3 ms·

Amstrad CPC! I can remember when you could buy one at the department store. Computing was adventurous exploration then.

by tempodox 3y ago

sedatk 3y ago
Two friends and I started an impromptu coding session last night on my first Amstrad CPC464 bought in 1988. It turned out to be my name sinusoidally moving over the screen. It was so fun to discover BASIC commands and implement effects together. Only photos of the event left though because there was no tape to save the work :)
- pkaye 3y ago
  My dad got me a Amstrad system here in the US when I was a teenager. It was sold as a word processer system with a high resolution green monitor and a nice printer. But it was not of use for anything else due to the nonstandard floppy form factor. And any games I could get would have to come form the UK so very expensive and hard to get. It did have CP/M, BASIC and Logo so I also learned about that. The biggest use out of that system was once I typed up an Eliza chatbot BASIC program from a library book. Its quite simplistic but turned out very entertaining to young children like our close neighbors young kids and much later my young nephew/niece. They would always ask for the "Green monitor" anytime they visited and spend hours on it. Much later when we meet up they still recall that "Green monitor" they had fond memories of.
  - sedatk 3y ago
    That was probably an Amstrad PCW series computer. Never used one, but heard a lot about them. The machines of the era were very remarkable that they made the most of its users write programs, something we see rarely these days.
    - pkaye 3y ago
      Yes I looked it up and it was one of those Amstrad PCW computers.
sixothree 3y ago
The thing I miss the most is every device having an answer for “what makes this thing interesting or unique”. No longer is that true or as relevant really.

3 ms·

Amstrad CPC! I can remember when you could buy one at the department store. Computing was adventurous exploration then.

by tempodox 3y ago

Amstrad CPC! I can remember when you could buy one at the department store. Computing was adventurous exploration then.

sedatk 3y ago
Two friends and I started an impromptu coding session last night on my first Amstrad CPC464 bought in 1988. It turned out to be my name sinusoidally moving over the screen. It was so fun to discover BASIC commands and implement effects together. Only photos of the event left though because there was no tape to save the work :)
- pkaye 3y ago
  My dad got me a Amstrad system here in the US when I was a teenager. It was sold as a word processer system with a high resolution green monitor and a nice printer. But it was not of use for anything else due to the nonstandard floppy form factor. And any games I could get would have to come form the UK so very expensive and hard to get. It did have CP/M, BASIC and Logo so I also learned about that. The biggest use out of that system was once I typed up an Eliza chatbot BASIC program from a library book. Its quite simplistic but turned out very entertaining to young children like our close neighbors young kids and much later my young nephew/niece. They would always ask for the "Green monitor" anytime they visited and spend hours on it. Much later when we meet up they still recall that "Green monitor" they had fond memories of.
  - sedatk 3y ago
    That was probably an Amstrad PCW series computer. Never used one, but heard a lot about them. The machines of the era were very remarkable that they made the most of its users write programs, something we see rarely these days.
    - pkaye 3y ago
      Yes I looked it up and it was one of those Amstrad PCW computers.
sixothree 3y ago
The thing I miss the most is every device having an answer for “what makes this thing interesting or unique”. No longer is that true or as relevant really.