LGR - IBM PCjr Vintage Computer System Review
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Date: 2022-04-14
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Comments and reviews: 10
Charles
I just wanted to say that while the PCjr ROM cartridge-s severe size limitation of only 64 kB was a problem, the presence of two cartridges slots did provide some benefits. First, their where cartridges made by third-parties that would replace the system BIOS and other firmware with more advanced versions. There was also a number of patches from various vendors on ROM cartridge such as the single -combo-cartridge-, licensed and sold by PC Enterprises, to support add-on hardware, bypass certain limitations of design, and keep up with changing OS requirements. Another nice feature of PCjr ROM cartridges was that you did I not need to turn off the computer before inserting or removing a cartridge unlike other home computers of the time. Unfortunately, in some cases, to run some software the was popular with the regular IBM PC business users (like Lotus 1-2-3) you you had to buy a special PCjr version of the software as the IBM PC version would not run on the PCjr and it came on a cartridge and a floppy disk that you had use at the same time to load it. Like booting an OS from a USB stick, ROM cartridges did have uses in the home computer market but high prices limited the size and thus their usefulness vs floppy disks. They did load much quicker then floppies and if cost was not so much of an issue I could imagine even even business of the era using them in certain circumstances where quick loading, higher durability, and lower power usage compared with floppy drives and disks (at least 5 1/4- disks) was a major benefit such as a DOS laptop of the era.
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I just wanted to say that while the PCjr ROM cartridge-s severe size limitation of only 64 kB was a problem, the presence of two cartridges slots did provide some benefits. First, their where cartridges made by third-parties that would replace the system BIOS and other firmware with more advanced versions. There was also a number of patches from various vendors on ROM cartridge such as the single -combo-cartridge-, licensed and sold by PC Enterprises, to support add-on hardware, bypass certain limitations of design, and keep up with changing OS requirements. Another nice feature of PCjr ROM cartridges was that you did I not need to turn off the computer before inserting or removing a cartridge unlike other home computers of the time. Unfortunately, in some cases, to run some software the was popular with the regular IBM PC business users (like Lotus 1-2-3) you you had to buy a special PCjr version of the software as the IBM PC version would not run on the PCjr and it came on a cartridge and a floppy disk that you had use at the same time to load it. Like booting an OS from a USB stick, ROM cartridges did have uses in the home computer market but high prices limited the size and thus their usefulness vs floppy disks. They did load much quicker then floppies and if cost was not so much of an issue I could imagine even even business of the era using them in certain circumstances where quick loading, higher durability, and lower power usage compared with floppy drives and disks (at least 5 1/4- disks) was a major benefit such as a DOS laptop of the era.
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Joe
The wireless keyboard uses infrared instead of an RF transmitter or bluetooth like later wireless keyboards do. The problem with infrared is that it requires a direct line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver so if you hold the keyboard just a little too far off to either side of the receiver, it stops working because the receiver can't talk to it anymore. People tend to like to move around when using a wireless keyboard, so the line of sight would be broken a lot. The keyboard wasn't actually broken, it just couldn't communicate with the PCjr when you moved it around too much.
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The wireless keyboard uses infrared instead of an RF transmitter or bluetooth like later wireless keyboards do. The problem with infrared is that it requires a direct line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver so if you hold the keyboard just a little too far off to either side of the receiver, it stops working because the receiver can't talk to it anymore. People tend to like to move around when using a wireless keyboard, so the line of sight would be broken a lot. The keyboard wasn't actually broken, it just couldn't communicate with the PCjr when you moved it around too much.
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Jesus
Sounds like the PCjr was a system in the unfortunate void between markets. Not cheap and easy enough for the home market of the time (Compared to Commodore, Apple or Atari, and nowhere near powerful enough for the serious office user. Happens from time to time.
I'm surprised you didn't talk about peanut panic and how people initially thought IBM was going to monopolize the home microcomputer market. People SERIOUSLY expected this system to set the world on fire.
Also, can that joystick be any MORE bulky? Holy crap, I can't imagine that thing being comfortable.
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Sounds like the PCjr was a system in the unfortunate void between markets. Not cheap and easy enough for the home market of the time (Compared to Commodore, Apple or Atari, and nowhere near powerful enough for the serious office user. Happens from time to time.
I'm surprised you didn't talk about peanut panic and how people initially thought IBM was going to monopolize the home microcomputer market. People SERIOUSLY expected this system to set the world on fire.
Also, can that joystick be any MORE bulky? Holy crap, I can't imagine that thing being comfortable.
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MoultrieGeeks
I used one of these in the US Navy. My chief bought it for home but then brought it to the ship. I copied an operations manual from another ship using whatever word processor we had and passed it off as our own. Took forever since spell check took roughly 30 seconds to find a recommended replacement word, per word. Yikes. That and that damn IR port was constantly being blocked and since I'm a touch-typer I wouldn't notice until I looked at the screen several minutes and several paragraphs later. Good times.
