Revisiting our first computers
Recently, I interviewed Wladimir Zaniewski about the Olivetti P101 and the ELEA 9003. Talking about these glories of the past made me reflect on my first PC. Perhaps it happens to everyone: sooner or later our first computer comes back to mind – not to mention to our hearts – maybe we search for it online and find it on the well-known auction site at an acceptable price.
My “lucky” case involved a Sinclair ZX81: it was a machine from the 1980s, aimed at a broad audience, taking its first steps with BASIC. It cost about $100 and was sold in more than a million units.
In this article, let’s indulge a bit in nostalgia with some of these “old glories” and see if it’s possible to find them at affordable prices.
The Z80 Computer by Nuova Elettronica
In the 70s and 80s, Nuova Elettronica was the most prestigious magazine dedicated to electronic kits in Italy. In 1978, it published in installments the complete project of a computer based on the Zilog Z80. The first version, which was gradually expanded, appeared as a series of electronic boards and a hexadecimal keyboard.
Why it’s interesting
At the time, it was the only way to build a computer yourself and learn its hardware architecture, thus contributing to the formation of an entire generation of passionate technicians. The magazine then published kits of expansion boards, cassette memory support, alphanumeric keyboards, and video. From being programmable only in machine language, it became a true computer with an operating system (like DOS) and BASIC language.
Operating System
A version of DOS: NE-DOS
Programming Language
BASIC. Translated into Italian!
How Much It’s Worth
Perhaps parts of the original kit can still be found. I’ve seen online people offering it assembled in the complete version for about €400 (untested). You can also check in electronics stores if they have any leftover stock. If you find a faulty one, repairing it shouldn’t be difficult, as long as you have some practice with electronics and soldering iron: there’s plenty of documentation online.
Amstrad CPC 6128
Released in 1985, it was based on the well-known Zilog Z80A with a clock speed of 4 MHz, 48 kB of system ROM, and 64/128 kB of RAM, integrated 3″ floppy disk drive. It was available with a monochrome green monitor or a color monitor.
Why it’s interesting
Probably one of the most advanced productions among 8-bit machines. The relatively low price for a complete system with a dedicated monitor, high-resolution monochrome graphics and text capabilities, and the ability to run CP/M software made the system interesting even for business users, reflected in a wide choice of application software. Compared to other machines of the time, it had a decent keyboard and integrated floppy disk drive.
Operating System
AMSDOS (the Amstrad operating system), CP/M 2.2, CP/M 3.0 (CP/M+).
Programming Language
BASIC, Locomotive BASIC interpreter.
How Much It’s Worth
Working with a monochrome monitor, it can be found at around €250.
Curiosities
- A funny French commercial from those times (Video)
- Amstrad was bought by Sky in 2007 for 125 million pounds.
Philips MSX VG8020
It was the third computer following the MSX 1 standard made by Philips. Marketed in 1985, it was equipped with a Zilog Z80 CPU at 3.56 MHz (8-bit), 64 kB of RAM, and 16 kB of VRAM. Data storage was via an external cassette recorder. It had a fairly professional-looking keyboard but with arrow keys on the right and a slot for SMX cartridges, indicating its gaming vocation.
Why it’s interesting
MSX (Machines with Software eXchangeability) was an interesting attempt to impose a global standard by many manufacturers (Philips, Sony, Spectravideo, Sanyo, Mitsubishi, Canon, etc.). The idea was to have a large software park compatible with all machines. In reality, they did not achieve great success, perhaps also because the hardware level was not very high.
Operating System
Microsoft MSX BASIC 1.0
Programming Language
BASIC
How Much It’s Worth
At the time of writing, there is one on eBay for about €200, in good condition and with a joystick. Online you can also find some sellers offering it for €50, but with no guarantee of functionality.
Curiosities
- The computer box indicated 80 kB RAM, which was 64 kB (they had included the VRAM!).
- In Italy, it was marketed as “Phonola VG-8020”.
- In France, it was marketed with a single variation: it was all black, perhaps they thought the French did not like silver? 🙂 Here is an image from an advertisement.
- The MSX standard was very popular in Asian countries but ignored in the USA.
