<s>
The	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
(	O
short	O
for	O
Colour	B-Device
Personal	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
)	O
is	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
8-bit	O
home	O
computers	O
produced	O
by	O
Amstrad	O
between	O
1984	O
and	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
compete	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1980s	O
home	O
computer	O
market	O
dominated	O
by	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
where	O
it	O
successfully	O
established	O
itself	O
primarily	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
Spain	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
German-speaking	O
parts	O
of	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
later	O
464plus	O
and	O
6128plus	O
,	O
intended	O
to	O
prolong	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
lifecycle	O
with	O
hardware	O
updates	O
,	O
were	O
considerably	O
less	O
successful	O
,	O
as	O
was	O
the	O
attempt	O
to	O
repackage	O
the	O
plus	O
hardware	O
into	O
a	O
game	O
console	O
as	O
the	O
GX4000	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CPC	O
models	O
 '	O
hardware	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Zilog	B-General_Concept
Z80A	I-General_Concept
CPU	B-Device
,	O
complemented	O
with	O
either	O
64	O
or	O
128KB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
computer-in-a-keyboard	O
design	O
prominently	O
features	O
an	O
integrated	O
storage	O
device	O
,	O
either	O
a	O
compact	B-Device
cassette	I-Device
deck	O
or	O
3-inch	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
first	O
and	O
third-party	O
hardware	O
extensions	O
such	O
as	O
external	O
disk	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
printers	O
,	O
and	O
memory	O
extensions	O
,	O
was	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
comparatively	O
low	O
price	O
for	O
a	O
complete	O
computer	O
system	O
with	O
dedicated	O
monitor	O
,	O
its	O
high-resolution	O
monochrome	O
text	O
and	O
graphic	O
capabilities	O
and	O
the	O
possibility	O
to	O
run	O
CP/M	B-Application
software	O
also	O
rendered	O
the	O
system	O
attractive	O
for	O
business	O
users	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
reflected	O
by	O
a	O
wide	O
selection	O
of	O
application	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
philosophy	O
behind	O
the	O
CPC	O
series	O
was	O
twofold	O
,	O
firstly	O
the	O
concept	O
was	O
of	O
an	O
"	O
all-in-one	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
its	O
data	O
storage	O
device	O
were	O
combined	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
unit	O
and	O
sold	O
with	O
its	O
own	O
dedicated	O
display	O
monitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
home	O
computers	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
such	O
as	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
series	O
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
relied	O
on	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
domestic	O
television	O
set	O
and	O
a	O
separately	O
connected	O
tape	B-Device
recorder	O
or	O
disk	B-Device
drive	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
itself	O
,	O
the	O
all-in-one	O
concept	O
was	O
not	O
new	O
,	O
having	O
been	O
seen	O
before	O
on	O
business-oriented	O
machines	O
and	O
the	O
Commodore	B-Device
PET	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Secondly	O
,	O
Amstrad	O
founder	O
Alan	O
Sugar	O
wanted	O
the	O
machine	O
to	O
resemble	O
a	O
"	O
real	O
computer	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
what	O
someone	O
would	O
see	O
being	O
used	O
to	O
check	O
them	O
in	O
at	O
the	O
airport	O
for	O
their	O
holidays	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
the	O
machine	O
to	O
not	O
look	O
like	O
"	O
a	O
pregnant	O
calculator	O
"	O
–	O
in	O
reference	O
presumably	O
to	O
the	O
ZX81	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
with	O
their	O
low	O
cost	O
,	O
membrane-type	O
keyboards	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CPC	O
464	O
featured	O
64KB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
an	O
internal	O
cassette	O
deck	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CPC664	O
features	O
64KB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
an	O
internal	O
3-inch	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
successful	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
CPC464	O
,	O
consumers	O
were	O
constantly	O
asking	O
for	O
two	O
improvements	O
:	O
more	O
memory	O
and	O
an	O
internal	O
disk	B-Device
drive	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
deliberately	O
low-key	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
CPC664	O
,	O
the	O
machine	O
was	O
positioned	O
not	O
only	O
as	O
the	O
lowest-cost	O
disk	B-Device
system	O
but	O
even	O
the	O
lowest-cost	O
CP/M	B-Application
2.2	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
product	O
