chr65

chr65 refers to a specific character encoding scheme used in some early computer systems, particularly in the context of the Commodore 65, a home computer released in 1985. The Commodore 65 was designed to be a more advanced successor to the popular Commodore 64, featuring enhanced graphics, sound, and memory capabilities. However, it was not widely adopted due to its high cost and limited market success.

The term "chr65" originates from the Commodore 65's use of a custom character set stored in its ROM (Read-Only Memory). The Commodore 65 utilized a 65-character set (hence "chr65"), which included standard ASCII characters along with additional symbols, graphics, and special characters tailored for its enhanced display capabilities. This character set was stored in a dedicated ROM chip, allowing the system to quickly access and render text and graphics without relying solely on the CPU.

The chr65 character set was particularly notable for its expanded graphics capabilities, including support for more complex and detailed characters compared to the standard PETSCII set used in earlier Commodore computers. Developers could leverage this character set to create more visually appealing and functional interfaces, though the limited adoption of the Commodore 65 meant that software and documentation for chr65 remained scarce.

Today, chr65 is primarily of historical interest, studied by retro computing enthusiasts and developers working with vintage hardware. The character set serves as an example of how early computer systems experimented with encoding schemes to push the boundaries of what could be displayed on limited hardware. While not widely used outside of the Commodore 65 ecosystem, it remains a niche but fascinating aspect of retro computing history.