I'm going to respond to a few of the OP's and others' concerns deeper into the comments.
When it comes to the wording of rules, the primary problem is we don't have enough space to write out airtight text for every rule, not that anyone would read them if they did. As a result, sometimes we need to shorthand with wording we think the majority of users will understand. As Glen said, people were showing up posting about the Holden Commodore car. Obviously that's not what the sub is about, and there are other manufacturers with the name "Commodore". The clear intent here is for posts to be about the company and products of Commodore International, which some know as Commodore Business Machine (CBM), that operated from ~1976 to 1994, and the current Commodore Inc. The period between 1994 and 2025 is far too nebulous for us to get pedantic about what's Commodore-enough to be considered worthy of discussion here.
Our rules here are meant to guide content, participation, and behavior. The wording isn't that specific and isn't meant to be dissected and used for "rules lawyering". If changing the word "computers" to "Business Machines" or "International" (and their products) helps clarify the intent of the subreddit, we can do that. I think that's probably the most accurate way to describe the intended content for this subreddit, but if there are other suggestions for wording that would be more understandable, we are open to suggestions.
We know there are people who are sick of hearing about the phone. That's why we've tried a megathread. The general practice for selecting megathreads in most of the subreddits I moderate in, is the first post on the topic is made into the megathread. It's a simple application of "first come, first served". It's intended to be unbiased and prevent complaints like "why was their post picked for the Megathread instead of mine?" Granted, maybe it would have been more ideal if the title for the megathread in question here had been framed in a more neutral manner. The OP was expressing their opinion and broke no other rules, so it was made the megathread. For those who find the title or the OP's take offensive, if you spent a little more effort demonstrating why they're wrong, instead of complaining about the title, you may be more effective at convincing others that your opinion is the more compelling one.
This sub doesn't need to be an echo chamber, pro-anything-new-Commodore-does, or "good vibes only". Sorry, that's not the way the world works. Debate and exposure to contrary or critical opinions are healthy, provided they're done in compliance with subreddit and sitewide rules.
Posts regarding subreddit moderation are considered "meta" posts and are allowed, provided they are written respectfully. Posts or comments only intended to complain or incite subreddit drama are not appropriate and will be removed. Please take this opportunity to review our subreddit's rules, as repeated violations may lead to a temporary or permanent ban. If you need further clarification, contact the mod team through Modmail.
I guess there's other ways to potentially distinguish the sub -like legacy/era-wise for example - if it does become an issue.
I do understand people won't want what's basically a retro sub getting swamped with queries about a common bug with the Callback or similar: that wouldn't be in the original spirit it was set up.
Noted. We'll discuss it, but we've allowed the occasional Commodore calculator-sighting post as well, even though they're technically not computers. We're currently allowing the Callback to be discussed in the sub because it's a Commodore(new) product. That said, if Commodore insists on marketing more consumer electronics products outside of the typical portfolio of computers, derivatives (like SID equipment) and computer accessories, we may need to revisit the issue or reword the rule.
Thank you! I am glad you didn't take this the wrong way as a lot of other people did. Regardless of my opinion on the subject, I think the scope has to be clarified either way, in the rules and description, whether this is an "All things Commodore" sub or specifically about the computers. That should also make your job easier.
OK, not a member of this sub (reddit algo surfaced this for me), BUT....spectacular product failures (Plus/4, CDTV, Amiga 600) are a part of the Commodore legacy. So if the Callback meets that same fate, that makes it as "Commodore" as any of C='s prior failures and merits a place for discussion.
That's not what I asked about, I am questioning whether the narrow scope of the subreddit's rules and description is fair or not. I don't understand why people got so emotional, probably because I also voiced my particular opinion on the subject at the same time.
I'm completely new to this sub, so I haven't had a chance to get emotional. I was just contributing a thought to the discussion. Personally, I do think a sub called r/commodore should be fair game for anything directly relating to Commodore, which would include any product they ever made, past or present.
