Editing Amstrad PCW

{{Short description|1985–1998 series of personal computers}}
{{Infobox computing device
| name         = Amstrad PCW
| logo         = Amstrad logo 1980s.svg
| image        = File:Amstrad PCW 8512.jpg
| caption      = PCW 8512 in a museum
| developer    = [[Amstrad]]
| manufacturer = Amstrad
| type         = [[Personal computer]]
| release date = {{Start date and age|1985|09}}
| lifespan     = 1985–1998
| discontinued = {{End date and age|1998}}
| units sold   = 8&nbsp;million
| media        = [[Floppy disk]]s (3-inch and 3½-inch)
| cpu          = [[Zilog]] [[Zilog Z80|Z80]]
| memory       = 256&nbsp;KB&nbsp;– 1&nbsp;MB
}}
The '''Amstrad PCW''' series is a range of [[personal computer]]s produced by [[United Kingdom|British]] company [[Amstrad]] from 1985 to 1998, and also sold under licence in Europe as the "Joyce" by the German electronics company [[Schneider Computer Division|Schneider]] in the early years of the series' life. The PCW, short for ''Personal Computer Word-processor'', was targeted at the [[word processing]] and [[Small office/home office|home office]] markets. When it was launched the cost of a PCW system was under 25% of the cost of almost all IBM-compatible PC systems in the UK, and as a result the machine was very popular both in the UK and in Europe, persuading many [[technophobe]]s to venture into using computers. The series sold 8 million units.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Tony |title=You're NOT fired: The story of Amstrad's amazing CPC 464 |url=https://www.theregister.com/2014/02/12/archaeologic_amstrad_cpc_464/?page=2 |website=The Register |access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amstrad.com/products/archive/index.html|title=Amstrad Products Archive|publisher=Amstrad Limited|access-date=2009-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509185726/http://www.amstrad.com/products/archive/index.html|archive-date=2008-05-09|url-status=dead}}</ref> The last two models, introduced in the mid-1990s, were commercial failures, being squeezed out of the market by the falling prices, greater capabilities, and wider range of software for [[IBM PC compatible]]s.

The series consists of '''PCW 8256''' and '''PCW 8512''' (introduced in 1985),<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" /><ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx" /> '''PCW 9512''' (introduced in 1987),<ref name="OldComputersPCW9xxxx" /> '''PCW 9256''' (introduced in 1991),<ref name="OldComputersPCW9xxxx" /> '''PCW 10<ref name="LuxsoftFAQ" />''' and '''PcW16''' (introduced in 1995).<ref name="OldcomputersPWC16" />

In all models, the [[visual display unit|monitor]]'s casing contains the [[CPU]], [[RAM]], [[floppy disk]] drives and [[Power supply#Computer power supply|power supply]] for all of the systems' components. All models except the last included a printer in the price. Early models use 3-inch floppy disks, while those sold from 1991 onwards use 3½-inch floppies. A variety of inexpensive products and services were launched to copy 3-inch floppies to the 3½-inch format so that data could be transferred to other machines.

All models use a Z80 CPU, running at 4&nbsp;MHz in earlier models and higher speeds in later models. RAM was 256&nbsp;KB or 512&nbsp;KB, depending on the model.

All models except the last shipped with the [[Locoscript]] [[word processing]] program, the [[CP/M Plus]] [[operating system]], [[Mallard BASIC]] and the [[Logo programming language]] at no extra cost. The last model, PcW16, used a custom [[GUI]] [[operating system]].

A wide range of other CP/M office software and several [[video game|game]]s became available, some commercially produced and some free. Although Amstrad supplied all but the last model as [[text based]] systems, [[graphical user interface]] peripherals and the supporting software also became available. The last model had its own unique [[GUI]] operating system and set of office applications, which were included in the price. None of the software for previous PCW models could run on this system.

==Development and launch==
In 1984, [[Tandy Corporation]] executive Steve Leininger, designer of the [[TRS-80 Model I]], admitted that "as an industry we haven't found any compelling reason to buy a computer for the home" other than for [[word processing]].<ref name="needle19840716">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yS4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66 | title=Q&A: Steve Leininger | work=InfoWorld | date=1984-07-16 | access-date=1 January 2015 | author=Needle, David | pages=66}}</ref> [[Amstrad]]'s founder [[Alan Sugar]] realised that most computers in the [[United Kingdom]] were used for word processing at home,<ref name="PalmerEtAlTimeAndTech" /> and  allegedly sketched an outline design for a low cost replacement for [[typewriter]]s during a flight to the Far East. This design featured a single "box" containing all the components, including a [[page orientation|portrait-oriented]] display,<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" /> which would be more convenient for displaying documents than the usual landscape orientation.<ref>{{cite book
|last=Leachtenauer|first=J.C.|title=Electronic image display|publisher=SPIE Press|year=2004|pages=55
|chapter=Physical Display Quality Measures|isbn=0-8194-4420-0
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGPVA6Z3PvUC&q=portrait+monitor&pg=PA55|access-date=2009-05-02
}}</ref> However the portrait display was quickly eliminated because it would have been too expensive, and the printer also became a separate unit.<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" /> To reduce the cost of the printer, Amstrad commissioned an [[ASIC]] (custom circuit) from MEJ Electronics, which had developed the hardware for Amstrad's earlier [[Amstrad CPC|CPC-464]]. Two other veterans of the CPC-464's creation played important roles, with Roland Perry<!-- **** do not w-link - WP has an article on an Aussie writer of the same name **** --> managing the PCW project and [[Locomotive Software]] producing the [[Locoscript]] word processing program and other software. The [[CP/M]] [[operating system]] was added at the last minute.<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" />  During development the PCW 8256 / 8512 project was code-named "Joyce" after Sugar's secretary.<ref name="Rohrer2007Nostalgia" />

