Re-typing My 1983 Game Programming Inspiration

[@TaramiBedona]

0:50 A toast to all the parents who enabled our somewhat unhealthy fascination with computers and programming.

[@sypialnia_studio]

BASIC listing on a monochrome, noisy crt. It doesn't get more retrofuturistic than that. I love it! Thanks for interesting video as always!

[@j0hnf_uk]

I spent the entire summer break in 1981 learning to program on a ZX81. My older brother kindly let me use his machine as there was no way I could have afforded to buy one myself, back then. As a complete novice to programming, back then, it felt really special to be able to program a computer. Now, we don't think anything about it at all, but back then, it was a very innovative and exciting thing to do, even if there wasn't any sound or colour. I upgraded about a year later to a ViC-20, (courtesy again of my older brother), and soon applied a lot of what I'd learned on the ZX81 with the addition of sound and colour.

[@kevin12567]

If you have a Nintendo Switch, you can get SmileBASIC for it, which works pretty much like the BASIC we remember and love but, thanks to the Switch's CPU running orders of magnitude faster, you can make full-on arcade games with it! You can use a keyboard with it, too.

[@stphnwtsn86]

Well said. It was a great learning tool, and the included manual was well-written. I also spent a lot of time in the early eighties behind this little machine. Good memories.

[@borisbosnjak4812]

The ZX81/TS100 was magical! Having recently played with modern IMSAI 8080 and Altair 8800 replicas, I've come to appreciate what an incredible machine the ZX81/TS1000 was. The IMSAI/Altair were hugely expensive and you needed a lot of expensive accessories (like a VT terminal, tape reader, etc.) to make it useful. I got the TS100 for $50 (Cdn) and it plugged into TV and I could immediately write software (useful stuff, too, as I was a high school student at the time). I even did machine code programming (I hand wrote assembler on paper, hand assembled it into hex code, and entered that hex code into the TS1000). Good times!

[@BigCar2]

That brought back a lot of memories of struggling with my new ZX81. Don't bump the power cord!

[@paulmurgatroyd6372]

I'd almost gotten over my days dealing with the ZX machines. Brrr!

[@Inaflap]

I spent 4+ hours coding my own character editor in BASIC on a 16K Sinclair ZX Spectrum. I got up to stretch, not noticing I'd entwined the power cord around my ankle. Of course it was wrenched out and I lost my code. I felt awful, but it taught me to regularly save to cassette from then on.

[@config2000]

Zx81 was my first computer too and I had the same excitement of having a 'computer' all to myself. All I could think of is "what can I make this thing do?" It's that simple thought that got me hooked.

[@larrywilliams8010]

This brings back memories of my first computer, a C64 I purchased in 1983 from the Navy Exchange in Japan. I got a tape drive but no pre-recorded tapes. I spent hours, sometimes days typing in programs from Gazette and Ahoy. Fun times.

[@bob-ny6kn]

C64, Gazzette, Ahoy, PAC... yes to all!

[@keimahane]

Was that at A-33 in Yokosuka? Just wondering, I bought my first computer there in 1986, an Apple IIe.

[@CanadianRetroThings]

Type in books were a staple of my childhood, I still look through old magazines when I am feeling particularly nostalgic and find programs to type in 😃

[@TrollingAround]

@1:12 Drawing sketches: delete lines 200 and 210. edit line 220 to be "GOTO 40" - honestly the coding in these early books was often awful.

[@DavidYoud]

I love that Robin sings at the end of his tech talks. That should be a requirement for tech talks in general.

[@csbruce]

Or a puppet show.

[@MichaelDoornbos]

@@csbruce and now I'm imagining a store where you could buy a Robin puppet...

[@csbruce]

@@MichaelDoornbos: A HAND puppet - of hands!

[@MichaelDoornbos]

@@csbruce I would pay money to see this

[@Kris_M]

@David Youd I don't think this is gonna translate very well to channels like The 8-bit guy.

[@harag9]

As others have said, thanks for the memories. I started out with C=64 when it came out, I bought a weekly series of books called "INPUT" which were for the c=64, electron, spectrum and dragon32.

[@williammckeever4790]

Fond memories of the TS 1000 as it was my first computer to. I remember ordering it from a magazine then having to buy a cassette deck so I could load and save programs. Later on I bought the 16k ram expansion which cost as much, if not more than the TS 1000, just so I could play the flight sim.

