Interview with Polonus

Hello dear readers. This is my last work for Tide. This interview is also available in Inverse #10 Polish discmag. 12 years after released last Quartet demo “Bye Commy” I decided to catch Polonus and make with him an interview. Big, big, almighty shame for him, cause he don’t want to do something for our scene once again.

H.M.Murdock: First of all please tell me something about you and remain your person our sceners.

Polonus: My name is Paul Soltysinski. Since 1987 year I’m using solid nick called Polonus. Under this name I created and I’m still creating programs and graphics.

H.M.Murdock: How it was your first time with commy and when you first time met the scene?

Polonus: First time…well from the perspective of time it can be easily put in the scheme. In my home wasn’t more money, Living on Pogodno – something like better quarter of our town Szczecin – I had in my class and on thecourtyard few collegues with the fathers-sailors. I was so sick, when I had seen all ZX 81 etc. Next I had lucky and for my money and which I pleased from my parents build not so popular computer – Commodore Plus 4. It was unhitted follower of C-64 and first mighty shame of Commodore firm on the forum.Cause of this it was so not expensive and I bought it from my pal, who was not so exactly interested about it (his father-sailor fetch it with the hope, that his son will be interest about it). And finally I was a C+4 keeper with datasette and no any software. Very fast I mentioned, that C+4 have something special in the system – memory monitor, where was possible to code programs in machine code. When I had been fetched to Warszawa, there was one seller, who had the software. So I have been learned machine code looking into games used that monitor. In some day on the exchange in my town I met 3 persons, whose had C64 all (ahh this sound!), colour monitors, disc drivers – cool! They have been copyied programs into tapes using special thing – program to save in turbo mode on tape, who wasn’t legal on the exchange – Turbo Tape 64. These programs can be load in turbo mode without loading any boot programs. Problem was one, in the header, when the program was loaded was shown always „Silver Dream!” and that guys couldn’t put it off or hide it. Cause I was after writting my owne tape loader for C+4 I thought, that these two computers are basically the same and maybe I can look on this and delete that words. It was so simply. Author used unofficial mnemonics of 6502 processor for hiding the place, where the words was showed. „WOW” – that guys said. In the same morning we met in one’s home. And the QUARTET was born (was us fourth: Hi-Man, Mr. Raf, Jemasoft and me). Not so long after this I bought my ĺown C64. We’ve got some old demos some western groups, if there was any address, then we had written to it. We was so wonder, when we’ve got the answer – answered to us Glerc from Science 451. When we saw the quality of western demos, we was so confused comparing with our level ;)) And that was the beginning.

H.M.Murdock: Tell me something about Quartet, for sure best polish C64 group in the end of the 80’s years. Do you remember your demos, especially great “Quartet Chip”?

Polonus: How it was in the beginning, I said some minutes ago. But very nice is to talk about “Silver Dream!”. We knowed, that he is existing and leaving in Szczecin too. Quartet was working good, when someone known, where he is leaving and I had meeting with him. Very nice man, older than me about 5 years. He had C64 when it was first time for buy on western. And he have been doing more thing on it. He got more contacts with guys for other countries and he have been writting more programs. For example he was doing speciall effects like scrolls with full opened borders since 1986 – on that time nobody knows about how disc drive for C64 are looking :). As he told, he was a little bit bad for me, when I beat his protection in tape loader, but he was interested with my development. About my demos…Well I don’t remember it exactly but some people are saying, that they have it… hmm…

H.M.Murdock: Next was Science 451…

Polonus: When I thought, that i’m only one coder in Quartet, who are doing more and quite good things, I decided to jump out for example for having acces for other things not available in Poland. That was 1989 year, when I made my first music editor called Voicetracker. That was my ticket for join Science 451. True is that demos I made on that time without the same fascination like in the past and I wanted to code more tools. As a Science 451 I made two world recors – shorteness chars decomporessor ($58 bytes), which had Basic line and correctly they are setted end program vectors – record for this time didn’t beated. Next more shortener versions can’t set Basic line etc. Second record was an absurd record – some members of S451 told that I’m doing all on black-white tv without disc drive (only datasette) and I’m coding all using only machine code monitor (next I wrote my owne assembler and dissasembler, which are working with tape). That was more laughing, and finally Commodore firm gave me for free disc drive :))

H.M.Murdock: Finally you was Padua member, how it was in that group?