For the launch the product name "Zircon" was jointly suggested by MEJ Electronics and Locomotive Software, as both companies had been [[Corporate spin-off|spun off]] from [[Data Recall]], which had produced a word processing system called "[[Data Recall Diamond|Diamond]]" in the 1970s. Sugar, preferring a more descriptive name, suggested "WPC" standing for "Word Processing Computer", but Perry pointed out that this invited jokes about Women Police Constables. Sugar reshuffled the initials and the product was launched as the "Personal Computer Word-processor", abbreviated to "PCW".<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" /> The advertising campaign featured trucks unloading typewriters to form huge scrap heaps, with the slogan "It's more than a word processor for less than most typewriters".<ref name="TedlowJonesMassMarketing" /> In Britain the system was initially sold exclusively through [[Dixons (UK)|Dixons]], whose chairman shared Sugar's dream that computers would cease to be exclusive products for the technologically adept and would become consumer products.<ref name="TedlowJonesMassMarketing" />

==Impact==
In 1986, John Whitehead described the Amstrad PCW as "the bargain of the decade",<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> and technology writer Gordon Laing said in 2007, "It represented fantastic value at a time when an [[IBM PC|IBM compatible]] or a [[Apple Mac|Mac]] would cost a comparative fortune."<ref name="Rohrer2007Nostalgia">{{cite web
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6925963.stm|title=Nostalgia for a techno cul-de-sac |last=Rohrer  |first=F.
|date=1 August 2007|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=2009-05-01
}}</ref> At its [[United Kingdom]]  launch in September 1985,<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" /> the basic PCW model was priced at £399 plus [[value added tax]],<ref name="Forester1989PersonalComputing">{{cite book|last=Forester|first=T.|title=High-tech society|publisher=MIT Press|year=1989|pages=143|chapter=Personal Computing|isbn=0-262-56044-5|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gqgb946KPfQC&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PA143|access-date=2009-05-01}}</ref> which included a printer, [[word processor]] program, the [[CP/M]] [[operating system]] and associated [[Utility software|utilities]], and a [[BASIC]] [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreter]].<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> Software vendors quickly made a wide range of additional applications available, including accounting, [[spreadsheet]] and [[database]] programs, so that the system was able to support most of the requirements of a home or small business.<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" />

Shortly afterwards the [[Tandy 1000]] was introduced in the UK with the [[MS-DOS]] operating system and a similar suite of business applications and became the only other IBM-compatible personal computer system available for less than £1,000 in Britain. At the time the cheapest complete systems from [[Apricot Computers]] cost under £2,000 and the cheapest [[IBM PC]] system cost £2,400. Although competitors' systems generally had more sophisticated features, including colour [[Visual display unit|monitor]]s, Whitehead thought the Amstrad PCW offered the best value for money.<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" />

In the US the PCW was launched at a price of $799, and its competitors were initially the [[VideoWriter|Magnavox VideoWriter]] and [[Smith Corona PWP]], two word-processing systems whose prices also included a screen, keyboard and printer. The magazine ''Popular Science'' thought that the PCW could not compete as a general-purpose computer, because its use of non-standard 3-inch [[floppy disk]] drives and the rather old [[CP/M]] operating system would restrict the range of software available from expanding beyond the [[spreadsheet]], typing tutor and cheque book balancing programs already on sale. However, the magazine predicted that the PCW's large screen and easy-to-use word processing software would make it a formidable competitor for dedicated word processors in the home and business markets. The system was sold in the US via major stores, business equipment shops and electronics retailers.<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986" />

The PCW redefined the idea of "best value" in computers by concentrating on reducing the price, which totally [[Disruptive innovation|disrupted]] the [[personal computer]] market.<ref name="PalmerEtAlTimeAndTech">{{cite book
|last=Palmer|first=R.|author2=Cockton, J.|author3=Cooper, G.|title=Managing marketing|publisher=Elsevier|year=2007|pages=274
|chapter=Time and technology|isbn=978-0-7506-6898-9
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iudVqLPFmTEC&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PA274|access-date=2009-05-01
}}</ref> The low price encouraged home users to trade up from simpler systems like the [[ZX Spectrum]], whose sales had passed their peak. According to ''Personal Computer World'', the PCW "got the technophobes using computers".<ref name="TedlowJonesMassMarketing">{{cite book|last=Tweedale|first=G.|editor=Tedlow, R.S. |editor2=Jones, G.|title=The Rise and Fall of Mass Marketing|publisher=Routledge|year=1993|pages=144–145|chapter=Mass market in computers|isbn=0-415-07573-4|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7t8OAAAAQAAJ&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PA144|access-date=2009-05-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://labs.pcw.co.uk/2007/07/a-little-bit-of.html |title=A little bit of IT history goes with Amstrad |publisher=Personal Computer World' |access-date=2009-05-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705195916/http://labs.pcw.co.uk/2007/07/a-little-bit-of.html |archive-date=2008-07-05 }}</ref> In the first two years over 700,000 PCWs were sold,<ref name="Osborne2007RememberingPCW" /> gaining Amstrad 60% of the UK home computer market,<ref>{{cite book
|last=King|first=A.|title=The End of the Terraces|publisher=Continuum International|year=2002|pages=121
|chapter=The New Directors|isbn=0-7185-0259-0
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8kBaOkPg8z0C&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PA121|access-date=2009-05-01
}}</ref> and 20% of the European personal computer market, second only to IBM's 33.3% share.<ref name="Forester1989PersonalComputing" /> Having gained credibility as computer supplier, Amstrad launched IBM-compatible PCs, once again focussing on low prices,<ref name="PalmerEtAlTimeAndTech" /> with its [[PC1512]] surpassing the IBM PC on performance and beating even the Taiwanese [[Clone (computing)|clones]] on price.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hawkins|first=W.J.|date=January 1987|title=Clone beater|journal=Popular Science|pages=24|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwEAAAAAMBAJ&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PA24|access-date=2009-05-01}}</ref> Amstrad became the dominant British personal computer company, buying all the designs, marketing rights and product stocks of [[Sinclair Research Ltd]]'s computer division in April 1986,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/28/news.htm|title=Sir Clive Sinclair resigns from the home computer market|date=May 1986|publisher=[[Crash (magazine)|Crash]]|access-date=2009-05-01}}</ref> while Apricot later sold its manufacturing assets to [[Mitsubishi]] and became a software company.<ref name="TedlowJonesMassMarketing" />

