Matra Alice

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Matra & Hachette Ordinateur Alice
Matra Alice.jpg
The Matra Alice
Manufacturer Matra and Hachette
Type Home computer
Release date1983;41 years ago (1983)
Discontinued1983 (1983)
Operating system Microsoft BASIC
CPU Motorola 6803 @ 0.89 MHz
Memory4 KiB on-board
Display Péritel video output; 32 x 16 or 64 x 32 with 8 colors, 160 x 125 with 4 colors (with expanded RAM)
Graphics Motorola 6847
Sound1 channel, 5 octaves
InputCassette interface
Connectivity RS-232C serial interface
Backward
compatibility
TRS-80 MC-10
The colour-coordinated data recorder for the Alice Alice Cassette Deck MP3H0659 Rotated.jpg
The colour-coordinated data recorder for the Alice

The Matra & Hachette Ordinateur Alice is a home computer sold in France beginning in 1983. [1] [2] [3] [4] It was a clone of the TRS-80 MC-10, produced through a collaboration between Matra and Hachette in France and Tandy Corporation in the United States. [5] [6]

Contents

Alice 32 and cassette deck Alice-IMG 0319.JPG
Alice 32 and cassette deck

The Alice is distinguished by its bright red casing. Functionally, it is equivalent to the MC-10, with a Péritel (SCART) connector replacing the RF modulator for video output.

The Alice never became a popular computer in its home country. It tried to invade schools by being part of the country's Plan Informatique pour Tous ("Information technology for everyone") programme, but Thomson won the whole deal. [5] Less than 50 games were released for the system. [7]

The original model had 4 kB of RAM and used a Motorola 6847 video display generator chip, as used in the Dragon 32 and Acorn Atom among others.

At least three emulators for the system exist. [8]

Specifications

The machine is similar to the TRS-80 MC-10, with the following specifications: [5]

Successor Models

Matra Alice, Matra Alice 32, Matra Alice 90 Matra Alice all.jpg
Matra Alice, Matra Alice 32, Matra Alice 90

Matra later released two successor models:

The Thomson EF9345 video chip in the Matra Alice 32/90 was capable of displaying 8 colors, 128 alphanumeric characters, and 128 semi-graphic characters with a semigraphic mode and 40- and 80-column text modes. It could address up to 16 KiB of dedicated VRAM although the Alice 32 and 90 only included 8 KiB. The 32x16 semigraphic mode of the original Alice was simulated in software by the Alice 32/90 system ROM. [21]

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References

  1. "Matra-Hachette Alice". www.obsolete-tears.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  2. 1 2 "ALICE Matra Hachette". www.old-computers.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  3. "Matra Alice". www.silicium.org. Archived from the original on 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  4. 1 2 3 "MO5.COM : Musée des Machines : Ordinateur : Le Matra-Hachette Alice". mo5.com. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "ALICE". msx.fab.free.fr. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  6. "Matra Alice". www.system-cfg.com. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  7. "Listing of all Matra-hachette / Tandy Alice (MC-10) games - Page 1". The Video Games Museum. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  8. "Emulation Matra-Hachette Alice32 - Liste des Emulateurs Matra-Hachette Alice32". Emu-France (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  9. "Matra Alice 32". www.silicium.org. Archived from the original on 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  10. 1 2 "Alice". www.ordinosaures.fr. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  11. "Matra Alice 32". www.system-cfg.com. Archived from the original on 2006-11-18. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  12. "Essai Complet - Alice 90". Science et Vie Micro (11): 65. November 1984.
  13. "Matra-Hachette Alice 90". www.obsolete-tears.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  14. "ALICE 90 Matra Hachette". www.old-computers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  15. "Matra Alice 90". www.silicium.org. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  16. "Matra Alice 90". www.system-cfg.com. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  17. Lunil (2018-10-08). "Alice Matra". LUNIL - L'innovation dans le monde (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  18. "HCM: The Home Computer Museum ..." www.homecomputer.de. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  19. "MATRA ALICE 8000". bmi56287.chez.com. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
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  21. "ROM Alice 32 Commentée par SEILEBOST". alice32.free.fr.