[@MichaelDoornbos]

This machine is both very odd but kinda wonderful. 10:30 there’s so much value in being able to simply turn it on and draw with a couple simple lines of code without much fuss. 15:30 or light bikes

[@richardhead8264]

_Robin, this video is right up my alley!_ 👍 _I was hoping that you would save the program to tape as a long overdue victory over 1983._ _I was also hoping that you would have added some code for diagonal movements._ _Thank you so much for posting this nostalgic video!_

[@zxpaghetti9682]

Oh, the humble and classic Sinclair ZX-81, despised by few, but loved by many. My first computer was also a Sinclair ZX-81 clone. I learned a lot from typing BASIC and Assembly programs in it. "A tool is only as good as the hands that wield it" 😉

[@SteveGuidi]

I recently looked into the BASIC Programming cartridge for the Atari 2600 and explored its features and limitations (videos on my channel for those interested). What I find fascinating is that both the Timex/Sinclair 1000 and Atari 2600 BASIC Programming cartridge use the same model of inputting tokens or keywords. One byte is used to represent the token/keyword, simplifying the implementation and reducing memory usage, when compared to accepting tokens/keywords as text.

[@stphnwtsn86]

Thank you for that (surprisingly) emotional trip down memory lane. The TS-1000 was my first also, and sadly, your video elicited more pleasurable memories than my OTHER first time.

[@75slaine]

It was a strange time looking back. It was an amazing time in one regard if you look at the pace of innovation. Things progressed so fast. Yet, at the same time, some of those products had a really long shelf life. The VIC20->C64->Amiga over a very short period of time and yet the C64 had a very long shelf life. I didn’t get mine until 1990 and they were still very popular then.

[@maxxdahl6062]

We got our c64 at around 1983-ish? It was my first pc ever.

[@tiikoni8742]

I can imagine the excitement when you got that book. Perfectly small programs to type in and see what happens :-)

[@lafiosca]

I never had a Sinclair, but I went through a similar learning experience on the C64. I remember one of the earliest programs I was proud of allowed me to move a custom "J" sprite around on the screen by PEEKing the joystick port. I might still have it on one of these old floppies.

[@JockMurphy]

So I had a Sinclair ZX80 that I built from a kit, and a similar kind of TV that I used with it. I never could get saving and loading to cassette to work, until one day I tried turning off the TV while I did, and that did the trick! The cables aren't shielded (or aren't well shielded), and the case barely is. Some TVs put out so much EMF that it would be picked up by the cassette port

[@PatrickDunn13078]

Hey Robin it was really great to see you do that. My Dad got me this machine as my first computer at Wegmans Supermarkets in 1983 for $50 in their camera department. I used that machine for almost two years learning to program in BASIC and then Z-80 machine code when I was 13. I had Frogger for it, Chess, other games and Flight Simulator. I also had the 16k ram pack too. I tried to make my own makeshift keyboard from old typewriter keys I sanded down from a Buddy L typewriter but that didn’t work very well. Never had an issue with the cassette interface, I used a GE cassette recorder/player. My second machine was the Times/Sinclair 2068 color computer. That was a nifty machine and I made and sold programs via mail order for awhile for it. Never got a disk drive they were too expensive. What burns me about it today that if Timex just left the machine alone and made it an American Spectrum it would have had boatloads of software and games for it. I remember one time I was waiting for the helicopter simulator Tomahawk to come out for it. I found out from a local dealer that sold the software and accessories for it that they were waiting for the port from Spectrum to be done. I eventually got it 9 months after the order! A few years later I stopped in the dealership on a bike ride and they let me forage around for any of the Sinclair stuff they had as they were just going to get rid of it so I grabbed a few items. It was a neat machine. After that it was the C-64 and then the PC. Anyways a great video and I enjoyed the trip down the memory lane, all 2k of it!! LOL.

[@RamLaska]

13:24 Putting a NEW command in your basic program is the coolest form of copy protection ;)

[@timsmith2525]

An ad popped up just as you pressed Enter for line 220. My heart skipped a beat because I thought the machine crashed. Actually, getting used to the keyboard was not the frustrating part, for me-it was having things fouled up by accidentally bumping the power cord or the 16K RAM module.

[@captainsemicolon]

This channel has quickly become one of my most favourite on KZbin. Keep up the great work, really enjoying your content.