In the PCW's heyday the magazines ''8000 Plus'' (later called ''PCW Plus'') and ''PCW Today'' were published specifically for PCW users.<ref name="Langford2009LimboFiles" /><ref name="Gee1996AliveTLC" /> In addition to the usual product reviews and technical advice,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Langford|first=D.|date=March 1988|title=Mythical but true|journal=8000 Plus|volume=19|url=http://www.ansible.co.uk/ai/pcwplus/pcwp1988.html|access-date=2009-05-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725100907/http://ansible.co.uk/ai/pcwplus/pcwp1988.html|archive-date=2008-07-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> they featured other content such as articles by [[science fiction]] writer and software developer [[Dave Langford]] on his experiences of using the PCW.<ref name="Langford2009LimboFiles">{{cite book|last=Langford|first=D.|title=The Limbo Files|publisher=Cosmos Books|year=2009|isbn=978-0-8095-7324-0|url=http://ansible.co.uk/books/limbo.html|access-date=2009-05-02| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090505221000/http://ansible.co.uk/books/limbo.html| archive-date= 5 May 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

By 1989, {{nowrap|1.5 million}} units had been sold.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Japan: The Next Wave |magazine=[[New Computer Express]] |date=31 August 1989 |issue=43 (2 September 1989) |page=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/NewComputerExpress043/page/n6}}</ref> When the PCW line was retired in 1998, 8&nbsp;million machines had been sold.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amstrad.com/products/archive/index.html|title=Amstrad Products Archive|publisher=Amstrad Limited|access-date=2009-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509185726/http://www.amstrad.com/products/archive/index.html|archive-date=2008-05-09|url-status=dead}}</ref>  ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' estimated in 2000 that 100,000 were still in use in the UK, and said that the reliability of the PCW's hardware and software and the range of independently produced add-on software for its word processing program were factors in its continued popularity.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Maybury|first=R|date=6 January 2000|title=The windowless wonder|journal=The Daily Telegraph|pages=6–7|url=http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=TRD&recid=93736AN&q=amstrad+pcw&uid=1400988&setcookie=yes|access-date=2009-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223143541/http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=TRD&recid=93736AN&q=amstrad+pcw&uid=1400988&setcookie=yes|archive-date=23 February 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><!-- ***********
Daily Telegraph says 1.5M sold. Probably counts UK only.
********** --> Laing says the PCW line's downfall was that "[[IBM PC compatible|proper PCs]] became affordable".<ref name="Rohrer2007Nostalgia" /> IBM, Compaq and other vendors of more expensive computers had reduced prices drastically in an attempt to increase demand during the [[recession]] of the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=J.L.|author2=Martin, F.|title=Strategic management|publisher=Cengage Learning EMEA|pages=684|chapter=Strategy Implementation|isbn=1-84480-083-0|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=INy2SHeqMhwC&q=amstrad&pg=PA685|access-date=2009-05-02|year=2005}}</ref> In 1993 the PCW still cost under £390 while a PC system with a printer and word processing software cost over £1,000.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Perry|first=R.|date=26 November 1993|title=PCW defies silicon snobs|journal=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech/computers-pcw-defies-silicon-snobs-roland-perry-designer-of-amstrads-millionselling-word-processor-defends-it-against-the-sneers-of-its-detractors-1506799.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102074925/http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech/computers-pcw-defies-silicon-snobs-roland-perry-designer-of-amstrads-millionselling-word-processor-defends-it-against-the-sneers-of-its-detractors-1506799.html |archive-date=2012-11-02 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=2009-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Willmott|first=N.|date=17 December 1993|title=Computers: High street sales take off|journal=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech/computers-high-street-sales-take-off-nigel-willmott-looks-at-the-systems-and-prices-on-offer-in-the-main-retail-store-chains-1468010.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102091148/http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech/computers-high-street-sales-take-off-nigel-willmott-looks-at-the-systems-and-prices-on-offer-in-the-main-retail-store-chains-1468010.html |archive-date=2012-11-02 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=2009-05-06}}</ref> However, after adjustment for [[inflation]] the retail price of a [[multimedia]] IBM-compatible PC in 1997 was about 11% more than that of a PCW 8256 in 1985, and many home PCs were cast-offs, sometimes costing as little as £50, from large organisations that had upgraded their systems.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cuthell|first=J.P.|author2=Cullingford, C.|author3=Crawford, R.|year=1997|title=Patterns of computer ownership|journal=Computer Education|issue=86|pages=13–23|url=http://www.hud.ac.uk/ITsec/roger%20professional/ownership.pdf|access-date=2009-05-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117090401/http://www.hud.ac.uk/ITsec/roger%20professional/ownership.pdf|archive-date=2010-11-17}} Also available at [http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/changemanage/digital_kids/Cyborg%20kids.pdf virtuallearning.org.uk] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120002508/http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/changemanage/digital_kids/Cyborg%20kids.pdf |date=2008-11-20 }}</ref>

