The

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

amassed a large software library of nearly 10,000 commercial titles, covering genres from games to business applications.

Applications, utility, and business software

The Commodore 64’s slow 1541 disk drive limited its suitability as a business computer, yet it was used for tasks like graphics creation, desktop publishing, and word processing. '' Info 64'', the first magazine produced using desktop publishing tools, was created on and dedicated to the Commodore platform. Popular graphics software included KoalaPainter, known for its

graphics tablet A graphics tablet (also known as a digitizer, digital graphic tablet, pen tablet, drawing tablet, external drawing pad or digital art board) is a computer input device that enables a user to hand draw or paint images, animations and graphics, w ...

interface, and Doodle!, a widely used drawing program. Desktop publishing tools like The Print Shop and "The Newsroom" enabled users to create signs, banners, and newsletters.

Light pen A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. It allows the user to point to displayed objects or draw on the screen in a similar way to a to ...

s and CAD software were also available. Word processors such as

PaperClip A paper clip (or paperclip) is a tool used to hold sheets of paper together, usually made of steel wire bent to a looped shape (though some are covered in plastic). Most paper clips are variations of the ''Gem'' type introduced in the 1890s or ...

and Vizawrite were popular, alongside the type-in program SpeedScript, published in '' Compute!'s Gazette''. Spreadsheet programs included Multiplan by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

and Calc Result, while Vizastar offered integrated software features. Office suites like Mini Office II and software from Data Becker were also available. The GEOS operating system provided a graphical interface akin to the early

Apple Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

, with office applications and support for peripherals like printers and

light pen A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. It allows the user to point to displayed objects or draw on the screen in a similar way to a to ...

s. It gained popularity for its affordability and capabilities. Music software included Music Construction Set and

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...

cartridges, with the modern Prophet64 cartridge offering advanced sequencing and synthesis.

Games

By 1985, games comprised 60–70% of Commodore 64 software, driven by its advanced sound and graphics hardware. Over 23,000 unique game titles were released. Notable titles included '' International Soccer'', '' Impossible Mission'', and Epyx’s multievent series ('' Summer Games'', '' Winter Games'', '' World Games'', and '' California Games''). Other significant games were '' Boulder Dash'', '' The Sentinel'', and ''

Elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...

''. Budget games from Mastertronic and Codemasters were popular on cassette. In 1993, '' Mayhem in Monsterland'' earned a 100% rating from '' Commodore Format'' for its graphics and gameplay.

Type-ins, bulletin boards, and disk magazines

The Commodore 64 featured a large library of type-in programs published in magazines like '' Compute!'s Gazette'', ''

Ahoy! ''Ahoy!'' was a computer magazine published between January 1984 and January 1989 in the US, covering on all Commodore color computers, primarily Commodore 64 and Amiga. History The first issue of ''Ahoy!'' was published in January 1984. The ...

'', and '' RUN''. Disk magazines like '' Loadstar'' provided ready-to-run programs. BBSs distributed

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

and

freeware Freeware is software, often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the free ...

software via services like Q-Link and

CompuServe CompuServe, Inc. (CompuServe Information Service, Inc., also known by its initialism CIS or later CSi) was an American Internet company that provided the first major commercial online service provider, online service. It opened in 1969 as a times ...

Software cracking

Software piracy was prevalent, with warez groups like Fairlight distributing cracked software via BBSs and sneakernets. Tools like Fast Hack'em bypassed copy protection.

BASIC

The Commodore 64 shipped with BASIC 2.0, limited in accessing advanced features, requiring PEEK and POKE or extensions like

Simons' BASIC Simons' BASIC is an BASIC extension, extension to Commodore BASIC, BASIC 2.0 for the Commodore 64 home computer. Written by British people, British programmer David Simons in 1983, who was 16 years old at the time, it was distributed by Commodore I ...

. Commodore opted for BASIC 2.0 to reduce costs.

Music

The SID chip enabled music software like '' Kawasaki Synthesizer'' and Music Construction Set. Modern tools include GoatTracker.

Development tools

Development tools included assemblers like ''MIKRO'' and compilers for C and Pascal. Game creation kits like SEUCK and GameMaker were popular.

Modern-day development tools

Current tools include CBM prg Studio, Relaunch64, and assemblers like Kick Assembler and cc65.

Retrocomputing efforts

Preservation efforts involve transferring software to modern media and developing emulators like

VICE A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

. The GameBase 64 project catalogs nearly 29,000 titles.

References

{{Commodore International