ScuzzBlog: Diaries September 2019
Entry 7th September 2019: Post 01: Amstrad - My PCW9512 era.
Amstrad - My PCW9512 era.
My Amstrad PCW9512 era lasted from 1987 to 1993. I only gave up on
the computer when the disk drive finally packed up. Prior to 1987
I had been a dedicated Sinclair user having grown up in the home
computing world with the ZX81 and then 16K, 48K Spectrums and
briefly the Spectrum+2. Strange that it was the move by Amstrad
to trivialise the Spectrum that made me give up on the platform.
The world was very different in those days and computers were very
much a fun thing to have around for home activities. Normally just
gaming in truth. At work I was using the MAC and more normally a
very large Intergraph system that used a four screen monitor, A1
size desk tablet and line printer. The system then cost half a
million so it was never in my price bracket. For business we used
Apricot and Amstrad for the accounts.
So when I faced getting a new computer in 1987 I wanted something
that could replicate some of the accounting processes and word
processing work that I needed to undertake as financial director.
I very much wanted a working computer and not a hobbyist machine.
So I purchased a PCW9512 for around £500 that was a dedicated
word processor and had the monitor and the printer as part of
the system. I had looked into other systems but sadly in those
days a computer with monitor and printer was going to cost me
anything up to £2000 and more.
The PCW9512 basically did just what I needed. This was accentuated
even more when I set up business on my own and needed to manage
all my letter writing and accounts from a single machine. I never
ever once questioned the suitability of the machine and always
found it truly responsive and efficient.
Outside of the business end of my activities with the machine I
also enjoyed very much dabbling with CP/M, Logo and Malard BASIC.
Certainly the fun I had writing text based adventure games on the
9512 kept me up till the early hours. I just never tired of getting
the BASIC to fool and baffle me as the author.
I have always written stories and in 1992 I began an epic story
that became my life for quite a good time. It was probably the constant
disk saving and printing that finally killed the computer. I managed
just in time to print off the last page before she finally kicked
the bucket. Thanks to OCR I was able to transfer the story to text
and I now have a version on the Amiga.
I still have all my old accounts disks from 1991-92 plus my books
and programs I wrote in Malard BASIC. Up until recently I wasn't
able to read the disks as they are in a format and on 3" disks only
usable on a PCW9512. I repaired the disk drive in 2017 and so have
a working computer.
Yesterday I touched on the era of the Atari and Amiga wars. I know
that Commodore, Atari, Apple and even Acorn were producing computers
with a way better user interface and OS. My family were very heavily
into the Amiga and what with the computers at work I had no doubt
that other systems were superior in ever way to the 9512. But it
really is a case of horses for courses, and whilst I may have had
more fun with these other systems, the distraction of gaming and
fun applications could have seriously impacted on the serious nature
of my business. The 9512 was like a trustworthy colleague that kept
my nose to the grind stone. It may not have had the bells and whistles
but it did the job that I really needed to undertake without fault.
There was never any doubt in my mind that I would eventually get
the PCW9512 working again. If she was to break again I would repair
again. It is not that she is used extensively or provides me with
an invaluable service today. It is more the fact that on my disks
are the memories of six years of my life that I never want to forget.
When you use a computer as a friend and close companion that supports
and aids you in quite tricky situations you tend to appreciate just
how useful that is. Sadly the 9512 is a difficult system to replicate
and use the 3" disks. In truth it is probably the most unique machine
that I have when it comes to being able to use the disks. And so it
is for these reasons that I truly believe the PCW9512 was one of
the best home computers ever made. ... for me.
Amstrad - My PCW9512 era.
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