range	O
the	O
CPC664	O
complemented	O
the	O
CPC464	O
which	O
was	O
neither	O
discontinued	O
nor	O
reduced	O
in	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
the	O
CPC464	O
,	O
the	O
CPC664	O
's	O
main	O
unit	O
has	O
been	O
significantly	O
redesigned	O
,	O
not	O
only	O
to	O
accommodate	O
the	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
but	O
also	O
with	O
a	O
redesigned	O
keyboard	B-Device
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Touted	O
as	O
"	O
ergonomic	O
"	O
by	O
Amstrad	O
's	O
promotional	O
material	O
,	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
is	O
noticeably	O
tilted	O
to	O
the	O
front	O
with	O
MSX-style	O
cursor	O
keys	O
above	O
the	O
numeric	O
keypad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
the	O
CPC464	O
's	O
multicoloured	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
the	O
CPC664	O
's	O
keys	O
are	O
kept	O
in	O
a	O
much	O
quieter	O
grey	O
and	O
pale	O
blue	O
colour	O
scheme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
CPC464	O
's	O
cassette	B-Device
tape	I-Device
drive	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
powered	O
off	O
the	O
main	O
unit	O
's	O
5V	O
voltage	O
,	O
the	O
CPC664	O
's	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
requires	O
an	O
additional	O
12V	O
voltage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CPC6128	O
features	O
128KB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
an	O
internal	O
3-inch	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aside	O
from	O
various	O
hardware	O
and	O
firmware	O
improvements	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
CPC6128	O
's	O
most	O
prominent	O
features	O
is	O
the	O
compatibility	O
with	O
the	O
CP/M	B-Application
+	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
that	O
rendered	O
it	O
attractive	O
for	O
business	O
uses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
model	O
palette	B-Data_Structure
includes	O
three	O
variants	O
,	O
the	O
464plus	O
and	O
6128plus	O
computers	O
and	O
the	O
GX4000	B-Application
video	O
game	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
redesigned	O
video	O
hardware	O
allows	O
for	O
hardware	O
sprites	O
and	O
soft	O
scrolling	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
colour	B-Data_Structure
palette	I-Data_Structure
extended	O
from	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
16	O
colours	O
(	O
plus	O
separately	O
definable	O
border	O
)	O
at	O
one	O
time	O
from	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
27	O
,	O
increased	O
to	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
31	O
(	O
16	O
for	O
background	O
and	O
15	O
for	O
hardware	O
sprites	O
)	O
out	O
of	O
4096	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
enhanced	O
sound	O
hardware	O
offers	O
automatic	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
transfer	O
,	O
allowing	O
more	O
complex	O
sound	O
effects	O
with	O
a	O
significantly	O
reduced	O
processor	O
overhead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
hardware	O
enhancements	O
include	O
the	O
support	O
of	O
analogue	O
joysticks	O
,	O
8-bit	O
printers	O
,	O
and	O
ROM	B-Device
cartridges	O
up	O
to	O
4	O
Mbits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
significant	O
hardware	O
enhancements	O
,	O
many	O
viewed	O
it	O
as	O
outdated	O
,	O
being	O
based	O
on	O
an	O
8-bit	O
CPU	B-Device
,	O
and	O
it	O
failed	O
to	O
attract	O
both	O
customers	O
and	O
software	O
producers	O
who	O
were	O
moving	O
towards	O
systems	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Commodore	O
Amiga	O
and	O
Sega	O
Mega	O
Drive	O
which	O
was	O
launched	O
a	O
few	O
short	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
plus	O
range	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
the	O
redesigned	O
plus	O
hardware	O
platform	O
,	O
they	O
share	O
the	O
same	O
base	O
characteristics	O
as	O
their	O
predecessors	O
:	O
The	O
464plus	O
is	O
equipped	O
with	O
64KB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
a	O
cassette	B-Device
tape	I-Device
drive	O
,	O
the	O
6128plus	O
features	O
128KB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
a	O
3	O
"	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
models	O
share	O
a	O
common	O
case	O
layout	O
with	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
taken	O
over	O
from	O
the	O
CPC6128	O
model	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
respective	O
mass	O
storage	O
drive	O
inserted	O
in	O
a	O
case	O
breakout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
simplify	O
the	O
EMC	O
screening	O
process	O
,	O
the	O
edge	O
connectors	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
models	O
have	O
been	O
replaced	O
with	O
micro-ribbon	B-Protocol
connectors	O
as	O
previously	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
German	O
Schneider	O
CPC6128	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
6128plus	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