[@fitfogey]

Nothing can take the place back then of being 8 years old sitting in your room by yourself just learning about how a computer works. No google, no internet, no anything, but you and the computer itself. We would just get lost in time itself trying new and different things. That planted the seed for greater things career-wise for us in the future. We just didn’t know that then nor did we care. We just wanted to create and learn. Great stuff Robin.

[@DaVane]

Now for the other 100 short programs...

[@Gooberslot]

That screen quality was so terrible I didn't even realize the computer was on till you said something. I thought it was just displaying static.

[@Phil_Hill]

Zx81 with no software was my first computer too! I got Sinclair programs magazine and typed in whatever they had in there for the 1k zx81. I did soon get a 16k ram pack and a cassette player so I could save my games. Good memories!!

[@csbruce]

0:02 My first computer was a VIC-20. I had considered getting a TS-1000, and I'm glad I didn't, but I was still quite disadvantaged compared to the C64 that was available a few months later (though for a lot more money). My school had CBM-8032s. 1:56 I assume "K" means that it's expecting a Keyword. 4:28 Line 110 implies that INKEY$ doesn't wait for a keystroke, like GET on Commodores. 7:40 Lines 200 and 210 appear to be redundant. 220 could just be GOTO 40. INKEY$ always has to return something. 13:23 Executing a NEW in the middle of your unsaved program would be great fun! 15:06 The problem appears to be that A$ is referenced on line 110 without ever having been assigned a value, if you're not pressing a key on the first run through. Other BASICs auto-initialize variables on reference.

[@richardhead8264]

@csbruce _Your first paragraph is my story exactly! Parallel lives!_ _I remember wanting the TS-1000 kit so I could build it, and save money._

[@another3997]

Back then there were new computers appearing every month, each promised something new or better. But the ethos was the same. Explore programming, play games or do something productive, all whilst learning and having fun. The hardware limitations were just challenges to be overcome. 😁

[@johncantrell614]

That was one of the first programs that turned me on to computing with mine. Didn’t know what to do with it, and spent a long time typing one of the programs that was in the owners manual. After typing it in, spent more time finding the multiple bugs in how I typed it in incorrectly. And what the program did was move the cursor in any direction, according to which arrow key you pushed and held down. So very simple, but being my first program, it blew me away that what I typed in made it do that! After that, I was hooked!

[@kevin12567]

Watching you type in that program inspired me to type in a version in SmileBASIC on my Nintendo Switch. I then added features where you can change the color (foreground & background) and change what character to draw with. Even added the ability to save the image to a file that can be loaded again for editing!

[@MaidenAriana]

I had a similar "first program" experience but on my Vic-20 with the little blue book that was in itself a programming course. It launched my lifelong career in IT :) I am so grateful to those that strived to bring affordable home computers to us back in the day.

[@bsvenss2]

I remember building my ZX81 as it was yesterday. I remember the late nights, tuning in BBC on the radio and record the programs they were sending for the ZX81 over AM. I remember the hundreds of hours typing in assembler and then lying in my bed letting the speech synth I've built read all hex codes while I validated to see if I've made some typos. ZX81 was my first true "computer love". _(and yes, I copied this from my original The Retro Shack comment)_

[@SpiroHarvey]

Hello sir, recent discoverer of your videos here... Been absolutely loving your whole channel. So it turns out the sinclair *did* have a redeeming feature. It resulted in the song at the end of this video. haha 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I have to confess seeing a ZX81 in the 80s but the function-key like keypad and the inability to type out commands myself was a turnoff. But hey, we were poor, so I couldn't even afford one of those. Instead, I'd outstay my welcome at my friend's house to code and play games on his c64. 😆 But it amazes and impresses me that as clunky as these were, they still inspired so many kids into getting serious about computers.

[@8_Bit]

Thanks. Yes, even the worst computer (whether this one, or one of the other extremely low-end computers) could still be a source of wonder for us kids so keen to learn about programming and/or play games.

[@ingmarsretro]

great! this brings me back to my youth👍 it's exactly how i got my first basic coding experience on the 80ies. best regards ingmarsretro

[@gklinger]

I don't think there were any crappy computers back in the day. To have one of any kind was a privilege and so much fun. The excitement of having and using your own computer was unlike anything else. I feel lucky to have been around during that era and the excitement has never really gone away. Granted I feel it more when I'm using an old computer than a new one. :)

[@keyvanmehrbakhsh4069]

I really like this minimal approach style . I feel quite similar about this heart feeling way of programming .I didnt know there are others .thank you .

