Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Y'know, other stuff, Sinclair related.
Post Reply
User avatar
PeteProdge
Bugaboo
Posts: 3521
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am

Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by PeteProdge »

I'm not sure if this is fully confirmed, but quite a lot more sources are saying that Rick Dickinson - the designer behind the ZX Spectrum and ZX81 - is no longer with us.

http://www.qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2423

It's certainly being talked about on Twitter.

Image
Reheated Pixels - a combination of retrogaming, comedy and factual musing, is here!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
User avatar
Ast A. Moore
Rick Dangerous
Posts: 2640
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Bloody hell . . .
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
Ralf
Rick Dangerous
Posts: 2279
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:59 am
Location: Poland

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Ralf »

Looks like it's true :cry:

Rick seemed to be a very active man till the end. After many years of hiatus he returned to microcomputer design, if I remember correctly he worked with Zx Vega and Zx Next projects.

I have never met him personally but it seems that he was a nice person as well.

A big loss for Spectrum community. RIP Rick.
Nomad
Manic Miner
Posts: 600
Joined: Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:38 pm

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Nomad »

Ah that is a terrible loss. RIP.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Dickinson

someone already updated his wikipedia page.
User avatar
PeterJ
Site Admin
Posts: 6854
Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by PeterJ »

Indeed, this is a sad day
AndyC
Dynamite Dan
Posts: 1388
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:12 am

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by AndyC »

A very sad day indeed.
User avatar
Juan F. Ramirez
Bugaboo
Posts: 5102
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:55 am
Location: Málaga, Spain

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

This is the link shown in the twitter capture:

http://qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2423

I remember he had a cool Fickr account including pre-production designs of the Spectrum. A must see.

Rest in peace.
User avatar
Ast A. Moore
Rick Dangerous
Posts: 2640
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Image
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
User avatar
RMartins
Manic Miner
Posts: 776
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2017 3:26 pm

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by RMartins »

Terrible, terrible news.
User avatar
druellan
Dynamite Dan
Posts: 1466
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:19 pm

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by druellan »

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:04 am I remember he had a cool Fickr account including pre-production designs of the Spectrum. A must see.
This one! https://www.flickr.com/photos/9574086@N ... 5519763101
Someone mentioned on the other forum how fresh and innovative his designs are even today, and I kind of agree.
User avatar
jmk
Drutt
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 2:23 pm

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by jmk »

Another sad day. My condolences to his friends and family.
Just like before, it's yesterday once more.
User avatar
MatGubbins
Dynamite Dan
Posts: 1238
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:45 am
Location: Kent, UK

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by MatGubbins »

RIP
User avatar
moroz1999
Manic Miner
Posts: 329
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 9:22 pm

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by moroz1999 »

Sad to hear.
User avatar
R-Tape
Site Admin
Posts: 6353
Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2017 11:46 am

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by R-Tape »

RIP.

A very talented guy, his designs still stand out from the crowd after 36 years.
User avatar
PeteProdge
Bugaboo
Posts: 3521
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by PeteProdge »

Now reported by BBC News.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43907248

I was just feet away from Rick as he gave his talk on the ZX Spectrum Next in October at the Cambridge Centre for Computing History.
Reheated Pixels - a combination of retrogaming, comedy and factual musing, is here!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
User avatar
Juan F. Ramirez
Bugaboo
Posts: 5102
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:55 am
Location: Málaga, Spain

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

An interview in Sinclair User, August 1982:

https://www.sinclairuser.com/005/insinc.htm
User avatar
Alessandro
Dynamite Dan
Posts: 1908
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 11:10 am
Location: Messina, Italy
Contact:

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Alessandro »

I just knew of the sad news from the Next newsletter. I am deeply shocked.

I contacted him at the time of composing the Spectrumpedia asking for the permission to use some photos. Not only he was so kind to let me have it, he accepted my contact on Flickr and complimented me on this photo.

Rest in peace Rick.
Ralf
Rick Dangerous
Posts: 2279
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:59 am
Location: Poland

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Ralf »

I just knew of the sad news from the Next newsletter. I am deeply shocked.
You don't visit Spectrum sites as often as before, Allessandro?
Firefox

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Firefox »

***bump***

The Centre for Computing History have released a short video interview with Rick from 2016.

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIwNNcNNzq8&t=185s[/media]
Firefox

Re: Rick Dickinson - designer of the ZX81 & Spectrum

Post by Firefox »

... and now they've released a long video of Rick talking about the industrial design of the Spectrum Next, with a few nice Sinclair anecdotes thrown in as well. :)

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbFYoWTdy3Y[/media]
Post Reply