What computer did you have before CPC?

[GUNHED]

In my case it was a kind of MSX computer, called the CBS Colecovision game console.

[cwpab]

was not "mine" but the Thomson T07-70 of the school they left in the storage room. My mum -teacher- brought it at home

Very cool! I find these Thomson machines quite interesting. 5 models, but no compatibility among them, 500K sold in France... And a nice list of mostly French games.

The graphics look cute, did you play any games on it?

[roudoudou]

was not "mine" but the Thomson T07-70 of the school they left in the storage room. My mum -teacher- brought it at home

Very cool! I find these Thomson machines quite interesting. 5 models, but no compatibility among them, 500K sold in France... And a nice list of mostly French games.

The graphics look cute, did you play any games on it?

i played Androides, a clone of Lode Runner and that's it

the TO7 user manual was even greater than Amstrad user manual to learn programmation in Basic!

there was a Logo cartridge also, very fun to play with

[lightforce6128]

The first digital thing I owned (or shared with my brother and my father) was a Atari 2600.

[McArti0]

Before CPC I had a Philips Videopac G7200

Did you have the Basic and Z80 cartridge? There was something like this for 7400 and it was probably called 7410.
Your g7200 is a brilliant work of an engineer of that time because making a computer with a screen from a microcontroller is better than zx80/81

[Deevee]

Before CPC I had a Philips Videopac G7200

Did you have the Basic and Z80 cartridge? There was something like this for 7400 and it was probably called 7410.

There was the "Computer Programmer" cartridge G7109, but no unfortunately i did not have that. I actually knew it existed years after. I sure would have love to have it at the time! I remember I was kind of frustrated that it was not possible to program the thing.

[Anthony Flack]

A 464 then a 6128, but the first computer I got to program on was my uncle's Dick Smith VZ-200 (a rebranded VTech Laser 200). The 464 was quite a step up. 

[diesoft]

Our first computer at home, before the great cpc464 came in, was the 'portable' Osborne 1. It came with cp/m.

[ZorrO]

Only 50 people reading this forum?  Come on!

[robcfg]

It feels so lonely in the Atari 8-Bit category... 

[Nich]

Only 50 people reading this forum?  Come on!

There are currently 3,725 registered users on the forum, but it would be an interesting exercise for @Gryzor to analyse how many of them are currently active (i.e. have logged in within a certain period of time).

[Gryzor]

Only 50 people reading this forum?  Come on!

There are currently 3,725 registered users on the forum, but it would be an interesting exercise for @Gryzor to analyse how many of them are currently active (i.e. have logged in within a certain period of time).

Yeah unfortunately the forum doesn't do that, I'm afraid. I could dig into the db of course and do manual queries, but it requires quite some looking around

[GUNHED]

It feels so lonely in the Atari 8-Bit category... 

Always liked the 800XL, we played Mercenary a lot at a friends place before I got my CPC. 

[tronic]

Nice topic.

On my side, my father realised that computers would change a lot of things. So in 1983 we bought a YENO SEGA SC3000.
This purchase (which was very expensive for the time) took a long time to mature after reading numerous magazines and comparing machines (and there were a lot of them... Far too many!) as well as numerous weekend visits to many computer shops.
I was 10 years old, with stars in my eyes, and I remember that delightful time as it was yesterday.

Of course, with hindsight, this machine was never viable (in France) but it had some very interesting and innovative technical features for its time (hard+zoom sprites, cartridge port...) and compared to other 'heavyweights'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6MDryVo8UQ)

I discovered basic programming on this machine because the manual was particularly well written and full of examples. Also typed (and adapted, as they were often not compatible) a huge number of book and magazine listings. Joined a computer club dedicated to the machine, where my father and I would go at weekends to exchange tips. Bought peripherals (joystick, few -rare- games, a huge floppy disk drive that radically changed the situation compared with storage on k7, rs232c printer... etc).

When I started secondary school in 1984, the computer club had TO7, MO5 (a classic in France...) and an Apple IIe on which I also learnt a lot.
The CPC 464 came out that year, but few people had one, and at my level I found the machine visually horrible, with its green, blue and red keys...
I also already had a floppy disk drive for my YENO SC3000, so going back to k7 was nonsense.
The only advantage I could see was its monitor which would no longer take up a TV with a minimum of cables...

And then...
My neighbour (who had an Alice from Matra-Hachette, a tasteless machine...) finally bought a CPC 464 on which we spent whole days playing games, typing up listings, like many of us.
The maths teacher who ran the school computer club also bought a 464 and swore by it !
And so did many of my classmates and teachers...
The Amstrad software library was exploding, and so were the peripherals...
The French press had nothing but praise for this machine...
The 664 appeared, briefly... But it was when the 6128 came out, with its less 'playschool' look, that the machine finally arrived at home for Xmas, as I imagine it did for many of you.

Already a fan of computer clubs and other 'technological' weekend outings, the first (or second, can't remember...) amstrad expo in France with my father left me with delicious memories, despite the noise and the infernal crowds!
The following ones, where I went this time with friends from secondary school and over several days, were extraordinary. It was at this point that I gave up basic, copying games and started programming in z80 assembler...

What a wonderful time...

Tronic/GPA.