Commodore Plus 4 - Page 7

Preface
The Commodore Plus/4 represents an important advance in home computer
design. The low-priced Plus/4, which Commodore refers to as its productivity
computer, includes significant improvements over the phenomenally popular
Commodore 64 and over any other computer in the home computer class. The
built-in features include an expanded version of BASIC (Version 3.5), a machine-
language monitor, graphic-drawing commands, improved disk- and error-
handling commands, and integrated software that combines three programs:
A word processor
A spread sheet, with a graph generator linked to it
A file manager
The built-in programs are accessed by a function key.
The Plus/ 4 has 64 K RAM built in, 60671 bytes of which are available for use in
BASIC. The Plus/4 also has eight defined function keys that are easy to redefine
with the KEY command. Escape key functions simplify screen editing tasks and
let you create screen windows. The Plus/4 also has simple color settings that let
you select from 121 different hues. In addition, the graphics modes let you use the
drawing commands to draw pictures in high-resolution or multicolor modes. You
can also select split-screen graphics modes that display regular text in a five-line
screen window while the top of the screen is in a graphic mode. Graphic handling
is much easier in BASIC Version 3.5 than it is in the Version 2.0 built into the
Commodore 64.
Although the Plus/4 is superior to the Commodore 64, it does have one
disadvantage: a full library of software is not yet available for the Plus/4. In
addition, the Plus/4 does not have sprite graphics, which are available on the
Commodore 64, and the Plus/4 music features are not as sophisticated, although
music is easier to program.
When Commodore introduced the Plus/4, it was called the Commodore 264.
The name was changed to Plus/4 when Commodore decided to include the
built-in integrated software. At the time of the name change, Commodore also