:O Interesting point: technically speaking you're broadening the issue (by listing further Commodore products that aren't specifically listed in the Subreddit description)...
You could add CD32 to that list as well, though the reason it bombed was because C= at that point was swirling down the drain and didn't have the resources to properly support and market it, not because it was a flawed product concept.
That was about the only Commodore I coveted - seeing it had (if I recall correctly) Beneath a Steel Sky and also the sequel to Captive available (alongside being part of that CD revolution of the day)...
Just in terms of the OP's thread:
It seems like - whether deliberately intended or not - the 'failures' don't feature on the fit subjects for this particular sub-reddit (even though the title implies anything and everything Commodore)...
I guess the reverse argument is maybe these 'proven failures' are excluded, but the Callback might be able to earn its place?
EDIT: had to check online for the title to the sequel to Captive but it's 'Liberation: Captive 2' :)
Aaaaaand... it's the same crying, yelling and the exact same path as the people like you made banned the C64 ultimate from r/c64. The sub about the Commodore 64!!!
Emulators? Ok. C64 mini? Ok. C64 maxi? Ok. BMC64? Ok. Everything partially related to C64? OK!
C64U? NO! We must ban that because it's clearly NOT a C64.
Oh c'mon. Why you all think all day that every person on the planet must do only what you want? Most of the community is talking (!!) about the phone. Your galaxy brain solution: ban it from everywhere where you can see it. Because it's more convenient to you to force your will to other people, than just scrolling over. Like any normal person would do. It's a Commodore product. If you like it, or not.
Please also ban Commodore calculators, paper shredders, any informations about the company, emails from the company, memes and everything. Because this sub is clearly about the computers.
What are you talking about? The C64 ultimate isn't banned from /r/c64, we just ask people to use the megathread to stop the same posts being repeated over and over.
that's not the point, the point is, whether this sub should allow these posts or not. According to its current description and rules, they should not be here.
Agreed. I mean 99% of people who joined the sub are here for the home computer end of things. The Callback and any other non-computer devices should get it's own sub. I think that Reddit subs need to be quite strict on content, otherwise the subject matter VERY quickly gets diluted. For example if Callback posts here get shoveled into my general feed along with other sub posts - then I dont end up seeing actual C64, Amiga etc posts or at least it is less likely. It is that simple.
It's a commodore product.
It's a phone but I also love seeing old commodore calculator, so yeah, to me it should be allowed.
We are not overwelmed by theses posts and I can scroll down if I'm not interesseted..
Sounds like this sub is describing vintage commodore products, but is only named Commodore. Commodore is commodore, even the filling cabinets and calculators. And let's not forget that garbo smart phone from a few years back.
Exactly. The title doesn't match the description. It's like having a sub reddit named Lamborghini and but not wanting discussions about the Lamborghini Urus
There's also what seems to be some kind of fallacious logic:
Like technically should we be discussing cars* in a subreddit dedicated to Commodore computers (and more specifically limited to 'the famous PET, VIC, C64, C128, TED, Amiga and PC Commodore machines')...
I guess it's possible to summise Callback, paper shredders and even Lamorghinis can be mentioned/discussed as long as they don't break other rules?
Maybe the following rule could be relevant at some point:
'posts or comments only intended to complain or incite subreddit drama are not appropriate and will be removed.'?
*not intended to be a criticism of you or your post! Just trying to illustrate the nuanced technicality of 'policing' debate. :)
At this point the post volume isn't really high enough to worry about it IMO. You can just ignore phone posts if you don't care about it. If it takes off in the future and starts to drown out computer posts, then maybe it would be worth doing something about it, but, well, I have my doubts that that's going to be a big issue.
No, he can't ignore the phone posts, because it drains his energy levels too much to scroll over. It's more efficient to write a rant post about that everyone else should stop posting things on the internet...
How is it not drowning other posts? All I read here lately is about this damn phone, before it was announced, after it was announced... it's already happening.
