 Shaw's books mainly comprised "Type-In" programme listings for home computers, which were designed to teach-as-you-type, since the programmes contained many comments on how the listing worked.Before he even left school, Shaw was a regular contributor to ZX Computing and Home Computer Weekly, and on leaving Stanwell Secondary School he turned down a sought after place at Isleworth Art College to work full-time for the newly launched computer magazine "Your Spectrum".It was at Your Spectrum (which later was relaunched as "Your Sinclair") that Shaw picked up the nickname "Troubleshootin' Pete" due to his regular column in the magazine in which he would answer reader questions that had been posed over the "YS Helpline".