Home computer pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair dies aged 81

[HEXUS]

Sir Clive was still busy, working on inventions last week, revealed his daughter.

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[KultiVator]

Fond memories of my ZX81 - and the 16kb RAM Pack that used to protrude from its rear end whilst typing in program listings and playing 3D Monster Maze and an early Flight Sim (from Psion I believe - who were primarily a software firm at the time).

Later in its life, a handful of 'High-Res' games emerged that surpassed what everyone thought was possible on the machine, such as "Forty Niner" and "Rocket Man" from Software Farm. It was a great time, where literally every new development was pioneering and innovative - so many opportunities to learn.

Miss those heady days - where home computers and software literally lined the shelves of every decent-sized branch of WH Smith and Boots.

Sir Clive was a true pioneer in the purest sense and who knows what could have been had he avoided a few of the missteps that crushed his business and ushered in the dark days of Amstrad's ownership of his IP.

The ZX81 kept me going until the C64 lured me in with it's custom graphics and audio chips - making hardware sprites, smooth scrolling, 16-colour graphics, decent 3-channel chip-music and all kinds of other wizardry possible.

[Nelviticus]

Sad loss of a legend

I got my computing start in life on a neighbour's ZX80, then we got a ZX81 followed by a ZX Spectrum which I'd spend most of my spare hours writing games for. