A vintage word processor

PaulQ · Post by **PaulQ** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 7:53 am

My 7 year old son wonders what life was like before computers and cell phones. How did people get by? How did they cope? That's when I show him some of the wonderful machines that didn't take batteries and didn't need to be plugged in. They were entirely self-contained and could be used anywhere. They were built to last for many generations of use, and could be repaired with relative ease by a person with a decent degree of mechanical aptitude. This is one of those machines:

This was the "Laptop computer" of its day; with the lid snapped in place, a handle was provided and this 8 lb. machine would go with a student, reporter, or author wherever they needed to go. Instead of worrying about keeping the batteries charged, one kept a good ribbon installed and a sufficient supply of paper on hand.

I'm not sure of its actual age, but I do know that it still works:

My son is absolutely amazed at this machine.

I should add that this was a competitor to the Vic 20 in its day. I would argue that a computer like the Vic 20 made for an excellent typewriter, but those older than me said they preferred their mechanical typewriter. I couldn't blame them; a typewriter such as this was much more portable and took up a lot less space than a Vic 20 word processing system did. However, it was lousy for playing games.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 7:56 am

I wonder how collectable Commodore typewriters are?

PaulQ · Post by **PaulQ** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 8:28 am

I don't know; I haven't actually ever seen one. I've located a couple on eBay; one finished, one up for auction:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Blue-commodore-typew ... dZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/BLUE-GREEN-COMMODORE ... dZViewItem

I'm guessing there's probably a very good reason why they got out of the typewriter business and into the risky computer business. Looking at these two specimens, it looks like they weren't very competitive with the likes of Brother, IBM, Royal, Olympia, Olivetti, and Smith Corona. Perhaps the Commodore typewriters were the Plus/4 and C16's of their day.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 11:28 am

"Commodore Amiga Portable Typewriter" ??

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:47 am

When I first saw the name of the topic, I really had these in mind:

Greetings,

Michael

PaulQ · Post by **PaulQ** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:06 am

I said Vintage, not Ancient...

6502dude · Post by **6502dude** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:17 am

Mike wrote:When I first saw the name of the topic, I really had these in mind:

I thought of this, before opening the post:

Post by **Jeff-20** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:42 pm

I think this one was first.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:10 am

I'm sure DQ's son both knows how to talk and hopefully to use a pencil...

PaulQ · Post by **PaulQ** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:00 am

Yeah, I really don't find pencils all that interesting. Useful, to be sure, but definitely lacking the interest a vintage manual typewriter has, with all of its intricate mechanical parts. It's fun to pop the cover off and watch it work as someone types away.

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:58 am

If you like intricate mechanical parts, there's always propelling pencils. I'm partial to the Staedtler clutch pencil myself. One of those and some graph paper and I'm good to go. I skipped typewriters. I went from hand script to word processor. I was completely turned off by the permanence of the typewriter and I found Liquid Paper intolerable. Anyway...

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:00 am

Apparently, there is a segment of writers out there who still will only write on a typewriter....and as a VIC-20 nostalgist (is that a word?) I understand the attraction.

When I was in University in 1989-94, some people were still using C64s for word processing (I had an Amiga 500 by that point). I don't think I even realised a VIC-20 could do word processing until long after I had gotten rid of mine.

Today, I think most universities REQUIRE students to have a laptop. I've always wondered why exactly they demand it. Perhaps for complex lab work or engineering, where they use standard/custom software in the class. But I think some universities even require it of liberal arts students.

I think one of the most hilarious things I've seen recently are pictures of the inside of present-day university lecture halls with dozens or hundreds of students, laptops open, clicking away as they type their notes into a word processor. It seems like such an absurd overkill to bring a laptop to a lecture hall for note-taking, when a pen and paper is so much more effective (less noisy, less cost, less energy, less wieght, more efficiency, more speed, no crashing, less tempting to thieves). To me, that kind of thinking is like using an 18-wheeler to drive to the corner store.

6502dude · Post by **6502dude** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:19 am

ral-clan wrote:When I was in University in 1989-94, some people were still using C64s for word processing (I had an Amiga 500 by that point). I don't think I even realised a VIC-20 could do word processing until long after I had gotten rid of mine.

During my undergrad days, I used a C128 for word processing a teletype machine with 20ma current loop interface (similar to the one below) to print.

This thing made quite a racket, but it was better than renting a typewriter or sitting in a crowed & noisy computer lab.
At the time, I didn't have a Vic-20 ROM image for word processing ROM cart.
C128 with 80 column display was better to work with than C64 40-column display & C128 software included spell check.

PaulQ · Post by **PaulQ** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:26 am

I believe one of the skills that students are lacking today is that of effective note-taking. What many students believe is they actually need to take down, word for word, each and every letter, right down to the punctuation, of what is being taught. Either on laptop or audio cassette later transcribed (or even hand-written), they end up with such an overwhelmingly huge library of notes, a simple task such as studying before a test seems like a huge undertaking.

My favourite note-taking tools is a pen and a simple notepad. I effectively condense a full 8.5" x 11" page of notes onto a single 3" x 5" notepad page, using regular sized print and including the appropriate diagrams if necessary. I rewrite the notes of the lecture in such a way that I understand them at a glance. Sometimes, I can condense two or three 8.5" x 11" pages of notes onto one notepad page. My classmates were always amazed that I ended up with one of the top marks of the class. Thing is, this was a skill I taught myself.

I find the typewriter to still have a very good modern-day use; that of filling out forms. How often do we get a form in the mail to fill out and fax or mail back? Well, I suppose not that often; but when I do, I like to pull out the old Royal, load in the form, and complete it that way.

PaulQ · Post by **PaulQ** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:39 am

6502dude wrote: During my undergrad days, I used a C128 for word processing a teletype machine with 20ma current loop interface (similar to the one below) to print.

That's actually pretty cool. I started word processing on my C64 with Speedscript and later GEOS with an MPS 802 printer; however, I did considerably more with my Amiga and Textcraft Plus, hooked up to my Epson LX-810 dot matrix printer. Prior to computers, I had used electric typewriters on occasion and didn't like them at all. Using a manual typewriter has a completely different feel, however, and I actually find it quite enjoyable to use. Somehow, it feels more natural with the long key strokes and the soft landing at the end of each stroke with a satisfying "Snap" as the hammer strikes the ribbon and imprints onto the paper.