tape	B-Device
socket	O
for	O
an	O
external	O
tape	B-Device
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plus	O
range	O
is	O
not	O
equipped	O
with	O
an	O
on-board	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
and	O
thus	O
the	O
464plus	O
and	O
the	O
6128plus	O
do	O
not	O
contain	O
a	O
firmware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
Amstrad	O
provided	O
the	O
firmware	O
for	O
both	O
models	O
via	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
extension	O
facility	O
,	O
contained	O
on	O
the	O
included	O
Burnin	O
 '	O
Rubber	O
and	O
Locomotive	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
cartridge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developed	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
plus	O
range	O
,	O
the	O
GX4000	B-Application
was	O
Amstrad	O
's	O
short-lived	O
attempt	O
to	O
enter	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
consoles	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sharing	O
the	O
plus	O
range	O
's	O
enhanced	O
hardware	O
characteristics	O
,	O
it	O
represents	O
the	O
bare	O
minimum	O
variant	O
of	O
the	O
range	O
without	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
or	O
support	O
for	O
mass	O
storage	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
August	O
holidays	O
of	O
1985	O
,	O
Spain	O
briefly	O
introduced	O
an	O
import	O
tax	O
of	O
15000	O
pesetas	O
(	O
)	O
on	O
computers	O
containing	O
64KB	O
or	O
less	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
(	O
Royal	O
Decree	O
1215/1985	O
and	O
1558/1985	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
law	O
(	O
Royal	O
Decree	O
1250/1985	O
)	O
mandated	O
that	O
all	O
computers	O
sold	O
in	O
Spain	O
must	O
have	O
a	O
Spanish	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
main	O
differences	O
are	O
a	O
small	O
additional	O
daughter	O
board	O
containing	O
a	O
CPC664	O
ROM	B-Device
chip	I-Device
and	O
an	O
8KB	O
memory	O
chip	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
with	O
a	O
ñ	O
key	O
(	O
although	O
some	O
of	O
them	O
were	O
temporarily	O
manufactured	O
without	O
the	O
ñ	O
key	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
(""	O
-	O
which	O
means	O
"	O
small	O
computer	O
"	O
-	O
being	O
a	O
rather	O
literal	O
German	O
translation	O
of	O
the	O
English	O
"	O
microcomputer	O
"	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
unauthorized	O
and	O
unofficial	O
clone	O
of	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
built	O
by	O
East	O
Germany	O
's	O
,	O
part	O
of	O
,	O
in	O
October	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
machine	O
included	O
various	O
substitutes	O
and	O
emulations	B-Application
of	O
an	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
's	O
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
machine	O
is	O
largely	O
compatible	O
with	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
equipped	O
with	O
64KB	O
of	O
memory	O
and	O
a	O
CPC6128	O
's	O
firmware	O
customized	O
to	O
the	O
modified	O
hardware	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
Locomotive	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
1.1	O
modified	O
in	O
the	O
startup	O
banner	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
KC	O
compact	O
can	O
be	O
emulated	B-Application
by	O
free	O
software	O
JKCEMU	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
could	O
also	O
be	O
switched	O
into	O
an	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
BYTE	B-Application
columnist	O
in	O
January	O
1985	O
called	O
the	O
CPC	O
464	O
"	O
the	O
closest	O
yet	O
to	O
filling	O
"	O
his	O
criteria	O
for	O
a	O
useful	O
home	O
computer	O
,	O
including	O
good	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
80-column	O
text	O
,	O
inexpensive	O
disk	B-Device
drive	I-Device
,	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
a	O
mainstream	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
like	O
CP/M	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
entire	O
CPC	O
series	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Zilog	B-General_Concept
Z80	I-General_Concept
;	O
a	O
processor	O
,	O
clocked	O
at	O
4MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
and	O
the	O
video	O
logic	O
simultaneously	O
accessing	O
the	O
shared	O
main	O
memory	O
and	O
causing	O
video	O
corruption	O
(	O
"	O
snowing	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
CPU	B-Device
memory	O
access	O
is	O
constrained	O
to	O
occur	O
on	O
microsecond	O
boundaries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amstrad	B-Device
CPCs	I-Device
are	O
equipped	O
with	O
either	O
64	O
(	O
CPC464	O
,	O
CPC664	O
,	O
464plus	O
,	O
GX4000	B-Application
)	O
or	O
128	O
(	O
CPC6128	O
,	O
6128plus	O
)	O
KB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
processor	O
is	O
only	O
able	O
to	O
directly	O
address	O
64KB	O
of	O
memory	O
,	O
additional	O
memory	O
from	O
