submit urlsubmit rss feedadd directory

article

The Sinclair ZX Spectrum was a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research. Based on a Zilog Z80 A CPU running at 3.50 MHz, the Spectrum came with either 16 KB or 48 KB of RAM. The hardware designer was Richard Altwasser of Sinclair Research and the software was written by Steve Vickers on contract from Nine Tiles Ltd, the authors of Sinclair BASIC. Sinclair's industrial designer Rick Dickinson was responsible for the machine's outward appearance. Originally dubbed the ZX82, the machine was later renamed the "Spectrum" by Sinclair to highlight the machine's colour display, compared to the black-and-white of its predecessors, the ZX80 and ZX81.

Description


Video output was to a TV, for a simple colour graphic display. The rubber keyboard (on top of a membrane, similar to calculator keys) was marked with Sinclair BASIC keywords, so that, for example, pressing "G" when in programming mode would insert the BASIC command GO TO. Experienced programmers were thus able to create BASIC programs much faster than on other computers at the time. Programs and data were stored using a normal cassette recorder.

The Spectrum's video display, although rudimentary by today's standards, was perfect at the time for display on portable TV sets, and did not present much of a barrier to game development. Text could be displayed using 32 columns × 24 rows of characters from the Spectrum Character Set, with a choice of 8 colours in either normal or bright mode, which gave 15 shades (black was the same in both modes). The image resolution was 256×192 with the same colour limitations. The Spectrum had an interesting method of handling colour; the colour attributes were held in a 32×24 grid, separate from the text or graphical data, but was still limited to only two colours in any given character cell. This led to what was called colour clash or attribute clash with some bizarre effects in arcade style games. This problem became a distinctive feature of the Spectrum and an in-joke among Spectrum users, as well as a point of derision by advocates of other systems. Other machines available around the same time, for example the Amstrad CPC, did not suffer from this problem. The Commodore 64 used colour attributes, but hardware sprites and scrolling were used to avoid attribute clash.

More on [ ZX Spectrum ]


directory of related categories

 
directory of related topics

ZX Spectrum :: Sinclair

 
ZX_Spectrum RSS feed
eWeek - RSS Feeds

FAA Flight-Plan System Has Long History of Problems
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:00:16 -0400
Investigations reveal that the 20-year-old, mainframe-based IT system has crashed several times in the last nine years and that the FAA has been planning its replacement for at least four years. But a new, next-generation IT system won't be on line until at least the end of 2008. Meanwhile, the old system creaks along on a wing and a prayer. - A major portion of the decades-old national air-traffic control system used to manage thousands of commercial and general aviation takeoffs and landings every day in the U.S. is has crashed multiple times under the 20-year strain of its 24/7 operations. As a result, industry analysts and a n...
Toshiba Tecra A9: Powerful Computing Today and Tomorrow
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:15:57 -0400
Small companies in competitive fields need exceptionally secure and durable laptops that pack top-notch wireless connectivity and productivity tools. The Toshiba Tecra A9, with its built-in EasyGuard® security features, delivers these critical elements and lets companies maximize their technology investment. - Video Content....
Toshiba Satellite Pro L300: Meeting Small Businesses Needs
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:14:52 -0400
Small-business workers need computing solutions that boost productivity and support their multiple tasks seamlessly. To find out exactly what theyre looking for, we surveyed 172 professionals in companies with 10-99 employees. The results reveal a growing demand for business-ready laptops that can be used reliably for years at a time. The Toshiba Satellite Pro L300 delivers all the major productivity and reliability features highlighted in the survey, and provides several innovations that help small operations take their business to the next level. - Video Content....
Phishing Cyber Gang Upgrades to Fast-Flux Botnet
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:00:39 -0400
According to researchers on the RSA FraudAction team, the Rock Phish gang has moved its infrastructure to the notorious Asprox botnet. Security researchers believe the move may precede an increase in phishing activity using the Asprox botnet. - Researchers at RSA, EMCs security division, believe the Rock Phish gang has upgraded its infrastructure to improve its ability to launch phishing attacks. According to the RSA FraudAction Research Lab, the Rock Phish group has moved its operations from its traditional botnet to the fast-flux infra...
IT3 with Eric Lundquist, Sept. 3, 2008
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:51:40 -0400
Software in standalone boxes, passwords and a belt full of personal devices will disappear over the next five years. In this episode of Three Things, Eric Lundquist explains why you will no longer buy standalone software from retail stores, why passwords are a poor substitute for security and geeks will no longer be identified by lots of devices hanging from a belt. - Video Content....
Douglas Crockford: 'I Want a Browser War!'
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:15:55 -0400
Douglas Crockford, a JavaScript architect at Yahoo and the man behind JSON, the JavaScript Object Notation, says he welcomes a browser war if it will bring innovation in the browser space and move the Web forward. Crockford says the browser war between Microsoft and Netscape moved the Web forward but introduced bugs into the network. However, this time standards and the marketplace will keep browser makers in line. Microsoft's complacency after winning the browser war opened the door for innovation by others such as Mozilla and now Google with its Chrome browser. - VIENNA, Va. Douglas Crockford, a JavaScript architect at Yahoo and founder of the JavaScript Object Notation, says he wants a browser war. Well, with Google's introduction of its Chrome browser Sept. 2 he just may have it. During a keynote at the Rich Web Experience conference here Sept. 4, Croc...