[@another3997]

The simple joys of exploring basic programming concepts, learning through typing in listings, making educated guesses and plain trial and error. Have an idea, test it, do some problem solving, learn logical thinking and create something interactive. Just switch on the computer, and 2 seconds later it's ready to go. My first computer was a ZX81. 🙂

[@merman1974]

For an early version of BASIC, the syntax checking as you enter was a clever and useful feature - it definitely made some aspects of programming easier. But I do remember being very frustrated trying to program on a friend's ZX81, with the flickering screen and the complexity of using the function commands through keystrokes rather than typing them in. By that point I had already had some experience of BBC BASIC, so I knew how to enter some of the most used commands. Of course the machine where I really learned to program was the good old Commodore 64...

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

Actually, the TS 1000 does take cartridges. They connected on the edge connector on the back. There was a printer interface which plugged there as well as the 16K RAM pack. Memotech made expansion units which plugged there. Today, fans have made devices which plug there and act as storage and a Wifi module and one demo I saw streamed video to it. Rather odd, but it happened. I recommend "50 1K and 2K games for the ZX81 and Timex Sinclair 1000."

[@davidcarlson2481]

Ahhh memories! For years I would regularly spend hours at friends’ houses playing on their computers until finally my parents caved to my pressures and got me a computer of my own. Unfortunately they didn’t get me any of the models that I wanted most, which I’m sure is a common story for many of us growing up since some of those systems were pricy. Instead they got me a TRS-80 MC-10. I was very familiar with the TS 1000 since my cousin had one, and even though this wasn’t a C64, the MC-10 was a step up from the TS 1000. Unfortunately, by the time the MC-10 was out, my parents could have spent similar money on a VIC20 at least. But hey, like many of you in those days, I had MY OWN COMPUTER! Loved those days and it all lead to a good career. Thank you Robin for all of your labors of love!!

[@timwasson1115]

I had both, the MC10 was a nice little machine!

[@macstar8317]

The ZX81 was the first computer I ever played with after my uncle introduced me to his way back in '81. I then got a Spectrum 48+ at Christmas 85 or 86 and spent hours typing in listings from the Inputs and teaching myself BASIC. Good times.

[@mikegarland4500]

Although I will probably never own these other systems, I'm still fascinated by them. Thanks for doing these videos about other computers as well. I do enjoy watching them.

[@3vi1J]

I already had a C64, but I remember checking a Timex Sinclair 1000 out from the local library as a teen to see what it was like. I've always had a love of all computers, but its keyboard and low RAM certainly made me appreciate my Commodore. :)

[@brettbreet]

I was able to reserve and "check out" the Time/Sinclair 1000 like a book from our local library back in the early 80s. I remember programming a GuessNum type game. I had no idea about the plot feature. Too bad C=64 didn't have that!

[@SergiuszRoszczyk]

My first alike experience was on Atari 65XE typing rainbow and lightning program from supplied manual and trying to alter it. Good'ol times :)

[@baremetaltechtv]

this program really needs a button to let you turn on and off the "ink" so that you can move the drawing cursor without laying down a line. you should revisit this and show us how to add such a feature :] this being such an inspiration to you as a child, i'm surprised you didn't expand it with a few features of your own.

[@JamsterJules]

I had the same thing - a program which inspired me to start programming, and that was also on the ZX81. It was from the included manual, and plotted a circle on the screen. I can still remember the code (roughly - it was 40 years ago) which really took my interest : x = 50 + 50 * sin(n/180 *3.142) y = 50 - 50 * cos(n/180 * 3.142) For some reason, that really stuck in my mind - and took me on a journey into coding. I just had a real urge to workout what it all meant and how it worked. We had a computer club in school (there were no I.T. lessons then), and the teacher showed us some code on a BBC which also drew a circle. His code was 30+ lines long. I showed him I could write it in about 8, and he took an instant dis-like to me and suggested I didn't go to the club any more. I was also refused "Computer Studies" when I did my options - I guess he didn't like being shown up. Anyway - it's not all bad news. I've been a professional programmer for the last 20 years - currently in the games industry. Thanks for your video's Robin - you chat about a lot of the things I grew up with and tinkered with - keep it up !

[@myorke99]

thanks for sharing this with us, it was a good practice program for me to play with!

[@JasonPullara]

Wow this takes me back. Thanks Robin!

[@ShaunBebbington]

Just to say that it's quite refreshing when someone from North America gets the ZX81 (Timex TS-1000). Of course at that time, the best computers were American (Atari, Commodore, Texas etc...) and the UK didn't start seeing micro computers enter the home in a serious way until Christmas 1983, and even then the ZX81 was a good seller over here.

[@RedSkyHorizon]

Same here Robin. A ZX81 for my 13th birthday back in 1983. Spent hours typing in from magazines to make a matchstick man move across the screen. lol. Always wanted the 16k upgrade to access all the cool games but alas I never got it, but like you, I was fortunate to get the c64 the following year. :D

[@jeffreyphipps1507]

We get it - it was your gateway drug. This addiction video was 40 years in the making... ;-)

[@cprossu]

My parents bought a Timex Sinclair 1000 when it was new. They were absolutely convinced after attempting to use it that home computers would never happen. I managed to get a hold of one many years later with a few tapes and the 16k upgrade. They weren't kidding! It was the most miserable computing experience I have had. The first thing I had to struggle with was the keyboard didn't work properly, and I had to pull it apart to find out why. The ribbon cable made of what I can only assume was tin strips and acetate had degraded and cracked. I managed to cut back a length, get the keyboard working, and got the thing together. Think I forgot a screw but I wasn't going to risk going back in there and cracking that ribbon (again!) After the unit was operational, I spent the next hour trying to load a 16K program, having the unit freeze and not work properly, I took the 16K upgrade off the back, and after 2 hours of trying I got a 2K tape to load (hoozah!) I then put the ram upgrade back on, and the unit froze up. I took the ram upgrade apart, and it worked then! I put it back together, folding it up (there's a ribbon cable between the boards), and it did not work again! I typed in a program, the unit failed and reset about 20 lines in, and I gave up trying to program it. So 2 1/2 hours later I got states and capitals to load! I scattered all the parts around my house, likely like some kind of evil entity so I wouldn't get it going again, and have yet to this day found all the pieces again. Of the personal records this machine holds, it is the worst keyboard I have ever used on a computer, or computer like toy. The Socrates IR keyboard was worlds better if that tells you anything!

[@joebs22]

This was also my first computer in 1982, I enjoyed it a lot when I was a student in Venezuela, I spent all night until dawn programming easy programs and playing flight simulator.

[@quincy1048]

Brings back memories. I had a zx81 and got cassette storage and the 16k ram for it and wanted to write a game for it so I picked missile command. Got it done in basic and it was playable. I so wanted to write commercial video games back then but never really got the chance. But did go on to a lot of other software projects.

[@8antipode9]

When I was about 13, my dad's friend had a Timex Sinclair 1000 with memory expansion. I would go to his house and spend hours on that computer. My dad finally (at the urging of his friend I'm sure) bought me a TRS-80 CoCo III. It's definitely nostalgic for me to see this, but also how horrible that little thing is compared to even it's competition at the time. I loved it anyway.

[@winstonsmith478]

My first "PC" was a ZX-80 kit and my first program was an original, character graphics lunar lander game that actually worked perfectly from the 1st run. Close to the lunar surface, the lander graphic was enlarged.

[@Asterra2]

I did the same exact thing, only with the programs that came in the manual for the Vic-20. Some of my earliest memories. One of the programs was a game where you tried to decimate an incoming meteor, piece by piece. But because I would always mess up a few characters during the typing process, it was years before I saw the program do what it was actually intended to do. Heck, it wasn't until I was like 7 before I made the logical leap of understanding how to perpetuate parts of a program so things would move. I made a lot of bouncing ball programs after that...

[@cheater00]

"K stands for cursor" LOL nice one. What did it really stand for? haha. I think it might be Keyword mode. LET, GOTO etc are Keywords (capital K)

[@RudysRetroIntel]

Thanks for sharing. I had a Z81 kit that you soldered in the ICs. What a blast getting it running! Wish the keyboard was better. Maybe there is one now?