the	O
128KB	O
models	O
and	O
memory	O
expansions	O
is	O
made	O
available	O
using	O
bank	B-General_Concept
switching	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Underlying	O
a	O
CPC	O
's	O
video	O
output	O
is	O
the	O
unusual	O
pairing	O
of	O
a	O
CRTC	O
(	O
Motorola	B-General_Concept
6845	I-General_Concept
or	O
compatible	O
)	O
with	O
a	O
custom-designed	O
gate	O
array	O
to	O
generate	O
a	O
pixel	O
display	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
CPC	O
video	O
hardware	O
supports	O
a	O
colour	B-Data_Structure
palette	I-Data_Structure
of	O
27	O
colours	O
,	O
generated	O
from	O
RGB	O
colour	O
space	O
with	O
each	O
colour	O
component	O
assigned	O
as	O
either	O
off	O
,	O
half	O
on	O
,	O
or	O
on	O
(	O
3	O
level	O
RGB	O
palette	B-Data_Structure
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plus	O
range	O
extended	O
the	O
palette	B-Data_Structure
to	O
4096	O
colours	O
,	O
also	O
generated	O
from	O
RGB	O
with	O
4	O
bits	O
each	O
for	O
red	O
,	O
green	O
and	O
blue	O
(	O
12-bit	O
RGB	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
the	O
GX4000	B-Application
,	O
all	O
CPC	O
models	O
lack	O
an	O
RF	O
television	O
or	O
composite	O
video	O
output	O
and	O
instead	O
shipped	O
with	O
a	O
6-pin	O
RGB	O
DIN	B-Architecture
connector	I-Architecture
,	O
also	O
used	O
by	O
Acorn	O
computers	O
,	O
to	O
connect	O
the	O
supplied	O
Amstrad	O
monitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
connector	O
delivers	O
a	O
1v	O
p-p	O
analogue	O
RGB	O
with	O
a	O
50Hz	O
composite	O
sync	O
signal	O
that	O
,	O
if	O
wired	O
correctly	O
,	O
can	O
drive	O
a	O
50Hz	O
SCART	B-Protocol
television	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CPC	O
uses	O
the	O
General	B-Device
Instrument	I-Device
AY-3-8912	I-Device
sound	O
chip	O
,	O
providing	O
three	O
channels	O
,	O
each	O
configurable	O
to	O
generate	O
square	O
waves	O
,	O
white	O
noise	O
or	O
both	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stereo	O
output	O
is	O
provided	O
through	O
a	O
headphones	B-Device
jack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
play	O
back	O
digital	B-Algorithm
sound	I-Algorithm
samples	I-Algorithm
at	O
a	O
resolution	O
of	O
approximately	O
5-bit	O
by	O
sending	O
a	O
stream	O
of	O
values	O
to	O
the	O
sound	O
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
are	O
the	O
title	O
screens	O
or	O
other	O
non-playable	O
scenes	O
of	O
games	O
like	O
Chase	B-Application
H.Q.	I-Application
,	O
Meltdown	B-Application
,	O
and	O
RoboCop	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
later	O
Plus	O
models	O
incorporated	O
a	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
in	O
order	O
to	O
offload	O
this	O
processing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amstrad	O
uses	O
Matsushita	O
's	O
3	O
"	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
[	O
ref	O
:	O
CPCWiki ]	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
compatible	O
with	O
Hitachi	O
's	O
existing	O
3	O
"	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
chosen	O
drive	O
(	O
built-in	O
for	O
later	O
models	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
single-sided	O
40-track	O
unit	O
that	O
requires	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
remove	O
and	O
flip	O
the	O
disk	B-Device
to	O
access	O
the	O
other	O
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sides	O
are	O
termed	O
"	O
A	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
B	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
each	O
one	O
commonly	O
formatted	O
to	O
180KB	O
(	O
in	O
AMSDOS	B-Operating_System
format	O
,	O
comprising	O
2KB	O
directory	O
and	O
178KB	O
storage	O
)	O
for	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
360KB	O
per	O
disk	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
interface	O
with	O
the	O
drives	O
is	O
an	O
NEC	O
765	O
FDC	B-Device
,	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
purpose	O
in	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC/XT	I-Device
,	O
PC/AT	B-Operating_System
and	O
PS/2	B-Device
machines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
features	O
are	O
not	O
fully	O
used	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
cut	O
costs	O
,	O
namely	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
transfers	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
single	B-Device
density	I-Device
disks	B-Device
;	O
they	O
were	O
formatted	O
as	O
double	B-Device
density	I-Device
using	O
modified	B-Protocol
frequency	I-Protocol
modulation	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
casing	O
is	O
thicker	O
and	O
more	O
rigid	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
3.5inch	O
diskettes	B-Device
,	O
and	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
mailed	O
without	O
any	O
additional	O
packaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apart	O
from	O
Amstrad	O
's	O
other	O
3-inch	O
machines	O
(	O
the	O
