Home » Personal collection » Acorn ADFS disks » Electron_User_Group » EUG_26.ADF » L/Sharp1
L/Sharp1
This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.
Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.
| Tape/disk: | Home » Personal collection » Acorn ADFS disks » Electron_User_Group » EUG_26.ADF |
| Filename: | L/Sharp1 |
| Read OK: | ✔ |
| File size: | 0923 bytes |
| Load address: | 53206576 |
| Exec address: | 70726168 |
File contents
�..>......*.......*.......*.......*.......*.......*.......*.......< Dear Sir, Further to our telephone conversation I now write to send you the enrolment fee for EUG As you seemed interested I shall also indulge in some personal reminiscences. Computers always seemed to me too remote and expensive, until I went to teach for a short time at Uppington. there the Head of Physics had set up a computer network to help with administration. More of an influence with me was the sight of a young boy playing with his Nascom2 using a hex dump on his screen to find a bug in his program. Soon afterwards Clive Sinclair reached down to my financial level with his ZX80, then the ZX81. Atlast Acorn tempted me with their Atom and I persuaded the school where I was teaching to buy me the kit so I could make their first computer. As I still did not possess a 6502-based machine I bought myself a UK101 which I thought an excellent system except for the inferior Microsoft BASIC. When the splendid Jupiter Ace was becoming cheap I had to return to the Z80 but with the excellent FORTH language. Evwentually I aquired a lot of Ace bits and even made up a new machine for a member of the FORTH User Group, but I felt I could not charge him quite the cost of the extra parts I had to buy! Again because it was cheap I bought a Dragon and became aquainted with the 6809. I then visited the school for which I had bought the Atom and which now had a lot of computers and bought back 'my' Atom. I still have it but on the rare occasions when I use it I supply regulated 5 volts to it, the internal heatsink being inadequate. I still think it was a truly excellent design, intellegent, flexable and well documented. I bought an Electron a few years ago for `60 at Curry's. In my opinion it is a national disgrace that the Electron did not sell better, but the fault was partly Acorn's in that the original price was a little too high. Also we were wrong as a nation to lose the initiative in the 80's when we could have built up a technically competant young population.. Instead it went to games machines and the money makers with the help of Arts Graduates who kept insisting that computers should not be regarded as facinating examples of applied mathematics but as yet another tool to help them wast reems of paper! Yours sincerely Bob Sharp
