"Nationwide Software Catalogue"
This short article is about the Czechoslovak Commodore scene (by seff).
The 8-bit computer market in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s was extremely fragmented and scarce. Home computers imported from the West could only be officially purchased in Tuzex (a series of state-run shops in Czechoslovakia which did not accept normal Czechoslovak currency but only vouchers which could be purchased from banks using foreign currency). There were two official 8-bit computers developed, produced and distributed by state-run electronics companies -- but they were only available at schools and state-controlled organizations.
PMD 85 by Tesla Piešťany (an official school computer available in both the Czech republic and Slovak republic)
IQ 151 by ZPA Nový Bor (an official school computer distributed in the Czech republic)
These 8-bit computers were technologically 10 years behind the Western market; they were very expensive (based on electronic components manufactured in the Eastern Block) and totally unreliable. Therefore the ordinary population had no choice but to illegally import home computers from the West - mainly ZX Spectrum, Atari 800 XE and Commodore 64. There was an interesting and live Commodore scene around C116, C16 and Plus/4. The following software was aimed at organizing the scene and inventorying all software using a bespoke catalogue application (aka CZP).
There were 18 Commodore clubs registered:
| BA | Bratislava | | BM | Brno | | CB | České Budějovice | | CV | Chomutov | | DC | Děčín | | KA | Kamenice | | KE | Košice | | MG | Mengusovce | | OC | Olomouc | | OV | Ostrava | | PM | Plzeň | | AB | Praha | | PR | Přerov | | RS | Rimavská Sobota | | SU | Šumperk | | UO | Ústí nad Labem | | SO | Vřesová u Sokolova | | ZL | Zlín | | ?? | neznámý C= klub (unknown club) |
There were two diskettes:
* Program diskette
* Data diskette
Celostatny Zoznam Programov (Nationwide Software Catalogue - aka CZP):
CZP-I V1.2 (initialization program)
CZP-N V1.2 (instructions for CZP programs)
CZP-S V1.2 (file management for CZP)
CZP-T V1.2 (program text CZP-Z)
CZP-Z V1.2 (records management for CZP, prints all programs available at Commodore clubs)
czk 16-06-90 (catalogue of Commodore clubs)
czm 16-06-90 (catalogue of Commodore computer owners)
The program diskette contains:
10 "CZP-I V1.2" prg
103 "CZP-N V1.2" prg
46 "CZP-S V1.2" prg
3 "CZP-T V1.2" seq
83 "CZP-Z V1.2" prg
66 "czk 16/06/90" prg
211 "czm 16/06/90" prg
2 "zoznam 16/06/90" seq
The data diskette contains data records as SEQ files.
To produce a list of catalogued programs:
- attach the program disk from emulator
- open CZP-Z.prg from emulator
- run
- select BA-Bratislava for example
- select Vypis zaznamov (print records)
- leave blank Meno hladania (all records)
- select hladaj (search)
- attach the data disk from emulator
- select len z disku (only from disk)
- select Obrazovka (screen) or Tlaciaren (printer)
- select bez klubov
- select suvisli vypis (continuous list)
I myself (seff) would head the Commodore club in Děčín. This is now history. All is lost in time. |
