This is the bit where I’ll discuss in detail the hardware specifications of various computer systems, old and new.

I started this blog discussing the ZX Spectrum and its variants; a very simple computer to program in BASIC or Assembly Language. Games programmers preferred to write their own routines to read the keyboard and write to the screen; although ROM calls exist for some of that functionality the ROM code was optimised for size and to be general purpose; games programmers usually write code for speed and to be specific.

A good example would be keyboard handling; the Spectrum ROM routine does not detect multiple simultaneous key presses; functionality that supported by the hardware and desirable for games. So you can see that the hardware details are important to squeeze as much out of the hardware as possible.

I’ve also started looking at other machines of the era, starting with my first computer, the ZX81. I will post my musings as I investigate them.

And of course, I’ll be blogging as I repair and maintain machines that cross my path, including my attempts to fix a totally borked ZX Spectrum and refurbish a battle-weary ZX81.