Newspaper Magazines

Compute!'s Gazette

Programs you can type

Compute!'s Gazette provided Commodore users with type-in programs, tutorials, and reviews, teaching programming through practical application.

C64VIC-20 magazinecommodoretype-in

Overview

Compute!‘s Gazette was the Commodore-specific sibling to Compute! magazine. Each issue contained type-in programs—games, utilities, educational software—that readers entered by hand. The magazine served as both entertainment and education: readers learned programming by typing and debugging code, then played what they’d created. The disk edition offered programs pre-loaded for those who valued time over learning.

Fast facts

  • Publisher: Compute! Publications.
  • Focus: Commodore 64, VIC-20, Plus/4.
  • Content: type-in programs, reviews, tutorials.
  • Frequency: monthly.
  • Disk edition: programs available on floppy.
  • Run: 1983-1995.

Type-in culture

Learning through typing:

  • Program listings: BASIC and machine code.
  • MLX: machine language entry tool.
  • Debugging: finding typos taught programming.
  • Modification: readers changed programs to learn.

Magazine content

Typical issue included:

  • Games: original games to type in.
  • Utilities: productivity tools.
  • Tutorials: programming instruction.
  • Reviews: hardware and software coverage.
  • Reader contributions: user-submitted programs.

See also