2 Nov
1998
2 Nov
'98
1:27 p.m.
Part of it may have been the dippy little keyboard that it had, or the fact
that it only came with 1k or RAM (standard). If it had a larger keyboard,
instead of the tiny plastic membranes, then the idea *MAY* have caught on.
I wonder if ther'd be some way to either put a new keyboard on it (say,
from a laptop), or somehow make it into an expansion
unit for something
like a TRS-80, almost like a CoCo cartridge.
-Jason
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* Jason Willgruber *
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* > Long Live the 5170! *
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From: Max Eskin <maxeskin(a)hotmail.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: Help Needed With Sinclair 1000
Date: Monday, November 02, 1998 9:32 PM
That's kinda cool in a twisted Word 97 sort of way. Context sensitive
BASIC...I'm wondering if this is where MS got their idea. You see, in
Visual Basic 5, it shows the syntax for the function I'm typing, and
also can complete it. Why is the Sinclair hated disliked if it had
what seems to be a useful feature?
2 Nov
2 Nov
1:55 p.m.
Part of it may have been the dippy little keyboard
that it had, or the fact
that it only came with 1k or RAM (standard). If it had a larger keyboard,
instead of the tiny plastic membranes, then the idea *MAY* have caught on.
I wonder if ther'd be some way to either put a new keyboard on it (say,
from a laptop), or somehow make it into an expansion unit for something
like a TRS-80, almost like a CoCo cartridge.
As I recall, replacement keyboards were a fairly standard "accessory" for
the ZX-81. Ususally the idea was to remove the circuit board and drop it
into a larger case with a real keyboard.
The magazines at the time also usually printed sets of plans for taking
some kind of surplus keyboard (TI-994A, etc.) and reworking it for the
Sinclair.
That, and the odd company making keyboard overlays to give a more real
feel.
<<<john>>
6:19 p.m.
On Mon, 2 Nov 1998, Jason Willgruber wrote:
Part of it may have been the dippy little keyboard
that it had, or the fact
that it only came with 1k or RAM (standard). If it had a larger keyboard,
instead of the tiny plastic membranes, then the idea *MAY* have caught on.
A few computers used the idea (of having single keypresses map to an
entire BASIC command). My first computer, the Mattel Aquarius, had this
feature too, except it was an option, as opposed to default behavior.
You'd use the CTL (control) key plus a letter to shortcut whole BASIC
keywords, which were printed above the key.
I wonder if ther'd be some way to either put a new
keyboard on it (say,
from a laptop), or somehow make it into an expansion unit for something
like a TRS-80, almost like a CoCo cartridge.
I've seen at least a couple TS-1000's modified with a "real" keyboard.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 11/02/98]
7:01 p.m.
Sam Ismail wrote:
A few computers used the idea (of having single
keypresses map to an
entire BASIC command). My first computer, the Mattel Aquarius, had this
feature too, except it was an option, as opposed to default behavior.
You'd use the CTL (control) key plus a letter to shortcut whole BASIC
keywords, which were printed above the key.
There were several such utilities sold as add-ons for the TRS-80 Mod
One that I recall, and at least a couple for the Color Computer. I
think there were some as well for the Apples and Commodores, but I
didn't pay much attention to those lines. Convenient for non-typists
(among whom I still count myself after decades at the keyboard).
--
Ward Griffiths <mailto:gram@cnct.com> <http://www.cnct.com/home/gram/>
WARNING: The Attorney General has determined that Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms can be hazardous to your health -- and get away with it.
3 Nov
3 Nov
7:12 a.m.
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11:57 a.m.
Tony Duell wrote:
[Single key entry] of BASIC keywords]
Jawohl. I had KSM files on my 4p (both LDOS and TRSDOS6) to use in
BASIC and JCL programming, for telecommunications, for Scripsit and
SuperScripsit, for Multiplan and Visicalc. Among other things. I
forget if I built the BASIC files from one that came with the OS or
one I pulled off of Compu$erve.
--
Ward Griffiths <mailto:gram@cnct.com> <http://www.cnct.com/home/gram/>
WARNING: The Attorney General has determined that Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms can be hazardous to your health -- and get away with it.
There were several such utilities sold as add-ons
for the TRS-80 Mod
One that I recall, and at least a couple for the Color Computer. I
LDOS (an operating system for the TRS-80 Model 1 and 3) and TRS-DOS 6.x
(which was essentially LDOS) for the Model 4 came with a program called
KSM/FLT. That stood for Key Stroke Multiply and it let you assign a
string to the letter keys on the keyboard (I think it was CLEAR+letter
key). Either one of the standard files, or one everybody created early
on was for single-key entry of BASIC keywords. 
2:51 a.m.
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4:36 a.m.
On Mon, 2 Nov 1998, Jason Willgruber wrote:
Part of it may have been the dippy little keyboard
that it had, or the
fact that it only came with 1k or RAM (standard). If it had a larger
keyboard, instead of the tiny plastic membranes, then the idea *MAY*
have caught on.
I wouldn't consider the ZX81/TS1000 machines failures (although I'm sure
that there are some former Timex managers who would strongly disagree).
In 1981, the $149 ZX81 was several times less expensive than anything else
on the market. At the time, I couldn't afford an Apple II or a TRS-80,
but I could afford a ZX81. The ZX81/TS1000 gave hundreds of thousands of
people the chance to own their own computer.
By 1983-84, the street price of the T/S 1000 (which came standard with 2K
of RAM) had dropped from $99 down to $19. At $19, the T/S 1000 was cheap
enough for hardware hacking and embedding in all sorts of (noncritical)
things.
In retrospect, finding ways around the ZX81's faults was a lot of the fun.
I ripped the ZX81 out of its case, connected a surplus keyboard, replaced
the abysmal RF modulator, added heat sinks to the ULA and 7805, and
piggybacked RAM chips, resulting a very usable computer that didn't bear
much physical resemblance to the original.
Of course, for every happy ZX81 owner, there were probably a dozen who
found the computer most useful in its handy "doorstop mode". Turning
potential computer users off by its awkwardness was probably the ZX81's
biggest failure.
--
Scott Ware ware(a)xtal.pharm.nwu.edu
7:04 a.m.
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9546
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9547
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8 comments
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