In article <87k2myvak4.fsf@usenet.ankman.de>, Andreas Kohlbach   
    wrote:   
   > Your Name wrote on 23. January 2016:   
   > > In article <87mvrwm4i0.fsf@usenet.ankman.de>, Andreas Kohlbach   
   > >  wrote:   
   > >>   
   > >> Learning about "new" (old in fact) home computers from the 70s and 80s   
   > >> many could in fact "auto boot". Too bad the Commodore 64 was not among   
   > >> them.   
   > >   
   > > Of course it probably depends on what "Atari" you're talking about too.   
   >   
   > To be fair, the 8-bit family (400, 800) of Atari   
   > .   
   >   
   > AFAIK even the Apple II (1977) could autoboot from floppy. That was 5   
   > years before the Commodore 64 was introduced. In that time frame of the   
   > late 70s to mid 80s, 5 years are generations.   
   >   
   > Because my first computer was a Commodore 64 booting manually was just   
   > the way it was supposed to be. Never dealt with other home computers   
   > until much later. For example I saw the first Amiga in 1986. That was the   
   > first computer I knew being able to autoboot.   
   >   
   > > The C64 did have the ability to "auto-run" from a cartridge plugged in.   
   >   
   > But others could autoboot when just a floppy was inserted prior power-on.   
      
   Yes, but the floppy drive was expensive, so most originally only had   
   tape drives ... auto-booting from tape would have been exceedingly   
   silly.   
      
   Also, the Apple II loads at least some part of the system software from   
   the disk, whereas the C64 could be booted and used without anything   
   extra. I don't know about the Atari 400 / 800 - I never bothered with   
   them since they were crap, although nowhere near as useless as   
   Sinclair's garbage toys.   
      
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