Olivetti Prodest PC 128
Released in 1986 and based on the Motorola 6809E, it was the Italian version of the French Thomson MO6. It was the classic (for the time) “all-in-one” block that also contained the power supply and cassette recorder. The monitor had to be purchased separately, but it had a modulator for connection to the TV. Note: it should not be confused with the “Prodest PC 128 S” which, despite having a similar name, was a completely different computer. This second model also came out too late on the market and had a short life due to competition from Commodore and Atari.
Why it’s interesting
Not having had great commercial success, it is an interesting machine for a collector and has affordable quotations.
Operating System
Microsoft BASIC
How Much It’s Worth
At the moment, a few are for sale for less than €100, I’m thinking of buying one 🙂
Curiosities
- It came with a “basic kit” that included a guide to programming in BASIC and some video games, clones of famous games.
- A second set called “PC 128 Starter Kit” included the light pen and ColorPaint software.
In this article, it was called the “Italian supercomputer”!
Atari 800
Starting in 1978, Atari marketed two products that differed in the base memory provided: the Atari 400 (4 kB) and the Atari 800 (8 kB). These were two home computers based on an 8-bit microprocessor (the MOS 6502 by MOS Technology), very game-oriented. The two computers had great commercial success, surpassing even the Apple II.
Why it’s interesting
The Atari 800 is equipped with multiple co-processors dedicated to sound and graphics, to lighten the load on the 6502 CPU. It has “sprites” and collision detection integrated into the hardware, making it an excellent gaming machine. The system is expandable thanks to two cartridge ports and external accessories – such as a floppy drive and printer – are available (but finding them in working condition could be difficult).
Operating System
The DOS kernel was contained in the ROM of the computers but allowed for only a few basic functions. The most substantial part of DOS was an extension of the operating system that was loaded into the computer’s memory and added the functionality to fully manage disk drives and files. This system was known as Atari DOS and, like most DOS for home computers of the time, had to be booted from a floppy disk at each power-up or reset.
Programming Language
Atari BASIC.
How Much It’s Worth
At the moment, it doesn’t seem easy to find. I see an ad offering it for €450 in good condition with the original box.
Curiosities
- Before production, the 800 was called “Colleen” internally within the company, while the 400 was called “Candy”. It’s said they were the names of Atari’s two secretaries.
Atari 1040 ST
The heir of the less common 520, it used a Motorola 68000 processor, 1 MB of RAM, and an integrated double-sided floppy disk drive.
Why it’s interesting
The graphical interface with Windows and the high-quality video for the time, MIDI ports (and the resulting availability of music software like Cubase), made it a valid but economical alternative to machines like the Macintosh Plus.
Operating System
Atari TOS with GEM graphical interface
How Much It’s Worth
In good condition and working, it can be found around €200-300, sometimes even with its original monitor.
Curiosities
- It was nicknamed “Jackintosh” (from Jack Tramiel and Macintosh), due to the windowed graphical interface strongly “inspired” by Apple computers.
- At the time, an epic controversy raged among Amiga and Atari ST users about which was the best home computer. The most curious part of the whole Atari-Amiga affair is that the Atari ST line was made by the founder of Commodore – Tramiel left the company in 1984 and bought Atari’s Consumer Division the same year – while the Amiga line was designed by a company founded by former Atari employees who maintained close ties with Atari until Tramiel acquired the company. What chaos!
Commodore Vic 20
A true revolution, a computer based on the MOS 6502 processor with a “serious” keyboard (making Sinclair ZX80 owners jealous) sold for only $299.95!
Why it’s interesting
It was the first computer sold in more than a million copies (earning it the nickname VolksComputer in Germany), and also the first Commodore in color.
Operating System
Kernal
Programming Language
Commodore BASIC 2.0
How Much It’s Worth
Being very common, you can find it for under 100€; the price changes if you find it with the original packaging and accessories.
Curiosities
- Michael Tomczyk, the Commodore executive responsible for the development of the VIC, has stated multiple times that he chose that name simply because he thought it ‘sounded good.’
- It was the first computer of Linus Torvalds, who at the age of 10 began programming in BASIC with his maternal grandfather’s VIC-20.
It is said that Tramiel named the company ‘Commodore’ after seeing an Opel car called ‘Commodore’.
