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Kaypro 1 manuals

Klee

Experienced Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Messages
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Since my Like new and maybe NOS Kaypro 1 did not come with any manuals I do not know what they are.

I have seen plenty of older manuals but no info on ones for the Kaypro 1.

Anyone know what they came with?
 
I was hoping someone with actual Kaypro 1 experience would respond, but until then...

From what I've found, the Kaypro 1 was effectively the same as the previous "4/84 Universal board/ROM" (Z80) Kaypros. This means it would have run the same CP/M 2.2u versions and the "usual" 8-bit Kaypro CP/M 2.2 software. I suspect the manuals were not re-written specifically for the Kaypro 1, maybe not even printed with a new cover. I'm not sure how much of the Kaypro software/user's manuals have been scanned, but I don't see much on bitsavers (https://bitsavers.org/pdf/kaypro/).
 
Since my Like new and maybe NOS Kaypro 1 did not come with any manuals I do not know what they are.

I have seen plenty of older manuals but no info on ones for the Kaypro 1.

Anyone know what they came with?
Since the Kaypro 1 used CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) as its OS, it would have included a manual explaining how to use CP/M commands and manage files.
 
Since the Kaypro 1 used CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) as its OS, it would have included a manual explaining how to use CP/M commands and manage files.

Which brings up the question - at what point was it OK to sell a machine with no instructions expected or needed?

By the Clone Era, only computers like the Amstrad came with manuals like that, that I recall. You could get DOS manuals, but most people were learning through osmosis by then...

Now we have You Tube channels and included documentation to help us. Are manuals well and truly a bygone era?
 
In the case of Kaypro, and most other CP/M vendors, there are things that are done differently and are not even defined by the standard Digital Research manuals. So, the DRI CP/M manuals are part of what Kaypro distributed, but not all that is needed.

It may be the case that printed/paper manuals are obsolete, but documentation is certainly not. It is true that there is very little different between "PC compatibles", but no documentation at all seems harsh. For simple, single-user, desktop/side x86-based machines, there may not be much need, but anything more advanced should have some platform-specific documentation.
 
Which brings up the question - at what point was it OK to sell a machine with no instructions expected or needed?

By the Clone Era, only computers like the Amstrad came with manuals like that, that I recall. You could get DOS manuals, but most people were learning through osmosis by then...

Now we have You Tube channels and included documentation to help us. Are manuals well and truly a bygone era? Geometry Dash Scratch
Although the digital age is developing rapidly and the use of online platforms brings great convenience, we should not ignore the value of traditional instructional materials, this is my opinion.
 
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