[@qwertzy121212]

they made zillions of different replacement keyboards at the time, but there's never many on ebay for some reason

[@stephenelliott7071]

Such a good nostalgic video. You were obviously out of practice with the peculiarities of the ZX81/Timex and ZX Spectrum 'keyboard shorcuts' lol. But you can be fairly quick when you have to type in the large program listings from the magazines, as we did back in the 80's. The ZX81 didn't interest me, but I could see the next model might be much better (it was) the ZX Spectrum was my very first computer in 1982, my parents couldn't afford the more expensive computers of the time like the Commodore 64 and BBC B computer. But thanks to eBay I have all 3 now :)

[@IanSlothieRolfe]

I never had a ZX81 but a friend of mine did at uni and I remember getting quite fast at typing in programs, so much so that I considered writing a "keyword" entry system for the text editor the department was developing for the students use. It was only inertia that stopped me from doing it :)

[@JohnDlugosz]

Interesting, I also got a newspaper route, and was able to buy a computer in early 1980. It was a different one, but among a set of new tiny machines that a reporter noted with amusement was actually included in the folder of research information. I got the Radio Shack Pocket Computer, which was fully self contained, having a built-in one line display rather than needing a TV, and was battery powered. I dare say it was faster to run BASIC, and was a more normal experience in terms of actually typing in the words, and the tape load/store was reliable. A year later, I moved up to a Radio Shack PC-2, which I still have. It was a very special time, when youngsters could really come to understand computers and programming. Today's machines are so far beyond comprehension that it just doesn't give the same sense, and a simple game no longer has any novelty.

[@AnalogPipeDream]

We had a 286 when I was a kid and I remember discovering QBasic when I was poking around in XTree. One of the first things I made with it was a etch-a-sketch simulator. I even added a red border to the screen complete with little white knobs. It seems like such a silly little program now but everyone I showed it to was very impressed at the time.

[@Jimbaloidatron]

And you'd probably seen, or heard about, the movie Tron just before typing that in - a young imagination could run wild. :-)

[@NeilRoy]

I considered buying one of those back around the same time period, but ultimately ended up with the C64. That TV was the exact same B&W TV I owned as well. It was the first TV I ever bought with my own money back in 1980. My mom started to watch hockey with her boyfriend and I couldn't stand it, so I went tobacco picking to earn enough to buy it. I'm also in Ontario, Canada so no surprise we ended up with the same TV. Good times.

[@timwasson1115]

I usually went into fast mode for the programming part, the flashing of the screen would provide feedback on each keystroke, and the computer wouldn’t drop characters if you typed fast… ah the good old days.

[@iana6713]

Never had the privilege of a ZX81 but that program brings back memories of typing out programs into various Spectrums. To think I was actually making a computer do things! For an 11 year old, this was something else.

[@alanr4447a]

Questions: How would you "PLOT" a white block to "erase" a black block? Are numeric variables limited to integers? If not, are there any rounding or truncating functions? Is there a MOD operator? Is it possible to have more than one IF-true statement following "THEN", separated by a ":" or something?

[@timwasson1115]

“Unplot” would clear the pixel. All numbers are 5 byte floating point. There was an int function but no rounding. If then statements accepted only one keyword. Any complex logic had to be implemented with goto.

[@alanr4447a]

@@timwasson1115 Thanks!

[@tommyboy9998]

badass setup!! takes me back..

[@kcinplatinumgaming2598]

lol a walk down memory lane, actually around the same time I was learning to program the ZX81 too.. it was amazing what you could do with just 1K of ram back then.. I actually was not aware of a 16k ram pack until much later on and back then was very expensive .. all my coding creations were hand written and well you know how unstable the computer was and I had a burn on my leg because of its heat sink, I think my mum still has the original zx81 in the loft along with a c64 and few other computers if there still there.. I moved out of UK in 2017 and now live in Asia so its a bit hard at present to get it all shipped over as my mums loft was used as storage for a lot of retro stuff !! ..good walk down rammery lane :D

[@alb12345672]

16k ram pack was very unstable, I ended up returning it :lol:

[@xotmatrix]

Really reminiscent of my Atari 400 experience, the first computer I bought with my own money, and running on a noisy B&W TV I picked up from the side of the road.

[@RetroRobotRadio]

That was neat. I remember seeing that computer in catalogs and thinking that it had a very interesting keyboard. It's interesting to see the take they took on BASIC.

[@8-bitsteve500]

My first computer was a 1k black and white, no sound ZX81 and I loved it so very much.

