THE Electron is now well into its seventh year, having been released way back in autumn 1983. So long ago in fact, that some of our youngest readers might not have even been born! Aging whizz kids like me however, can remember those heady days when the Electron was King. Those were the days. In retrospect the past always seems rosy as memories dim and events get muddled in our minds. What was really happening five years ago this month?
"Electron heads for success in 1985" proclaimed the headlines in Electron User's news pages. The lead story went on to say that "Excellent Christmas sales of the Electron are being seen as an indication the machine could become the big computer success story of 1985." WHSmiths reported: "The sales rate for the Electron has almost tripled in a few weeks."
The Plus 3 ADFS disc system had just been released for £229 and also an RS423 interface was announced - but that piece of hardware never materialised. And what happened to the doomed Plus 2 Econet interface demonstrated by Acorn at shows?
Acornsoft announced the release of ISO-PASCAL, one of the most important programming languages currently in use, and LOGO was on the way. Skywav wasalso selling the cult programming language FORTH on a ROM chip.
Latest releases on the software scene were WARP ONE from Icon, STRANDED from Superior, BUMBLE BEE and GHOULS from Micro Power and PINBALL ARCADE from Kansas City Systems.
Phi Mag Systems announced a Phloopy super fast tape system that emulated a disc system, but was really a cassette. One spent a few weeks attached to my micro and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, it soon broke down, the Phloopy idea never really caught the public's imagination, and Phi Mag Systems eventually disappeared.
Voltmace was selling its Delta 3B joystick - it still is - and Qualsoft was boasting that SOCCER SUPREMO was "not so much a game, more a way of life." It has been updated and is now called ROME '90 - the adverts are still running in Electron User. And Superior Software was there on the inside back page with OVERDRIVE and SMASH AND GRAB.
Electron User's cover featured a superb pie chart generator from the talented Jon Willington (the listing can be found in this month's In Action feature). Pete Bibby was up to Part 12 of the Introduction to Programming, and Merlin was providing the hints and tips. A relatively unknown newcomer, Roland Waddilove, provided a machine code shoot-'em-up, while Dave Robinson's utility displayed New Year greetings cards.
It is interesting to see how some names have come and gone, but others are still with us. Next month I'll time warp back to 1984 - can you remember what was happening in February that year?
