A Weekend With the ZX-80

I have always been intimidated by computers, and mathematics in general. One look at the Sinclair ZX-80, and I was confused. It wasn’t what I had expected; there were no blinking lights, or humming, and no rows of ceiling high, pulsing units. It looked nothing like my 1950’s science fiction concept of a computer. The ZX-80 was a pleasant surprise. It didn’t look intimidating. In fact, it looked like a machine I might even be able to operate. Another surprise: I lifted the computer and found that it weighed only a few ounces.

I borrowed the computer from a friend, took it home and immediately connected it to my battered, portable television, which showed the clearest picture ever to grace the screen. With the Sinclair, the T.V., and the owner’s manual in front of me, I began my first lesson in programming. The manual tells you everything you need to know, in clear, concise, often amusing language. The manual was so interesting that I lost track of time, something I rarely do when dealing with numbers and other non-literary subjects.

The book is extremely logical, beginning with instructions on how to connect the Sinclair to your television set. The same section also explains using a cassette recorder to store programs. The introductory portion of the manual even includes an explanation of computer languages, ending with a discussion of the Basic used with the ZX-80. As a complete beginner, I related to the way in which the booklet explained Basic as a simplified English dialect. It made sense, maing me realize that to give the computer commands, I merely had to be concise, as well as careful in choosing my words. The book suggested the machine was stupid, and therefore, that one had to be careful about the manner in which it was addressed. I liked that attitude because it made me feel brighter than the computer.

The manual continued by explaining general programming procedures, and several computer terms. I was unable to work my way through the entire manual, but that was only because of my own time limitations. By the end of the first session I could program and run addition, multiplication, and division problems. Most of these were simple enough to do by hand, but were a good foundation for learning programming. The book eventally enables the user/reader to execute games and provides enough information for the Sinclair owner to continue the learning process individually.

With just two weekends of not terrribly intensive study, I can now run just about any pre-programmed cassette, as well as doing some of my own programming. I am no programmer, but I do find that I can have a lot of fun playing games or learning on the ZX-80. It is such an easy machine to learn, that I have no doubts that I’ll be writing my own programs in the near future.