Commodore 64
Marketed from 1982 to 1994 (a record!), also known as the C64, it was an 8-bit computer derived from the VIC-20. At the time, there were almost two factions: those who supported the Commodore 64 and those who favored the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Honestly, I must say that being part of the latter group, the envy for the ‘serious’ keyboard of the C64 was very strong.
The C64 used the MOS Technology 6510 microprocessor, with 64 kB of DRAM and 20 kB of ROM containing the KERNAL and BASIC interpreter version 2.0.
Why it’s interesting
A good part of the machine’s success came from its graphical and sound capabilities. Thanks to its popularity, software developers focused on the C64 and wrote tens of thousands of titles for the system. Games were particularly popular: the VIC-II and SID chips were far more capable in video and audio than most other computers, making it an excellent platform for games.
Operating system
Kernal
Programming language
BASIC
How Much It’s Worth
Being the best-selling machine in the history of computing, it can be found at very affordable prices, sometimes under 100€ in working condition. Many accessories are also available online (like the interesting CMK-49 music keyboard produced by the Italian company SIEL).
The portable version, the Commodore 64 SX, is highly sought after by collectors, but if you find one in good condition, be prepared to spend over 500€.
Curiosities
- The design team was given less than two months to develop a prototype to show at the International Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1982.
- Thanks to its advanced graphic and sound capabilities, the C64 made a significant contribution to the birth of the computer subculture known as the demoscene.
- The Commodore 64 has been included in the Guinness World Records as the best-selling single computer model of all time.
- An encyclopedia dedicated to the C64.
Amiga 500
It hit the market in 1987, after the Amiga 1000, as a more affordable version (sold for $699, about half the price of an equivalent IBM of the time).
It was based on a Motorola MC68000 microprocessor, with 512 kB of RAM (expandable by another 512 kB), and came as an integrated block with a floppy disk drive.
Why it’s interesting
For its graphics: 320×256 progressive or 320×512 interlaced with 32 colors displayed simultaneously from a palette of 4096, 640×256 progressive or 640×512 interlaced with 16 colors displayed simultaneously from a palette of 4096.
For its stereo sound: 4 PCM audio channels, 8-bit/28 kHz.
These features made this machine very popular for video games.
Operating system
Amiga WorkBench 1.2 or 1.3
How Much It’s Worth
With a bit of luck, you can find one in decent condition for around 100€, but if you find it in good condition and with the box, 300€ could be a good price.
Curiosities
- For the product launch, many celebrities of the time were involved, as shown in this video with some NASA astronauts – including Aldrin – the musician Little Richard, and the Pointer Sisters!
- Everyone knows about the rivalry between Amiga and Atari, but not everyone knows that Amiga was founded by former Atari employees (Jay Miner and Larry Kaplan).
- The names of the Amiga computer motherboards are taken from the titles of songs by the new wave group B-52’s. The Amiga 500’s was called ‘Rock Lobster’.
- The first malware ever was on an Amiga. All it did was display this message: ‘Something wonderful has happened: Your Amiga is alive! And even better, some of your disks are infected by a VIRUS! Another masterpiece of the Mega Mighty SCA!’.
Sinclair ZX81
Produced between 1981 and 1984 by Sinclair Research, it was based on the NEC µPD780C CPU at 3.25 MHz, a Z80 compatible with an 8 kB ROM and 1 kB of RAM (which was very little, fortunately, there was a 16 kB expansion).
Why it’s interesting
I am particularly fond of this machine (which I repurchased) because it was my first computer. However, I must say it had many flaws. It was true that it cost little, 99,000 lire in Italy (equivalent to about 200€), but the Commodore C64 already dominated the scene (and looked better, especially since the keyboard was superior).
At the time it was interesting for two main reasons: the affordable price and the number of expansions that could turn it into a ‘serious’ computer (64 kB of memory, floppy disk drive, ‘high’ resolution graphics card, RS232 or Centronics interface, etc.).
Some flaws I remember:
- The membrane keyboard prevented fast typing.
- Limited built-in memory.
- The character set used was not ASCII, but proprietary.
- Loading and saving programs from the recorder interfered with the video signal, causing a ridiculous screen flicker.
- Reading data from the recorder required precise volume adjustment, otherwise, it would fail and you would have to start over.
- The power supply was not very stable, sometimes it would freeze and you had to restart, losing everything.