NYT > Technology

Microsoft Works to Perfect Windows Vista
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:15:54 -0000
Faced with Windows Vista’s image problem, Microsoft has been working for more than a year to change the experience of buying and using computers that run its software.
Practical Traveler | iPhone E-Guides: Clueless in Cleveland? Use Your Thumb
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:36:35 -0000
From showing you the nearest sushi bar in London to telling you how to say “Where’s the toilet?” in Cantonese, travel apps for the iPhone are proving to be a useful tool.
Samsung Weighs Buying SanDisk
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:57:40 -0000
The memory chip maker said that it might buy a flash memory maker, SanDisk, in a deal that could reshape a struggling industry.

CNN.com - Technology

CIA, FBI embrace 'Facebook for spies'
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:08:59 -0400
When you see people at the office using such Internet sites as Facebook, you might suspect those workers are slacking off. But that's not the case at U.S. intelligence agencies, where bosses are encouraging their staffs to use a new social-networking site designed for the secret world of spying.
Asia pollution may boost U.S. temperatures
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:55:23 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
eBay launches planet-friendly retail site
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:01:58 -0400
Read full story for latest details.

NPR Topics: Technology

Voting Technology Evolves In Electronic World
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:00 -0400
Officials in many states are concerned about the reliability of electronic voting and are now moving toward systems that can provide a voter-verified paper trail. Larry Norden, author of The Machinery of Democracy, discusses the latest advances in voting technology.
Google Launches 'Chrome' Web Browser
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:00 -0400
Internet search giant Google unveiled Chrome, a new piece of Web browser software on Tuesday. Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of SearchEngineLand.com, explains what Google's open-source browser can do, and why a search engine leader wants to get into the Web software market.
In 'Spore,' Players Create Civilizations From Cells
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:18:00 -0400
The creator of The Sims has a new game out. In Spore, players create their own worlds — starting from creatures the size of a cell, and evolving until an entire civilization springs up.

BBC News | Technology | UK Edition

One Laptop signs up with Amazon
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:23:44 -0000
Online retailer Amazon will help the One Laptop Per Child organisation with its plans to sell its XO laptop in the US.
Chaos at £20,000 petrol giveaway
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:17:46 -0000
There are reports of chaos at a petrol station which gave away £20,000 of petrol to promote a video game.
Zombie plague sweeps the internet
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:51:02 -0000
The number of home computers hijacked by hi-tech criminals leaps during the summer, says a security monitoring firm.

Reuters Video: Technology

Reuters Technology Week
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:06:17 -0400
Sep. 5 - A highly anticipated videogame, Spore, lets you rewrite the Book of Genesis as you create your own sci-fi society.
Sims creator launches 'Spore'
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:14:44 -0400
Sep 5 - Video game designer Will Wright says his latest game will enable users to create the worlds while learning about evolutionary biology.
Sony Reader launches in UK
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:59:51 -0400
Sep 4 - The Japanese electronics company is getting some help from Britain's biggest book chain for the UK launch of its electronic book.

