Re: What was Sprint

[Harry Binswanger hb@xxxxxxxx]

Wikipedia:

:In 1982, Non-Linear Systems organized a daughter
company named the Kaypro Corporation and
rechristened the computer [that it had been
working to design] with the same name.


"Despite the numbering, the company's first model
used the Roman numeral IIone of the most popular
microcomputers at the time was the Apple II. The
Kaypro II was designed to be portable like the
Osborne. (When battery-powered laptop computers
became available, the larger machines came to be
called transportable or luggable, rather than
portable.) Set in an aluminum case with a
keyboard that snapped onto the front covering the
CRT, it weighed 29 pounds (13 kilograms) and was
equipped with a Zilog Z80 microprocessor, 64
kilobytes of RAM, and two 5’-inch double-density
floppy-disk drives. The keyboard used the CP/M
layout of Control key but no Alt or arrow keys.
[This is not true. There was no "CP/M" layout,
and my CP/M system used both alt and arrow keys.
And the images I see for the Kaypro II show a
built-in keyboard with both arrow keys but no
alt-key. I changed the Wikipedia entry to correct that.]


"It ran on Digital Research, Inc.'s CP/M
operating system, and sold for about US $1,795 (equivalent to $4,400 in 2015)."


Regards,
Harry

When the Kaypro was new (mid-70s ? or certainly
not earlier than the late 70's -- remember, this
was CPM, with 8" floppies "), I think it cost
around 6 grand, or perhaps even more ? I had
friends who could write that off for their
business, but as a then struggling and very
poorly paid, mostly freelance journalist, I
could not afford it. I was still using the
Coronamatic electric typewriter I had had in
college. It wasn't until Zenith came out with
their version of the XT (also available as an
assemble-it-yourself kit) in late '84 or so that
I first got a computer.  I think I must have
started with XyWrite. I still have the II+ demo
floppies somewhere, so that could have been it.



  Jordan



From: John Paines 
To: "xywrite@xxxxxxxx" 
Sent: Monday, September 5, 2016 12:29 PM
Subject: Re: What was Sprint

The link below claims FinalWord (aka Sprint,
eventually) was designed to emulate Perfect
Writer (bundled with the Kaypro, no?), so it
can't be all *that* old.... early 80s?



http://www.atarimagazines.com/startv1n2/WordProcessors.html


I myself date to the IBM Mag Card (early 70s, as
a student), so am unimpressed....




From: Carl Distefano 
To: xywrite@xxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, September 5, 2016 2:30 PM
Subject: Re: What was Sprint

Reply to note from Daniel Say
mailto:say@xxxxxxxxsay@xxxxxxxx> Mon, 5 Sep 2016 11:11:09 -

0700

> Sprint was Final Word, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_%28word_processor%29


Who writes the "History" section of an encyclopedia article without
mentioning a single DATE?! Grrrrr....

I started with XyWrite in 1985, so I'm wondering where FinalWord/Sprint
falls on my timeline. It sounds like it would have grabbed me had I
been aware of it.

--
Carl Distefano
mailto:cld@xxxxxxxxcld@xxxxxxxx