ZX81 denigrated! (was Re: Approaches to projects) - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

27 Nov 2004

On Nov 27 2004, 18:54, Dave Dunfield wrote:
...
  At 16:28 27/11/2004 -0500, you wrote:
 >----- Original Message -----
 >From: Tony Duell &lt;ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk&gt;
 >
 >> What's this love of the ZX81, which I regard as a postively horrible
...
  >> machine. I'd not rip one apart, though,
mainly because there's little of
...
    use to raid from it... 
You regard it as horrible because . . . ? 
 Aside from keyboard ;-)

 CPU intensive video design - lose video when program running (or SSLLOOWW
...
  mode for ZX81).

 This also makes it highly dependant on the internal firmware, so that it's
...
  tough to adapt other Z80 software systems to run on
it.

 "RF only", and poorly shielded computer make it tough to get decent TV
display.

I wonder if that's becasue it's VHF?  UHF ones I've seen here aren't
*too* bad, and it's trivial to add a composite video lead.

...
  Limited internal RAM - and expansion very prone to
connector problems/flakiness
...
  (practically useless without an external keyboard so
that you didn't have to
...
  touch the machine while it was running). 
Yu can replace the internal RAM.

...
  Slightly odd dialect of BASIC. 
Slightly?!*!

...
  But... I still consider the ZX80/81 a rather
interesting and innovative design,
...
  because it truly was designed to get "something
from almost nothing".  Most of
...
  the items listed above are just the "nature of
the beast" - given what it was
...
  (the lowest price entry on the block) and to be *VERY*
cheap to manufacture.

Yes, I would agree.  I still keep mine, though I've hardly ever used
it.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York