Topic: The Sinclair ZX81 is 30 years old today

[Clive]

The Sinclair ZX81 was small, black with only 1K of memory, but 30 years ago it helped to spark a generation of programming wizards.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12703674

[Simon]

Before my time. 

[Clive]

 

[Rik]

But not mine...

[Clive]

I was always going to buy one but never got around to it.  I bought the much more advanced Spectrum 16K instead. 

[daveeb]

I was always going to buy one but never got around to it.  I bought the much more advanced Spectrum 16K instead. 

Daley Thompsons decathlon ensured that the space bar and various other keys packed in within about a month. 

[Clive]

I wonder what today's kids would make of the graphics in Spectrum games?   

[Rik]

Or Teletext...

[Simon]

I remember playing Lemmings on a very early PC, which I think was an Amiga.  The graphics seemed great at the time!   

[Rik]

It would be 'illuminating' to see them now, wouldn't it.

[Simon]

Indeed!

[Rik]

There was a wonderful excitement back then. Perhaps kids still feel it today, but I suspect not. For us, it was all so new that we stood in awe.

[Simon]

The machine I first played games on used cassette tapes.   

[Rik]

Half an hour to load, then it usually crashed.

[Clive]

Yes, right at the end of the installation!