PCW	B-Device
and	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
+3	I-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
the	O
few	O
other	O
computer	O
systems	O
to	O
use	O
them	O
included	O
the	O
Sega	O
SF-7000	O
and	O
CP/M	B-Application
systems	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Tatung	B-Operating_System
Einstein	I-Operating_System
and	O
Osborne	O
machines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Shugart-standard	O
interface	O
means	O
that	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
machines	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
standard	O
3	O
"	O
,	O
3½	O
"	O
or	O
5¼	O
"	O
drives	O
as	O
their	O
second	O
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Programs	O
such	O
as	O
ROMDOS	O
and	O
ParaDOS	O
extend	O
the	O
standard	O
AMSDOS	B-Operating_System
system	O
to	O
provide	O
support	O
for	O
double-sided	O
,	O
80-track	O
formats	O
,	O
enabling	O
up	O
to	O
800KB	O
to	O
be	O
stored	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
disk	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
3-inch	O
disks	B-Device
themselves	O
are	O
usually	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
discs	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
CPC	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
spelling	O
on	O
the	O
machine	O
's	O
plastic	O
casing	O
and	O
conventional	O
British	O
English	O
spelling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
ROM	B-Device
has	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
16KB	O
block	O
and	O
is	O
switched	O
in	O
and	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
memory	O
space	O
shared	O
with	O
the	O
video	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
applications	O
were	O
marketed	O
on	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
particularly	O
word	O
processing	O
and	O
programming	O
utility	O
software	O
(	O
examples	O
are	O
Protext	O
and	O
Brunword	O
of	O
the	O
former	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
MAXAM	O
assembler	O
of	O
the	O
latter	O
type	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
extra	O
ROM	B-Device
chips	I-Device
do	O
not	O
plug	O
directly	O
into	O
the	O
CPC	O
itself	O
,	O
but	O
into	O
extra	O
plug-in	O
"	O
rom	B-Device
boxes	O
"	O
which	O
contain	O
sockets	O
for	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
chips	I-Device
and	O
a	O
minimal	O
amount	O
of	O
decoding	O
circuitry	O
for	O
the	O
main	O
machine	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
on	O
ROM	B-Device
loads	O
much	O
faster	O
than	O
from	O
disc	O
or	O
tape	B-Device
and	O
the	O
machine	O
's	O
boot-up	O
sequence	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
evaluate	O
ROMs	O
it	O
found	O
and	O
optionally	O
hand	O
over	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
machine	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
typical	O
users	O
would	O
probably	O
not	O
be	O
aware	O
of	O
this	O
added	O
ROM	B-Device
functionality	O
unless	O
they	O
read	O
the	O
CPC	O
press	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
described	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
manual	O
and	O
was	O
hardly	O
ever	O
mentioned	O
in	O
marketing	O
literature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
machines	O
also	O
feature	O
a	O
9-pin	O
Atari	B-Protocol
joystick	I-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
that	O
will	O
either	O
directly	O
take	O
one	O
joystick	O
,	O
or	O
two	O
joysticks	O
by	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
splitter	O
cable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amstrad	O
issued	O
two	O
RS-232-C	O
D25	B-Protocol
serial	O
interfaces	O
,	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
expansion	O
connector	O
on	O
the	O
rear	O
of	O
the	O
machine	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
through-connector	O
for	O
the	O
CPC464	O
disk	B-Device
drive	I-Device
or	O
other	O
peripherals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
interface	O
came	O
with	O
a	O
Book	O
of	O
Spells	O
for	O
facilitating	O
data	O
transfer	O
between	O
other	O
systems	O
using	O
a	O
proprietary	O
protocol	O
in	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
own	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
terminal	B-General_Concept
software	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
British	O
Telecom	O
's	O
Prestel	B-General_Concept
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
separate	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
was	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
U.S.	O
market	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
commands	O
"	O
|SUCK	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
|BLOW	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
considered	O
unacceptable	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
most	O
home	O
computers	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
