MSX (Sakhr) and Microsoft

msx2

I was meeting with this guy last week and we got into talking about the MSX computers (Sakhr). He asked me if I knew Microsoft was involved in the project. I told him no I didn’t know, I still have my MSX2 but I never knew that Microsoft had any involvement. He then told me if I knew how they came up with the name Sakhr. I told him no, he was like you would think it was an Arab but in fact it was the Japanese. He told me the Japanese had created a software that puts letters together and you can control how many letters you want and stuff and the software would combine letters that would be easy to pronounce. The software came up with 3 options, one of them was Sakhr.. although I have no clue how Sakhr is easy to pronounce.. So what does MSX stand for? Well there are many beliefs, some people believe it stands for Microsoft Extended, referring to the built-in MSX-BASIC programming language, specifically written by Microsoft for the MSX system. Other people say it stands for Machines with Software eXchangeability’. No matter what MSX actually means it played an important role in many peoples lives back in the 80′s here in Kuwait. Everyone I knew had one, either the white colored MSX1 (AX170) or the black colored MSX2 (AX370).

msx1

[MSX on Wiki]


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8 comments, add your own...


  1. iDip says:

    check this post:
    http://zamakan.gharbeia.org/2005/06/blog-post_09.html

    the MSX says we’re in 1905 (see:Y2K)

  2. holla says:

    man i played msx in the basement during the invasion. it was ok until we lost electricity. there was that penguin adventure game that was ace and also this karate fighting game which i could finish in one sitting. i also had knightmare, mr ching and like konami F-1 spirit. MSX rocked the bollox back in the day

  3. 3abboud of rak says:

    http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=90

    tells U what MSX stands for.

    yeh and the penguin adventure game (i think by KONAMI was ace indeed)

  4. Anand says:

    I want to know where i can get Microsoft X-Plane ver 8.6 in Kuwait

  5. Mahmoud says:

    Man, I still have my Sakhr AX 170 and it still works, hard to look at the graphics quailty and say that it was any good. But yes, I agree Penguin Adventure was one of the BEST games ever for the MSX | Sakhr, another favorite was King’s Valley.

  6. hatem saad says:

    wooow was great days,can i find these games run on pc?

  7. MS says:

    Actually, in the early 1980′s when SAKHR was first established, the Japanese asked the owner of Alamiah (the company SAKHR branched out of) for a three-letter work with very strong letters like MSX, which is how صخر came about.

    Although I must say the story about the machine sounds way cooler.

  8. RIAD from algeria says:

    omg this brings back so many good memories ^^

    just like hatem saad asked can we find a way to play sakhr games on pc
    i remember i had only 3 games:
    one adventure: it was set pyramids,and u must avoid mommies
    one about drawing portraits (i hated that one)
    and one was a trip to mecca u give good answers about islam if u don’t want ur plane to crash
    XD

    it would be so cool to find these 3 games


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