On the Edge
On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore is the one true book that chronicles Commodore's pioneering role in the home computer industry, as told through the captivating accounts of various key figures in the company. More than just that, author Brian Bagnall describes the birth of an entire industry and tells a few corporate horror stories in the process as well. Commodore Gaming is proud to present a series of excerpts from his book, available to read for any visitor of the site.
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With the PET, the 'Friendly Computer', under its wing, Commodore came to a fork in the road as far as the course of the company was concerned. Certain forces, centered around top engineer Chuck Peddle, were pushing for the development of a powerful, high-end computer geared towards the business market. But founder Jack Tramiel was not having it. This excerpt of On the Edge is about Jack's decision to focus on low-end, affordable hardware geared towards the consumer market and his ideologies in regard to beating the Japanese at their own game.
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Engineer Chuck Peddle's company MOS Technology, put together by a group of disgruntled ex-Motorola employees was later to be acquired by Commodore founder Jack Tramiel and their MOS 6502 microchip was used to build the Commodore PET with. This excerpt of On the Edge deals with a pre-Commodore owned MOS Technology and their rogue tactics to create a buzz for their microchip and sell it at the 1975 Western Electronic Show and Convention in San Francisco.
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