ScuzzBlog: Diaries February 2026
Entry 15th February 2026: Post 1: Amiga 1200 - When she was my main computer.
Amiga 1200 - When she was my main computer.
Whilst tinkering away on the computer the other day I was again
reminded of just how long I have been using my cherished A1200.
It then struck me that thirty years ago my main computer was the
Amiga 1200. At that time I had four Amigas, two A1200s an A600
and an A500. I had purchased the second A1200 over the Christmas
of 1995 as a back up for my main machine. And not a Windows based
PC to be seen anywhere.
The beginning of 1996 had been promising for the Amiga , what with
Escom about to open a new chain of shops in the UK selling the
Amiga. There was even talk of new projects. So all was not lost
though I still yearned for a CD drive, ZIP drive, scanner and
a bigger hard drive. I was resisting upgrading the Amiga further
as I was sure a new machine was on the horizon.
That six months was most painful as with each passing month the
outlook for the Amiga got more gloomy. I have captured the mood
of what I desired from the Jan to July editions of the magazine
Amiga Computing. Each month I checked over the content to see
what was going on. I drooled over the CD players and ZIP drives.
Sadly my optimism was for nowt as Escom came and went and with
it any chances of there being a new computer. I could have added
kit to the A1200 but it wasn't giving me the brave new future I
desperately craved for.
Things were changing in my work life and I had been invited to
rejoin my old architectural practice to head up their new team
dedicated to bringing computers into the office. They had been
successful in obtaining a load of work but needed the AutoCAD
to drive the projects. Windows 13 accompanied new RM Workstations.
The time spent on Win95 at work and ready access to the internet
and CD and tape storage made the Windows platform too tempting.
And so in July I spent over two thousand quid on a Pentium 120
PC running Windows 95.
What happened immediately was I was now able to expand into a
brave new world with limitless possibilities. All of this was
available in the shops and the product was covered by warranty
and ever advancing the technology.
Suffice to say from July 1996 the Amiga 1200 was no longer my
main machine. I never put the A1200 away but time spent using
the computer got less and less. It was a sad time in many ways
and a transition I had hoped to avoid. There really wasn't
much I could have done to change things. The truth being that
I was only fooling myself the longer I left the move to the PC.
The Amiga needed a new financial initiative to develop a main
stream new computer. Much has been promised over the years but
had I waited I would still be waiting today.
And so I reflect again on what could have been and sadly what
really happened. I never once gave up on the Amiga and in the
end spent a small fortune bringing Amiga kit to this house. I
do not regret one minute all that I did to salvage my Amiga
history and if I had to do it again I wouldn't hesitate. The
Amiga was and is still the best computer ever made in my view.
I have been fortunate to enjoy the machine first hand. I would
never part with anything, even after all these years. The Amiga
still holds pride of place even if she is no longer my main
computer. She may not be the main but she certainly is the best.
Happy days !
Anyhoo you may have noticed I've gone missing. I happened to
discover that Tera is free to download and play on the PS5.
The online game was closed down some years back. I had not
realised I could play a console version on the PS5. So I am
not getting much sleep at the moment. Unfortunately at the
end of the month we have the launch of Midnight with WoW. I
have been collecting a few things but not Amiga related.
Onward.
Amiga 1200 - When she was my main computer.
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