JiffyDOS(c) for the VIC-20

A preview by Mark Gladson aka Dragos

As I sit down to write this preview, I find myself very excited. Excited because this is a Brand-New product for the Commodore community. Not just any new product though, A great product for a long ignored friend. The VIC-20.

My first encounter with the VIC-20 was in 1982. My last purchase for the VIC was in 1984, when I upgraded to a Commodore 64. Most people, even die hard Commodore enthusiasts, have ignored our little friend over the years. Making new cartridges for the C64. Creating new function roms for the 128. Lots of talented people making lots of nice things for other Commodores.

Enter Maurice Randall. After acquiring the rights to make JiffyDOS for the Commodore computers, he secretly went to work on a new project: JiffyDOS for the VIC-20. This is a product most people thought we would never see. It is also something VERY useful! If you have ever used JiffyDOS on the 64/128, you will know immediately the benefits of this chip. If you haven't tried it, hang on, you are about to read all about this exciting new development.

After receiving my sample in the mail, I promptly opened my VIC and installed the chip. This is all very easy if your kernal rom is socketed. If not, either be prepared to do some desoldering, or take it to someone experienced. I cannot stress enough to make sure you know what you are doing, these computers are old, and you do not want to render yours useless.

After installation, I was greeted by a nice new boot screen, indicating that I had properly installed the chip, and was now ready to get to work.

For the uninitiated, here is an excerpt direct from the Click Here Software website (http://cmdrkey.com/index.html)

The ultimate disk drive speed enhancement system, JiffyDOS is a set of replacement ROM's for your computer and disk drive. It speeds up all disk file access without compromising compatibility.

JiffyDOS also adds convenience features making your system faster and easier to use.

Features include a built-in DOS wedge command set to simplify commands, programmable function keys, a two-drive file copier, a text screen dump function, default device selection command and function, output device toggle for easy printer listings, and more.

I have found JiffyDOS to be very useful on my other Commodore computers, and the VIC-20 version is no exception. Maurice managed to cram all the features of JiffyDOS into this version, and his attention to detail really shows.

Through all my testing I was unable to find any features that did not work as advertised. I tried JiffyDOS with several utility cartridges and RAM expanders with 100% success.

The shortcut commands and function key assignments are all very welcome additions to the VIC-20. I am so comfortable with the wedge commands, that I was really missing them on the VIC. Once you get familiar with them, you will never want to be without them again.

The next, and perhaps most famous, feature of JiffyDOS is its built-in fast-loader. I have heard people say things like “VIC Files are so small, you would hardly notice the difference in speed.” I found this not to be the case. I saw noticeable improvements in the load time of disk based software. The greatest gains seem to be from smaller programs. I was able to load a 6 block program in 2 seconds with JiffyDOS and it took 5 seconds without. However, Simplicalc, which requires a 16k expander, took 1:13 with JiffyDOS and 1:21 without. So either there is a built-in fastloader on the Simplicalc disk, or the copy protection negates the JiffyDOS fastload routine.

I was also very pleased with the built-in file copier. I was able to easily copy files between 2 drives using the shortcuts.

In fact, the only downside I could find was that you lose tape support when you have JiffyDOS enabled. However, this is only a minor inconvenience, when weighed against the benefits. And, you can disable the JiffyDOS kernal with a quick @Q and a flip of the included switch, and have use of your Datasette again. Need to go back to using JiffyDOS? Just flip the switch again and type SYS 58492.

I was also able to test the screen-dump feature on my Okimate 20. This is a nice feature. I was able to dump the contents of a text screen with no issues. I did not try to dump a hi-res screen, but I am not sure that is supported anyway. The printer output command is nice, especially for printing program listings. A quick @p sends screen output to the printer. Issue the command again to return to normal screen output.

We will be doing a live demo at the February, 2006, Cincinnati Commodore Computer Club meeting, where I will be happy to let you hack around on my JiffyDOS equipped VIC-20.

For more information on JiffyDOS for the VIC-20 and for other Commodore computers, contact Maurice Randall at:

Email: support@cmdrkey.com

Snail Mail:

Click Here Software

P.O. Box 606

Charlotte, MI 48813

(517) 543-5202 ( 8 AM – 6 PM EST)

Or on the WEB at: http://cmdrkey.com

I can be reached at: dragos@c64friends.com I also frequent #c64friends on Newnet (IRC)

Feel free to contact me with comments, questions or corrections!

To find out more about the Cincinnati Commodore Computer Club, go to http://www.geocities.com/c64-128-amiga/