Reply to: Uncle Clive's Back

[VectraMan]

Can't say I've tried recently but you could even get ZX81 simulators for the PC but emulated screen was about the size of a postage stamp on a modern monitor.

If only there was a way for computers to scale images.

[minestrone]

That reminds me, when I was finishing at UNI in 1997 the computer science lecturer admitted they were still using a spectrum at the start of the term to allocate rooms to classes.

[minestrone]

I suppose you all seen this a few months ago...

BBC News - Manic modder: Inside Ben Heck's world of bonsai computing

[xoggoth]

Can't say I've tried recently but you could even get ZX81 simulators for the PC but emulated screen was about the size of a postage stamp on a modern monitor.

[NickFitz]

You can get a Pi and run a Speccy emulator on it. Best of both worlds - or rather more, as you can also emulate any other machine from that era, as well as every arcade game and console

[minestrone]

I have a spectrum 2 128. I have always wanted to download a game, put it on tape and load it up.

**** knows why.

[Paddy]

Snow Watch ™

Snow is back on the menu


*

[xoggoth]

If the ZX81/Spectrum/QL ever get to be valuable collectors' items I shall be most annoyed that I gave them away.

[vetran]

But why would you want that? If you lived in poverty, then maybe. But like most people here I'm sure, I have a couple of old laptops and desktops lying around as well as the ones I actually use, plus three old Android phones I could do things with if I was determined (which I'm not). And why on earth would a cheap cigarette packet sized computer be better for "learning to code" than a laptop?

Look at XBMC or Kodi as it is now known.

Squeezeslave (squeezebox equivalent for £30-40)

[SueEllen]

But why would you want that? If you lived in poverty, then maybe. But like most people here I'm sure, I have a couple of old laptops and desktops lying around as well as the ones I actually use, plus three old Android phones I could do things with if I was determined (which I'm not). And why on earth would a cheap cigarette packet sized computer be better for "learning to code" than a laptop?

Because children break things and even if you have an old laptop around it would be worth more than £30.

Plus some gadgets are just fun to have.

[VectraMan]

Um, because it's a computer the size of a cigarette packet, and only slightly more expensive than said packet of fags.

But why would you want that? If you lived in poverty, then maybe. But like most people here I'm sure, I have a couple of old laptops and desktops lying around as well as the ones I actually use, plus three old Android phones I could do things with if I was determined (which I'm not). And why on earth would a cheap cigarette packet sized computer be better for "learning to code" than a laptop?

[EternalOptimist]

the original Spekky was 48k and required a separate tape cassette player to load the code , but the 128 was a massive leap forward because it had it's own inbuilt tape player.
awesomeness abounded , what a massive leap in cutting edge technology.

Lords of midnight, Elite, Warlords

[Bunk]

I'm tempted.

I don't understand why anyone in their right mind would want a Raspberry Pi.

Um, because it's a computer the size of a cigarette packet, and only slightly more expensive than said packet of fags.

[TheFaQQer]

I'm tempted.

I don't understand why anyone in their right mind would want a Raspberry Pi.

Cheap media server. Or as a cheap security camera / motion sensor that stores the pictures securely for you. Or to learn to code as a child (or an adult). Or as a games machine. Or as a retro machine.

I'm sure there are other uses out there, but those are the ones that I've used a Pi for so far. My children like learning to code on it, and they can teach themselves which is a good way to start.

Plus if they break it somehow, it's either £30 for a new computer or reformat the SD card and start again.

[vetran]

I'm tempted.

I don't understand why anyone in their right mind would want a Raspberry Pi.

what?