Spectrum Computing

Posted: **Sun Dec 22, 2019 11:27 am**

Actually I didn't own many different models of computers in my life. My first computer was ZX Spectrum, my second computer was already PC.

I have a strong sentiment for PCs from the early 90s. I started from 286, then there was 386, 486, Pentium... At some moment I got Sound Blaster card, later I got my first graphics card and so on. I can mention more PC games from that period than modern PC games.

So I guess old PC is my second retro computer. Just because I had it and I have memories connected to it.

Posted: **Sun Dec 22, 2019 1:42 pm**

Atari 65XE was 1st computer i meet.

Posted: **Sun Dec 22, 2019 4:47 pm**

Dragon 32 as we had one before we got a 48k rubber keyed beauty.

My dad and me used to spend hours playing Cuthbert goes walkabout, mined out, ugh and Mansion adventure and I seem to remember my finishing Mined Out and Mansion Asventure, with a bit of help from my mum to work out ‘prise door with steel bar’

I think we’d have kept it if it wasn’t for the fact that the TV out port failed on 3 separate machines. Every cloud eh

Posted: **Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:00 pm**

1) Atari VCS - simple graphics but some of the most fun games you can find - combat, maze craze, adventure, warlords...
2) The Amiga had impressive hardware for it's time and a nicely thought out OS
3) The Sam Coupe had great intentions and Miles and Gordon were great guys

Honorable mentions to the Acorn Atom and ZX81 that I first programmed on in '81, both 1K models. Necessity breeds invention. And the IBM mainframes running MVS that I worked with few years, not many games on that platform (though I did write some solitaire games in Rexx) but lots to learn

I also had a QL (learned database programming on QL Archive)

I have never touched a C64, but I'm very tempted to try the new one just released, looks like a classy recreation

Posted: **Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:17 pm**

ZX Spectrum is my second favourite retro computer. First is Amiga 500.

Posted: **Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:29 pm**

Pegaz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 22, 2019 9:34 am My choice is Galaksija (Galaxy), the first ex-Yugoslavia widely popular home computer made as a DIY project by constructor Voja Antonic.
The computer was promoted 1983 in ex-YU sience magazine "Galaksija" and compuer magazine "Računari" (Computers) and despite low expectations, nearly 10,000 pieces were made by computer enthusiasts.
The computer was similar to the zx81, in fact slightly better but not inspired by the Sinclair machine, with the original design and Basic somewhat inspired by the TRS-80 one.
Some of the games are really good, especially Jumping Jack and the Galakticki Rat (Galaxy Wars).
There is an emulator for Spectrum and SamCoupe, written by Tomaz Kac and Simon Owen with a selection of the best games.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=17550
https://simonowen.com/sam/galemu/
Beautiful machine, tons of memory, one of my favorite 8bit computers.

I highly recommend this excellent talk from the 29th Chaos Communications Congress about the Galaksija!

https://media.ccc.de/v/29c3-5178-en-the ... _talk_h264

Posted: **Tue Jan 28, 2020 12:43 am**

The ti99/4a. My first computer, and I still have it! And it still works perfectly after 40 years.

Posted: **Tue Jan 28, 2020 8:45 am**

Atari ST. Got mine late '88 and it's almost as beloved as my Speccy. Got so many years out of it and thanks to the likes of Automation, Pompey Pirates a seemingly never-ending supply of new games

Oh, and Dungeon Master - what a game.

Posted: **Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:38 am**

Spectrum was my childhood computer, so has that place in my heart as my favourite. To be honest there isn’t much competition, I did upgrade to a SAM, but only really used it for playing Spectrum games, only had the one actual SAM game which was Flash Gordon. So it was just an extension of my spectrum really. Other than that I had a Sega Mastersystem, then computers/games consoles took a back seat in my life. Wasn’t until buying a PC in 1999 for Uni work that I owned another computer.

So at moment, Speccy is the favourite, and I will say SAM is 2nd, maybe though I’ll have a new favourite soon when the Next comes along.

Posted: **Tue Jan 28, 2020 11:53 am**

Atari ST came second for me - got a cheap one and loved the games on it. Lasted me a very long time, subject to a few upgrades.
Took me a long while to get the hang of programming it in assembly, but it's a bit like a Spectrum in that it's all down to programming technique instead of custom chips.

Posted: **Tue Jan 28, 2020 12:33 pm**

Another vote for the TI99/4A here. Released in 1981, the first (mostly) 16-bit home computer.

Also, Parsec!!!

Posted: **Mon Feb 03, 2020 12:04 pm**

It's got to be Amiga - perhaps not second but more of an equal. If Spectrum was my first, juvenile puppy love then Amiga was the mature one ;) For a few years, between 1987 and 1992 she was the undisputed Queen of the binary world.

Paradoxically though, if I had to choose one retro-computer for a Desert Island it would be a DOS machine. Even if a lot of Amiga versions were better, on balance PC wins here because of later, unassailable exclusives. Still, it's hard to call a bunch of components in a grey PC box a "favourite computer" ;)

Posted: **Mon Feb 03, 2020 12:59 pm**

animaal wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 12:33 pm Another vote for the TI99/4A here. Released in 1981, the first (mostly) 16-bit home computer.

Also, Parsec!!!

We very nearly had a TI99/4A before our Dragon 32. I remember traipsing around the Wolverhampton computer shops with my folks and my sister trying to decide on which one to get. I still can't remember why we decided on the Dragon rather than a TI99/4A, or a Speccy for that matter, but it was probably down to the fact that in '82 none of my mates had a computer so I didn't know any the wiser. I always thought TI99/4A looked like a 'proper' computer, well it did to my 9 year old self

Posted: **Mon Feb 03, 2020 1:50 pm**

stupidget wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2020 12:59 pm ... it did to my 9 year old self

Me-> Does a quick calculation to work out how many times my age has gone past a multiple of 9 and then shakes me head at the answer

Posted: **Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:01 pm**

The Amiga 1200

Spectrum Computing

What's your second favourite retro computer?

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Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?

Re: What's your second favourite retro computer?