29 Nov
2025
29 Nov
'25
4:19 p.m.
On Sat, 29 Nov 2025, Peter Brown via cctalk wrote:
I have recently acquired a Flexowriter. It looks very
much like the one shown on this page - https://moca.ncl.ac.uk/iomedia/pt4.htm
The identifying points are
- blue color keys
- tape punch and reader (both appear to be 8 bits)
- white and red lamps on the front panel beneath the Friden logo
The serial number plate shows F_V as the model and S P E C as the coding.
Is anyone familiar with what this model is? What does the coding refer to?
I have no qualifications to answer. But could "S P E C" mean
"special",
and indicate a non-standard character set?
Or that its interface was neither ITA2/International Telegraph code
(often incorrectly called "Baudot"), nor ASCII, RS232, HPIB, etc.
I seriously doubt that they had an APL model :-) (that was the realm of
Selectric terminals), but in the financial markets, there might be a need
for some of the other currency symbols.
Some of my students asked why the default character set (keyboard and
video ROMs) on the 5150/5160 PC did not have a Yen symbol, nor UK pound.
(and now, Euro) One student said that IBM's choices to leave those out,
and put in silly stuff, was a good argument for workplace sobriety testing.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin(a)xenosoft.com