Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Whether it's Mire Mare or a BASIC tape you found in the attic, it needs to be preserved digitally. Post here and experts can help to do so.

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Nomad
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Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Nomad »

This might seem a bit strange, but am I right in thinking some genius thought it was a good idea to destroy actual scans of the manuals for the +3 to create some crap text file? Then not keep the scans? :lol:

***facepalm***

How was this allowed to happen? didn't someone at the time think "now hang on, html and text are great but perhaps one day someone might actually want to check all this non-reviewed, non-supervised stuff against the originals?"

Its kind of a bigger deal than even the decision to destroy the software manuals, because well they were just applications for the machine. This is the whole platform - the documentation that explains the whole machine.. and someone decided it was better to turn it into a text doc?????????

Even if one person was under some sort of temporary insanity - I can't for the life of me understand why there was not some checks and balances in place to say 'now hold on... perhaps its a good idea just to keep a backup - you know in case we ever need to check something in the future. About the documentation for the hardware of the whole system..'

I just don't know what to say- I can't find any scans on archive.org, googling just takes me back to the same text document...

This might be a thing to preserve as a priority? I know the 48k manuals were scanned.

Hopefully I am totally wrong about this and someone has all of the scans or a pdf of the +3 manuals :lol:
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

It was from a time when 6 or 7 Gb files were hard to upload (and even open them), hence the preference for txt or html files.

But I also think it's time to preserve those manuals in pdf.
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Nomad »

You make a good point, but I would have assumed someone would have had the scans on a CR-ROM perhaps.
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Post by Hikaru »

Nomad wrote: Fri Mar 02, 2018 4:42 amHow was this allowed to happen? didn't someone at the time think "now hang on, html and text are great but perhaps one day someone might actually want to check all this non-reviewed, non-supervised stuff against the originals?"
There's some unexplored potential in this part. With a bit of effort, it could've been possible to lead the reader to the conclusion that these were in fact C64 manuals in disguise, peer-unreviewed by world-class facebook experts as they are. Le shock, le horror. Past 20 years is a lie, everyone else is an idiot (OK, that much is clear I'm sure), god is dead, all is permitted.
Thank god the townspeople finally have a dedicated superhero at their side to expose this 1999 conspiracy!

:roll:
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Nomad
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Nomad »

Glad were on the same page, but I wouldn't say they are C64 false-flags :lol:

(In Alex Jones voice) "WAKE UP AMERICA!" :lol: Sorry I couldn't help myself.

If we are going to compare it to other 8-bit systems..

Atari you can download all the manuals, to even the most obscure peripherals, the software and the computers. Even internal documents from Atari are all scanned, all available.

Some even converted the documents into text/html. But the thing they didn't do was destroy archive material. :lol: I'm all for choice. And I would be the first to congratulate the guy who typed in a whole manual with 0 errors first time. If I were able to check it. Given the amount of text to type in.. do you really think it was done without error :roll: Given the state of some of the other 'documents' that were created in this way (looking at you hisoft docs) ? But as it stands there could be a bunch of issues that without anything to check it against 'wadayado?' *shrugs*
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PeterJ
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by PeterJ »

There is a Spanish version here in PDF, and with an HTML version of the English one along with 100s of other books. I think we do quite well for scanned material.

https://computerarchive.org/files/comp/ ... 0spectrum/

I agree it would be nice to have an original pdf scan of the English one, but that would be very time-consuming. Can you help? I have an original if you can.
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Nomad »

Cheers for that, I can check the diagrams and I think google translate does a pretty good job it might be possible to verify the typed in English version.
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Pegaz
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Pegaz »

No need for that.
A complete english +3 manual scan in pdf format was made by user The_Bert, and sent it to wos almost five years ago.
Here's the link:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid= ... EzNGQxZTU1
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PeterJ
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by PeterJ »

Pegaz wrote: Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:08 pm No need for that.
A complete english +3 manual scan in pdf format was made by user The_Bert, and sent it to wos almost five years ago.
Here's the link:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid= ... EzNGQxZTU1
Great! Don't suppose you have a Mirage Microdriver manual?
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Pegaz
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Pegaz »

No, I dont have this one.
Nomad
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Nomad »

Pegaz wrote: Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:08 pm No need for that.
A complete english +3 manual scan in pdf format was made by user The_Bert, and sent it to wos almost five years ago.
Here's the link:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid= ... EzNGQxZTU1
Thanks that is excellent.
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Einar Saukas »

Added to ZXDB, thank you!
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Another Spectrum manual missing in PDF is the Basic Programming manual it came with the 48K model (possibly with the 16k model too). What I have is a bunch of html files. These models also came with an introduction manual but this one is already in pdf.

The ZX Interface 2 manual in PDF is missing too.
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PeterJ
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by PeterJ »

[mention]Juan F. Ramirez[/mention] version 2 of the BASIC Programming Guide is here:

http://zxnext.narod.ru/manuals/Basic_Programming.pdf
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Where are the actual scans of the machine manuals?

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Wow! Thanks!
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