Spectrum
- Note: This article is about the microcomputer. For other uses, see Spectrum (disambiguation).
The Sinclair ZX Spectrum was the most popular 8-bit microcomputer in Europe during the 80s. Released in 1982, the only two remarkable features of the Spectrum were its low cost and, as a consequence, its simplicity. The Spectrum main processor was slow, the screen resolution limited and the keyboard unbearable. Spectrum programs were stored in conventional audio tapes. It took from 2 to 3 minutes to load a program in its 48KB of memory.
Besides all its limitations, the Spectrum was a commercial success and enjoyed a large scene in Europe. The basic Spectrum model was followed by the Spectrum+, which featured a better keyboard, the Spectrum 128, with 128KB of memory, the Spectrum +2, with an integrated tape unit and in 1988, the Spectrum +3, that featured a 3" disk unit.
Other popular 8-bit microcomputers in Europe were the BBC Micro, the Commodore 64 and the Amstrad CPC. The BBC Micro, more powerful than the Spectrum, attracted the attention of many successful IF houses, including Topologika.
The SAM Coupé was largely backward-compatible with the Spectrum and could run much of its software.
Links
- The World of Spectrum - a popular site devoted to the Spectrum
- Spectrum at Wikipedia.
- The PAW Reservoir by Nacho A. Llorente.