[@markjreed]

I wanted one of these, but by the time my parents could afford to get me one, the VIC-20 had come down in price and I got one of those instead. I also had no way to save and load at first; when I could afford to add a peripheral I chose to get a printer, with the idea being that I could always print out my code and re-enter it from the listing. But a Datasette was the next purchase...

[@rhandeymaahrsch2151]

I had a "Marathon 32k", a Hong-Kong clone of the ZX81 marketed under a bunch of different names. Mostly known as a Lambda 8300. It was compatible with ZX81 basic, had 2k of memory, a speaker and a better rubber keyboard. Loved it but was also effing frustrated when I bumped the power cord or the 16k expansion cartridge. Kids today have no idea what a REAL computer is ;-)

[@suvetar]

Quite a funky looking machine though!

[@paultucker3143]

Our first as well. At least with that wiggly 16k expansion! Onto the Coco and the C64 from there

[@carstenweiland7896]

Even that keyboard was kind of awesome at that time, it worked terrible but it was a keyboard without keys -- wow. Had a VIC 20 back then but I adored the ZX81 for me today it represents the essence of a computer and the essence of programming.

[@salaciouscreations4323]

I grew up poor as heck and the doctor's office had spectrum magazines so I used to rip out the type in program pages and take them home. I spent ages typing the stuff in then combining different programs based on events happening in games. Then changing controls to the joystick to make them easier to play. I was always more the zx ( left / right ) km ( up/down ) rather than the QA / OP way of key controls. I spent my life typing stuff in so I would have something to play. The last job I had I was the lead statistical programmer for a think tank and found I can naturally read code even if I don't know what it is. And I always attribute it to being poor and those stolen pages from magazines in the doctors office. So never think technology is for people with money you just need a parent who gives you a steppingstone.

[@jack002tuber]

I had one of those. I had the 16k ram pack. If you know how basic rom works you'll get why they did the keys like that. A clever idea. My timex died a long time ago, so neat to see one still working

[@b.plasmabubble1485]

I started programming around that same time than you and still do for living^^ was using the Sharp PC-1211 in 1981, then later the Oric-1 in 1983...

[@LibraAudioLaboratory]

Finally the video are waiting are arrived. Thanks!

[@jamesdye4603]

I have a book titled "The essential guide to Timex/Sinclair home computers" which was my guide when I got the TS1000. Many hours I spent back then.

[@jamesdye4603]

Also if you have a 16K ram pack don't look at it wrong, you will lose everything.

[@casaderobison2718]

TS1000 was my first computer, too. I'd used PETs at school, but my dad found the TS1000 for $35 on clearance and knew I liked computers, which was nice of him. But I could never get it to work with the only tape drive I had access to, so my TS1000 was a write only code device. I worked and saved money until I could buy my C=64 in 1983 or 1984. Say what you will for those slow tape drives, but at least I could write to them and successfully read back! That being said, I did get a 1541 as soon as I'd saved a few more bucks.

[@casaderobison2718]

Oh, you had the exact same problem! Kindred spirits.

[@WarrenPostma]

I never owned one of these, but I walked by the display at the local grocery store (yes grocery store), the Atlantic & Pacific (A&P), in London Ontario, and I wanted one so badly. I had not yet fixated on the Commodore 64.

[@temmy9]

I love that era of computing. For those of us lucky to live through it, it was a magical time.

[@huntabadday2663]

I thought the computer was off from the static until I saw the cursor

[@mc10guru]

My 1st computer was a Sinclair ZX-81 kit, like yours in a bag of parts with only 1K. I got it together and never looked back. Now try adding 160 IF A$="E" THEN GOTO 10 . That should work as an erase & start-over for ya! Have fun, mc10guru

[@DavidWonn]

4:45 Are both THEN and GOTO required together? I know on the Apple ][, you could get by with just THEN whenever you wanted to conditionally jump to a line number. I suppose each 8-bit BASIC interpreter may have just enough differences to require it on some platforms.

[@MurderMostFowl]

I started on a c64 in 1984. There is absolutely no way I would have had the patience for that keyboard!

[@JohnDoe-ec1mz]

Way back then, Remember ... 100% pain to type in, 100% slow to run, 100% frustrating to debug ... ... 100% of PURE joy to do it again over & over !!