==Models and features==

==={{anchor|8256|8512}}PCW 8256 and 8512===
{{Infobox computer
| Name = PCW 8256 and 8512
| Photo = [[File:Schneider-Joyce-PCW-8256--Museum-Enter-6094720 (cropped).jpg|260px|Schneider Joyce PCW 8256 (a rebadged Amstrad PCW 8256) on display]]
| caption = PCW 8256
| Type = [[Personal computer]]
| Released = {{Start date and age|1985|09}}
| Discontinued = 
| units sold = 
| Processor = [[Zilog Z80|Z80]]
| Memory = 256&nbsp;[[kibibyte|KB]]&nbsp;(PCW 8256),  512&nbsp;KB&nbsp;(PCW 8512)
| OS = [[CP/M Plus]], [[Locoscript]]
| CPUspeed = 4 [[megahertz|MHz]]
| memory card = 3" floppy disk drives
| display = 12" green monochrome monitor; 90 x 32 characters; 720 x 256; 720 x 200
| aka = Joyce, Joyce Plus
}}

The PCW 8256 was launched in September 1985,<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" /> and had 256&nbsp;[[kibibyte|KB]] of [[RAM]] and one floppy disk drive.<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx">{{cite web|url=http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=189&st=1|title=Old computers: Amstrad PCW 8256 and 8512|last=Ball|first=A.|author2=Stirling, A.|access-date=2009-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528190001/http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=189&st=1|archive-date=2009-05-28|url-status=dead}}</ref> Launched a few months later, the PCW 8512 had 512&nbsp;KB of RAM and two floppy disk drives.<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx" /> Both systems consisted of three units: a printer; a [[Alphanumeric keyboard|keyboard]]; and a [[monochrome]] [[CRT monitor]] whose casing included the processor, memory, [[motherboard]], one or two [[floppy disk]] drives, the [[Power supply#Computer power supply|power supply]] for all the units and the connectors for the printer and keyboard.<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW">{{cite book
|last=Laing|first=G.|title=Digital Retro|pages=170–173|chapter=Amstrad PCW | publisher=The Ilex Press Ltd|year=2004|isbn=1-904705-39-1
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=967VdXdc5w4C&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PT133 |access-date=2009-05-01
}}</ref> The monitor displayed green characters on a black background. It measured {{convert|12|in|cm}} diagonally, and showed 32 lines of 90 characters each.<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986">{{cite journal|last=Hawkins|first=W.J.|date=November 1986|title=Double-duty word machine|journal=Popular Science|pages=86–88|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YGOSX-zIZ00C&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PA88|access-date=2009-05-01}}</ref><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> The designers preferred this to the usual [[personal computer]] display of 25 80-character lines, as the larger size would be more convenient for displaying a whole letter.<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" /> The monitor could also display graphics well enough for the bundled graphics program and for some games.<ref name="Rohrer2007Nostalgia" /><ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Amstrad PCW |url=https://www.uvlist.net/platforms/detail/206-Amstrad+PCW |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Universal Videogame List |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:FloppyDisk3InchAmstrad.jpg|right|thumbnail|150px|3-inch drive common on Amstrad machines]]
The floppy disk drives on these models were in the unusual [[Floppy disk variants#3-inch "Compact Floppy Disk" / "CF-2" format|3-inch "compact floppy"]] format,<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> which was selected as it had a simpler electrical interface than 3½-inch drives.<ref name=thereg-20150909>{{cite news |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/09/joyce_turns_30/ |title='A word processor so simple my PA could use it': Joyce turns 30 |author=Simon Rockman |newspaper=The Register |date=9 September 2015 |access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref> In the range's early days supplies of 3-inch floppies occasionally ran out,<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> but by 1988 the PCW's popularity encouraged suppliers to compete for this market.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Langford|first=D.|date=March 1988|title=The book of all knowledge|journal=8000 Plus|volume=18|url=http://www.ansible.co.uk/ai/pcwplus/pcwp1988.html|access-date=2009-05-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725100907/http://ansible.co.uk/ai/pcwplus/pcwp1988.html|archive-date=2008-07-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> There are several techniques for transferring data from a PCW to an IBM-compatible PC, some of which also can transfer in the opposite direction, and service companies that will do the job for a fee.<ref name="Gee1996AliveTLC">{{cite journal|last=Gee |first=S.|date=12 February 1996|title=Keep your faithful Amstrad alive with a little TLC |journal=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/keep-your-faithful-amstrad-alive-with-a-little-tlc-1318629.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102074742/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/keep-your-faithful-amstrad-alive-with-a-little-tlc-1318629.html |archive-date=2012-11-02 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=2009-05-02}}</ref><ref name="Schofield2008ConvertingLocoScript">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2008/dec/11/locoscript|title=Reading or converting old LocoScript files|last=Schofield|first=J.|date=11 December 2008 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=2009-05-02| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090326073445/http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/askjack/2008/dec/11/locoscript| archive-date= 26 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amstradcg.nl/econvers.html|title=HCC! Amstrad User Group: Exchange of data to and from a PC|access-date=2009-05-02|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130223070336/http://www.amstradcg.nl/econvers.html|archive-date=2013-02-23|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2005/oct/13/rescuingdatafromamstradpcw|title=Rescuing data from Amstrad PCW disks|last=Schofield|first=J.|date=13 October 2005 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=2009-05-01}}</ref>
While all the 3-inch disks were double-sided, the PCW 8256's 3-inch drive and the PCW 8512's upper one were single-sided, while the 8512's lower one was double-sided and double-density.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> Hence there were two types of disk: single-density, which could store 180&nbsp;[[kibibyte|KB]] of data per side, equivalent to about 70&nbsp;pages of text each;<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986" /> and double density, which could store twice as much per side.<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx" /> The double-density drive could read single-density disks, but it was inadvisable to write to them using this drive.<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx"/> Users of single-sided drives had to flip the disks over to use the full capacity.<ref>{{cite book
|last=Joshi|first=R.|title=Introduction To Computers|publisher=Gyan Books|year=2006|pages=73|chapter=Data Storage |isbn=81-8205-379-X|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgdsbAfWv54C&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PA73|access-date=2009-05-01
}}</ref>

