Wandering across

Introduce yourself to your fellow forum members - what was your journey into the Sinclair world?
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roganjosh
Posts: 100
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:59 pm

Wandering across

Post by roganjosh »

Good morning.

Having recently wandered across from stardot, C64 forums and others, subscribed under the same username, I see many familiar names here (1024mak, sirmorris, lardo etc) so at the risk of boring them with my life history once more...

I'm a FORTRAN programmer for a few years and a C programmer of over 40 of them. I have fond memories of the ZX81 as it was my first substantial commercial home computer, though I'd fiddled with more primitive ones and some homebrew microprocessor circuit designs before then. I still vividly remember receiving the 16K expansion pack on the morning of the final exam for my first degree.

The ZX81 and subsequent machines were instrumental in boosting my grant through my postgrad years. On the ZX81 front I wrote an assembler (ACSembler) and monitor (ACS debug), both sold via a small company, ACS software, established by a colleague. I recently noticed on a ZX81 site that the ACS Software stuff is listed as missing in action. Having no copies myself I've made an attempt to recover them. Sadly my colleague dropped off the perch a couple of years ago but a member of his family will have a rummage through the parental loft in the near future, see whether any ACS titles have been stashed away there, and pass them onto me. There is therefore a slight possibility that everything is not lost and can be donated to whatever archive site is appropriate. Of course, if anyone on this board has any of the ACS titles I'd appreciate a copy. Thankfully the ACS programs for the Speccy (Ultraviolet and Infrared) are archived on the net.

I recently bought a doer-upper ZX81 from eBay and the doing has been well and truly upped. I've therefore been spending a pleasant time over the last few weeks writing cross-assembled machine code utilities for it. I'm hoping to get a ZXpand if and when they become available again (my name is on the list).

Alan
Lardo Boffin
Posts: 2160
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:42 am

Re: Wandering across

Post by Lardo Boffin »

Hello Alan! Welcome on board. The first computer I ever saw in the flesh was a ZX81 so I very much have a soft spot for them.
ZX80
ZX81 iss 1 (bugged ROM, kludge fix, normal, rebuilt)
TS 1000 iss 3, ZXPand AY and +, ZX8-CCB, ZX-KDLX & ChromaSCART
Tatung 81 + Wespi
TS 1500 & 2000
Spectrum 16k (iss 1 s/n 862)
Spectrum 48ks plus a DIVMMC future and SPECTRA
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Paul
Posts: 1511
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 8:15 am
Location: Germanys west end

Re: Wandering across

Post by Paul »

Welcome to our forums!
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.
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1024MAK
Posts: 5102
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:56 am
Location: Looking forward to summer in Somerset, UK...

Re: Wandering across

Post by 1024MAK »

Hello Alan

Welcome to our forum :D

Have fun :D

If you do want help, please do ask.

Simon would no doubt love extra Zeddy software to add to his site ;)
World of Spectrum also hosts Zeddy software New site (under construction), existing site.
Spectrum Computing also supports ZX81 software.

Mark
ZX81 Variations
ZX81 Chip Pin-outs
ZX81 Video Transistor Buffer Amp

:!: Standby alert :!:
There are four lights!
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb :!:
Looking forward to summer later in the year.
roganjosh
Posts: 100
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:59 pm

Re: Wandering across

Post by roganjosh »

Thanks all, and especially to Mark for the useful archive information.

Alan
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Andy Rea
Posts: 1606
Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 2:48 pm
Location: Planet Earth
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Re: Wandering across

Post by Andy Rea »

Welcome to.the madhouse

Andy
what's that Smell.... smells like fresh flux and solder fumes...
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