---
title: "The QL’s Forbidden Byte"
type: "article"
slug: "the-qls-forbidden-byte"
url: "http://localhost/article/the-qls-forbidden-byte/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/article/the-qls-forbidden-byte.md"
published_at: "2020-10-27T17:14:06+00:00"
modified_at: "2024-05-26T14:09:44+00:00"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/20230809-041332.jpg"
excerpt: "Those of us who \"cut our computer teeth\" on the ZX80/81 learned quite early about the caveat that accompanied any use of CHR$ 118 when machine code was stored in REMs. Like the Cheshire cat, the line could disappear right before your eyes till nothing was left but the grin! The problem was that this…"
category:
  - name: "Update Magazine"
    slug: "update-magazine"
    taxonomy: "category"
    url: "http://localhost/category/periodicals/update-magazine/"
post_tag:
  - name: "QL"
    slug: "ql"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/ql/"
  - name: "Type-in program"
    slug: "type-in-program"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/type-in-program/"
model:
  - name: "Sinclair QL"
    slug: "sinclair-ql"
    taxonomy: "model"
    url: "http://localhost/model/sinclair-ql/"
indiv:
  - name: "Robert Hartung"
    slug: "robert-hartung"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/robert-hartung/"
publication: "Update Magazine"
publication_r:
  id: 10283
  title: "Update Magazine"
  type: "periodical"
  url: "http://localhost/periodical/update-magazine/"
authors: "Robert Hartung"
issues_articles:
  - id: 26512
    title: "Update October 1989"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/ts-2068-up-date-october-1989/"
pages: "39"
pubdate: "October 1989"
archive_link: false
volumeissue: "vn"
---

# The QL’s Forbidden Byte

Those of us who “cut our computer teeth” on the ZX80/81 learned quite early about the caveat that accompanied any use of CHR$ 118 when machine code was stored in REMs. Like the Cheshire cat, the line could disappear right before your eyes till nothing was left but the grin! The problem was that this particular character was used to mark end-of-line in memory as well as being the newline (ENTER) character.