The [[dot matrix]] printer had a sheet feed for short documents and a tractor attachment for long reports on [[continuous stationery]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jonathanen.com/pages/Computers/Amstrad/PCW8512/31.html|title=Amstrad PCW 8512|access-date=2009-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211124749/http://jonathanen.com/pages/Computers/Amstrad/PCW8512/31.html|archive-date=2009-02-11|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="UserGuideFirst20Min" /><ref name="PCW8xUserGuidePrinterMaintenance">{{cite book|last=Gilmour|first=J.|title=PCW8256/8512: User Guide - CP/M Logo & Word Processor Manual|publisher=Amstrad Consumer Electronics plc|year=1985|pages=142–147|chapter=The printer: loading and maintenance|url=http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720221017/http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-20|url-status=dead}}</ref>  This unit could print 90&nbsp;characters per second at draft quality and 20&nbsp;characters per second at higher quality,<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> and could also produce graphics.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP">{{cite journal|last=Austin|first=G.|year=1989|title=They are more than word processors|journal=MicroMart|url=http://www.gaby.de/ftp/pub/cpm/znode51/pcwworld/t120/user_0/pcwcol.asc|access-date=2009-05-02}}</ref> However it had only 9 printing pins and even its higher quality did not match that of 24-pin printers.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> The dot matrix printer was not very robust as its chassis was made entirely of plastic.<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> Users who needed to support higher print volumes or to produce graphics could buy a [[Daisy wheel printer|daisy-wheel printer]] or [[Plotter|graph plotter]] from Amstrad.<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> The daisy-wheel printer could not produce graphics.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />

The keyboard had 82 keys, some of which were designed for word processing, especially with the bundled [[Locoscript]] software<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986" /> – for example to [[cut, copy, and paste]].<ref name="LaingDigitalRetroPCW" /><ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> Non-English characters such as [[Modern Greek|Greek]] could be typed by holding down the {{keypress|ALT}} or {{keypress|EXTRA}} key, along with the {{keypress|SHIFT}} key if capitals were required. Other special key combinations activated [[caps lock]], [[num lock]] and [[Booting|reboot]].<ref name="UserGuideSettingUp" />

[[File:Amstrad PCW - Schneider Joyce.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Schneider Joyce]]
A wide range of upgrades became available. The PCW 8256's RAM could be expanded to 512&nbsp;KB for a hardware cost of about £50. An additional internal floppy disk drive for the 8256 would cost about £100, and installation was fairly easy. Alternatively one could add external drives, for example if a 3½-inch drive was needed. [[Graphical user interface]] devices such as [[light pen]]s, [[mouse (computer)|mice]] and [[graphic tablet]]s could be attached to the expansion socket at the back of the monitor. Adding a [[serial interface]] connector, which cost about £50, made it possible to attach a [[modem]] or non-Amstrad printer.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />

The designs were licensed to the German consumer electronics company Schneider, which slightly modified their appearance and consequently sold them as "Joyce" and "Joyce Plus".<ref name="Osborne2007RememberingPCW">{{cite journal|last=Osborne |first=I. |year=2007 |title=Remembering The Amstrad PCW |journal=Micro Mart |url=http://www.micromart.co.uk/features/article/default.aspx?id=22652 |access-date=2009-05-08 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The partnership between Amstrad and Schneider had been formed to market the [[Amstrad CPC]] range of computers, and broke up when Amstrad launched the PCW9512.

