PC 6001 Mk II ... good times ....

I suddenly have an urge to look at some of the old computers that I once had. They are merely just old computer, but part of the history of my life.

One of the computer I owned back when I was a teenager was a Japanese computer called NEC 6001 Mk II. Honestly, the main reason why I brought it was because I couldn't afford NEC 8801 MK II, which had much better graphics, much better software collection, much better functionality and pretty much better on all other aspect.

That was also an odd decision back then consider that everyone else was either using IBM PC XT clone or Apple II plus clone. But back then I had a few noble reasons:

• I wanted to write my own computer software instead pirating software like pretty much everyone else.
• I wanted a system that I can use with my analog composite color monitor (instead of those more expansive RGB CRT monitor which I couldn't afford back then.
• I wanted to use a computer that no one else use. (Kind of a statement of independent and being unique. I know, stupid teenager thinking.)
• I wanted a computer that has better graphic than Apple II+ and IBM PC XT, and back then almost all Japanese computer has better graphic capability than US PCs.

As it turned out that I didn't brought much software nor wrote any software. The only software I brought was a game software called "Door Door", and actually it was a pretty OK MSX style kind of action puzzle game. The only software I wrote some hello world crap, and then I spent some time to plot a few anime picture of characters in the Japanese comics UruseiYatsura. Other than that, I didn't do much with the computer.

Oh wait, I did do some nonsense stuff with the computer:

• I spent about HK$70 to buy a TrackBall for Atari 5200 game device, hoping that I would be able to magically turn this thing to work with my PC 6001 mkII despite the fact that I didn't know squat about wiring or electronic to make it happen.
  
  
• I brought a few Japanese books about learning programming on PC-6001MkII using machine langauge and Basic lanaguage compiler that comes with the computer. I didn't happen. I entered a few games source code, saving them on a tape recorder (which was the only storage device I had for this computer back then), played a bit, and that's all.

It seems like I was naive and believe in the stupid idea that once I brought the tools, the ability of using those tools would come magically. Pathetic, isn't it?

Eventually, this low power computer was set aside and gave place to a Apple IIe clone that I brought years later. I didn't write much computer software on personal computer since then until I got into College. It was much happier and experience using Apple IIe clone as I had a lot more software to play with. But that's yet another period of my history.

I couldn't find an emulator for PC-6001 MkII (or maybe I just didn't look around hard enough), but I did find an emulator of PC-6001. Maybe someday I will place with it. But now that I am much older, I am also more realistic. I got more done with my Visual Studio 2008 with Silverlight 2 Beta 1 than messing with this oldie. Still .. good times man ... good times ...