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Posted: **Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:32 pm**

It has been very interesting topic.
I will say, I have had many computers, including: NewBrain, Spectrum 48k and 128k, Amstrad128k, VIC20, CBM64, and AtariST520st 1040ste (essential for MIDI), CBMAMIGA500(great machine) and 600 to PCs today and AppleG4. Currently I work in Windows or Linux on a PC.

TI-994A
However, I wouldn't go that far. He didn't actually invent the personal computer, so, technically, he definitely copied the prevailing ideas, and simply implemented them in a more affordable way.

Hi TI-994A!, You know the famous phrase that is attributed to the deceased co-founder of Mac 'The artists copy, geniuses steal'.
This famous phrase is from Pablo Picasso. (many years before)
If we say that Sinclair made a computer with other people's ideas. What is a Mac?. Did you know that MacOS was a Xerox idea?
And the mouse interface?
Mac OS is UNIX, Linux is UNIX. What is the difference?
The difference is that I have a ZX or Linux .. Without spending all my salary!

If a British Lord makes a computer that people can have. And some ecologic and modern people, make a computer that few can buy. Something strange is happening? . Someone is not playing his role. Not you think?

Sad to see that fame is not always grateful to the appropriate person.

Personally I think I have more to be thankful to those who have allowed me to have a computer at low prices. To practice and learn.

More expensive is not always best. The best ideas do not always succeed. And unfortunately, rarely the history, honors those who deserve it.

This is just my personal opinion. From my point of view.

Posted: **Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:42 am**

minimy wrote:Sir Clive did a great computer without copying or stealing ideas.

The hardware of the Spectrum was designed by Richard Altwasser and the case and aesthetics by Rick Dickinson. Clive Sinclair was merely the "face" of the company and took credit for the hard work and talent of others. Clive Sinclair was a phony and a fraud and made absolutely no legitimate contribution to the industry.

Posted: **Tue Apr 22, 2014 6:25 am**

minimy wrote: If we say that Sinclair made a computer with other people's ideas. What is a Mac? Did you know that MacOS was a Xerox idea?

Hello again minimy. Yes; Apple stole from Xerox, and Microsoft stole from Apple, and round and round it goes. That’s life. Even Edison was not a true inventor; Mr 1% inspiration 99% perspiration actually plagiarised the ideas of many pioneering inventors before him. History is often a remiss confabulation of selective facts.

minimy wrote: The difference is that I have a ZX or Linux .. Without spending all my salary!
If a British Lord makes a computer that people can have. And some ecologic and modern people, make a computer that few can buy. Something strange is happening? Someone is not playing his role. Not you think?

That’s capitalism working in a free market economy; demand and supply. If Sinclair did not fill that need, someone else would have; and they eventually did. Which is why new, costly technology invariably becomes affordable.

minimy wrote: Sad to see that fame is not always grateful to the appropriate person.
Personally I think I have more to be thankful to those who have allowed me to have a computer at low prices.

Then you’d also have to be thankful to the Chinese and Korean sweatshops that make everything else affordable for you as well. Sinclair is not some philanthropic saint who created the ZX computers for altruistic reasons; he was first and foremost a huckster who started off as a mail-order businessman. And today he sells bikes!

minimy wrote:More expensive is not always best. The best ideas do not always succeed. And unfortunately, rarely the history, honors those who deserve it.

You’re right about that.

Posted: **Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:06 pm**

minimy wrote:What is a Mac?. Did you know that MacOS was a Xerox idea?
And the mouse interface?

- Wikipedia: Xerox - Palo Alto Research Center

In 1970, under company president C. Peter McColough, Xerox opened the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, known as Xerox PARC.
The facility developed many modern computing technologies such as the graphical user interface (GUI), laser printing, WYSIWYG text editors and Ethernet.
From these inventions, Xerox PARC created the Xerox Alto in 1973, a small minicomputer similar to a modern workstation or personal computer.
This machine can be considered the first true Personal Computer, given its versatile combination of a cathode-ray-type screen, mouse-type pointing device,
and a QWERTY-type alphanumeric keyboard. But the Alto was never commercially sold, as Xerox itself could not see the sales potential of it.
[...]
In 1979, Steve Jobs made a deal with Xerox's venture capital division: He would let them invest $1 million in exchange for a look at the technology they were working on.
Jobs and the others saw the commercial potential of the WIMP (Window, Icon, Menu, and Pointing device) system and redirected development of the Apple Lisa to incorporate
these technologies. Jobs is quoted as saying, "They just had no idea what they had."
In 1980, Jobs invited several key PARC researchers to join his company so that they could fully develop and implement their ideas.
[...]
In the mid-1980s, Apple considered buying Xerox; however, a deal was never reached. Apple instead bought rights to the Alto GUI and adapted it into
to a more affordable personal computer, aimed towards the business and education markets.
The Apple Macintosh was released in 1984, and was the first personal computer to popularize the GUI and mouse amongst the public.

minimy wrote:Mac OS is UNIX, Linux is UNIX. What is the difference?