Polonus: True is this, that living in Szczecin I can wisit someone in Berlin, like not in Sweden (where most S451 mebers was living). So without any problems I was searching one group in Berlin, someone told – maybe Padua? I wrote letter, they are mentioned who I am and I joined that group. I have been writting more tools, especially music tools, I didn’t code any new parts for new demos – I released some not so popular warez: full version of Core Wars for C64 with the editor, compilator and full working Mars. It was something like game, where like in assembler was writting soldiers-virus and they are fighting in selecting memory. With this warez I known more interest people, with them I have contact till this time.

H.M.Murdock: What are you doing, when you definitevily left C64 scene and what are you doing yet?

Polonus: Maybe it will be sound strange, but I had enough of computers. Sometime I calculated, that I spent upon C64 and some other computers about 9 thousand hours! How many days it it? After C64 was Amiga, next for a while PC and till this day Macintosh. C64 had spirit, Amiga power in the system but Macintosh have all. Pecet is a Pecet. Now i’m working with multimedia and i’m coding programs for Macintosh.

H.M.Murdock: What are doing now with rest members of Quartet?

Polonus: No dummys, we have lax contact. Maybe a little bit we default it. It is a shame, but I think that it will be simply to call with all and go for example for a beer 🙂

H.M.Murdock: After Commy you have only box, did you ever think about come back into our scene, for example only for one time?

Polonus: Hehe… Right I have now only box. Computer for this time are working as a heart of repeater – automaticall CB short-wave station (I’m also shortwaver). So my computer are working since 1987 year – from this time nobody are remember any PC 🙂

H.M.Murdock: Do you have any contacts with C64 scene (except me)?

Polonus: I have more contacts with people, who was on the scene 🙂

H.M.Murdock: Why are you not visit of worldwide irc channel #c-64?

Polonus: Good question… 🙂 Few times I looked there but I didn’t find some known persons from old times.

H.M.Murdock: Now look in the past and give me your favourites: best demo, coder, graphic, musician etc…

Polonus: Favourites: demos – Horizon, Origo, Dreamline, good remembrance of Taboo. Music? ofkoz Maniacs Of Noise.

H.M.Murdock: In 2000 year we can look on your one effect in Padua demo – how are you evaluate it?

Polonus: Hmm. if I will get that this effect I made in… 1993 year, that I evaluate it very well 🙂 As I said when I was in Padua I haven’t write new demo effects, only sometimes guys from group used some of my parts of source code, which I’ve coded when I was in S451, but it wasn’t finished or unused.

H.M.Murdock: How are you think about it, that more sceners leave real C64 for emulators?

Polonus: I think that this is very sensible. (Ed. emulator is only for people outside scene without real C64. Fuck all emulator users)

H.M.Murdock: And for last you can greet all people which you want and tell some words for your fans.

Polonus: Yeach I want to greet all people – for good thing I don’t know, who from my friends will be read this 🙂 I don;t know that I have any fans (ed. you forgot about me – H.M.Murdock) 🙂 One is true – on that old times we all was a masters putting the water from emptyness 🙂 More from nowadays contacts for this time are opening for me more doors, for which I’m grateful me and my lucky. If someone want to write something to me, remain – go ahead: polonus[at]webnet.pl

End of interview…Well what I can more say. I’m almighty confused, that my idol are so busy and don’t interesting to answer to my last e-mail. Shame, that more people like Polonus left C64 scene. One good thing that we have something – demos etc.

Best regards for all oldskool fans! If you want to have most of Quartet’n’Polonus warez, write to me.

H.M.Murdock/Tropyx/Draco/Nostalgia on 12.04.2002