==={{anchor|9512|9256}}PCW 9512 and 9256===
{{Infobox computer
| Name = PCW 9512 and 9256
| Photo = 
| Type = [[Personal computer]]
| Released = {{Start date and age|1987}}
| Discontinued = 
| units sold = 
| Processor = [[Zilog Z80|Z80]]
| Memory = 512&nbsp;KB&nbsp;(PCW 9512); 256&nbsp;KB&nbsp;(PCW 9256)
| OS = [[CP/M Plus]], [[Locoscript]]
| CPUspeed = 4 [[megahertz|MHz]]
| memory card = 3" (PCW 9512) and 3.5" (PCW 9512+ & PCW 9256) floppy disk drives
| display = 12" monochrome monitor; 90 x 32 characters; 720 x 256
| connectivity = Parallel port
| discontinued = {{Start date and age|1994}}
}}
The PCW 9512, introduced in 1987 at a price of £499 plus VAT, had a white-on-black screen instead of green-on-black, and the bundled printer was a daisy-wheel model instead of a dot-matrix printer.<ref name="OldComputersPCW9xxxx" /> These models also had a parallel port, allowing non-Amstrad printers to be attached.<ref name="LuxsoftFAQ">{{cite web|url=http://www.luxsoft.demon.co.uk/lux/pcwtips.html|title=Help, Tips & FAQ's for the Amstrad PCW, LocoScript & CP/M|access-date=2009-05-04| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090422230050/http://www.luxsoft.demon.co.uk/lux/pcwtips.html| archive-date= 22 April 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> The 9512 was also supplied with version 2 of the [[Locoscript]] [[word processor]] program  which included [[spellchecker]] and [[mail merge]] facilities. In all other respects the 9512's facilities were the same as the 8512's.<ref name="OldComputersPCW9xxxx">{{cite web|url=http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=190|title=Old computers: Amstrad PCW 9256 and 9512|access-date=2009-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808195206/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=190|archive-date=2017-08-08|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1991 the 9512 was replaced by the PCW 9256 and 9512+, both equipped with a single [[Floppy disk#3.C2.BD-inch floppy disk|3½-inch disk drive]] that could access 720&nbsp;KB. The 9512+ had 512&nbsp;KB of RAM,<ref name="OldComputersPCW9xxxx" /> and two printer options, the Amstrad daisy-wheel unit and a series of considerably more expensive [[Canon (company)|Canon]] [[inkjet printer]]s: initially the BJ10e, later the BJ10ex and finally the BJ10sx.<ref name="LuxsoftFAQ" /> The 9256 had 256&nbsp;KB of RAM and the same dot matrix printer as the 8256 and 8512, as well as the older Locoscript version 1.<ref name="LuxsoftFAQ" />

===PCW 10===
This was a PCW 9256 with 512&nbsp;KB of RAM, a parallel printer port, and Locoscript 1.5 instead of Locoscript 1. The PCW 10 was not a success, and few were produced. By this time other systems offered much better print quality, and the PCW was a poor choice as a general-purpose computer, because of its slow [[CPU]] and incompatibility with [[MS-DOS]] systems.<ref name="LuxsoftFAQ" />

===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&nbsp;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&nbsp;[[megabyte|MB]] floppy drive.<ref name="ToastytechPCW16" /> While competitors included [[hard disk]] drives with capacities of a few hundred&nbsp;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&nbsp;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" />

==Software==
This section covers the PCW 8xxx, 9xxx and 10 series; software for the PcW16 is described above.

===Bundled===

====Locoscript word processor====
{{main | Locoscript }}
[[File:Locoscript.png| thumb | right | 300px | [[Locoscript]]'s file management screen on an Amstrad PCW ]]
The [[word processing]] software [[Locoscript]] was included in the price of the hardware. The manual provided both a reference and a tutorial that could enable users to start work within 20&nbsp;minutes, and some users found the tutorial provided as much information as they ever needed.<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys">{{cite book|last=Whitehead|first=J.|title=Implementing the electronic office|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=1986|pages=195–197|chapter=Appendix B: Some Typical Electronic Office Systems|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GX8OAAAAQAAJ&q=amstrad+pcw&pg=PA195|access-date=2009-05-01|isbn=978-0-7099-3674-9}}</ref>

The program enabled users to divide documents into groups, display the groups on a disk and then the documents in the selected group, and set up a [[Page layout|template]] for each group.<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986" /><ref name="UserGuideFirst20Min">{{cite book|last=Gilmour|first=J.|title=PCW8256/8512: User Guide - CP/M Logo & Word Processor Manual|publisher=Amstrad Consumer Electronics plc|year=1985|pages=11–26|chapter=Your first twenty minutes|url=http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720221017/http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> The "[[limbo]] file" facility enabled users to recover accidentally deleted documents until the disk ran out of space, when the software would permanently delete files to make room for new ones.<ref name="UserGuideKeepingOnDisc">{{cite book|last=Gilmour|first=J.|title=PCW8256/8512: User Guide - CP/M Logo & Word Processor Manual|publisher=Amstrad Consumer Electronics plc|year=1985|pages=27–50|chapter=Keeping your work on disc|url=http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720221017/http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-20|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Layout facilities included setting and using [[tab stop]]s,<ref name="UserGuideFirst20Min" /> production of page headers and footers, with automated page numbering; typographical effects including proportional spacing, a range of font sizes, and bold, italic and underline effects.<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986" /> The [[cut, copy and paste]] facility provided 10 paste buffers, each designated by a number, and these could be saved to a disk.<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986" /><ref name="PCW8xUserGuideCutAndPaste">{{cite book|last=Gilmour|first=J.|title=PCW8256/8512: User Guide - CP/M Logo & Word Processor Manual|publisher=Amstrad Consumer Electronics plc|year=1985|pages=LocoScript 111–114|chapter=Cutting and pasting|url=http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720221017/http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> The menu system had two layouts, one for beginners and the other for experienced users.<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986" />

Locoscript supported 150 characters and, if used with the dot matrix printer, could print European letters including Greek and [[Cyrillic]], as well as mathematical and technical symbols.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> The program allowed the user to work on one document while printing another, so that the relative slowness of the basic printer seldom caused difficulties.<ref name="PopularScienceNov1986" /> Locoscript did not run under the control of a standard [[operating system]] but booted directly from a floppy disk.<ref name="Micromart2007LocoScript">{{cite web|url=http://www.micromart.co.uk/features/article/default.aspx?id=22612|title=Whatever Happened To LocoScript?|year=2007|publisher=Micromart|access-date=2009-05-02}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Users had to [[Booting|reboot]] if they wanted to switch between Locoscript and a CP/M application, unless they used a utility called "Flipper", which could allocate separate areas of  RAM to Locoscript and CP/M.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />

