Back in the 80s I had a ZX81, Acorn Electron, Commodore 64, and then Amigas.
I loved programming in BASIC but only dabbled briefly in Z80 and 6502 assembler. I was addicted to the quick-fix of high level languages, which sufficed for my various proofs-of-concept. I wasn’t working on a project that needed speed, and the extra planning required for low-level put me off. Plus I was young and I simply didn’t ‘get it’.
Also, I wasn’t at all interested in electronics. I was happy that the computer was a magic box and I could make it plot pretty things. I didn’t know or care what chips were interacting in what ways to make that possible. So it didn’t occur to me that all of those unique and incompatible computers often shared processors and other hardware. I think this was also a significant obstacle to low-level coding at the time.
Now I am old, and the mix of nostalgia and regret has me yearning to learn 6502 Assembly Language. I still only want to dabble, not to produce studio games, so I have chosen a suitable sandbox for my challenge. I think the BBC Micro is the perfect balance of limitation vs capability. It was the target platform for computer education in its day; it was what I used at school; I owned its less-capable cousin, the Acorn Electron; and it was a well thought-out architecture which punched above its weight.
So I am also finally owning the computer I wish I’d had all those years ago, and shall learn the things about it I glossed over at the time.
Hang on – owning the computer?! Why not just emulate? Emulation is certainly easier, takes less space, integrates with modern tools and processes, and doesn’t go up in smoke. And it is almost certainly how I shall actually code, build, and test. But then I might as well code for any other 6502-based machine, and might become distracted from what they offer and how they differ from the Beeb. No – to help me stay focused the target for execution of my endeavours will be actual 80s hardware.
To that end I have bought a BBC Micro B, plus some extra kit, and have got it serviced + repaired by someone who knows what they are doing. It is my little 80s time machine, and it is unquestionably better than any emulator.
I am not going to try to do modern things on it, like surf the web, or control my home. I am going to do 80s things on it, like play Chuckie Egg, and plot my biorhythms.
There is still a huge retro scene, with clever bods producing games that would not have been thought possible back in the day. So there is still perhaps some untapped potential to be squeezed from these old boxes yet, although I very much doubt that my dodgy code will ever be so optimised.
I have lots to learn. But the information is so easy to come by these days that I’m certain I will manage it this time!
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