Coding back in the day, on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Here I talk about coding back in the day, 40 or so years ago, using the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. I run through creating a couple of programs using a Spectrum emulator on the PC. Just a bit fun about how it all began for me.

[@LukeironlegLindsay]

I got passed down all my dad's sinclair computers and I used to try different codes every day and then I started making games and selling them to friends and kids on my street for 2 pounds each and today I'm a integrations developer so I owe all my success in life to sinclair

[@thecloudgeezer]

Thanks for commenting. There are so many of us that owe our careers to the Sinclair. I don't think Sir Clive realized quite the impact he was going to make on the industry as a whole. Would be wonderful to have met him back in the day. He passed in 2021 so we don't the opportunity to let him know how grateful we all are.

[@Metal_Maxine]

I bought a spectrum a couple of months back so I could learn to do things like this. I'm working my way through the programming book. 🙂

[@thecloudgeezer]

I enjoyed it 40 years ago and still enjoy it now. Good fun things to do.

[@danvincent2600]

I remember buying a cassette from Debenhams which was meant to convert hexadecimal into basic. It cost £8.99 in 1984 which was heck of a lot for a kid! Anyhoo it didn’t work. I remember the little colour cards to enter jet set willy. That used to crash quite often

[@jerryhall5709]

My dad joked about it when I was programming. "Go to 10 and let it be plot", he said and laughed. I guess he had some idea what I was doing.

[@thecloudgeezer]

Haha, exactly. :-)

[@spinnetti]

But if you wanted something really useful, it was in Assembly, and that was a whole 'nuther kettle of fish! (a ZX81 (TS1000) was my first machine and recently go my first Speccy!)

[@thecloudgeezer]

Exactly. I used to dabble in that, with all that 'PEEK'ing and 'POKE'ing !! Good way to get things done. Especially adding infinite lives to your favourite game. :-)

[@TheBrickie78]

Hi mate.... can you remember of a coding or programming book back in the day that was out in the 80s for the ZX Spectrum called War Games or War Gaming? It had 100s and 100s of commands like this and i tried it over and over as a kid and couldn't get it to actually work. Just wondering if you knew the book? I lost it over the years and have tried to google it and cant get anything on it.

[@thecloudgeezer]

Yes I do weirdly enough. I think this is the one you are looking for www.everygamegoing.com/lgame/Spectrum-Wargaming/59660/

[@TheBrickie78]

@@thecloudgeezer Yes mate thats it... as soon as i seen the book cover when i clicked on the link i remembered it straight away. Appreciate that 👍.

[@WillScarlet1991]

Hi. Is this emulator free?

[@thecloudgeezer]

Absolutely. Quick google search for ‘speccy emulator’ and it will come straight up. In the video I made reference to the source for the downloads of the software to run on it. Maybe that’s in part two but yep all free.

[@WillScarlet1991]

@@thecloudgeezer Brilliant. Thanks 😊

[@b213videoz]

"Coding" in basic?!! Yak

[@thecloudgeezer]

Haha. It was 40 years ago!! You had you use what you had. :-)