All my gear lives in the garden shed. Over the years, I have made it more comfortable that one would expect. Sadly though the outer shell is beginning to rot away and now only time will tell which goes first: Me or the shed.
I was first driven into the shed because my wife cannot stand the noise of computers and printers. Sadly she had two heart attacks over Christmas and this resulted in a stay of nearly three weeks in hospital. With the uncertainty of when I would be free, this foreknowledge necessary to switch the heat on a couple of hours before going into the shed, I brought the Electron indoors and in my at home times, other than doing the necessary chores, had a lot of fun with it. [What? - Gus]
Though I have been into computing as a hobby for seven or eight years I really am a dilettante with it. I have a BBC range and a PC (8086) but am a master of none. To read in/on disk of other members' pursuits in either programming, understanding memory or pushing the Electron to the ultimate makes me realise my own inadequacies. My New Year resolution is to really try and understand what it is all about without spending too much money.
The Electron was my first computer and, of course, will always be kept for reasons of nostalgia. I must say how much I enjoyed the EUGs #16 and #17; they were both enjoyed and thoroughly explored. I never did quite finish the game BELEAGURED CASTLE though.
I notice that you want some answers from members:
Having a BBC and a Master 128, I can cope with DFS 5.25" DS DD disks and even for the Electron, I have a DFS ROM but no drive to load a 5.25" so I prefer the magazine on 3.5" ADFS. Oddly enough, you sent me EUG #15 on this format and #16 and #17 on 5.25".
I have no objection to members' codes or any use of my name and address in a database for the use and benefit of the group.
Many thanks for your Christmas card and best wishes for the New Year. A belated "And the same to you and yours" and thanks for your work for EUG! Please forgive my spelling (and I even have a spell-checker).
Frank Jones
I have to, of course, sympathise with you about spelling. Personally, I have always thought that provided you are understood, these variations in spelling just give character to text. Look at some of the texts from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Would they be the same without their perculiar spelling? Being a teacher's son, this view did not go down too well when I was a child and now I do try. But I often wonder how many good ideas are rejected because of spelling. Sadly, wars are caused because people refuse to communicate.
1st February 1995