Micro Men
in [UK Mac]
|
From: Peter Ceresole on 12 Oct 2009 06:30 Duncan Kennedy <nospam(a)nospam.otterson-bg.couk> wrote: > Were you not involved in writing for something 'way back, Peter? Zx > /Amsttrad / Atari? WACCI. The Worldwide Amstrad CPC Computer Users' Club. I wrote some pieces for it, helped to edit it. It was huge fun. My main contribution was doing some covers, and a series of articles called 'playing with Protext', which was about just that. I also used to write about some more or less obscure CPC applications such as DU. But (and this is relevant to the subthread about coding for the 8-bit processors) I had started on a ZX-81, built it into a box with something like a full travel keyboard and a RAM pack, and started out to learn Z80 machine code. And then along came the CPC6128. And although I bought myself an assembler, in fact I never used it. I discovered a decent keyboard, a built in 3" floppy drive (soon added an extra 3.5 with- GASP- 750K capacity) and actual applications that worked... There were rather good CP/M editors and nice comms software, but the real discovery was Protext, on ROM. Terrifically capable, terrifically fast. I wrote a huge number of programme scripts with it. At Lime Grove two people used their own computers. Peter Snow and me. He had an early IBM, an XT I think. It certainly had a hard drive, and he ran Wordstar on it. I used it a couple of times; Protext key commands were very similar. But the CPC was faster, and Protext more capable. I could write my own printer drivers for it. But there you go; beta/VHS.... Not really... -- Peter
From: Peter Ceresole on 12 Oct 2009 08:30 Peter Ceresole <peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk> wrote: > I also used to write about some > more or less obscure CPC applications such as DU. Make that CP/M applications... Jeez, the time, she flies. Like a banana. -- Peter
From: Duncan Kennedy on 12 Oct 2009 09:45 In message <1j7h0bu.97t386bzszypN%peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk>, Peter Ceresole <peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk> writes >Duncan Kennedy <nospam(a)nospam.otterson-bg.couk> wrote: > >> Were you not involved in writing for something 'way back, Peter? Zx >> /Amsttrad / Atari? > >WACCI. The Worldwide Amstrad CPC Computer Users' Club. I wrote some >pieces for it, helped to edit it. It was huge fun. My main contribution >was doing some covers, and a series of articles called 'playing with >Protext', which was about just that. I also used to write about some >more or less obscure CPC applications such as DU. Ah! That's it - I had completely forgotten about WACCI - and, indeed, of Protext. I lived in Protext for work - I was the only one with a computer until I got a team with 2 Commodores, an Apricot that wouldn't talk to anything and a teletype contraption rigged to our HO that only ever started up once with enormous noise that stopped the entire team in their tracks, printed 2 lines of rubbish and went back to giving it's power supply over to running my deputy's contact lens cleaner. Never go round to CP/R - mainly BASIC of various flavours - including Power Basic - wrote a suite of simple business graphics programs for the Amstrad during very boring Board Meetings - staff and Board thought I was making notes. Gave up programming with the purchase of an Ambra (cheap IBM) 486. I was useful when I went back to my own business on web development 14 years ago. > >But (and this is relevant to the subthread about coding for the 8-bit >processors) I had started on a ZX-81, built it into a box with something >like a full travel keyboard and a RAM pack, and started out to learn Z80 >machine code. And then along came the CPC6128. And although I bought >myself an assembler, in fact I never used it. I discovered a decent >keyboard, a built in 3" floppy drive (soon added an extra 3.5 with- >GASP- 750K capacity) and actual applications that worked... So we went down similar computer routes at that time apart from the assembler (I only used a little I didn't rally understand but copied from magazines - possibly yours!) I was even with Demon for many years from 93 and still watch their groups but perhaps that's another story. :-) >There were >rather good CP/M editors and nice comms software, but the real discovery >was Protext, on ROM. Terrifically capable, terrifically fast. I wrote a >huge number of programme scripts with it. Was the CPC the one with the ROM box that plugged in the back? I think it was - I had a full box of 6 with Protext and separate spell checker as I remember - can't remember the rest although one was tools I think. I still have a box of 3" back-up disks I kept when I parted with the 6128. >At Lime Grove two people used >their own computers. Peter Snow and me. He had an early IBM, an XT I >think. It certainly had a hard drive, and he ran Wordstar on it. I used >it a couple of times; Protext key commands were very similar. But the >CPC was faster, and Protext more capable. I could write my own printer >drivers for it. > I went on to the Atari STE - for which I got a real giant hard drive - all of 25MB - cost me nearly 350 quid - which was a great deal in those days - that's why I still have it - it was a specially converted SCSI external. And there was the hand scanner. I had all my office work, some video titling, some photos and drawings and lots more and never got beyond 12.5 MB. I also travelled with the Z88 for several years. -- Duncan K Downtown Dalgety Bay
From: Peter Ceresole on 12 Oct 2009 10:03 Duncan Kennedy <obg(a)otterson-bg.co.uk> wrote: > > Was the CPC the one with the ROM box that plugged in the back? I think > it was - I had a full box of 6 with Protext and separate spell checker > as I remember - can't remember the rest although one was tools I think. Mine were... Protext, an extension for that called Promerge, an Arnor Utilities ROM called Utopia, which was very useful indeed... Then CP/M on ROM, which took two slots, plus a load of CP/M utilities. There was more but I simply can't remember. And of course 256k of RAM drive, which meant that in CP/M the virtual drive made everything so smooth and quick. Okay, in one way you could say it was lipstick on a pig, but it was a tasty pig. I used it for years for serious work. > I also travelled with the Z88 for several years. That was a really nice machine. But my fave was the NC200. Apart from the fact that it had Protext built in and an almost infinite battery life (I cheated and built a battery pack with D cells and a Maplins battery holder) it had, don't laugh, an almost perfectly functional display. Worked perfectly in bright sunlight and if the light fell, the backlight was good. For writing scripts in summer on a bench in Hyde Park (I actually did this when there was an emergency request- it saved me going back to Ealing Studios one Friday afternoon) I've never found anythgin to equal it- even now. -- Peter
From: Tim Gowen on 12 Oct 2009 11:44
Chris Ridd <chrisridd(a)mac.com> wrote: > On 2009-10-11 22:36:07 +0100, Jaimie Vandenbergh > <jaimie(a)sometimes.sessile.org> said: > > > It may well not have all those interesting techie bits in the back any > > more, it was definitely on a downward spiral and I've not read any > > for, um, probably four years. > > And now of course, you can't read it because it was shut down. That was PC World. PC Pro is indeed an Apple-basher, but this month they leave us alone because Windows 7 is reviewed. Tim -- Tim Gowen |