kiki@uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (04/19/91)
+zuschlag@diku.dk (Jesper Zuschlag Madsen) writes: +I just have to correct you at this subject! +The Timex computers where special versions of the sinclair ZX 81 +and ZX Spectrum. Perhaps they didn't sell very well in USA, but were +some of the best selling micro(home) computers ever in europa (the spectrum +and its succesor the Sam Coupe, are still selling quite well). Thanks for the corrections! Something does not seem clear though; I can under- stand Sinclair naming their machines ZX 81 and Spectrum, but... Sam Coupe(?!) +The sinclair QL (the name is NOT Quantum QL) where fare ahead from +all other compters in it's days. Ok it was not as great succes! but there +is still about 100.000 users around the world. There is a Timex/Sinclair SIG forum on FREENET, so people can exchange info about their machines. A dealer called Sharp's [Box 326, Mechanicsville, VA 23111, (804) 730-9697, Fax: (804) 746-1978] sells the Sinclair QL for $99.95. The specs for it are pretty good for that price: Motorola 68008 32-bit cpu with 8-bit data bus, 2 serial ports, 2 Atari-compatible joystick ports, ROM and expansion port, RGB/composite/TV output, network i/o, micro (tape) drive con- nector, 640x400/480 graphics (4 colors), SuperBasic ROM. Wordprocessing, data- base and spreadsheet programs are included. Some detractions of the QL are the marginal design (must be kept cool), non- standard keyboard, archaic tape drive and limited memory expansion. Support is hard to find in the U.S., and declining, so you get what you pay for it. +Neither Clive Sinclair or Chris Shelton has anything to do with the Psion +computers (organiser I and II, MC200/400/600). All very fine computers, +but overpriced. On the other hand is the Cambridge Computer Z88 one of the +best selling notebook computer ever, and is still going strong (rumors says +that we soon will see a new version, perhaps the Z91?). Psion developed the software included with the Sinclair QL, so I was confused about their affiliation with Sir Clive. The portable Psions do have a lot of good features: The three models each weigh about 4.5 lbs and are the size of a 8"x11" sheet of paper. All come with a 7.68 Mhz 80C86 cpu, eight batteries, and Intel solid-state flash EPROM memory cards. Models MC-200 and MC-400 use a proprietary multitasking graphical OS. They also have a microphone and speaker to allow voice and sound pro- cessing. The MC-400 comes with more memory as standard (256K). The MC-600 is MS-DOS compatible and has 768K RAM and a 1MB RAM disk, Award BIOS, flash-card slots and a CGA-type display. Battery life is about 30 hours and a 3.5" 1.44MB exteral floppy drive is optional. Prices for the MC-200/400/600 are $799, $1499 and $2499 respectively. Contact Psion Inc, 118 Echo Lake Rd, Watertown CT 06795, (203) 274- 7521. In U.K. call 44 71-262-5580. The situation for the Cambridge portable isn't too good in the US and Cambridge North America [Portland, ME] seems to be no longer in business. There is a firm called Cambridge Direct [1419 Lake Cook Rd., Deerfield, IL 60015, (312) 940-0843], where some Z88s might be found. A recent Znet article said that the new ST Notebook was about 1 kg (~2 lbs), so it would be seem to be in a class by itself. I'm not sure if the battery weight was included, because it would be extremely difficult to pack all the features into a package of that weight. If so, then a better name for it might be ST DataBook or ST PortsGalore (James Bond's nemesis!?) >I think Atari might be in a better position to deliver and support a marketable >product based on the PgC chips, because of their experience with the Inmos >transputer and Helios OS, which culminated in the ATW computer. +I totaly disagree! With a PgC7xxx in their hands, Atari would just make some +kind of ST compatible (with TOS and GEM- don't joke me!)... Maybe not TOS, but TAOS? From the article on TAOS by Dick Pountain: "Taos is now committed to producing translators for the Inmos T800 transputer, Motorola 680x0, PgC7600, Intel 386/486, Acorn RISC, and Sun SPARC microprocessors. The first three of these have already been written." Jack
adamd@rhi.hi.is (Adam David) (04/21/91)
In <12556@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu> kiki@uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu writes: >Thanks for the corrections! Something does not seem clear though; I can under- >stand Sinclair naming their machines ZX 81 and Spectrum, but... Sam Coupe(?!) This sounds like the 256k spectrum 'compatible' that Miles Gordon Technology might even still be making. >+The sinclair QL (the name is NOT Quantum QL) where fare ahead from >+all other compters in it's days. Ok it was not as great succes! but there >+is still about 100.000 users around the world. 8 years later!!! That's certainly not failure, even if only meagre success. The OS design is beautiful and still being advanced today. >640x400/480 graphics (4 colors) Not so. The QL has 512*256 (4 colour) or 256*256 (8 colour + flashing). 68000 and 68020 (with optional FPU) 'compatibles' exist, and prototypes must have been built with higher screen resolutions. The Thor XVI (was manufactured in Denmark) has a 2-layer design with a seperate I/O processor to reduce CPU load while communicating beyond the CPU bus. This gives a marked improvement in throughput on such a multiprocessing environment. >Some detractions of the QL are the marginal design (must be kept cool), non- >standard keyboard, archaic tape drive and limited memory expansion. Support >is hard to find in the U.S., and declining, so you get what you pay for it. For D.I.Y. types: There is a redesigned circuit board and kit/plans for a QL compatible, available from QUANTA, a worldwide QL user group based in U.K. with membership around 5,000 to 10,000 people. The main improvements are a built-in floppy disk interface and a keyboard interface to connect up standard PC-type keyboards, maybe also mouse and parallel ports. As far as I know, the kit is available to members only. The QUANTA newsletter is full of good quality material, also lots of special offers to members. The QL is far from dead. [exit QL mode before I get flamed] >Maybe not TOS, but TAOS? Good move! Let's see it, Atari. -- Adam David. (adamd@rhi.hi.is)