Jim Butterfield
| Jim Butterfield | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 14, 1936 Ponoka, Alberta, Canada |
| Died |
June 29, 2007 (aged 71) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Computer programmer, author |
| Spouse(s) | Vicki Butterfield |
| Children | Susannah Butterfield, born in 1988. |
Frank James "Jim" Butterfield (February 14, 1936 – June 29, 2007) was a Toronto-based author and computer programmer famous for his work with Commodore microcomputers.
A longtime contributor to periodicals such as The Transactor and TPUG, one of Butterfield's major works was Learning Machine Code Programming on the Commodore 64 (and other Commodore computers),[1] one of the leading references on programming the 6502-derived 6510 microprocessor.
Butterfield was born in Ponoka, Alberta, and attended the University of Alberta and the University of British Columbia, but never graduated. In 1957 he moved to Whitehorse, Yukon, to work on the microwave system along the Alaska Highway.
In 1964, while working for CNCP Telecommunications, Butterfield first programmed a computer. A decade later he returned to computing by purchasing a KIM-1, hosted the first Toronto PET User's Group meeting in his home, and began writing on computer topics. After quitting his job with CNCP because he did not wish to relocate from Toronto, and with previous experience writing radio commercials, Butterfield in 1981 became a freelance writer, lecturer, and consultant.[2]
In 1983, Butterfield appeared as the resident expert in the TVOntario educational television program, The Academy, which served as a companion series to Bits and Bytes.
In a November 2006 newsgroup message, Butterfield revealed that he was undergoing chemotherapy.[3] His death from cancer was announced on the comp.sys.cbm newsgroup on 30 June 2007.[4]
Publications
- Butterfield, Jim; Ockers, Stan; Rehnke, Eric (1977). The First Book of KIM. Hayden Book. ISBN 0-8104-5119-0.
- — (1984). Learning Machine Code Programming on the Commodore 64 (and other Commodore computers).
- — (1984). Machine Language Programming for the Commodore 64: Commodore 64/Book and 64K Disk. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-89303-653-6.
- — (1985). Commodore Reference Diary.
- — (1986). Machine language for the Commodore 64, 128, and other Commodore computers (Revised edition of C64 Machine Language Programming ed.). Prentice Hall.
References
- ↑ Butterfield, C64 Learning Machine Code Programming
- ↑ Hook, Gail (September 1982). "Meet Jim Butterfield". Compute!. p. 45. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ Jim Butterfield (2006-11-10). "Re: TPUG presents: World of Commodore 2006!". comp.sys.cbm. Web link. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
- ↑ Amigoat (2007-06-30). "Jim Butterfield". comp.sys.cbm. Web link. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
External links
- Jim Butterfield's home page (last updated: Monday, April 30, 2007 5:52:42 PM two months before his death)
- 1985 software advertisement featuring Brad Templeton, Jim Butterfield, and Steve Punter
- Jim Butterfield's obituary
- Videos of Jim Butterfield at the 2005 LUCKI Expo
- Full text of the 1977 book, "THE FIRST BOOK OF KIM", by Jim Butterfield, Stan Ockers, Eric Rehnke
- 'Hobby Computers of the 80's', previous unpublished, presented by the Personal Computer Museum, Brantford, Ontario
- 'Tech Time Warp of the Week: The Commodore-64, 1983', Wired Magazine article and video of Jim Butterfield presenting the Commodore 64.
- Interview in RUN Magazine Oct, 1986
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