[link] Ctrl+Alt+Del (plus Amstrad PC1512 reminiscences)

Slashdot is linking to an article on the guy who thought of Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Apparently, it was designed as developer-only thing.  Look where it's got us today, eh!

I remember being 12 years old and standing in front of my first PC in Dixons (UK electronics store, the machine itself was an Amstrad PC 1512), and having some random guy come up to my dad and telling him to “press Ctrl, then Alt, then Del” because it had hung.  That was about my first memory of being near an IBM PC compatbile.  8086 processor, 512MB RAM, choice of mono or colour 14" CRT (actually, I think the colour was 14, the mono was 12?), 4 AA size batteries to power the non-volatile memory, twin 5.25" floppies, or optional 10 and 20MB hard disks (single floppy in this case), GEM GUI if you wanted it, with Basic2.  I'm slightly concerened why I remember all of the specs so clearly... Oh well... happy days! 

UPDATED: well, obviously that's 512KB not, MB!

UPDATED AGAIN: the power of Google has provided me with pictures of the Amstrad PC1512, which I have posted here for your amusement.  If memory serves, the badge from these pictures indicates a 1512 built after the 1640.  The original 1512 didn't have the red slash across the badge, and I think AMSTRAD (extra points if you can tell me what AMSTRAD stands for) was written with a red outline.

This machine as actually pretty innocative.  Check out the 9-pin socket on the back of the keyboard for the mouse.  Don't even need a screwdriver to get into the expansion ports, just slide off last quarter of the top of the case.

8 Comments

  • whoa, 512MB memory back in those days? That thing must have cost a fortune :-)



  • 512MB - see where modern day technology gets you, that would be KB right?



    I too remember the 1512 Cost an absolute fortune as I remember it. When the 1640 came out I thought we had hit the top of the chain things just couldn't get better a whopping 640 Meg of ram..... I mean a whopping 640 KB of ram ;0)

    Then some jerk brought out the 286...386...486...DX66....pentium..........



    Thanks for the memories, have a great time at the PDC

  • I didn't think it was that much. In 1986 prices, I think it was £1200? Maybe that included a printer? Not sure...

  • This is turning into that Monty Python sketch that ends "...and you try telling that to the kids today. They won't believe you!"



    ;-)

  • AMSTRAD stands for "Alan M. Sugar Trading Company". Remember Alan Sugar (unshaven entrepreneur, one-time chairman of Spurs?). I bought one of his first hi-fi systems in 1972 - real piece of rubbish. Wonder what he's doing now?

  • aww geeze Matt. Rub it in. When I was 12! :-) When I was 12 there weren't pc's. You couldn't even get a Heathkit until I was about 20.

  • The M was for Michael I believe ? Shame I didn't know about the Amsterdam/LA flight, I booked cattle class from Heathrow via Virgin, BA Business Class was £3K !!!!

  • The socket on the back of the keyboard isn't for

    the mouse. It's for a joystick.



    Some other features that I missed on later PCs

    were a volume control for the internal beeper

    and the ability to change the default screen

    colours in DOS.

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