CHAPTER
Peripheral Devices
The
VIC
20
can be connected
to
many peripheral devices, including
the VIC
1515
Graphic Printer, the VIC Datassette, and the
1540
Disk Drive.
These devices expand the capabilities of the VIC by giving it the ability to
produce permanent copies of its output on either paper
or
magnetic media
such as cassette tape
or
floppy diskettes. Storing information on magnetic
media can also increase the amount
of
memory space available (the VIC has
only 3.5K
of
memory without expansion).
With the addition
of
a VIC Modem, the VIC can communicate by
telephone with any other computer that has a similar device. The Modem
also allows access
to
computer networks, which provide services such as
stock market updates, computer shopping, and electronic mail.
Storing
Data
The most common media for storing
data
on microcomputers are
floppy
diskett~s
and magnetic tape. Diskettes have the advantage
of
being
random-access devices. That is, they can directly store
or
retrieve data
at
any
location on their surface. Tapes store
data
sequentially (one file after
another) and must be manually rewound
to
access
data
that have already
been passed. What they lack in speed and flexibility, however, tape systems
make up in cost. They are much less expensive than disk systems.
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