Write about your first computer.
This is an easy one to write about because I was so excited in the run-up to getting it. I desperately wanted a Sinclair ZX81 and clearly remember reading everything I could about it, as well as staring at the demo models on display in WHSmith. It was definitely either a Christmas or birthday present, sometime in 1981 or maybe 1982. My poor parents (and sister) never heard the end of me talking about that machine before I finally got it.
I still remember the moment I used it for the first time and I was really excited. I also managed to get the 16K RAM pack to extend the memory, which I know was very expensive at the time. Unlike some of my friends, my RAM pack was secure and didn’t wobble. There was no need to wedge bits of cardboard into it, as seemed common with many other setups.
I spent countless hours typing in Sinclair BASIC programs from magazines. Some of them worked, others didn’t, but that was all part of the experience. I also had some cassette games to load and play, including classics like 3D Monster Maze. That was an art in itself, getting anything to load from a cassette deck while keeping the sound level just right.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_Monster_Maze
As you can probably tell from photos of it, there was no proper keyboard and it was touch sensitive. The trouble was that it wasn’t very sensitive at all. I plugged it into a small portable black-and-white TV, and sometimes into the main set in the front room, which felt like a real treat.
Eventually, I upgraded to the Commodore 64, but I still have a lot of fond memories that all start with the ZX81. I always looked after my things, so whoever bought it next would have received a machine that still looked almost new. I think I sold it through the local paper, and someone came round to see it before buying it. I still remember the polystyrene packaging, the smell and the cardboard slip that encased it.
It was a special computer, often described as the first home computer marketed at the UK mass market. Despite all the claims and what it was capable of, for the average child it was actually quite limited. Even so, it sparked something, and that alone made it special.
If you want to know more about the ZX81, take a look here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX81
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