| news |
SINCLAIR RESEARCH has finally admitted that insufficient Spectrums are being made. For months, in the teeth of fierce criticism from retailers, some unable to obtain a single machine since September, the company has maintained stoutly there was no problem. Now it has discovered what everyone else knew in January. Spokesman Bill Nichols says:
"The shortage is due to an incredible sustained demand for Spectrums". He adds that production of Spectrums has reached at all-time high but conceded that it is still falling well short of demand.
Some areas of the U.K. have suffered particularly badly from the shortfall. Sinclair Research is not directly responsible for regional variations but Nichols says: "There are Spectrums around; it is unfortunate if they are not available in some areas."
While the situation is changing constantly and some supplies have been arriving, the confidence of small retailers has been severely shaken. Few expect deliveries on a regular stable basis for the foreseeable future.
Their difficulty has been exacerbated by the high percentage of returns of the issue three Spectrum. Some retailers put the figure as high as 40 percent of machines sold and those have had to be replaced from stock, where stocks were available.
Bob Denton, managing director of Prism Technology Holdings, the major Spectrum distributor, says: "The number of returns is horrific."
Sinclair Research was unable to confirm the true figure but has promised to improve quality control on future production and clearly is concerned about the problem. If the figures quoted by retailers are anywhere near to being accurate then, considering the shortage of new machines, there must be hundreds of customers with Spectrums still under guarantee who have been unable to obtain replacements.
Nichols is anxious to point out that the increased number of machines exported overseas had not affected the U.K. "Supply is as great or greater for the U.K. market".
THE ZX PRINTER, brought out by Sinclair Research when it launched the ZX-81 three years ago, has been discontinued.
A spokeswoman for Sinclair Research says: "We feel that the printer has reached the end of its useful life. We were selling only thousands and sales have fallen."
Sinclair Research has a limited number of printers in stock which it will continue to sell. People who already own a printer have no need to worry, as the company still intends to supply the silver paper which goes with it.
THE Sherlock Holmes puzzle in the April issue of Sinclair User generated the best ever response to a competition in the magazine, with more than 18,000 entries received. The first five correct entries taken from the postbag were from:
Skorkovsky Jarohir, Czechoslovakia; Mrs M C Mackintosh, Bucks; Manoj Mehta, Staffs; David Cookson, N Humberside; and John Rew, West Lothian.
The 25 runners-up were: M J Leah, Rugby; Stuart Taylor, West Midlands; G V R Howard, Berkshire; John Waldron, Leicestershire; Simon Mutton, Dyfed; Jane Allan, Glasgow; Alan Taylor, Sheffield; Tim Smalley, Kent; Keith Punshon, S Devon; Michael Beaven, Nottinghamshire; John Cowley, E Sussex; Ronald Cook, Liverpool; D Warner, Dorset; R Lanchbery, Cumbria; Val Keith Hoy Brackley, Denmark; M J Rutter, Surrey; David Bowler, Peterborough; Lewis Tyrell, E Sussex; Martin McShane, Liverpool; David Seed, Rugby; Byron Peter, London; Paul Baker, Essex; Richard Stent, S Devon; Christopher Hand, Nottingham; and I D Barker, Cleveland.
BATTLE 1917 in the May issue of Sinclair User has caused some problems because the colours of the armies were not displayed. To remedy that some colour codes need to be added to the lines listed below. In order to insert the colours: (a) retype the line until you get to a graphic character; (b) go into extended modes; (c) hold CAPS SHIFT down and press the key for the appropriate colour e.g. 2 for red. The cursor should then change colour, (d) Go into graphics mode and press the graphics letter that appears on the current line; (e) Once you have the letter in the required colour leave graphics mode; (f) press CAPS SHIFT and key V. The cursor will then return to its black colour and you can continue typing until the next graphics letter.
Line Graphic letter Colour
117 H green
126 I blue
610 K red
630 J blue
640 J blue
2900 F red
F blue
2910 F red
F blue
7000 A, B, C, C, E, F blue
A, B, C, C, E, F red
To LOAD both listings concurrently omit line 9888 from the instructions listing. The 'I' in line 4468 of the main listing should be entered in graphics mode.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE WAR against piracy is escalating as software houses join forces to combat the growing number of outfits selling cheap versions of games stolen from software companies.
In the forefront of the campaign to break the pirate operations are Microdeal and Quicksilva, both members of the Guild of Software Houses, which has set up a committee to co-ordinate action against the pirates.
Microdeal issued a press release containing a photocopied letter alleging that a user club was a 'front' for a pirate operation. The letter used violently emotive language to describe the club organiser and alleged that he worked for a computer publication, using review copies to duplicate games to sell them through the club.
Microdeal has informed the police, who are said to be making inquiries; meanwhile the man concerned denies the allegations and says any software distributed by the club is second-hand. He told us he could not comment further as he was considering what action he should take. The publication named in the letter also denies that he works for that magazine.
Microdeal suggests that magazines should cease to print advertisements for user groups to prevent what it believes to be serious piracy. GOSH does not share this view, feeling that a more appropriate response is to encourage links between user groups and software companies which might range from discount software offers to lectures on aspects of the industry, thus creating an atmosphere in which the anti-piracy message can be communicated effectively.
