Future Computers: Here is your future

Future Computers Limited had been created in 1983 as a result of venture-capital funding from MGM/APA, and additional funding from BTG - the British Technology Group. 

Each had apparently invested £400,000[source: Future FX20 Benchtest, PCW, October 1983, p. 201] - which is about [[400000|1983]] in [[now]]. 

Along with other grants, Future's total investment was said to be around £1.3 million[source: Which Micro?, April 1983, p. 46], or about [[1|1983]] million now.

Its FX20 machine was quite hi-spec for the time, and was built to specifically take on Chuck Peddle's [#Sirius 1], as well as IBM's [#5150] - the original IBM PC. 

Future's managing director Brian Jackson said of the FX20 that it was designed to be "IBM think alike, but not look alike"[source: News, IEEE Electronics and Power, January 1983, p. 89].

It was also one of the slimmest machines of its day, as it used the relatively-new half-height 5¼" floppy disk drives.  Unusually, these were attached to the lid, which made access to the motherboard underneath easier.

[picture: Future_fx20_prac_feb20.webp|A probable launch advert for the FX 20, as featured in February 1983's PRAC]

The FX20 used the same processor as the Sirius and IBM - Intel's [!8088], the eight-bit-memory-bus version of the 8086, although it was running at 8MHz, which was 60% faster than the 5150 and the Sirius's 5MHz clock speed. 

It also had an empty slot for an 8087 maths co-processor, which would make it faster yet in maths-heavy operations.

The FX20 shipped with networking built in, however this wasn't Ethernet but was of its own design, based on - according to PCW - a "Ring-type network", which required the specialist CP/NET operating system to work.

Peter Rodwell concluded in his review in October 1983's PCW that:

~"Its pricing and the built-in networking capability make the FX20 one of the most competitive micros around and - with the single reservation about doing its own thing, network-wise - Future Computers seems to be far more in tune with the micro world than many other manufacturers now attacking this market[source: Future FX20 Benchtest, PCW, October 1983, p. 287]".

It retailed for a very competitive £1,875 plus VAT - that's about [[2150|1984]] in [[now]]. 

The company also offered the hard-disk FX30, the lower-specification FX10, the FX0 low-cost terminal, and the network "base station" with its own Winchester hard disk - the FX40.

It also planned to follow up with an OEM version - the FX21.