.com> wrote:
> That's pure marketing smoke. The 26-3026 and 26-3027 models were identical
> with the difference that the 26-3026 model included the Color BASIC ROM and
> had a second socket so it could be upgraded to Extended Color BASIC while
> the 26-3027 model included the Color BASIC and Extended Color BASIC ROMs.
>
> The same was true of the 26-3134/A/B Color Computer 2 and the 26-3136/A/B
> Color Computer 2. Both were identical but the 26-3134 had an empty socket*
> for Extended Color BASIC ROM. *My memory is fuzzy here and the ROMs may not
> have been socketed in the Korean models.
>
> If I remember correctly, Radio Shack did sell the Extended Color BASIC
> upgrade as a separate package for models that did not included it.
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Andrew
> Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 9:43 PM
> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
> Subject: Re: [Coco] Was this advertisement "true"...?
>
> This was posted today on a site I frequent:
>
> http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2011/09/27/commodore-vic-20/
>
> Now, Captain Kirk aside, what struck me most about this ad (which I
> commented on if you care to look), was the statement in the table that
> "Microsoft Basic" cost an extra $99.00, and that it was "standard" on
> the VIC-20...
>
> What is the truth here? Didn't the Color Computer always come with
> Microsoft Color Basic in ROM, as part of the machine? Also, what version
> (if anyone knows?) of Microsoft Basic did the VIC-20 come with? The
> VIC-20, AFAIK, didn't have any of the "low-res" graphics commands in its
> basic command set (SET, RESET, POINT, COLOR, etc); any graphics had to
> be done via POKES/PEEKS (ML). I've always considered these hallmark
> commands of Microsoft Basic; similar commands appear in their later
> versions of BASIC interpreters and compilers (up to and including VB -
> heck, I think there's still traces in VB.NET).
>
> If the VIC-20 did come with a version of Microsoft Basic - then it would
> have to have been an earlier version without these commands, such as was
> seen on older 8-bit machines of the era (from what I've read)?
>
> For that matter - what version of BASIC did the Commodore Pet have, if
> anyone knows? I know this is slightly off-topic; my apologies...
>
> :)
>
> Andrew L. Ayers, Glendale, Arizona
>
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