Re: Christmas 1984: The Great Apple//c vs. PCjr Battle

[steve@dosius.zzn.com (Dosius)]

macvaya@remove.this.mindspring.com (Cali Ruchala) wrote in message news:<macvaya-2412021115210001@dialup-67.28.30.205.dial1.chicago1.level3.net>...
> In article <3E07EAF5.2010805@es.co.nz>, Roger Johnstone <rojaws@es.co.nz> wrote:
> 
> > I wrote:
> > 
> > > History/Nostalgia alert:
> > > 
> > > There's an interesting item on Charles Eicher's site about selling home 
> > > computers during the 1984 Christmas shopping season.
> > > 
> > > http://ceicher.homeunix.com/archives/2002_12_23.html
> > > 
> > 
> > Apologies for the lack of subject, it was supposed to be "Christmas 
> > 1984: The Great Apple //c vs. PCjr Battle".
> > 
> > If it doesn't show up this time, I'm going to have to keep looking for a 
> > decent newsreader.
> 
> 
> 
> Saw it fine. Interesting article. My very first computer was a
> second-hand PCjr (I assume there were lots of them). Instead of
> dual floppies, there were cartridge slots; mine (whether these
> were factory-issue or purchased by the previous owner, I don't
> know) came with BASIC and Tobias' "Managing Your Money" cartridges. 

I think BASIC came with the PCjr, but I'm not sure.

> 
> The hardware failed a few months later, but I didn't notice any
> fuzziness in the colour monitor or keyboard problems. I learned
> a bit from some computer magazines that came with it - short,
> simple programs in BASIC you could copy, and the inevitable,
> inexplicable "syntax error" at the end of it just gave you that
> bit of realism. :-) Still, I don't know if I'll ever get the 
> thrill that I got when a colour bar came up and began flashing
> on and off in time with "La Cucaracha."
> 
> I got it fixed (or, rather, some adult with money did), though
> I eventually got a Mac and put it away. About three years ago, my
> sister-in-law found it and sold it for a few bucks at a yard sale 
> and, for reasons unknown, gave the buyer my name and phone number 
> "in case you have any problems." Few days later, I'm getting calls 
> asking why Windows won't boot.

Another cl00less n00bie. :�

I'm thinking of writing a Tandy 1000 HX emulator, my Tandy died, and I
have the ROM dumps I made...GW-BASIC 3.2 on the Tandy 1000 has all the
PCjr extensions.

> 
> Thanks for the memories!
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> 
> Cali

-uso.