Q. "Tomorrow's micro today" has died. I refer to the fact that Oric Products International has ceased production of the Oric 1. Since the new Atmos won't run Oric 1 software, what should I do with my old Oric?
Should I sell my Oric and buy an Atmos, or go for a 'safe' machine?
D. J. Appleby, Peterlee, Co. Durham
A. Oric hasn't really stopped making the Oric 1, the only important differences between the Oric and the Atmos are the keyboard and the ROM. The circuit board is the same; the PCN one even has Oric 1 printed on it.
Most software for the Oric runs on the Atmos. The only stumbling block is whether any calls to ROM routines are made. The addresses for some of these have been altered in the Atmos, which would crash any program that tried to call them.
Oric and other companies are bound to respond to the QL challenge by producing new machines this year, so it might be prudent to wait.
17th March 1984
