Date   : Mon, 02 Jan 2006 23:01:46 GMT
From   : Pete Turnbull <pete@...>
Subject: Re: Happy New Year for 2006

On Jan 2 2006, 20:52, Ian Wolstenholme wrote:
>
> In that case it must be BL Marketing of Kettering, which were a
> subsidiary of Weetabix, according to Beebug Magazine.  They were
> replaced by Vector on 1st September 1982.

Yes, that's it.

I've heard some unkind references over the years, about how BL were
accustomed to shipping out cutlery in exchange for corn flakes packet
tops (and probably some of us can remember what that's about!) but
anything more sophisticated was allegedly beyond them.

> It's quite fascinating to read the early issues of Beebug to hear of
> the persistent problems of supply and machines arriving broken etc.
> It's a wonder the machine ever took off!

Indeed!  However, one or two people gained.  I know at least two people
who got their order shipped twice!  I was reading the January 1982
issue of Interface yesterday, in which Tim Hartnell wrote about the
intent to ship machines before Christmas 1981:

  "It had been hoped to have 3000 machines ready in time for the
   start of the television series, but it has only been possible to
   deliver a few hundred so far.  If all goes well there should be
   over 1000 machines by the end of January and with full production
   it is hoped to satisfy the 12000 or so oustanding orders by March."

There was a lot of fun and games over non-availability of disk
machines, particularly full-spec machines with both disk and Econet, as
was ordered by my college.  Then the price increases, and especially
the price hike on the Z80 (originally to have been the same as the 6502
but ended up £100 dearer).

-- 
Pete                                           Peter Turnbull
                                               Network Manager
                                               University of York