AP Top Technology News At 1:23 a.m. EDT

Google reigns as world's most powerful 10-year-old
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:23:17 -0000
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) -- When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google Inc. on Sept. 7, 1998, they had little more than their ingenuity, four computers and an investor's $100,000 bet on their belief that an Internet search engine could change the world....
Microsoft deploying in-store customer-service reps
By RACHEL METZ Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:47:01 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- As part of its new $300 million marketing campaign and image makeover, Microsoft Corp. plans to deploy its own customer-service representatives at retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City to help people with their PC purchases....
Tech firms fare better than most in jobs slump
By BARBARA ORTUTAY Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:21:54 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- Technology appears to be one of the least hard-hit sectors in an economy beset by unemployment at a five-year high....

CNET News.com

Apple watchers spot 'iPod Nano' photos
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:16:00 -0700
The rumor mill has long been predicting a longer, leaner new version of the iPod Nano, and now it's conjuring up some pictures.
Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:00:00 -0700
Here are CNET Reviews' 10 favorite items from the past week, including the TiVo HD XL, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50, and the Dish Network's newest digital TV converter box.
Explore Picasa's latest and greatest community shots
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:16:00 -0700
Picasa's got a brand new photo exploration page to let you browse user shots. There's even a game to figure out where photos have been taken.

 
Subscribe to Computers RSS feed

directory of related sites

Amiga Spectrum Utilities - Emulators, converters and other utilities for handling ZX Spectrum using Amiga.

ASp - A freeware 48K/128K/+2 emulator for the Amiga.

ASpectrum - An open source 48k emulator for DOS, Linux, and Windows.
Meta Description: [ The world's largest development and download repository of Open Source code and applications ]

404 BeZX - Spectrum emulator for BeOS.

DreamSPEC - Spectrum 48/128 emulator for the Sega Dreamcast.
Meta Description: [ Dreamcast emulation software and development. Gameboy, Nintendo, Super NES, Playstation, MSX, Neo Geo emulation and much more for the dreamcast. Mp3, DivX and more all on your dreamcast. ]

DSP - An open source emulator designed in Delphi 6.

E++ - A portable object-oriented emulator that emulates Space Invaders, Phoenix, Centipede and ZX Spectrum (aka Timex-Sinclair 2000).

EmuZWin - A freeware 48 and 128 emulator for Windows.

FBZX - An open source 128K, +2, +2A emulator for Linux/SDL designed to work at full screen using the FrameBuffer.

FooN - Spectrum Emulator for the GameBoy Advance - Freeware Spectrum emulator for the GameBoy Advance.

Fuse - An open source 48K/128K/+2 emulator for MacOS X and Unix.

GLECK - Emulates 16K, 48K, 128K, +2, +2A, +3, Pentagon, Scorpion 256K, TK90 and TK95 on Windows 95/98. Handles the most common file formats. [English/Spanish]

Glukalka - An open source 128K emulator for Linux.

Ian's ZX Spectrum page - Contains his ZX Spectrum emulator for Unix and X11, xz80, and some other Spectrum-related stuff.

Jasper - A Java ZX Spectrum emulator.

Jontydog's Spectrum Emulation Station - Emulators and games for download.

JX-Speccy - A ZX-Spectrum 48K emulator written in Java.

Mac Spectacle - A Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulator for the Macintosh.

Nuclear ZX - Emulates Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K on IBM PC.

PocketClive - Emulates ZX Spectrum 48k and 128k on PocketPC.

Point Of Good Origins ZX Spectrum Nostalgia - Offers the chance to play classic ZX Spectrum 48k games through an online Java emulator.
Meta Description: [ Ambient Electronica from the Point Of Good Origins. Currently Unsigned. Free Ambient samples to Download. ZX Spectrum 48k Java emulator. Play the following games : Manic Miner, Alien 8, Airwolf, Atic Atac, Underwurlde, Formula 1, Sabre Wolf, Bombjack, Fat worm blows a sparky, Horace goes ski-ing,... ]

PsiXZX - A port of the XZX ZX Spectrum Emulator to the EPOC 16 platform.

RealSpectrum - A freeware 16K, 48K, 128K, +2, +2A, +3, Pentagon, and Scorpion emulator for DOS and Windows. Also emulates Multiface 128, Interface-1, Kempston joystick and mouse, DISCiPLE and +D, TRDOS and +3DOS support, and the Sinclair Network of the Interface-1 and MGT DISCiPLE via TCP/IP over the Internet.

