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View Full Version : Jack Tramiel passed away


tom
04-09-2012, 02:20 PM
Wow, sad news to hear over easter:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/04/09/computer-legend-and-gaming-pioneer-jack-tramiel-dies-at-age-83/

For me he was the Atari man.
Oobgarm
04-09-2012, 03:12 PM
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/04/09/computer-legend-and-gaming-pioneer-jack-tramiel-dies-at-age-83/

First computer I ever used was a C64.
treismac
04-09-2012, 03:20 PM
The C64 was my first real computer and a major touchstone in my life as a gamer. Fare well, Jack.
Tupin
04-09-2012, 03:53 PM
A forgotten pioneer, for sure. I may not have gotten the C64/ST until long after they were obsolete, but they are awesome machines.
OldSchoolGamer
04-09-2012, 05:26 PM
Love'em, Hate'em but no denying his impact on the industry, a shrewd business man and thanks always for his concept of "Computers for the masses, not the classes". RIP Mr. Tramiel. :(
Frankie_Says_Relax
04-09-2012, 05:43 PM
Along with the Atari 2600 and the NES, the Commodore 64 played a major part in my childhood and helped shape my perception of what a gaming device could be capable of doing.

R.I.P. Mr. Tramiel
Sabz5150
04-09-2012, 07:54 PM
)=

Rest in piece, dude.
starchildskiss78
04-09-2012, 08:10 PM
The C-64 was my first computer too...got in it June 1984. The memories from that computer stick with me to this day....heck, I still have the "Tapper" drawing I did from playing that game on the c-64!
Jorpho
04-09-2012, 08:11 PM
Wasn't he considered a suspect in one of the biggest Canadian financial frauds of its time? I can't seem to find the thread here where I read about it.

I shall leave such discussions to those who are better informed. In the end, though, there's one thing I think everyone will want to know now:
Will the Swordquest prizes finally see the light of day?
retroman
04-09-2012, 09:48 PM
Sad news..
JSoup
04-09-2012, 11:02 PM
Will the Swordquest prizes finally see the light of day?

That was my first thought when I read the topic title. Will the sword be passed on? Or auctioned off?
Mayhem
04-10-2012, 12:32 AM
Commodore 64s here have been flying at half mast tonight...
staxx
04-10-2012, 12:54 AM
Thank you Jack Tramiel for all the fond memories of the Commodore 64. Rest in Peace, the C64 legacy will not be forgotten.
Satoshi_Matrix
04-10-2012, 04:52 AM
This is very sad news indeed. My father bought a Commodore 64 shortly before I was born and throughout the late 80s when I was very young it was not only my first computer, but also my first game system. Thanks to BBSes and other kids, I had a huge amount of pirated C64 games including some of the best games even to this day including Ducks 'Ohoy, The Great Giana Sisters, Ultimate Wizard, Jumpman Jr., Boulderdash and so many more.

load "*",8, 1 jack.
RUN "Rest in peace".
Sanriostar
04-11-2012, 12:48 AM
That was my first thought when I read the topic title. Will the sword be passed on? Or auctioned off?

It's my understanding that Sam Tramiel (or one of the other Tramiel sons) has emphatically denied the Swordquest sword rumor; it's apparently a bit of a sore point that the rumor still has legs.

If you want to remember the man, go play 'Jack Attack' on a C64 emulator; the game got the name for a reason.
Gamevet
04-11-2012, 11:34 PM
If anyone is interested, here's a youtube video (1 hour and 28 minutes long) celebrating the 25th anniversay of the C64. The show features Jack Tramiel, talking about the C64, and how he got his start in the industry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvbsPNBIyk
dgdgagdae
04-12-2012, 12:10 AM
No matter how much of an asshole he seemed to be, by all reports, there's one thing to always remember about him: he was at Auschwitz. I can't even imagine how that colors a person's life.

I grew up with the Commodore 64. I'm glad there was a Jack Tramiel.
Gamevet
04-12-2012, 12:36 AM
No matter how much of an asshole he seemed to be, by all reports, there's one thing to always remember about him: he was at Auschwitz. I can't even imagine how that colors a person's life.

I wouldn't doubt that he ran a shrewd business, but if you look at how the Japanese seem to run their operations, you'd find very simular stories. There are stories about how Jack screwed over Mos technologies, so he could buy them on the cheap, but if you look at the video I posted, Al Alcorn admits that Atari had an opportunity to buy the company as well. Jack was a man that saw opportunities and he followed up.



I grew up with the Commodore 64. I'm glad there was a Jack Tramiel.

Yeah! The C64 was my gaming system during highschool, and it would be my system of choice all the way up to 1988. It was an amazing piece of hardware for its time.

I live in nearby town of Wylie, BTW. ;)
Shulamana
04-12-2012, 08:27 AM
I was aware of the C64 before I got into the collecting scene, but it really has become obvious to me in the past year or so how much more important the C64 was to gaming than say, the Apple II, which would have been the 80s computer I would have considered getting before.

I worry though, that if I got one, that I really wouldn't give it the level of appreciation it deserved, coming mainly from a background as a mid-late 90s DOS and Win95 gamer, as far as home computers go anyway.
treismac
04-12-2012, 05:48 PM
If anyone is interested, here's a youtube video (1 hour and 28 minutes long) celebrating the 25th anniversay of the C64. The show features Jack Tramiel, talking about the C64, and how he got his start in the industry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvbsPNBIyk

Very interested! Thanks, Gamevet! :)

I miss my C64 that my dad threw out when I was at college. I loved the hell out of that thing.