Btw, which was the most popular 8-bit computer in Germany? For what I have read it seems that in Germany and France the Amstrad/Schneider CPC series were the most popular home computers.
Until 1986 Germanys homecomputer situation split up like that:
70% Commodore (5% of these C16/Plus4) C64 and 128
10% Schneider,
8% Atari
5 % Sinclair
7% all other users.
That changed when Atari started the ST and the Amiga came to the CeBit in 1986. Two years later the A500 entered the market and was almost without competitors. When East Germany opened the wall, the C64 got a re-birth.
As I sold my C64 in beginning 1985 I bought from the money I got a brand new HitBit.
I was at school with about 1k students, one of them had a MSX2. Later, we was about 20 user in the whole region. In meetings were rarely more than ten persons. In the end of the 1990's I noticed there was a scene of musicans that weren't computer users at all. like the ST scene, the Yamaha MSX computers was used in studios. But their time had come to give PCs their place to be.
Now, after the second retro-heatwave, people beginn to notice MSX computer in Germany.
That's why we got asked for that interview, I guess.
Most schools used them for the upcoming computer teaching. We had 5 C64 in a network with one single 1541. As Commodore had a factory and developing center in Braunschweig, this was a must for most educational institutions.
The next step in the educational market have been PCs, but that would not overtaken until the late 80s.
In universities and research institutions, Pets dominated the market for a long time, as they were able to control many laboratory devices through their widespread interfaces. This happened sometimes until the 2000s.
I strongly suspect that the fall of the wall and the urge of our new fellow citizens gave a considerable boost to the almost bankrupt company Comodore. C16 and Plus/4 were mainly sold to the Eastern European neighboring countries, citizens of the former GDR mainly bought C64. Commodore has designed the C64G, a C64 in the old case and brought it to the people in our cheap discounters. Yes, Germany was firmly in Commodore hands.
We did a podcast talk for nearly 8 hours in one piece.
This was fun!
It will sent in 5 segments from march. I will let you know.
Thanks for all your suggestions, hints and help!
Together with Michael Stellmann, an MSX legend, I had the opportunity to bring light into the dark in the German podcast "Retrokompott". For eight hours we were allowed to shed light on our favourite topic.
For all German-speaking beginners as well as advanced users it was certainly an interesting story through the depths of the system.
Hi Hamlet, just found the "Retrokompott" Podcast series on Spotify and downloaded Part 1 & 2 of the MSX issues.
Das ist mein Osterei, jetzt freu ich mich richtig auf heute nachmittag, dann wird der Podcast angehört!
("Thats my personal easteregg, I am looking forward to listen to the podcast this afternoon!")
Thank you for that!!!