Locoscript version 1, which was bundled with the PCW 8256 and 8512, had no [[spell checker]] or [[mail merge]] facilities.<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx" /><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> Version 2, which was bundled with the PCW 9512, included a spellchecker and could provide mail merge by interfacing to other products from [[Locomotive Software]], such as LocoMail and LocoFile.<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx"/><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> Locoscript 2 also expanded the character set to 400.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />

====CP/M operating system and applications====
The PCW included a version of [[CP/M]] known as "[[CP/M Plus]]".<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx" /><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> This provided a range of facilities comparable to those of [[MS-DOS]], but imposed a significant limitation: it could not address more than 64&nbsp;KB of RAM. Since CP/M took 3&nbsp;KB of this, the most that CP/M applications could use was 61&nbsp;KB. The rest of the RAM was used as a [[RAM disk]] (exposed under the drive letter "M:" for "memory"), which was much faster than a floppy disk but lost all its data when the machine was powered off.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> On the other hand, the [[standalone program|standalone]] Locoscript word processor program was able to use 154&nbsp;KB as normal memory, and the rest as a RAM disk.<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx" />

[[Mallard BASIC]], like  LocoScript, was a Locomotive Software product, but ran under CP/M. This version of [[BASIC]] lacked built-in graphics facilities,<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" /> but included JetSAM, an implementation of [[ISAM]] that supported multiple indexes per file, so that programs could access records directly by specifying values of key fields.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fvempel.nl/basic.html|title=Joyce Computer Club Public Domain - BASIC|date=April 2005|access-date=2009-05-03}}</ref> The CP/M software bundle also included the [[Digital Research]] implementation of [[Seymour Papert]]'s [[LOGO programming language]] and a graphics program that could produce [[pie chart]]s and [[bar chart]]s.<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />

===Sold separately===
Many software vendors supplied versions of their products to run with [[CP/M Plus]], making a wide range of software available for the PCW, often very cheaply:<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />
*Alternative word processors included [[Superwriter]] and [[WordStar]].<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />
*Several [[spreadsheet]] programs became available, including [[SuperCalc]] II and [[Microsoft]]'s [[Multiplan]].<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />
*[[Database]] programs adapted for the PCW included [[Sage Database]], [[Cardbox]] and [[dBase]] II.<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /><ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />
*The ''MicroDesign'', ''Desk Top Publisher'', ''Newsdesk'' and ''Stop Press'' [[desktop publishing]] packages were used by groups of authors for newsletters.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Crouch |first=R. |date=January 1997 |title=Desk Top Publishing |journal=Writers' Monthly |pages=32–33 |url=http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/rwcrouch/dtp.pdf |access-date=2009-05-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605134222/http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/rwcrouch/dtp.pdf |archive-date=June 5, 2011 }}</ref>
*[[The Sage Group]]'s Popular Accounts and Payroll,<ref name="Whitehead1986ElecOfficSys" /> and the Camsoft payroll and accounting software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cambriansoftware.co.uk/about.html|title=About Cambrian Software (UK) Ltd|access-date=2009-05-08}}</ref>
*Other programming languages, including [[C (programming language)|C]].<ref>{{cite book|title=C compiler|publisher=Mix Software, Inc.|year=1987|edition=3}}</ref>
*Many [[List of Amstrad PCW games|games]] for the PCW. Most were text adventures but there were also graphical games like ''[[Batman (1986 video game)|Batman]]'', ''[[Bounder (video game)|Bounder]]'' and ''[[Head over Heels (video game)|Head over Heels]]''.<ref name="Rohrer2007Nostalgia" /><ref name=":0" />

===Free software===
Many free packages could run under CP/M but required careful setting of options to run on the PCW series, although a significant number had installer programs that made this task easier. Programs that were already configured for the PCW covered a broad range of requirements including word processors, databases, graphics, personal accounts, programming languages, games, utilities and a full-featured [[bulletin board system]]. Many of these were at least as good as similar commercial offerings, but most had poor documentation.<ref name="Austin1989MoreThanWP" />

==Technical design==
The PCW 8256, 8512, 9512, 9256 and 9512+ share a common architecture. Other than the Z80 CPU, the PcW16 does not share any hardware with the original PCW series and should be considered to be a completely different machine.

=== CPU ===
All PCW models, including the PcW16, used the [[Zilog Z80]] range of [[CPU]]s. A 4&nbsp;MHz Z80A was used in the 8256, 8512, 9512, 9256, 9512+ and PCW10;<ref name="OldComputersPCW9xxxx" /><ref name="LuxsoftFAQ" /> and a 16&nbsp;MHz Z80 in the PCW16.<ref name="OldcomputersPWC16" />

=== Memory ===
The Z80 could only access 64&nbsp;[[kibibyte|KB]] of [[RAM]] at a time. Software could work around this by [[bank switching]], accessing different banks of memory at different times but this made programming more complex and slowed the system down. The PCW divided the Z80 memory map into four 16&nbsp;KB banks. In [[CP/M]], the memory used for the display was switched out while programs were running, giving more than 60&nbsp;KB of usable RAM. While the Joyce architecture was designed with configurations of 128&nbsp;KB and 256&nbsp;KB of RAM in mind, no PCW was ever sold with 128&nbsp;KB of RAM.

