Filling in the holes...

On Thu, 12 Jun 1997, Marvin wrote: MicroSoft eXtended Basic. Bill's attempt to take over the Japanese home computer marker, ooh, 14 years ago. It produced a standard machine: Z80 at 3.5 MHz, GI AY-3-8912 for sound, TMS-9918A for video, MS Basic in ROM and external ROM cartridges) that was implemented by a lot of Japanese manufacturers (and Spectravideo who IIRC inspired the hardware specs with their older SVI models [318, 328]). I don't think it did very well in the States, but it sold a bit in Europe (esp. Netherlands and UK) and I guess it must have sold a lot in the Far East. They're typically nice, robust machines with good, complete typewriter keyboards and, most of the times, prominent designer cursor keys in bright colo[u]rs. The BASIC is really powerful (it's effectively what PC users knew as GW-BASIC), allowing direct control of the video/audio hardware *plus* indirect, high-level control (eg LINE, DRAW, PLAY, etc). Alexios --------------------------- ,o88,o888o,,o888o. ------------------------------- Alexios Chouchoulas '88 ,88' ,88' alexios(a)vennea.demon.co.uk The Unpronounceable One ,o88oooo88ooooo88oo, axc(a)dcs.ed.ac.uk