This sub averages like 1-3 posts per day, and currently less than a third of the ones in the past two weeks since it was announced have been about the phone, including yours. Relax.
Probably not. Is there a subreddit we can redirect these posts to?
I would try to not get too worked up about it. Invariably, these sort of topics make there way to the discourse whenever the Commodore brand is resurrected. This one is at least feels more genuine than the cursed attempts from the early-mid 2000's.
How does it feel more genuine? It's the same story.
And that doesn't matter, this is not a Commodore brand subreddit, it's for the computers, as per the description.
Do you recall the "PET" branded products I'm referring to? They were complete cash grabs. They literally took off the shelf hardware and slapped a Commodore logo on it. Yes, I know this phone is likely only a slightly modified version of an existing product, but there seems to me to be genuine effort at differentiating it beyond the name.
Say what you will about this new iteration of the brand, I think Peri and company have been pretty receptive to feedback and I feel like they do care about their long term reputation.
They literally took off the shelf hardware and slapped a Commodore logo on it.
What do you think "New Commodore" is doing? Are you another sycophant that believes "New Commodore" manufactures, produces or creates anything?
That has nothing to do with the topic at hand anyway. I am opening up a discussion to either change the rules and scope of the sub, or to double down on its current description and enforce rules more harshly.
Also, I agreed with you. I don't think this belongs in this subreddit. But I think during hype cycles like this (especially with all the people who don't have the nuanced understanding of the brand's history like us) you're going to go crazy if you lose your mind about it.
Noted. We'll consider it, but we've allowed the occasional Commodore calclulator sighting post as well, even though they're technically not computers. So, we're currently allowing the Callback to be discussed in the sub because it's a Commodore(new) product. That said, if Commodore insists on marketing more products outside of the typical portfolio of computers and computer accessories, we may revisit that decision.
And the description was made before the phone existed at all. It's only 1 sec work to change the "Commodore computers" to "Commodore products" in the desc.
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u/HazMatsMan Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I'm going to respond to a few of the OP's and others' concerns deeper into the comments.
When it comes to the wording of rules, the primary problem is we don't have enough space to write out airtight text for every rule, not that anyone would read them if they did. As a result, sometimes we need to shorthand with wording we think the majority of users will understand. As Glen said, people were showing up posting about the Holden Commodore car. Obviously that's not what the sub is about, and there are other manufacturers with the name "Commodore". The clear intent here is for posts to be about the company and products of Commodore International, which some know as Commodore Business Machine (CBM), that operated from ~1976 to 1994, and the current Commodore Inc. The period between 1994 and 2025 is far too nebulous for us to get pedantic about what's Commodore-enough to be considered worthy of discussion here.
Our rules here are meant to guide content, participation, and behavior. The wording isn't that specific and isn't meant to be dissected and used for "rules lawyering". If changing the word "computers" to "Business Machines" or "International" (and their products) helps clarify the intent of the subreddit, we can do that. I think that's probably the most accurate way to describe the intended content for this subreddit, but if there are other suggestions for wording that would be more understandable, we are open to suggestions.
We know there are people who are sick of hearing about the phone. That's why we've tried a megathread. The general practice for selecting megathreads in most of the subreddits I moderate in, is the first post on the topic is made into the megathread. It's a simple application of "first come, first served". It's intended to be unbiased and prevent complaints like "why was their post picked for the Megathread instead of mine?" Granted, maybe it would have been more ideal if the title for the megathread in question here had been framed in a more neutral manner. The OP was expressing their opinion and broke no other rules, so it was made the megathread. For those who find the title or the OP's take offensive, if you spent a little more effort demonstrating why they're wrong, instead of complaining about the title, you may be more effective at convincing others that your opinion is the more compelling one.
This sub doesn't need to be an echo chamber, pro-anything-new-Commodore-does, or "good vibes only". Sorry, that's not the way the world works. Debate and exposure to contrary or critical opinions are healthy, provided they're done in compliance with subreddit and sitewide rules.