On Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 4:41 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > <geezer mode on> > > My first computer was the MicroAce, an unauthorized clone of the Sinclair > ZX80, the predecessor to the ZX81. Shortly after I bought mine, Sinclair > forced MicroAce to stop production. > > Typing a program on the MicroAce or ZX80 was literally a dizzying experience. > Since the processor was having to dedicate nearly all of the CPU time to > generating the video signal, every time you pressed a key the video display > (a television) would lose synchronization, and roll vertically for several > frames before the picture stabilized again. When you ran a program, the > screen would blank until the program was ready for input, roll vertically for > a fraction of a second, then stabilize. > > The MicroAce, later versions of the ZX80, and the ZX81 had 2 Kilobytes of > memory (yes, 2K, not 2G). I never succeeded in typing in a long enough > program to use up all of my 2K of RAM, as the heat sink was located right > next to the memory and CPU. After 10 minutes or so of operation, the > computer would overheat and get amnesia. So, you would work with the > computer for five or six minutes, save the program to cassette tape (not > always successfully), turn the computer off and let it cool down for a few > minutes, then try to load the program back in off tape. > > I enjoyed my MicroAce, but moving up to a Commodore 64 was a definite > improvement. > > <geezer mode off>
something must have been wrong with yours mine never got warm or crashed but mine was a Sinclair, not a micro ace, and perhaps the zx81 had other improvements as far as the C64 the TS 2068 blew away the C64, more ram, faster cpu, better sound chip, more colors, but worse marketing but I like anything with a Zilog core -- I'm a PC AND I RUN LINUX!!! Joseph Baretti - "I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NLUG" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nlug-talk?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
