This week saw the 30th anniversary of the launch of the home computer that changed the face of IT, the humble ZX81.
This touch screen small bundle of plastic allowed us all to embrace a new era. With its simple instruction book, it allowed us not only to play computer games but also become programmers. These simple looking machines were without any question the pioneer machine of the UKs leading senior programmers today.
Launched in 1981, it was the first mainstream home computer in the UK. The USA already had established home computers such as the Apple II and Commodore Pet. It came at the lowly price of just £49 if you built it yourself or £69 fully assembled. The 5th of March was the day it hit the stores. At the time I was just a small child with no real understanding of computers (nothing has changed!), but it allowed me to have a box in my room that I could program myself, a small box I could play games on and above all an escape from the day to day reality of life.
It soon became the fastest growing computer in the world. Though my parents’ generation avoided it and saw it as simply a gimmick the children of my era embraced a new technology that would change the world forever.
In the following two years the ZX81 would be replaced by the fastest selling computer of its generation, the ZX Spectrum, and then the Sinclair vs. Commodore war began! Just recalling the memories of games loading via tape cassette, the rubber keys that would be bashed when playing sports games and of course the classic games themselves.
Thirty years on and the computer world is a totally different place. There is more memory in an IPhone App than the ZX81 but you cannot beat the glory days of the home computers. I have a top of the range laptop; IPhone 4, Mac, Tablet yet none allow me the enjoyment of those wonderful days of the mid 1980’s.
Now I am off to find a ZX Spectrum Emulator to see if it runs on my modern day machine. I fancy a game of Manic Miner!
Meanwhile here are some guys using a ZX81 to send SMS messages! Imagine this back in the day!
And a merry Christmas from Currys