Mac OS X is completely different from Linux. They conform to POSIX standards,
so they have a minimal compatible API layer for software compatibility. That's it.
More compatibility can be achieved with components like XQuartz.

See also:
- opensource.apple.com
- apple.com/opensource/
- macports.org
- macforge.net
- macosforge.org
- Porting UNIX/Linux Applications to OS X: Overview of OS X

- Wikipedia: OS X:

OS X is based upon the Mach kernel. Certain parts from FreeBSD's and NetBSD's implementation of Unix were incorporated in NeXTSTEP, the core of Mac OS X.
NeXTSTEP was the graphical, object-oriented, and UNIX-based operating system developed by Steve Jobs' company NeXT after he left Apple in 1985.

minimy wrote:More expensive is not always best.

The best and most expensive cars may not be the best for you, if you can't afford them.

To get an unburdened personal opinion of what's the best OS, you need to use all of them,
because your opinion is biased if you don't actually use all of them.

If you can't afford something, just let it alone. No need to squash or hate it.

Posted: **Fri May 02, 2014 10:27 pm**

Posted: **Sat May 03, 2014 12:43 pm**

minimy wrote:I do not buy into Chinese . Just because they do not consume products from my country.

Misconception! China is now the world's largest importer of petroleum, and is slated to become the world's largest importer overall, in the upcoming years.

Spain's annual exports to China is nearly six billion dollars ($6,000,000,000.00).

Posted: **Sat May 03, 2014 10:54 pm**

TI-994A
Misconception! China is now the world's largest importer of petroleum, and is slated to become the world's largest importer overall, in the upcoming years.

Spain's annual exports to China is nearly six billion dollars ($6,000,000,000.00).

Hola TI-994A!
You're right , I know. I like Chinese culture and people and food and girls

. I have several Chinese friends . I'm even learning to speak some Chinese .. because as you say is the future.
But I've never done business . I have no oil.

You know a lot of international politics. I have to admit. I'm impressed.

Are you Spanish?

Speaking of oil ..

Every day I see several oil platforms waiting for approval to begin. Not funny . Not when I live in a place rich in renewable energy , photovoltaic , geothermal, wind , ocean currents, and many more . Here people with higher IQ of 140 are unemployed. Or hoping to lose the job. And govern those who are below 80 . Guess what you have seen in the news.

Anyway, what the politicians decide is not what people want to do . As happens in many countries ..

Exist others ways to get energy. without polluting the sea, the air and the whole world. I guess if they do not have where put the counter is not interested.

The concept is live today?.. and tomorrow what?
I hope you share my opinion, oil is not the solution. The planet is only one. And not too much big..

You're right, but does not mean it's best for everyone ..
Progress misunderstood , is not progress. At least for me that I have children.
Greetings friend!.

Oh my God!! .. I'm done talking about politics .. This can not be good for my intellect.

Note:
I will never say anything about Sinclair ...
I will never say anything about Mac.. I promise.. Quiet .. peace and love ..

Posted: **Sun May 04, 2014 10:00 am**

Ni Hao, minimy. (that's Mandarin )

minimy wrote:Speaking of oil ..
...I live in a place rich in renewable energy , photovoltaic , geothermal, wind , ocean currents, and many more .

Unfortunately, the oil cartels are just too powerful, and have been suppressing these viable natural alternatives. The world should already be powered by the Sun, and wind, and rain; but sadly, it's not.

minimy wrote:Here people with higher IQ of 140 are unemployed. Or hoping to lose the job. And govern those who are below 80 .

It's the same the world over, and it stems from greed. We always hope that the masses will push for change, and it has happened many times in history; but ultimately greed overpowers ideals, and it's back to square one. Xanadu will always be just a pipe dream.

Más vale un pan con Dios que dos con el Diablo. Let's hope that everyone would realise this one day; soon.

Posted: **Sat Jul 30, 2016 2:05 pm**

a huge number of books about the old home computers and its Basic Programming language:
https://archive.org/details/folkscanomy_computer
i have downloaded some atari and TI-99/4A books. it is scanned with a high quality. also it is OCRed (but with medium quality for copy/paste operations)
a possible usage of these old books is to get ideas such as the algorithms, games,...
i also tried emulators:
for TI99/4A: http://www.harmlesslion.com/cgi-bin/sho ... =classic99
its main feature that we can copy/paste the code from the menu, and it has its own roms ready to use.
for the Atari
http://atariarea.krap.pl/PLus/index_us.htm
it needs roms: http://atariarea.krap.pl/PLus/files/xf25.zip
but note the code execution is very slow, what is done in 1 minute is done in less than a second in purebasic for the same code
try:
10 FOR I=1 TO 10000
20 TOTAL=TOTAL+I
30 NEXT I
40 PRINT TOTAL
in the TI99/4A emulator classic99 it is executed in 1 minute + 25 sec in normal mode, but in accelerated mode (look the picture) about 15 seconds

Posted: **Mon Aug 01, 2016 1:42 am**

Interesting stuff applePi, thanks for sharing.

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