This leads nicely into the recollection that the printer "port" on the Amstrad CPC (I say "port" in quotes, because it was an edge-connector on the PCB sticking through a hole in the case) and parallel controller were cheaped-out 7-bit versions, so whilst you could send 8-bit ASCII to it, it always dropped the high bit. There was an enterprising outfit who produced a dongle and a firmware hack that would alternate the low 7 bits, and the high bit, and reassemble them, halving the throughput in the process, so you could send the full 8 bits to your printer, if you so desired. I remember, at the time, as a young teenager, that it sounded hacky as hell, and being dismayed at Alan Sugar's cheapness.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
