 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  | |
| Released in 1981, the Sinclair ZX81 was a groundbreaking home computer designed to be affordable and accessible. It was the successor to the ZX80 and aimed at introducing computing to a wide audience, particularly in the UK. The ZX81 featured a minimalist design with a compact, black plastic case and a membrane keyboard, making it one of the smallest and cheapest computers of its time. Despite its limited hardware, the ZX81 gained immense popularity due to its low price and expandability. It used a simple monochrome display output, relying on the television set for video output. Programming was primarily done in Sinclair BASIC, and its small 1 KB of onboard RAM could be expanded with external RAM packs, allowing for more complex applications and games. The ZX81 is considered a classic of early personal computing and laid the foundation for many users’ first experiences with programming and home computing. This machine was my first computer, a relative won it in a competition at her workplace and gave to me since she didn’t know what to do with it. This was the computer that taught me BASIC, english and the value of not tripping over the power cable. |
||||