CPC	O
has	O
its	O
OS	B-General_Concept
and	O
a	O
BASIC	B-Language
interpreter	I-Language
built	O
in	O
as	O
ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
Locomotive	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
-	O
an	O
improved	O
version	O
of	O
Locomotive	B-Device
Software	I-Device
's	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
BASIC	O
for	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
co-processor	O
board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
particularly	O
notable	O
for	O
providing	O
easy	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
machine	O
's	O
video	O
and	O
audio	O
resources	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
POKE	B-Language
commands	O
required	O
on	O
generic	O
Microsoft	O
implementations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
Research	O
's	O
CP/M	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
was	O
supplied	O
with	O
the	O
664	O
and	O
6128	O
disk-based	O
systems	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
DDI-1	O
disk	B-Device
expansion	O
unit	O
for	O
the	O
464	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
64k	O
machines	O
shipped	O
with	O
CP/M	B-Application
2.2	O
alone	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
128k	O
machines	O
also	O
include	O
CP/M	B-Application
3.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
compact	O
CP/M	B-Application
2.2	O
implementation	O
is	O
largely	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
boot	O
sectors	O
of	O
a	O
3	O
"	O
disk	B-Device
in	O
what	O
was	O
called	O
"	O
System	O
format	O
"	O
;	O
typing	O
|CPM	O
from	O
Locomotive	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
would	O
load	O
code	O
from	O
these	O
sectors	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
a	O
popular	O
choice	O
for	O
custom	O
game	O
loading	O
routines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CP/M	B-Application
3.1	O
implementation	O
is	O
largely	O
in	O
a	O
separate	O
file	O
which	O
is	O
in	O
turn	O
loaded	O
from	O
the	O
boot	O
sector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
public	O
domain	O
CP/M	B-Application
software	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
CPC	O
,	O
from	O
word-processors	O
such	O
as	O
VDE	O
to	O
complete	O
bulletin	O
board	O
systems	O
such	O
as	O
ROS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
was	O
possible	O
to	O
obtain	O
compilers	O
for	O
Locomotive	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
,	O
C	B-Language
and	O
Pascal	B-Application
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
CPC	O
's	O
software	O
was	O
written	O
in	O
native	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
assembly	O
language	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Disk-based	O
CPC	O
(	O
not	O
Plus	O
)	O
systems	O
shipped	O
with	O
an	O
interpreter	O
for	O
the	O
educational	O
language	O
LOGO	B-Device
,	O
booted	O
from	O
CP/M	B-Application
2.2	O
but	O
largely	O
CPC-specific	O
with	O
much	O
code	O
resident	O
in	O
the	O
AMSDOS	B-Operating_System
ROM	B-Device
;	O
6128	O
machines	O
also	O
include	O
a	O
CP/M	B-Application
3.1	O
,	O
non-ROM	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
C	B-Language
compiler	O
was	O
also	O
written	O
and	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
European	O
market	O
through	O
Tandy	O
Europe	O
,	O
by	O
Micro	O
Business	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
CPC	O
a	O
recognisable	O
mascot	O
,	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
games	O
by	O
Amstrad	O
's	O
in-house	O
software	O
publisher	O
Amsoft	B-Device
have	O
been	O
tagged	O
with	O
the	O
Roland	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
games	O
had	O
not	O
been	O
designed	O
around	O
the	O
Roland	O
character	O
and	O
only	O
had	O
the	O
branding	O
added	O
later	O
,	O
the	O
character	O
design	O
varies	O
immensely	O
,	O
from	O
a	O
spiky-haired	O
blonde	O
teenager	O
(	O
Roland	O
Goes	O
Digging	O
)	O
to	O
a	O
white	O
cube	O
with	O
legs	O
(	O
Roland	O
Goes	O
Square	O
Bashing	O
)	O
or	O
a	O
mutant	O
flea	O
(	O
Roland	B-Application
in	I-Application
the	I-Application
Caves	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1984	O
,	O
Schneider	O
's	O
Schneider	O
Computer	O
Division	O
daughter	O
company	O
was	O
created	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	O
task	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
complete	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
line-up	O
was	O
branded	O
and	O
sold	O
as	O
Schneider	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
they	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
Schneider	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
models	O
differ	O
from	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
models	O
in	O
several	O
details	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
prominently	O
,	O
the	O
Schneider	O