00000000 81 2e 2e 3e 2e 2e 2e 2e 2e 2e 2a 2e 2e 2e 2e 2e |...>......*.....| 00000010 2e 2e 2a 2e 2e 2e 2e 2e 2e 2e 2a 2e 2e 2e 2e 2e |..*.......*.....| * 00000040 2e 2e 3c 0d 44 65 61 72 20 53 69 72 2c 0d 46 75 |..<.Dear Sir,.Fu| 00000050 72 74 68 65 72 20 74 6f 20 6f 75 72 20 74 65 6c |rther to our tel| 00000060 65 70 68 6f 6e 65 20 63 6f 6e 76 65 72 73 61 74 |ephone conversat| 00000070 69 6f 6e 20 49 20 6e 6f 77 20 77 72 69 74 65 20 |ion I now write | 00000080 74 6f 20 73 65 6e 64 20 79 6f 75 0d 74 68 65 20 |to send you.the | 00000090 65 6e 72 6f 6c 6d 65 6e 74 20 66 65 65 20 66 6f |enrolment fee fo| 000000a0 72 20 45 55 47 0d 0d 41 73 20 79 6f 75 20 73 65 |r EUG..As you se| 000000b0 65 6d 65 64 20 69 6e 74 65 72 65 73 74 65 64 20 |emed interested | 000000c0 49 20 73 68 61 6c 6c 20 61 6c 73 6f 20 69 6e 64 |I shall also ind| 000000d0 75 6c 67 65 20 69 6e 20 73 6f 6d 65 20 70 65 72 |ulge in some per| 000000e0 73 6f 6e 61 6c 0d 72 65 6d 69 6e 69 73 63 65 6e |sonal.reminiscen| 000000f0 63 65 73 2e 0d 0d 43 6f 6d 70 75 74 65 72 73 20 |ces...Computers | 00000100 61 6c 77 61 79 73 20 73 65 65 6d 65 64 20 74 6f |always seemed to| 00000110 20 6d 65 20 74 6f 6f 20 72 65 6d 6f 74 65 20 61 | me too remote a| 00000120 6e 64 20 65 78 70 65 6e 73 69 76 65 2c 20 75 6e |nd expensive, un| 00000130 74 69 6c 20 49 0d 77 65 6e 74 20 74 6f 20 74 65 |til I.went to te| 00000140 61 63 68 20 66 6f 72 20 61 20 73 68 6f 72 74 20 |ach for a short | 00000150 74 69 6d 65 20 61 74 20 55 70 70 69 6e 67 74 6f |time at Uppingto| 00000160 6e 2e 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 74 68 65 20 48 65 61 |n. there the Hea| 00000170 64 20 6f 66 0d 50 68 79 73 69 63 73 20 68 61 64 |d of.Physics had| 00000180 20 73 65 74 20 75 70 20 61 20 63 6f 6d 70 75 74 | set up a comput| 00000190 65 72 20 6e 65 74 77 6f 72 6b 20 74 6f 20 68 65 |er network to he| 000001a0 6c 70 20 77 69 74 68 0d 61 64 6d 69 6e 69 73 74 |lp with.administ| 000001b0 72 61 74 69 6f 6e 2e 20 4d 6f 72 65 20 6f 66 20 |ration. More of | 000001c0 61 6e 20 69 6e 66 6c 75 65 6e 63 65 20 77 69 74 |an influence wit| 000001d0 68 20 6d 65 20 77 61 73 20 74 68 65 20 73 69 67 |h me was the sig| 000001e0 68 74 20 6f 66 20 61 0d 79 6f 75 6e 67 20 62 6f |ht of a.young bo| 000001f0 79 20 70 6c 61 79 69 6e 67 20 77 69 74 68 20 68 |y playing with h| 00000200 69 73 20 4e 61 73 63 6f 6d 32 20 75 73 69 6e 67 |is Nascom2 using| 00000210 20 61 20 68 65 78 20 64 75 6d 70 20 6f 6e 20 68 | a hex dump on h| 00000220 69 73 0d 73 63 72 65 65 6e 20 74 6f 20 66 69 6e |is.screen to fin| 00000230 64 20 61 20 62 75 67 20 69 6e 20 68 69 73 20 70 |d a bug in his p| 00000240 72 6f 67 72 61 6d 2e 0d 0d 53 6f 6f 6e 20 61 66 |rogram...Soon af| 00000250 74 65 72 77 61 72 64 73 20 43 6c 69 76 65 20 53 |terwards Clive S| 00000260 69 6e 63 6c 61 69 72 20 72 65 61 63 68 