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From: Woody on 21 Jun 2010 17:26 SteveH <italiancar(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid> wrote: > >>> That is understandable. The dragon was bad enough, why would you > > > want to >>> expand on that? >> >> <cough> The Dragon had some interesting features that made is a lot >> better than is apparent from the basic specs. Or most common usage, > > for >> that matter... > > It had (has) a very good keyboard - remember, it was priced up as a > Spectrum competitor, so it was a bit of a revalation to get a proper > keyboard, rather than squidgy bits of rubber. Well, maybe a very good keyboard at the cost but it was horrible to work with > Going with 6809 processors rather than Z80 gave it a technologial > edge, > but very few applications seemed to take advantage of this. I disliked the 6809 quite a lot. Don't know why, as you say, it should be good but I never got on with it > It was the only 'home' computer to support analogue joysticks and have > an 'industry standard' parallel printer port, too. How about the BBC? > Oh, and you could run it at double clock speed with a simple POKE. > ISTR > it's POKE 65535,1 Isnt it more you could stop it running at half speed? So why did it run at half speed in the first place? > <mine's the green anorak with a red dragon on the back> > >> Me? Oh, I never really used one - but I've looked into them a bit, > > and >> I think my dad probably has one in a cupboard somewhere (a boring > > normal >> Dragon 32; if so, I might get it one day). > > I still have mine. And the dot matrix printer bought soon after. > > Way back in the day I wrote a very simple 'notepad' type application > so I could type up my homework on it. Rather you than me. I did a little programming on it. I was not a fan. Dies it show? -- Woody
From: Peter Ceresole on 21 Jun 2010 17:28 Jim <jim(a)magrathea.plus.com> wrote: > No they weren't - Electrons went for about �199. > > But I see where you're coming from on the others. Oh, I did so want an Electron, because they had such a nice keyboard. But instead, when they came out, I got an Amstrad CPC 6128. Wonderful machine- but later, of course. -- Peter
From: SteveH on 21 Jun 2010 17:33 Woody <usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk> wrote: > I bought a BBC b, and I really was not rich at the time. It was way > nicer to use. But it was a considerably more expensive machine - I don't think the average household was tempted by a �500 computer, as people mostly got their knowledge from browsing the computers in Boots / WH Smith (remember those days?) and Dixons. When my parents bought the Dragon, they had 2 requirements - a proper keyboard and under �200. I think the Dragon was just about the only machine which qualified, aside from the Vic 20. I remember trying to talk them into a Tatung Einstein when they were being discontinued, and desperately wanted a Z88. I narrowly escaped the humiliation of a Sinclair PC200, persuading them a CPC6128 was a better idea.... -- SteveH
From: SteveH on 21 Jun 2010 17:37 Peter Ceresole <peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk> wrote: > Jim <jim(a)magrathea.plus.com> wrote: > > > No they weren't - Electrons went for about �199. > > > > But I see where you're coming from on the others. > > Oh, I did so want an Electron, because they had such a nice keyboard. Never felt inspired by the Electron. Too many incompatabilities with the BBC B. > But instead, when they came out, I got an Amstrad CPC 6128. Wonderful > machine- but later, of course. Oh indeed. I loved the 6128. What I'd class as my first 'proper' computer. -- SteveH
From: Woody on 21 Jun 2010 17:43
SteveH <italiancar(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Woody <usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk> wrote: > >> I bought a BBC b, and I really was not rich at the time. It was way >> nicer to use. > > But it was a considerably more expensive machine - I don't think the > average household was tempted by a £500 computer, as people mostly got > their knowledge from browsing the computers in Boots / WH Smith > (remember those days?) and Dixons. I got mine in dixons > When my parents bought the Dragon, they had 2 requirements - a proper > keyboard and under £200. I think the Dragon was just about the only > machine which qualified, aside from the Vic 20. I got an acorn electron first, which fulfilled both of those (with a much much nicer keyboard) But then I realised I needed a BBC. > I remember trying to talk them into a Tatung Einstein when they were > being discontinued, and desperately wanted a Z88. I desperately wanted one of those too. They had them in dixons but I couldn't get one. -- Woody |