Free APL Computer

Transcribed from the printed issue; not yet reviewed. Read it in the PDF of the issue, page 8

Well, that should have got your attention, but here’s the double bluff - it’s true. The British APL Association has recently acquired a second-hand IBM 5100 APL micro-computer, including peripherals, and we’re going to give it away - to a deserving cause, of course. The kind donors of this equipment are Quaker Oats Ltd., of Southall in London, whose computing requirements have far outstripped the capabilities of the old, but trusty 5100.

The complete package, which cannot be split, includes the following equipment:

• IBM 5100 APL computer
• IBM 5103 dot-matrix printer
• IBM auxilliary tape cassette drive
• NEC monitor
• IBM UK to US voltage converter
• Assorted manuals and tape cassettes

The only catch is that this 5100 is a US machine and therefore requires a UK to US voltage converter to operate in this country. The converter is a heavy cube of metal, but shouldn’t present a big problem to someone keen to use APL.

The IBM PC (otherwise known as a 5150) is a direct descendant of the 5100, a machine that was way ahead of its time when it was built back in 1975. It is a dedicated turn-on-and-go APL machine which runs full APL SV via a 370 emulator in read-only-memory. The machine has a built-in screen, APL keyboard and tape cassette drive which uses standard data tape cartridges, and onto which APL workspaces can be saved, and data files created. The auxilliary drive can be attached to provide the system with a second on-line tape drive. The ease with which standard composite-signal monochrome monitors can be attached to and slaved from the 5100 make this an ideal system for APL training, or even just for one or two people to use as a dedicated machine on which to learn APL.

Written applications from those wishing to provide a permanent home for the equipment should be addressed to the Chairperson of the British APL Association, and must be received by 31st July 1985. Although commercial organisations will also be considered, we would particularly like to see the machine used within an educational group or institution, especially where awareness and use of the APL language can be promoted. Applicants should therefore state their affiliations, and indicate how the computer would be used.

The responsibilities of owning a complete micro-computer system are many, and casual applications are discouraged. Maintenance and repairs to the equipment will be the responsibility of the recipient - Quaker Oats and the British APL Association unfortunately cannot undertake to provide support of any kind.