65 64 20 |inclair reached | 00000270 64 6f 77 6e 20 74 6f 20 6d 79 20 66 69 6e 61 6e |down to my finan| 00000280 63 69 61 6c 0d 6c 65 76 65 6c 20 77 69 74 68 20 |cial.level with | 00000290 68 69 73 20 5a 58 38 30 2c 20 74 68 65 6e 20 74 |his ZX80, then t| 000002a0 68 65 20 5a 58 38 31 2e 20 41 74 6c 61 73 74 20 |he ZX81. Atlast | 000002b0 41 63 6f 72 6e 20 74 65 6d 70 74 65 64 20 6d 65 |Acorn tempted me| 000002c0 20 77 69 74 68 0d 74 68 65 69 72 20 41 74 6f 6d | with.their Atom| 000002d0 20 61 6e 64 20 49 20 70 65 72 73 75 61 64 65 64 | and I persuaded| 000002e0 20 74 68 65 20 73 63 68 6f 6f 6c 20 77 68 65 72 | the school wher| 000002f0 65 20 49 20 77 61 73 20 74 65 61 63 68 69 6e 67 |e I was teaching| 00000300 20 74 6f 0d 62 75 79 20 6d 65 20 74 68 65 20 6b | to.buy me the k| 00000310 69 74 20 73 6f 20 49 20 63 6f 75 6c 64 20 6d 61 |it so I could ma| 00000320 6b 65 20 74 68 65 69 72 20 66 69 72 73 74 20 63 |ke their first c| 00000330 6f 6d 70 75 74 65 72 2e 0d 0d 41 73 20 49 20 73 |omputer...As I s| 00000340 74 69 6c 6c 20 64 69 64 20 6e 6f 74 20 70 6f 73 |till did not pos| 00000350 73 65 73 73 20 61 20 36 35 30 32 2d 62 61 73 65 |sess a 6502-base| 00000360 64 20 6d 61 63 68 69 6e 65 20 49 20 62 6f 75 67 |d machine I boug| 00000370 68 74 20 6d 79 73 65 6c 66 0d 61 20 55 4b 31 30 |ht myself.a UK10| 00000380 31 20 77 68 69 63 68 20 49 20 74 68 6f 75 67 68 |1 which I though| 00000390 74 20 61 6e 20 65 78 63 65 6c 6c 65 6e 74 20 73 |t an excellent s| 000003a0 79 73 74 65 6d 20 65 78 63 65 70 74 20 66 6f 72 |ystem except for| 000003b0 20 74 68 65 0d 69 6e 66 65 72 69 6f 72 20 4d 69 | the.inferior Mi| 000003c0 63 72 6f 73 6f 66 74 20 42 41 53 49 43 2e 20 57 |crosoft BASIC. W| 000003d0 68 65 6e 20 74 68 65 20 73 70 6c 65 6e 64 69 64 |hen the splendid| 000003e0 20 4a 75 70 69 74 65 72 20 41 63 65 20 77 61 73 | Jupiter Ace was| 000003f0 0d 62 65 63 6f 6d 69 6e 67 20 63 68 65 61 70 20 |.becoming cheap | 00000400 49 20 68 61 64 20 74 6f 20 72 65 74 75 72 6e 20 |I had to return | 00000410 74 6f 20 74 68 65 20 5a 38 30 20 62 75 74 20 77 |to the Z80 but w| 00000420 69 74 68 20 74 68 65 20 65 78 63 65 6c 6c 65 6e |ith the excellen| 00000430 74 0d 46 4f 52 54 48 20 6c 61 6e 67 75 61 67 65 |t.FORTH language| 00000440 2e 20 45 76 77 65 6e 74 75 61 6c 6c 79 20 49 20 |. Evwentually I | 00000450 61 71 75 69 72 65 64 20 61 20 6c 6f 74 20 6f 66 |aquired a lot of| 00000460 20 41 63 65 20 62 69 74 73 20 61 6e 64 20 65 76 | Ace bits and ev| 00000470 65 6e 0d 6d 61 64 65 20 75 70 20 61 20 6e 65 77 |en.made up a new| 00000480 20 6d 61 63 68 69 6e 65 20 66 6f 72 20 61 20 6d | machine for a m| 00000490 65 6d 62 65 72 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 46 4f 52 |ember of the FOR| 000004a0 54 48 20 55 73 65 72 20 47 72 6f 75 70 2c 20 62 |TH User Group, b| 000004b0 75 74 0d 49 20 66 65 6c 74 20 49 20 63 6f 75 6c |ut.I felt I coul| 000004c0 64 20 6e 6f 74 20 63 68 61 72 67 65 20 68 69 6d |d not charge him| 000004d0 20 71 75 69 74 65 20 74 68 65 20 63 6f 73 74 20 | quite the cost | 000004e0 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 65 78 74 72 61 20 70 61 72 |of the extra par| 000004f0 74 73 0d 49 20 68 61 64 20 74 6f 20 62 75 79 21 |ts.I had to buy!