Japanese MSX is going to raise standards say Igor Thomas and Ian Scales

The Japanese are very good at producing electronic consumer products. During the 1970s the various corporate giants (Hitachi, Sharp, Sony, etc) managed to dominate the markets for TVs, hi-fi equipment, video recorders, cameras - you name it they made it.

It's hardly surprising that these Japanese companies represent something of a recurring nightmare for the diverse mass of UK and US-based computer manufacturers currently squabbling over the home market - a traditional Japanese stamping ground.

Until recently conventional wisdom said that the Japanese would never make an impact on the micro market because they lacked the necessary software expertise. This opinion has almost become an article of faith. Unlike VCRs, TVs and other consumer-electronic categories which use software created by a separate industry, the relationship between hardware and software in the computer industry, it was argued, was so entangled and essential that Japanese companies couldn't just produce hardware (like they do for VCRs or stereos) - they had to produce software to go with it.

This theory had a lot going for it. Good applications software relies on good documentation and an understanding of indigenous business practices. Basically, you have to be English-speaking to create software for English-speakers. So while Japanese companies could dominate their domestic market (you have to be Japanese-speaking to create software for Japanese-speakers), it was assumed they'd be a long time before dominating the world computer hardware market.

This limitation is even more apparent in the overwhelmingly 'cultural-specific' games/education area of computing. You can't get much of a handle on what UK games-enthusiasts are likely to consider an exciting game from the inside of a different culture and a different language on the other side of the world. Consider the subtleties of nuance and language necessary to create the proper difficulty level in an adventure game, for instance.

But what would happen if a clutch of the largest Japanese electronics giants got together and shared a 'standard'? In other words, all the computers that they produced would be completely compatible in terms of peripherals, software, languages and so on. This way the manufacturers could collectively provide a lucrative market for applications software writers and peripherals manufacturers here and in the US.

Surprise, surprise. Although it's early days yet, the big Japanese consumer manufacturers seem poised to group around such a common software/hardware standard , the better to carve out a niche in the lucrative home computer market. The standard in question is called MSX - Microsoft Extended Basic.

If you already have a grasp of Basic programming, operating an MSX machine will be a very simple exercise for you. Should you already have some proficiency in any of the many Microsoft Basic dialects (Apple, Dragon, IBM, Tandy 100, etc), using an MSX machine may even be more fun than work. Lastly, if you really want to think about a career in programming, either Z80 machine code or MSX Basic will provide you with impeccable credentials for employment well into the end of the decade.

Newcomers to Basic language programming, and Z80 machine code may find an MSX machine more economical in the long run than any of the current low-priced micros simply because so many different expansions and cartridges can be plugged into it. Apart from interchanging all MSX plug-ins with all MSX micros, those of you who buy software books and programs will have a far longer-lived collection if they are written for an MSX machine.

Initially developed to use conventional cassette recorders as the long-term storage medium, MSX Basic is in fact designed to operate with a soon-to-be announced disk operating system known as (guess what?) MSX-DOS. When this becomes available, the MSX standard will promptly move up into commercial and business planes. At the moment numerous third parties are tinkering with implementing CP/M on MSX micros, but this will more than likely not be officially sanctioned by Microsoft, and the international value of MSX-CP/M will probably not be as great as that of MSX-DOS.

Undoubtedly, MSX-DOS systems will become commonplace in the commercial business world within a few months of MSX-DOS's release. There is every likelihood that MSX-DOS will bear a remarkable resemblance to MS-DOS, and MS-DOS users will slip into MSX-DOS without a hitch. Any software factories worth their silicon would do well to gear up for MSX as soon as possible, or pay the profitability consequences.

Within the terms of the Microsoft MSX license rigid hardware specifications to which an MSX manufacturer must adhere. These include: a Z0 type microprocessor chip, a three-voice sound chip, a full-colour display, a standard keyboard layout, two MSX connectors for software and hardware expansion plug-ins, at least 8K or RAM memory (with the ability to expand up to 1,024K) and a 32K Basic language ROM.

All this provides wonderful potential for the software marketplace, and even though MSX machines are only at the drawing-board stage in Britain, a number of UK firms are looking more than slanty-eyed already.

English-language applications software is being produced in Japan now, although no official export plans have been confirmed by either Microsoft or any of its licensees. Any far-seeing British manufactures (software and hardware) will reap great benefits in being ready when the Japanese invasion begins to make its presence felt later this year.

Having looked at a number of Japanese MSX machines, and even with the numerous variations currently in production, there certainly is still some room for good old-fashioned British innovation. Serious plans are afoot for a British MSX micro although, with the incredibly low prices which Japanese firms can sell machines at, competition will be tough.

The Yamaha YIS503 currently represents a classic example of the new MSX standard, of whcih much has already and will continue to be said. Over the coming weeks almost all the popular micro journals will be trumpeting more and more about MSX micros, even though none of the machines are currently available outside of Japan.

Standing behind all the furore is the proud parent, Microsoft, which has finally given birth to MSX in a big way. Maybe the MSX standard is not everything to everyone, but you can't argue with the sheer volume of units which will be in use by the end of this year alone.

The MSX concept is a commercially viable proposition, and deserves a good crack at the whip. Hopefully the as-yet anonymous UK developer(s) of an MSX machine will avoid cloning from the Japanese and show the world something Britain can be proud of.

The first full implementation of the MSX standard is soon due in the UK courtesy of Yamaha, traditionally associated with motorcycles. But you won't see blue smoke issuing from this Yamaha which owes much to the company's other product line - musical instructions. This home computer can come with a full synthesiser and keyboard.

Igor Thomas plays the Yamaha YIS503 in next week's Hardware section.