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Amstrad PCW
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===PcW16=== <!--I was going to change "PcW16"->"PCW 16" based on old-computers, but see on screenshot at 1:27 "PcW16": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEzhBeQCCGY -->{{Infobox computer | Name = PcW16 | Photo = Amstrad PCW 16 01.png | Type = [[Personal computer]] | Released = {{Start date and age|1995}} | Discontinued = | units sold = | Processor = [[Zilog Z80|Z80]] | Memory = 1 MB RAM | OS = Rosanne | CPUspeed = 16 [[megahertz|MHz]] | memory card = 1.4 MB floppy drive | display = 640x480 monochrome | connectivity = Serial port, parallel port | caption = The PcW16's main screen | storage = 1 MB flash memory }} This model, whose display labelled it "PcW16", was introduced in 1995 at a price of £299.<ref name="OldcomputersPWC16">{{cite web|url=http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=52|title=Amstrad PCW 16|access-date=2009-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808194950/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=52|archive-date=2017-08-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite its name it was totally incompatible with all previous PCW systems.<ref name="LuxsoftFAQ" /><ref name="ToastytechPCW16">{{cite web|url=http://toastytech.com/guis/pcw.html|title=Amstrad PcW16 |access-date=2009-05-04| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090511190343/http://toastytech.com/guis/pcw.html| archive-date= 11 May 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> Instead of having two operating environments, [[Locoscript]] for word processing and [[CP/M]] for other uses, it had its own [[GUI]] [[operating system]], known as "Rosanne".<ref name="OldcomputersPWC16" /> This could only run one application at a time, and starting another application made the previous one save all the files it had changed and then close.<ref name="ToastytechPCW16" /> The bundled word processor was produced by Creative Technology, and could read [[Locoscript]] files but saved them in its own format.<ref name="ToastytechPCW16" /> The package also included a spreadsheet, address book, diary, calculator and file manager.<ref name="OldcomputersPWC16" /> Amstrad never provided other applications, and very little third-party software was written for the machine.<ref name="ToastytechPCW16" /> The display unit, which also contained the processor, motherboard and RAM, was the standard 640×480 pixels in size and worked in [[VGA]] mode.<ref name="OldcomputersPWC16" /> The PcW16 included a standard 1.4 [[megabyte|MB]] floppy drive.<ref name="ToastytechPCW16" /> While competitors included [[hard disk]] drives with capacities of a few hundred MB to a few [[gigabyte|GB]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1995/b34494.arc.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722215253/http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1995/b34494.arc.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 22, 2012|title=TABLE: Best Bets For PC Buyers |date=6 November 1995|magazine=Business Week|access-date=2009-05-04}}</ref> the PcW16 used a 1 MB [[flash memory]] to store the programs and user files.<ref name="ToastytechPCW16" /> Like previous PCW models, the PcW16 used the [[8-bit]] [[Zilog Z80]] [[CPU]],<ref name="ToastytechPCW16" /> which first appeared in 1976,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/Zi/Zilog+Z80.html|title=Zilog Z80|work=Webster's Online Dictionary|access-date=2009-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218220032/http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/Zi/Zilog+Z80.html|archive-date=2007-02-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> while other personal computers used [[16-bit]] CPUs or the more recent [[32-bit]] CPUs.<ref name="ToastytechPCW16" /> The price included a mouse for use with the GUI,<ref name="OldcomputersPWC16" /> but did not include a printer.<ref name="LuxsoftFAQ" /> In a May 1996 ''PCW Plus'' magazine article [[Dave Langford]] expressed a series of concerns about the PcW16: the operating system could not run the many CP/M programs available for previous PCW models; the flash RAM was too small for a large collection of programs, but programs could not be run from the floppy disk, which was designed for backing up files; and a second-hand IBM PC with Locoscript Pro looked like a more sensible upgrade path for users of earlier PCWs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Langford |first=David |date=March 1996 |title=AT ANOTHER CROSSROADS |work=PCW Plus |issue=114 |url=https://ansible.uk/ai/pcwplus/pcwp1996.html}}</ref> Few PcW16s were sold.<ref name="LuxsoftFAQ" />
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