Operating system
Sinclair BASIC
Programming language
BASIC
How Much It’s Worth
You can easily find it well below 100€, sometimes with box and accessories.
Curiosities
- It could be used in two modes, SLOW and FAST. The FAST mode updated the display only when the system had completed processing, causing an annoying screen flicker!
- The press at the time published articles about a hypothetical hacker attack on the French defense supercomputer Cray One by students using a Sinclair ZX-81; could this have been the first case of guerrilla marketing?
- An advertisement for the ZX81, called Timex for the US market. LINK
- The advertising in Boy’s Life magazine.
Sinclair ZX Spectrum
The successor to the ZX-81 (initially called ZX-82) caused a real boom: 5 million units sold. Still 8-bit, it was based on the Zilog Z80 3.5 MHz, the base version was equipped with 16 kB RAM and 16 or 48 kB ROM.
A distinguishing feature was the keyboard, with rubber keys in a ‘chiclet keyboard’ style.
Why it’s interesting
As always, the low price was characteristic of Sinclair computers, but the main novelty of the Spectrum was color (it’s hard to understand today how big the difference was compared to B/W!) and it could reach a resolution of 256 x 192 pixels when connected to a television.
Among the many improvements, BASIC included more functions and was easier to develop with than the ZX-81 (which, for example, did not provide lowercase letters). The Sinclair BASIC interpreter made writing code fast, thanks to command mapping (for example, to write PRINT, you just had to press the ‘P’ key). The computer’s ROM also housed a native text block, called the ‘token table’, which saved memory and provided essential syntax error support.
For these reasons, you will find some people who will tell you that many who started programming with the Spectrum became IT professionals, perhaps more than those who had the Commodore C64 (well, if I wanted to spark heated discussions, I might have succeeded!).
Operating system
Sinclair BASIC
Programming language
BASIC
How Much It’s Worth
At the time, the Spectrum cost about half the launch price of the C64, around 500,000 lire in Italy (around 800€ today).
It can be found at very affordable prices, starting from 50€ you can buy it working without accessories. The price increases as usual based on accessories and if you also want the box (I now see one online in like-new condition with box for 200€).
Curiosities
- An ad for the Spectrum, with truly 80s background music worthy of Depeche Mode.
- Google created a Doodle on April 23, 2012, the thirtieth anniversary of the Spectrum.
In 2020, a museum dedicated to the ZX Spectrum was founded in Portugal.
Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
A Texas Instruments computer based on the TI TMS9900 CPU, costing less than $600. It is estimated that 2.5 million units were sold.
Why it’s interesting
The first home computer to integrate a 16-bit processor, it marked an important step forward in computing at a popular level.
Operating System
TI BASIC
Programming Language
BASIC
How Much It’s Worth
They can be found online for around 200€.
Curiosity
- The initial version was simply called TI-99/4, it had a plastic keyboard (without cursor keys) that was not very usable. With the 99/4A. Texas Instruments learned from its mistakes and replaced the keyboard with a more professional one with rubber keys and added all the necessary functions.
- It gained some popularity especially in the USA, also thanks to a commercial featuring the American actor Bill Cosby as the spokesperson.
Acorn BBC Micro
Released in 1981, the BBC Micro was based on the 6502, a machine that initially cost about £235, rising to £335 in the second version (Model B). The Model A shipped with 16 KB of user RAM, while the Model B had 32 KB. Extra ROMs could be fitted. Unlike the more game-oriented models, the Acorn BBC Micro was conceived for educational purposes.
Why it’s interesting
Designed and built by Acorn Computers Ltd., it was adopted by the BBC in a vast project aimed at making personal computers known and understood to the British public. From 1981 onwards, the computer appeared on the BBC’s educational program “The Computer Programme” and in schools.
Operating System
Acorn MOS (Machine Operating System)
Programming Language
BBC BASIC
How Much It’s Worth
Currently, I find models in good condition for around 400€, but I’ve heard that in the UK they can be found for less than 200€.
Curiosities
- In 2004, BBC Micros were used to teach assembly language programming to computer science students at the University of Leeds. Other models followed, including the Acorn Archimedes.
- A Q&A with Acorn co-founder Hermann Hauser and technology architects Sophie Wilson and Steve Furber (LINK).