Firmware and Languages

Neurox66 · 18:37, 09 May 24

About the firmware, I have a curiosity.
But I'll give a little background, my first computer was a ZX-Spectrum followed by an Amstrad CPC 464.
Then I switched to PC with an Amstrad PC 1640, but my passion for 8 bits led me to be persuaded by my trusted salesman to buy a CPC 6128Plus in 1990.
Although in Italy my CPC 6128 Plus had the cartridge with the firmware in English, my curiosity is...did a firmware in Italian ever exist?

P.S.
The same salesman convinced me in 1992 to buy, at a bargain price, a Sam Coupe

andycadley · 18:55, 09 May 24

I'm not sure the firmware was ever really translated. There were some jumpers for the manufacturer and I guess there was some change for keyboard layouts?

There isn't really much "language" support there though, really. You wouldn't want the actual BASIC commands changed, because it would break software.

McArti0 · 19:17, 09 May 24

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/User_Manual#Italian

eto · 19:54, 09 May 24

Quote from: andycadley on 18:55, 09 May 24There were some jumpers for the manufacturer and I guess there was some change for keyboard layouts?

In the Plus there are no jumpers.

Depending on the cartridge ROM, the Plus behaves as a French, Spanish or English version.

Neurox66 · 20:49, 09 May 24

Quote from: eto on 19:54, 09 May 24
Quote from: andycadley on 18:55, 09 May 24There were some jumpers for the manufacturer and I guess there was some change for keyboard layouts?
In the Plus there are no jumpers.

Depending on the cartridge ROM, the Plus behaves as a French, Spanish or English version.

Yes.
In fact, that's just how it is. The cartridge contains the language version of the operating system and also the keyboard mapping. I have three cartridges (collected over the years) in English, French and Spanish. To differentiate themselves they have labels of different colors.

ZorrO · 22:19, 09 May 24

@andycadley - Were only one producer.

SerErris · 21:52, 10 May 24

And language is just keyboard layout and some special characters. Thats it.

There was never a German version or an Italien Version or a Swedish Version etc.

ZorrO · 23:27, 10 May 24

"just keyboard layout and some special characters" - in Amstrad CPC world thats true, but ...
There is OS Finnish/Swedish version for 6128, (both languages using the same alphabet) made not official by Amstrad but by some local distributor.
https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php?title=ROM_List

CPC is easy, layout and characters could be change by 1 line of Basic:
https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/programming/basic-programming-tips/msg117543/#msg117543

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Firmware and Languages