Luis Fernández

Enthusiastic and self-taught programmer since the beginning of personal computing, I was born on 01/12/1959 in Granada Spain, at 4 years old they brought me to Venezuela where I reside since then, I still have my Spanish nationality, and I have traveled several times to my land native.

My curiosity about computing began with an HP33 calculator that I saw in a shop window, and I wondered what it would mean programmable, I sold some things to buy it and if I remember correctly, very soon I made a target shooting game, the calculator showed the numbers with 7 segments illuminated with filaments or something, the truth is that the bullet could go from left to right only by 3 levels, in the end an alleged alien was waiting for it jumping from one level to another, the bullet could be directed upwards and down to hit the enemy and carried the score. I had other Hps, like 21, 41cx, 67 of which I am also a fan.

From there, I bought the computer color and on the first day, I learned the basic and made a simulation of a drop falling from a tap to a puddle of water, making waves and sound, I was really fascinated.

During that time I helped in a store that sold the computer color, called Technology-80 (later renamed ON-Line), they needed to place an announcement of the prices and capabilities of the computer color on a TV in the window and they hired me to do so. update prices and peripherals. I learned a lot and even made programs for customers, programs to manage bank accounts, accounting and others, also because no games or cartridges were imported, (apparently they were very expensive for people to buy and also in 1982 began a strong devaluation in Venezuela that still does not stop and even has increased), I translated the cartridges into Spanish and sold them in cassette format with auto start. (There was no other way to have them any other way, if the store had been able to bring them and sell these originals it would not have done that), then at age 22 even in 1982 travel to Miami, Disney, Epcot Center and NASA, alone, already It was very expensive to travel with someone, take about 10,000 bs that at a change of 4.30 gave about $ 2000, just on the trip I steal a strong devaluation in Venezuela, I bought about 25 titles to bring them, since no titles yet arrived.

Then I went to C64 and Amiga, until I had to switch to PC to continue doing management systems, in 1990 I founded my own software company (SoftStar systems) and I sell administrative systems.

About 10 years ago I resumed the retro and for the color computer I created a virtual disk editor (CoCoDiskUtil) and a plugin for total comander to manage virtual disks, I collaborate with cocopedia, and try to organize maltedmedia without success. I have a good collection of color computer, peripherals, accessories, and magazines, also other Retro equipment, about 20 more devices and their peripherals.