"We certainly do not want a blanket ban on user groups", says Mike Johnston, secretary of GOSH. "Many user groups perform a useful service. Microdeal is acting on its own initiative in this case, which is in no way officially sanctioned by GOSH."
The recently-formed Software Registry is another organisation which feels that rushing in with heavy boots is not the most appropriate way to deal with piracy at that level.
The Software Registry is a profit-making concern, offering insurance against legal expenses to aid subscribers in bringing cases against pirates. Managing director Cliff Sturt says the main threat is from professional pirates, who are turning to computer software for the pickings available. He feels the law contains sufficient scope to prevent piracy but that companies are not taking advantage of its provisions.
SINCLAIR RESEARCH has been voted the most admired electronics company in the U.K. in a poll of company directors in the industry. Sinclair was top by a large margin, winning a quarter of the first-place votes and leaving Racal, Plessey, GEC and other giants struggling among the foothills.
According to Technology and Marketing magazine, which carried out the survey, Sinclair was most admired for low prices, innovation, and 'good marketing hype'. It is intriguing that the authors say most of the votes were recorded before the launch of the QL, and they suggest the winning margin might otherwise have been even greater.
By way of contrast, a parallel poll in the U.S. voted overwhelmingly for IBM. "Simply the best in the world" was the verdict of one participant.
PEOPLE interested in the QL are already meeting to share their experiences of a machine which they may have seen only at a distance. There is already a training course for QL owners and at least two user groups.
The Independent QL Users' Group produces a newsletter, Quanta. The information in the pages of the first few issues was not exactly fiction but the 19 pages of editorial could have been fitted into half that amount.
The group is well-organised and has even tried to get on to Micronet and Prestel. People wishing to join should contact Brian Pain, Milton Keynes.
The QL Club provides an even more flexible service, offering cut-price peripherals, insurance and a newsletter to members. Anyone who wants to join the club should write to ICL, Wrexham.
The first training course for the owners of the new Sinclair machine has just been started by Owl Business and Computer Consultants. The courses will cover a general introduction to the machine and then deal with use in the home and office applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, database and graphics.
Details of other courses can be obtained from Elayne Coakes, Principal of Owl Computer Training.
W H SMITH has announced the launch of a new personal computer designed by Advance Technology, the Advance 86. The machine is intended to appeal to the home user and to small businesses.
There are two versions. The 86A has 128K RAM with 16K of video RAM, expandable to 256K. The system is based on the Intel 8086 chip, a 16-bit processor, and includes provision for using either a television or monitor. There are also ports for a Centronics printer, joysticks and cassette recorder. The 86A will sell for £399, while the model B, which includes two disc drives, expansion slots, and software, will cost £1,499.
Smiths will be the only stores to sell the machines. If true, that will be a particularly attractive sales feature, although in the past IBM has resisted such moves by altering the specifications of its machines. W H Smith says that in spite of the similarities of price and specifications, the Advance is not intended as direct competition to the Sinclair QL. "We have very cordial relations with Sinclair Research", a spokesman said.PAPERBACK publishers have caught QL fever and some have even produced books before the machines have reached customers.
Pitman, famous for its shorthand and computer guides, was first to issue a book about the QL, The Sinclair QL Companion, by Boris Allan.
The book has been written using a pre-production model. A spokesman for Pitman says, "The book has gone to retailers and we are confident that we will get a good return. We were the first on to the market with a QL book and that should give us a lead over other publishers. If there are any changes to be made in the text they will be done when we reprint it."
The first copies of the book included an unusual message to readers. "The author and publisher cannot accept responsibility for any loss or other inconvenience caused by failure of the material printed in this publication to correspond to the operation of the Sinclair QL computer or of its constituent parts".
Pitman was followed closely by Hutchinson which has announced a series of books on the QL to be edited by Robin Bradbeer.
There are six books in the series to be published in July and August. They include an introduction to the QL and SuperBasic, advanced SuperBasic programming, word processing and desk-top computing. One of the books is to have a foreword by Nigel Searle, managing director of Sinclair Research.
A spokeswoman for Hutchinsons Books says: "We are launching books in July and August because we want to see a finalised QL before we print anything. Books which were published before the QL went to customers are obviously prone to error."
Duckworth Books is also launching a QL title. The aim is to give users an introduction to the machine and take them to an advanced stage in programming.
W H Smith is steeling itself for the approaching onslaught of QL books. A spokeswoman says: "We have one book in stock at the moment - The Sinclair QL Companion. We want to take as many titles as we can but we will take them only when we have seen the finished work."
THE OFFICIAL biography of Sir Clive Sinclair and his succession of high technology companies is to be told in The Sinclair Story.
The publishing rights to the biography have been purchased by Duckworth Books and the new title is to be launched in October.
The author, Rodney Dale, has full access to the Sinclair Research files and is interviewing dozens of people who have been associated with Sinclair during his rise to fame.
Dale has known Sinclair for more than 20 years but, despite their friendship, Sir Clive wants the story to be told 'warts and all'.