Is the ZX81 / Timex Sinclair 1000 actually bad? Let's fix these to find out. | Adrian's Digital Basement : retrocomputing

[+] adam_y@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I still remember to this day when I bought my ZX81 for 999SKR at the local bookshop Quidings. My father wanted us kids to do motocross, but I hated it sold mine to my bigger brother and had the funds for the computer.

The 1KB RAM was a little bit on the low end but with an expansion card you could do and learn a lot.

Went on with the C64 and so on ...

[–] alykanas@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago

Yes. I like his work, but this is rather glib - and as you point out, not at all representative of how people felt and feel about the Zx81.

[–] Brotherinsatan@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We used to joke in the 80's that you needed 2 ZX's. So you could at least use them as snowshoes. C64 fanboi ftw :).

[–] ghostdancer@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 year ago

As a ZX81 user I find that really funny. XD

[–] fratermus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

IIRC (it's been a while) I played with a Sinclair being demo'ed at Kmart. Truly hated the keyboard. I wanted the TI 99/4a but it was ~$400. A few months later the 99/4a price crashed to $99 and the parents bought me one. Wrote my first BASIC programs on it, saved to cassette tape.

About 10 years ago I found the 99/4A in storage. The KB was also terrible compared to any keyboard these days, but still better than the Sinclair to my young fingers. Def not knocking the Sinclair, talking about personal preference.