Other Classic Systems of my past

The ZX Spectrum

The very first computer I dreamt buying was the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K (rubber keys). I first saw it in a mail order catalog that was quite popular in Greece at that time (around 1983). I read the description many times and saw several screen shots. I was very enthusiastic about it, but could not afford to buy it. Nevertheless, it got me into buying computer magazines, and reading books about BASIC. It was several months later that I finally laid my hands on a real Spectrum, but I didn't buy it. I now have a ZX Spectrum, obtained through ebay.

The Commodore 64

Long before any computer shop existed in my small city, a friend of mine bought a Commodore 64, complete with datasette from UK. This was the very first machine I programmed and have very vivid memories of it. I particularly recall how impressed I was of the hardware sprites and the excellent sound, and how everything seemed to need POKE to work!

The Oric 1

This was the second machine I programmed. Owned by a friend who got it second handed. I recall how great the BASIC was, but also how bad the keyboard. (Still better than the Spectrum I suppose!)

The Amstrad CPC 464

The machine that replaced my TI-99/4A during my last year in high school. Never really liked it all that much, I have written a couple of good programs on it (including several utilities for electronic engineering) and learned Z80 assembly language. It was quite useful during my first years as a student. It broke down for no reason, and I trashed it. However my brother still has one in good condition and I will probably get it.

The ATARI 1040 STE

The last machine I got before getting in the trap of the PC Compatibles. The ATARI 1040 STE was used mostly for serious work. I got a second disk drive, and expanded the RAM to 2MB.

I've written a couple of thesis on this machine, and I remember it was stable and fast. I also used it for various other purposes, like music synthesis (connected it to my yamaha keyboard through MIDI) and of course programming. I bought GFA BASIC (Interpreter and Compiler) and was introduced to Windows Style programming (with events). Also played a couple of memorable games like Loom from LucasArts.

All in all, I have very fond memories of this machine. I sold it before coming back to Greece after I finished my postgraduate studies in UK.

The Toshiba HX-10

I never had an MSX machine myself. However they were quite popular for some time here, since the (only) computing school in town used them to teach BASIC. The most popular models were the Spectravideo ones (particularly the SVI-728).
A friend of mine also got one and I got to play and program it a few times.

Recently I bought a Toshiba HX-10 from ebay. It is boxed with manuals and a tape deck (a starter pack) and also quite a few games.

My Current Collection:

1. TI-99/4A : 3 Consoles, 1 Black / Silver, 1 Beige (my original), 1 Beige NTSC - 2 Boxed, 2      sets of manuals, 3 Extended Basic Cartridges, 1 Texas Program Recorder, 1 Speech      Synthesizer, Various Cables  and more than 20 cartridges
2. Spectrum 48K Rubber keyed, boxed with manuals and Horizons Tape
3. Spectrum +2 (Grey Version) with manuals (unboxed)
4. Commodore 64 with boxed 1531 datassete and manuals.
5. Toshiba HX-10 MSX-1 boxed with data recorder, manuals and games.
6. Casio FX-880P with 32K RAM expansion (bought new).

Future Plans:

1. Amstrad 464 (preferrably with colour monitor or no monitor)
2. Oric 1 or Atmos
3. Atari 1040 STE

Please Note: Several pictures on this page have been taken
from other Internet sites and/or online auctions.
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