Spec128 - Freeware Spectrum 128 emulator for the Acorn Archimedes.

SPEC256 - An emulator for ZX Spectrum that is capable of running modified games with 256 colours.

Speccy.F9 - Emulators and games.

Speccyal - A 48k/128k Speccy emulator for Windows/DirectX and GP32. Supports joystick and has an integrated debugger.
Meta Description: [ Speccyal - The Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k/128k emulator for Gamepark GP32 and Sega Dreamcast ]

404 SpecEmu and SPIN - Two freeware emulators for Windows.

Spectaculator - A freeware emulator for Windows.
Meta Description: [ Spectaculator is a Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulator for PCs running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4, 2000, XP and Vista. Spectaculator emulates the 16k/14k/128k/+2/+2A/+3 Spectrums and some addtional hardware. ]

Spectemu - A Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulator for Linux/UNIX

Spectrum Emulator - A spanish Spectrum emulator for 48K and 128K. Runs under DOS.

Spectrum for Java - A Spectrum emulator for Java.

Spectrum Magic - Spectrum emulators and games. Play some of the best games of the past and compete to get on the Hi-Score table.
Meta Description: [ download ZX spectrum games, emulators, remakes, and everything else in the world of the sinclair spectrum. Get help on classic games in the maps section, and compete with spectrum games players to get on the hi-Score tables. ]

TapeFIX - PC program that recovers old and damaged ZX Spectrum tapes.

500 TeZXas - ZX Spectrum emulator for TI89 and TI92+.

500 The Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Emulators, games and information.
Meta Description: [ The Sinclair ZX Spectrum - The easy and free way for anyone using Windows 95 or later. ]

The Spectrum Tape Loader - A Win32 to convert real tapes to .tap or .tzx files.

The Spectrum Tape Reader - A program for any win32 OS and a sound card that reads Spectrum tapes into emulator formats.

Unnamed ZX Spectrum Emulator for DOS/Linux - 48kb and 128kb/+2 ZX Spectrum emulation.

500 vbSpec - An open source 128 an +2 (with both beeper and AY sound) emulator for Windows written in Visual Basic.

Warajevo - Freeware emulator for DOS.

500 WinXZX - Emulates ZX Spectrum 48K/128K/+3 under Windows. Port of XZX.

X128 - A freeware 48, 128, +2, +2A, +3, Pentagon, and Scorpion emulator for DOS. Also available is an older open source Unix port.

404 XZX - A shareware ZX Spectrum 48K/128K/+3 emulator for Linux/i386 and Unix.
Meta Description: [ Erik's ZX Spectrum Pages ]

404 YaSE - An open source emulator for DOS and Windows.

ZX Planet - Emulator site for the ZX Spectrum. Has a large collection of emulators, games and utilities.
Meta Description: [ ZX Planet is a retro site dedicated to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum range of computers. There are no games or covers to download, but you will find emulator reviews, interviews with major spectrum players, history on your favourite home computer, emulators to relive those classics and much more. ]

ZX Plus - Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K and 128K emulator written for Windows 95 / 98 using Direct X.

500 ZX Spectrum Emulator - Spec (DOS) and SpecX (UNIX).

ZX-Emul - A freeware emulator for Windows.

ZXemul - Freeware ZX Spectrum emulator for Psion 3 series.

ZXSP - ZX Spectrum emulator for all PowerMac and Linux with X11 windows system.

ZXSP-Mac - A Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulator for the Macintosh.

ZXSpectr - An open source 16K/48K/128K/+2/+2A/Inves Spectrum + emulator for DOS.
Meta Description: [ The world's largest development and download repository of Open Source code and applications ]

ZZ Spectrum - 16/48/128K Spectrum emulator written in Java.

ZX_Spectrum related videos
demostrate the use of a joystick port to feed data into a microcomputer at a very high speed. ... zx spectrum ultraload ...
Next Video

 

HOMEADVERTISINGABOUT US

articlesartsbusinesscomputersgameshealthhospitalshomekids & teensnewsmobilephysiciansrecreationreferenceregionalscienceshoppingsocietysportsworld


Submit a Site About Become an Editor