CPC464	O
and	O
CPC664	O
keyboards	B-Device
featured	O
grey	O
instead	O
of	O
coloured	O
keys	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
British	O
keyboard	B-Device
layout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
achieve	O
a	O
German	O
"	O
QWERTZ	O
"	O
keyboard	B-Device
layout	O
,	O
Schneider	O
marketed	O
a	O
small	O
software	O
program	O
to	O
reassign	O
the	O
keys	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
sticker	O
labels	O
for	O
the	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
conform	O
with	O
stricter	O
German	O
EMC	O
regulations	O
,	O
the	O
complete	O
Schneider	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
line-up	O
is	O
equipped	O
with	O
an	O
internal	O
metal	O
shielding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
same	O
reason	O
,	O
the	O
Schneider	O
CPC6128	O
features	O
micro	B-Protocol
ribbon	I-Protocol
type	O
connectors	O
instead	O
of	O
edge	O
connectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
the	O
greyscale	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
the	O
micro	B-Protocol
ribbon	I-Protocol
connectors	I-Protocol
found	O
their	O
way	O
up	O
into	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
later	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Schneider	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
sell	O
the	O
remaining	O
stock	O
of	O
Schneider	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
models	O
and	O
used	O
their	O
now	O
well-established	O
market	O
position	O
to	O
introduce	O
its	O
own	O
PC	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
enjoyed	O
a	O
strong	O
and	O
long	O
lifetime	O
,	O
mainly	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
machines	O
use	O
for	O
businesses	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dedicated	O
programmers	O
continued	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
CPC	O
range	O
,	O
even	O
producing	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
such	O
as	O
SymbOS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Titles	O
included	O
the	O
official	O
Amstrad	O
Computer	O
User	O
publication	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
independent	O
titles	O
like	O
Amstrad	O
Action	O
,	O
Amtix	O
!,	O
Computing	O
with	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
CPC	O
Attack	O
,	O
Australia	O
's	O
The	O
Amstrad	O
User	O
,	O
France	O
's	O
Amstrad	O
Cent	O
Pour	O
Cent	O
and	O
Amstar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
CPC	O
's	O
end	O
of	O
production	O
,	O
Amstrad	O
gave	O
permission	O
for	O
the	O
CPC	O
ROMs	O
to	O
be	O
distributed	O
freely	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
the	O
copyright	O
message	O
is	O
not	O
changed	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
Amstrad	O
still	O
holds	O
copyright	O
,	O
giving	O
emulator	B-Application
authors	O
the	O
possibility	O
to	O
ship	O
the	O
CPC	O
firmware	O
with	O
their	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amstrad	O
followed	O
their	O
success	O
with	O
the	O
CPC	O
464	O
by	O
launching	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
PCW	I-Device
word-processor	O
range	O
,	O
another	O
Z80-based	O
machine	O
with	O
a	O
3	O
"	O
disk	B-Device
drive	I-Device
and	O
software	O
by	O
Locomotive	B-Device
Software	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PCW	B-Device
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
to	O
be	O
partly	O
compatible	O
with	O
an	O
improved	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
CPC	O
(	O
ANT	O
,	O
or	O
Arnold	O
Number	O
Two	O
-	O
the	O
CPC	O
's	O
development	O
codename	O
was	O
Arnold	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Amstrad	O
decided	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
PCW	B-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
ANT	O
project	O
never	O
came	O
to	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
which	O
included	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
for	O
£5	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
included	O
Sinclair	O
's	O
unsold	O
stock	O
of	O
Sinclair	B-Device
QLs	I-Device
and	O
Spectrums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amstrad	O
launched	O
two	O
new	O
variants	O
of	O
the	O
Spectrum	O
:	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
+2	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
128	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
built-in	O
tape	B-Device
drive	O
(	O
like	O
the	O
CPC	O
464	O
)	O
and	O
,	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
+3	I-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
a	O
built-in	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
(	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
CPC	O
664	O
and	O
6128	O
)	O
,	O
taking	O
the	O
3	O
"	O
discs	O
that	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
machines	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