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I used one of these in the US Navy. My chief bought it for home but then brought it to the ship. I copied an operations manual from another ship using whatever word processor we had and passed it off as our own. Took forever since spell check took roughly 30 seconds to find a recommended replacement word, per word. Yikes. That and that damn IR port was constantly being blocked and since I'm a touch-typer I wouldn't notice until I looked at the screen several minutes and several paragraphs later. Good times.
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John
I had the IBM PCjr as a kid when I was like 15, I even had the 300bps modem and used it to dial into CompuServe and other BBS(s) LOL. Those were the days. I played Kings Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, used the BASIC cartridge for programming. It was limited, I would buy a program or game for it, come home and it wouldn't be compatible. So yeah ultimately frustrating. I had a few memory expansions that I kept adding to the side. I can't remember, but I thought there was a limit for the memory.
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I had the IBM PCjr as a kid when I was like 15, I even had the 300bps modem and used it to dial into CompuServe and other BBS(s) LOL. Those were the days. I played Kings Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, used the BASIC cartridge for programming. It was limited, I would buy a program or game for it, come home and it wouldn't be compatible. So yeah ultimately frustrating. I had a few memory expansions that I kept adding to the side. I can't remember, but I thought there was a limit for the memory.
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PNWRider
I was in school working on a degree in CompSci when it launched they were really expensive. The biggest things that hurt it was the keyboard it launched with and comparisons to the early Apple series. It did not help when the Mac launched soon after. They were difficult to write code for as it was not the same as IBM or the early clones. My first job was at a computer game company and it came up about porting games to it and it had such little market share it was a easy decision.
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I was in school working on a degree in CompSci when it launched they were really expensive. The biggest things that hurt it was the keyboard it launched with and comparisons to the early Apple series. It did not help when the Mac launched soon after. They were difficult to write code for as it was not the same as IBM or the early clones. My first job was at a computer game company and it came up about porting games to it and it had such little market share it was a easy decision.
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King
Holy crap! You payed 75$! I payed 10 dollars at a flea market in WI. It came with many games (pirated and original) all of the docs, the original packaging and the Joystick.
However as I do not have another computer with a 5 1/4- drive I cannot test much of the software I wanted to. Mainly ELITE which a version was made for IBM PC but I have no idea if it will work for the PCjr. I have been hoping it would but yeah. Could you test it? I assume you can copy 5- discs.
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Holy crap! You payed 75$! I payed 10 dollars at a flea market in WI. It came with many games (pirated and original) all of the docs, the original packaging and the Joystick.
However as I do not have another computer with a 5 1/4- drive I cannot test much of the software I wanted to. Mainly ELITE which a version was made for IBM PC but I have no idea if it will work for the PCjr. I have been hoping it would but yeah. Could you test it? I assume you can copy 5- discs.
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Rebecca
The company I worked for back then decided to invest in using the IBM PCjr for some of their clients as a less-expensive data collection device. It was complete shite. That chicklet keyboard was a major pain in the you-know-what. And the modem? You didn't mention the modem. When most people were using 9600 baud modems for dial-up, and compressing for speeds up to 19. 2k baud, the PCjr was stuck using a 300 baud modem.
Oy. The nightmares this thing brings back!
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The company I worked for back then decided to invest in using the IBM PCjr for some of their clients as a less-expensive data collection device. It was complete shite. That chicklet keyboard was a major pain in the you-know-what. And the modem? You didn't mention the modem. When most people were using 9600 baud modems for dial-up, and compressing for speeds up to 19. 2k baud, the PCjr was stuck using a 300 baud modem.
Oy. The nightmares this thing brings back!
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Rex
I wasnt aware of pc until around 95, the first computer i used was a trs-80, I got a commodore 64 used it for years, then unisys computers at school. then i bought an amiga to do graphics and the games were awesome. then Commodore went poop so I got a windows 95 pc with Lightwave 3-d. it was soooo expensive then. now my laptop can run 3 d Max stock, crazy. Thanks for doing these vids, it isnt nostalgoia to me its mostly new stuff to me.
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I wasnt aware of pc until around 95, the first computer i used was a trs-80, I got a commodore 64 used it for years, then unisys computers at school. then i bought an amiga to do graphics and the games were awesome. then Commodore went poop so I got a windows 95 pc with Lightwave 3-d. it was soooo expensive then. now my laptop can run 3 d Max stock, crazy. Thanks for doing these vids, it isnt nostalgoia to me its mostly new stuff to me.
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thebigt42
In my Junior year of high school (1987) I took a AP Computer science class. We learned Turbo Pascal on PC JRs. The first thing I learned was if I wrote a program and complied it on my home PC (Leading Edge Model M) the complied version did not run on the PC JR.
A note on the wireless keyboards. In a lab environment the wired version was required because the wireless keyboard could type on other computers in the lab.
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In my Junior year of high school (1987) I took a AP Computer science class. We learned Turbo Pascal on PC JRs. The first thing I learned was if I wrote a program and complied it on my home PC (Leading Edge Model M) the complied version did not run on the PC JR.
A note on the wireless keyboards. In a lab environment the wired version was required because the wireless keyboard could type on other computers in the lab.
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