| 00000500 0d 0d 41 67 61 69 6e 20 62 65 63 61 75 73 65 20 |..Again because | 00000510 69 74 20 77 61 73 20 63 68 65 61 70 20 49 20 62 |it was cheap I b| 00000520 6f 75 67 68 74 20 61 20 44 72 61 67 6f 6e 20 61 |ought a Dragon a| 00000530 6e 64 20 62 65 63 61 6d 65 0d 61 71 75 61 69 6e |nd became.aquain| 00000540 74 65 64 20 77 69 74 68 20 74 68 65 20 36 38 30 |ted with the 680| 00000550 39 2e 20 49 20 74 68 65 6e 20 76 69 73 69 74 65 |9. I then visite| 00000560 64 20 74 68 65 20 73 63 68 6f 6f 6c 20 66 6f 72 |d the school for| 00000570 20 77 68 69 63 68 20 49 0d 68 61 64 20 62 6f 75 | which I.had bou| 00000580 67 68 74 20 74 68 65 20 41 74 6f 6d 20 61 6e 64 |ght the Atom and| 00000590 20 77 68 69 63 68 20 6e 6f 77 20 68 61 64 20 61 | which now had a| 000005a0 20 6c 6f 74 20 6f 66 20 63 6f 6d 70 75 74 65 72 | lot of computer| 000005b0 73 20 61 6e 64 0d 62 6f 75 67 68 74 20 62 61 63 |s and.bought bac| 000005c0 6b 20 27 6d 79 27 20 41 74 6f 6d 2e 20 49 20 73 |k 'my' Atom. I s| 000005d0 74 69 6c 6c 20 68 61 76 65 20 69 74 20 62 75 74 |till have it but| 000005e0 20 6f 6e 20 74 68 65 20 72 61 72 65 20 6f 63 63 | on the rare occ| 000005f0 61 73 69 6f 6e 73 0d 77 68 65 6e 20 49 20 75 73 |asions.when I us| 00000600 65 20 69 74 20 49 20 73 75 70 70 6c 79 20 72 65 |e it I supply re| 00000610 67 75 6c 61 74 65 64 20 35 20 76 6f 6c 74 73 20 |gulated 5 volts | 00000620 74 6f 20 69 74 2c 20 74 68 65 20 69 6e 74 65 72 |to it, the inter| 00000630 6e 61 6c 0d 68 65 61 74 73 69 6e 6b 20 62 65 69 |nal.heatsink bei| 00000640 6e 67 20 69 6e 61 64 65 71 75 61 74 65 2e 20 49 |ng inadequate. I| 00000650 20 73 74 69 6c 6c 20 74 68 69 6e 6b 20 69 74 20 | still think it | 00000660 77 61 73 20 61 20 74 72 75 6c 79 0d 65 78 63 65 |was a truly.exce| 00000670 6c 6c 65 6e 74 20 64 65 73 69 67 6e 2c 20 69 6e |llent design, in| 00000680 74 65 6c 6c 65 67 65 6e 74 2c 20 66 6c 65 78 61 |tellegent, flexa| 00000690 62 6c 65 20 61 6e 64 20 77 65 6c 6c 20 64 6f 63 |ble and well doc| 000006a0 75 6d 65 6e 74 65 64 2e 0d 0d 49 20 62 6f 75 67 |umented...I boug| 000006b0 68 74 20 61 6e 20 45 6c 65 63 74 72 6f 6e 20 61 |ht an Electron a| 000006c0 20 66 65 77 20 79 65 61 72 73 20 61 67 6f 20 66 | few years ago f| 000006d0 6f 72 20 60 36 30 20 61 74 20 43 75 72 72 79 27 |or `60 at Curry'| 000006e0 73 2e 20 49 6e 20 6d 79 0d 6f 70 69 6e 69 6f 6e |s. In my.opinion| 000006f0 20 69 74 20 69 73 20 61 20 6e 