Each PCW's [[CP/M]] application could not use more than 64&nbsp;KB so the system used the rest of the RAM for a [[RAM drive]].<ref name="Osborne2007RememberingPCW" /> On the other hand, the [[standalone program|standalone]] [[Locoscript]] word processor program was reported as using up to 154&nbsp;KB as normal memory and the rest as a RAM disk.<ref name="OldComputersPCW8xxx" />

Unusually, the Z80 CPU in the PCW 8256, 8512, 9512, 9256 and 9512+ had no directly connected [[read-only memory|ROM]], which most computers used to start the [[Booting|boot process]]. Instead, at startup, the [[ASIC]] (customised circuit) at the heart of the PCW provided access to part of the 1k ROM  within the [[Intel MCS-48|Intel 8041 microcontroller]] used to drive the printer. The Z80 would copy 256 bytes via the ASIC into RAM, providing sufficient instructions to load the first [[Disk sector|sector]] from a floppy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~jacobn/cpm/pcwboot.html|title=PCW boot sequence|access-date=2011-02-28}}</ref> The ROM-based code cannot display text, being too small to support character generation; instead, it displays a bright screen which is progressively filled by black stripes as the code is loaded from the floppy.

=== Printer ===
To make the [[Computer printer|printer]] cheap enough to be included with every PCW, Amstrad placed the majority of its drive electronics inside the PCW cabinet.  The printer case contained only  electromechanical components and high-current driver electronics; its power was supplied via a [[coaxial power connector]] socket on the monitor casing, and rather than using a traditional [[IEEE 1284|parallel interface]], pin and motor signals were connected directly by a 34-wire [[ribbon cable]] to an 8041 [[microcontroller]] on the PCW's [[mainboard]].<ref name="UserGuideSettingUp">{{cite book|last=Gilmour|first=J.|title=PCW8256/8512: User Guide - CP/M Logo & Word Processor Manual|publisher=Amstrad Consumer Electronics plc|year=1985|pages=1–10|chapter=Setting Up|url=http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720221017/http://amstrad.cpc.free.fr/amstrad/manuals/pcw8256/pcw8256.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-20|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Most models of PCW were bundled with a 9-pin [[dot matrix printer]] mechanism, with the later 9512 and 9512+ models using a [[daisywheel]] (with a different cable; the printers were not interchangeable with the dot matrix models).  These PCW printers could not be used on other computers, and the original PCW lacked a then-standard [[Centronics]] printer port.  Instead, the [[Z80]] bus and video signals were brought to an [[edge connector]] socket at the back of the cabinet.  Many accessories including [[parallel port|parallel]] and [[serial port|serial]] ports were produced for this interface. Some of the later models included a built-in [[parallel port]]; these could be bundled with either the dedicated Amstrad printer or a [[Canon Inc.|Canon]] [[Bubblejet]] model.

=== Video system ===
The PCWs were not designed to play [[video game]]s, although some software authors considered this a minor detail, releasing games like ''[[Batman (1986 video game)|Batman]]'', ''[[Head Over Heels (game)|Head Over Heels]]'', and ''[[Bounder (video game)|Bounder]]''.  The PCW video system was not at all suited to games.  In order that it be able to display a full 80-column page plus margins, the display's addressable area was 90 columns and the display had 32 lines.  The display was [[monochrome]] and [[bitmapped]] with a resolution of 720 by 256 pixels.  At 1 bit per pixel, this occupied 23&nbsp;KB of RAM which was far too large for the Z80 CPU to [[Scrolling|scroll]] in software without ripple and tearing of the display.  Instead, the PCW implemented a [[Display list|Roller RAM]] consisting of a 512-byte area of RAM that held the address of each line of display data. The screen could now be scrolled either by changing the Roller RAM contents or by writing to an I/O port that set the starting point in Roller RAM for the screen data. This allowed for very rapid scrolling. The video system also fetched data in a special order designed so that plotting a character eight scan lines high would touch eight [[wikt:contiguity|contiguous]] addresses.  This meant that the [[Z80]]'s concise block copy instructions, such as [[Zilog_Z80#Instruction_set_and_encoding|LDIR]], could be used.  Unfortunately, it also meant that drawing lines and other shapes could be very complicated.

==See also==
* [[Amstrad CP/M Plus character set]]
* [[Amstrad CPC]]
* [[SymbOS]]
* [[List of Amstrad PCW games]]
* [[IBM Displaywriter System]]

== Emulators ==
* [http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/Unix/Joyce/index.html JOYCE] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924043106/http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/Unix/Joyce/index.html}} PCW 8256/8512 emulator for Windows / Unix
* [http://www.mac-emu.net/~bannister/filemirror/joyce-112b2.sit Joyce for Mac] by Richard F. Bannister.
* [http://www.habisoft.com/pcw CP/M Box] PCW emulator for Windows, by Habisoft
* [https://github.com/chernandezba/zesarux ZEsarUX] 8-bit machines multi emulator, including PCW 8256/8512, for Linux, Mac and Windows, by César Hernández Bañó

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Amstrad PCW}}
* [https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=52&st=1 Amstrad PCW&nbsp;16 page at www.old-computers.com]
* [https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=189&st=1 Amstrad PCW 8256/8512 at www.old-computers.com]
* [http://www.fvempel.nl/ PCW Joyce Computer Club]
* [http://toastytech.com/guis/pcw.html Screen shots of the PcW16's '''''Rosanne''''' GUI]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6925963.stm PCW nostalgia. BBC Web page.]
* [http://www.habisoft.com/pcw PCW Emulator CP/M Box]

{{Amstrad}}

[[Category:Amstrad PCW| ]]
[[Category:Amstrad computers|PCW]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1985]]
[[Category:Z80-based home computers]]
[[Category:Personal computers]]
[[Category:Computers designed in the United Kingdom]]