The difference between a home computer and a so-called personal computer is that one is a simple, easy to use 8-bit machine with usually a Z80 or a 6502 CPU and the other is a 16-bit or larger IBM-compatible computer that often uses MS-DOS etc with a price tag of several thousand dollars!
A report recently appeared in NZH stating that American computer users are demanding Pentium chips for their home computers although they are not even sure why! Apparently the Americans have been brainwashed by the Madison Avenue advertising agencies into believing that they need ever more powerful industrial business computers for home use. But who will write the software for these immensely powerful machines?
Another report from the same newspaper suggests that software companies are fast running out of options. The NZ operator is faced with the same dilemma: he is like a car buyer who, on enquiring at the local dealers' yard is told, "We only sell trucks, delivery vans and light (?) commercial vehicles."
A new or used car dealer who tried to sell his vehicles in the same way that computer manufacturers sell their machines would soon go bust; most computer systems sold in NZ and overseas are totally unsuitable being far too powerful for the tasks they are to be used for. Not that any executive or sales manager will ever admit that. The owner of a 286 yearns for a 386 and the 386 user longs for a 486 machine.
But the greatest drawback of these powerful new machines is the incompatibility with previous models and anyway, as the perfect computer doesn't exist, no aftersales backup need be provided.
Whatever happened to the 8/16-bit W65sc816 and Z800 chips that the Western Design centre and Zilog announced in 1984??
Once you've used a word processor to write your 4-C, you'll never go back to a typewriter or even handwriting because correcting spelling errors, etc is so easy that even your old Granny could do it in her sleep with the help of Gordon Well's Guide To Low-Cost Word Processing from Alison Bushy.
As this was published in 1986, it doesn't mention Slogger's Electron compatible Starword or Peter Brunning's CPC compatible BRUNWORD ELITE which are both ROM-based programs. Starword is a View lookalike with the same gap-tooth appearance and a built-in printer driver.
My first database choice has to be the Electron-compatible Slogger DAF STARSTORE v2 which also vaguely resembles the View-series. Other choices are the INTERBASE which is primarily a 64K programming language with an additional database and starbase which is part ROM, part disk-based. Unfortunately I don't possess the documentation so I can't get it to write to a disk. In any case, it's DFS only. Could some kind person tell me if it's FDC-8271 single density or 1770 double density compatible?
The computer industry and its supporters are too conservative: the keyboards that they use were designed 100 years ago. Many PC-clone machines are still fitted with old-fashioned 5.25" drives. Hooboy! That's progress! Everything's up to date in Kansas city! I've got a great idea! Instead of trying to sell us glitzy but incompatible new Pentium-based machines, why don't the wheeler dealers try supporting the old machines that are already available?
Timex-Sinclair: Even when using TASWORD, its 32 column screen width is not really suitable for word processing. But if it's retro fitted with an MGT Disciple-type printer/disk, in fact it's still capable of supporting a database or small spreadsheet.
Acorn Electron/Beeble-Cee/Master 128 (Look out, doctor!): I'm typing this newsletter on a Master 128 using Wordwise Plus but I'll soon be changing to an Amstrad CPC-6128 fitted with a BRUNWORD or INFOSCRIPT word processor/database. As soon as I can fit an external 3.5" disk drive, in fact.
Home Computer News
Versatile Computer Research (NZ) Unltd
F4/177 Shirley Road, Papatoetoe, AUCKLAND
Tel: 278-1150 (Evenings)