61 74 69 6f 6e 61 | it is a nationa| 00000700 6c 20 64 69 73 67 72 61 63 65 20 74 68 61 74 20 |l disgrace that | 00000710 74 68 65 20 45 6c 65 63 74 72 6f 6e 20 64 69 64 |the Electron did| 00000720 20 6e 6f 74 20 73 65 6c 6c 0d 62 65 74 74 65 72 | not sell.better| 00000730 2c 20 62 75 74 20 74 68 65 20 66 61 75 6c 74 20 |, but the fault | 00000740 77 61 73 20 70 61 72 74 6c 79 20 41 63 6f 72 6e |was partly Acorn| 00000750 27 73 20 69 6e 20 74 68 61 74 20 74 68 65 20 6f |'s in that the o| 00000760 72 69 67 69 6e 61 6c 0d 70 72 69 63 65 20 77 61 |riginal.price wa| 00000770 73 20 61 20 6c 69 74 74 6c 65 20 74 6f 6f 20 68 |s a little too h| 00000780 69 67 68 2e 20 41 6c 73 6f 20 77 65 20 77 65 72 |igh. Also we wer| 00000790 65 20 77 72 6f 6e 67 20 61 73 20 61 20 6e 61 74 |e wrong as a nat| 000007a0 69 6f 6e 20 74 6f 0d 6c 6f 73 65 20 74 68 65 20 |ion to.lose the | 000007b0 69 6e 69 74 69 61 74 69 76 65 20 69 6e 20 74 68 |initiative in th| 000007c0 65 20 38 30 27 73 20 77 68 65 6e 20 77 65 20 63 |e 80's when we c| 000007d0 6f 75 6c 64 20 68 61 76 65 20 62 75 69 6c 74 20 |ould have built | 000007e0 75 70 20 61 0d 74 65 63 68 6e 69 63 61 6c 6c 79 |up a.technically| 000007f0 20 63 6f 6d 70 65 74 61 6e 74 20 79 6f 75 6e 67 | competant young| 00000800 20 70 6f 70 75 6c 61 74 69 6f 6e 2e 2e 20 49 6e | population.. In| 00000810 73 74 65 61 64 20 69 74 20 77 65 6e 74 20 74 6f |stead it went to| 00000820 0d 67 61 6d 65 73 20 6d 61 63 68 69 6e 65 73 20 |.games machines | 00000830 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65 20 6d 6f 6e 65 79 20 6d 61 |and the money ma| 00000840 6b 65 72 73 20 77 69 74 68 20 74 68 65 20 68 65 |kers with the he| 00000850 6c 70 20 6f 66 20 41 72 74 73 0d 47 72 61 64 75 |lp of Arts.Gradu| 00000860 61 74 65 73 20 77 68 6f 20 6b 65 70 74 20 69 6e |ates who kept in| 00000870 73 69 73 74 69 6e 67 20 74 68 61 74 20 63 6f 6d |sisting that com| 00000880 70 75 74 65 72 73 20 73 68 6f 75 6c 64 20 6e 6f |puters should no| 00000890 74 20 62 65 0d 72 65 67 61 72 64 65 64 20 61 73 |t be.regarded as| 000008a0 20 66 61 63 69 6e 61 74 69 6e 67 20 65 78 61 6d | facinating exam| 000008b0 70 6c 65 73 20 6f 66 20 61 70 70 6c 69 65 64 20 |ples of applied | 000008c0 6d 61 74 68 65 6d 61 74 69 63 73 20 62 75 74 20 |mathematics but | 000008d0 61 73 0d 79 65 74 20 61 6e 6f 74 68 65 72 20 74 |as.yet another t| 000008e0 6f 6f 6c 20 74 6f 20 68 65 6c 70 20 74 68 65 6d |ool to help them| 000008f0 20 77 61 73 74 20 72 65 65 6d 73 20 6f 66 20 70 | wast reems of p| 00000900 61 70 65 72 21 0d 0d 59 6f 75 72 73 20 73 69 6e |aper!..Yours sin| 00000910 63 65 72 65 6c 79 0d 0d 42 6f 62 20 53 68 61 72 |cerely..Bob Shar| 00000920 70 0d 0d |p..| 00000923
L/Sharp1.m0
L/Sharp1.m1
L/Sharp1.m2
L/Sharp1.m4
L/Sharp1.m5
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