10 INPUT "ENTER TRANSACTION",CS: GOSUB 1000

December 19, 2024 1:36 PM

Annoyed by Windows ads, AI and upsell? Macs too expensive? Upgrade cycle got you down? Truth is, you don't really need a lot of computer for many purposes, a fact known by Hilligoss Bakery in Brownsberg, Indiana, which for decades has used Commodore 64s as their cash registers.
posted by JHarris (18 comments total)

Fittingly, they use breadbin models.
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:38 PM on December 19, 2024 [2 favorites]

Good news, they have a potential upgrade path now
posted by BungaDunga at 1:55 PM on December 19, 2024 [3 favorites]

This warms my 8-bit heart.
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:56 PM on December 19, 2024 [1 favorite]

can it play pong?
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:03 PM on December 19, 2024

I love that they still do this and avoid all the predatory shenanigans that all the modern POS solutions seem to have baked in.
posted by Dr. Twist at 2:09 PM on December 19, 2024 [2 favorites]

One of my escapes from the now times has been to watch old episodes of The Computer Chronicles.

It's so relaxing to go back to a time when computers where mostly rubbish and tech innovators were still humble enough to appear on a community college-produced PBS show.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 2:10 PM on December 19, 2024 [5 favorites]

I'm a little disappointed that the article didn't mention their advertising slogan:

10 GOTO Hilligoss Bakery
20 GOTO 10
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 2:14 PM on December 19, 2024 [4 favorites]

If they were really hardcore, they’d use a ZX80.
posted by Lemkin at 2:39 PM on December 19, 2024

Relevant article by 100r on developing a computing permaculture.
posted by q*ben at 2:42 PM on December 19, 2024 [5 favorites]

Fun fact: my SIL lives in Indianapolis, and I have already informed her that we're going to take a day trip to this bakery the next time grumpybearbride and I visit. I will take photos and review the doughnuts!
posted by grumpybear69 at 2:44 PM on December 19, 2024 [4 favorites]

I was watching some sort of howitsmade-ish show no more than 5 years ago and they were making widgets* in some sort of computer-controlled way and ISTFG they were using some flavor of Apple 2.


*and one of the widgets looked at me
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 2:49 PM on December 19, 2024 [6 favorites]

Lemkin, as a former ZX80 owner, NO ONE is that hardcore.
OK, let me ammend NO ONE SANE is that hardcore.
posted by evilDoug at 3:03 PM on December 19, 2024 [2 favorites]

If they ever run up against the c64's 64K limit, they could always bake some donut memory for it.

The best hacks are edible.
posted by Sauce Trough at 3:45 PM on December 19, 2024 [2 favorites]

haha come to our hipster place that only accepts cash and bask in the quirkyness of having to go to an ATM first!
posted by Rhomboid at 8:56 PM on December 19, 2024

I dunno, "hipster" would be if someone born after the C64 was discontinued decided to set this up from scratch in 2024. A 1974 bakery with an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude has a certain amount of (dare I say it) authenticity than the word "hipster" connotes.

With occasional capacitor replacement and modern power supplies, this setup can keep running the way it has for the past 40 years, and they can focus on what they're actually meant to be worrying about all day: baking.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:47 AM on December 20, 2024 [4 favorites]

My first C64 blew up because I tried to clean its innards with a feather duster. How are these things surviving in a world of ambient flour particles?!
posted by mittens at 5:00 AM on December 20, 2024

I'm on vacation next week. I might have to take a trip...
posted by kathrynm at 9:20 AM on December 21, 2024 [1 favorite]

Pretty good bakery, btw.

Brownsburg is the latest sleepy-little-town-north-of-indy to become the hip place to relocate your family to. Take that as you will.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:32 AM on December 22, 2024 [1 favorite]