[@paulkocyla1343]

Damn, you hit my nostalgy nerve :-D It´s a shame that the "primitive" machines had a better basic than a C64. Anyway, it was a motivation to learn assembler - which was extremely helpful in life, too.

[@markjreed]

I wouldn't say it was a better BASIC. Yes, it had graphics commands, which you needed an add-on for in the VIC and C64 (though not the Plus/4, C-16, or C-128). But Sinclair BASIC only allowed one statement per line (no colons), required the LET keyword, made you pre-allocate strings with DIM to fix their lengths, etc. It had the ability to control its not-so-great graphics directly, but was otherwise not so hot. :)

[@8BitNaptime]

Commodore was the expert at the reuse/good enough design philosophy. They could easily have put in a better BASIC and fixed the glaring problem of slow disk transfer, but they were also expert at spreading themselves too thin across multiple unwanted product lines instead of concentrating on one. They finally got their act together with the 1581/REU/mouse/GEOS thing, but too late.

[@stephenrobertson6025]

@@8BitNaptime The reason C64 BASIC was so... well, basic(!) is that Jack Tramiel out-witted Bill Gates and forced him to accept $25,000 to purchase BASIC outright for Commodore machines rather than the $3 per unit that Gates wanted. So they used the same basic with minumum modifications across their computer models to avoid licensing a new BASIC at a much higher cost. Also the C64 was designed with high-speed data lines for faster floppy disk access, but when the circuit boards were manufactured there was very little room (due to re-using the VIC20 case design) so the lines were removed in ignorance by the layout engineers to get it to fit. By the time the problem was discovered too many boards had been manufactured, so C64 users were stuck with slow disk access, though fortunately, enterprising companies worked out how to do fast-load cartriges and loaders which mitigated the issue.

[@markjreed]

@@stephenrobertson6025 C64 basic was literally VIC-20 basic with the addresses changed to protect the innocent. :) But one thing the ZX-81 version had over the Commodore one was that you could edit a program line and still CONTinue the running program! It didn't just forget its run state whenever you made a change.

[@joeventura1]

Memories.............. Well done sir!!!

[@itsnathandivino]

It was the first computer for me too, as you'll remember, over time you get used to the keyboard commands so it didn't take quite so long :) Never touch the power cable !!!

[@jrvenable1]

Wow - that was my first computer as well. I did have better luck saving and loading (well, kinda anyways...). I learned programming from that little box. I too graduated to a C64. Fond memories back when computers were still fun and exciting...

[@pulykamell]

What an oddball choice for directional inputs there -- I mean, it makes sense going by the words in English, but physically it's weird that "left" is on the right side of the keyboard and "right" is on the left side of the keyboard. I guess this was quite early on before WASD became standardized. Which brings me to a question: when did that become the ubiquitous control? Playing early type-in games, I remember WAXD being sometimes used as well as PL". (Radar Rat Race on the VIC-20 had this layout) and maybe even IJLM for right-handed controls. I seem to remember the earlier controls being assigned in a diamond pattern , so the down key was in the bottom row, and not the second row as in WASD layout. I wonder when it shifted to left hand -- maybe when NES came out here in the US and familiarized us with a D-pad and directional controls being assigned to the left hand instead of right?

[@d2factotum]

WASD didn't become a "standard" until mouselook was commonplace. The original PC release of Tomb Raider in the mid-90s used the cursor keys as the primary movement buttons, because why wouldn't you? Even by the time System Shock 2 launched in 1999 it could somehow have a default keyboard layout of WXAD.

[@pulykamell]

@@d2factotum I seem to recall Doom being WASD, which would make sense given the mouselook point you mentioned (which I overlooked.) What about Wolfenstein? Was that the same? I didn't really play FPSes back then, so I don't know.

[@d2factotum]

@@pulykamell The original Wolfenstein (and Doom as well, when released, IIRC) didn't have mouselook. At the time having a mouse attached to your PC wasn't commonplace so they didn't create mouse controls for the game until much later on. As I recall, the first FPS I actually played using mouselook was Quake 2!

[@pulykamell]

@@d2factotum ah, that does sound familiar now that I try to think back all those years. (I know I could just look up a video, but I like to reminisce, hence this channel. :) ) it was arrows back then, like you said.

[@almurray2000]

Great fun times, thanks for sharing.

[@allanm6246]

Started on a ZX81 too with a 16K ram expansion. After that it was 6502 machines.