The Spectrum and ZX81 are (rightly) the computers for which Clive Sinclair is remembered. But it was his unsuccessful follow-up, the QL, which inspired a certain Linus Torvalds to write Linux:
the zx spectrum hold a special place in my memory because the manual was fantasic - I learnt almost everything from it.
and then progressed on to typing the monterous (using the aweful rubber keys) blocks of programs from magazines - THEN I learnt how to debug and rewrite the games that I'd just typed in from the magazines, because they never worked first time.
but it felt like I was living in the future
Thanks Clive - RIP
The user manual "Atomic Theory and Practise" was an amazingly good introduction to computers, and is still on the shelf above my desk.
I know that being PC-compatible would automatically make them commodity, but if they had positioned themselves as a value-added “PC+” platform and focused on competing in areas where PC clones at-the-time sucked and alternatives like Amiga reigned (e.g. Video Toaster), could they have succeeded? What if they merged with Quantel and made their Paintbox more affordable sooner? That would have taken the wind out of Adobe’s Photoshop sails.
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I feel the UK computing scene suffered from a lack-of-ambition. The world is too small for each medium-sized country to have their own computer-makers, so it’s important to go-big early and establish footholds in all the major markets - which isn’t something anyone in the UK except ARM (and to an extent: Sinclair) has done.
Sinclair and Acorn were extremely ambitious. Acorn even sold an NTSC conversion of the BBC Micro in the US for a short time. My theory is they were undercapitalized.
Yes, this. Very much so.
One example is the RF rules that hampered the Acorn Archimedes.
I argue that if Acorn designed the hardware ready-for-localisation then this would be a non-issue.
I remember at university writing a couple of little programmes that allowed the swanky BBC Model B (with no floppy drive) to use the Spectrum as a file server, over the serial interface.
But you're right-- it was too late to save the QL by then.
Of course, that wasn't the only problem with the machine, not by a longshot. I did my very first commercial hardware hacking in high school building/selling plug-in 'spiderboards' to protect the oh-so-fragile ZX8301 chips, and got my first oscilloscope in college to chase down all the ground bounce that was still occasionally killing the NMOS ROMs...
The only real hardware bit that we could rib him about was the serial port design, but I can't even remember what was wrong with it now (handshaking?)
I do wish I'd snaffled the QDOS listing that got thrown away during an office move.
The QLs problem was more the unreliable micro-drives the use of a cut down processor and the keyboard/build quality.
He was a kind of proto-Jobs. While most of the competition made boring-looking devices, Sinclair hired some of the top people for the time and made products that stood out because they looked exciting.
The ZX series are the best known, but there were precursors like the Black Watch and the Sovereign Calculator.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watch_(wristwatch)
http://www.vintagebritishcalculators.info/html/sovereign.htm...
He wasn't so good at making things that worked reliably or delivering them on time, but even with the delays the ZX comps were game changers.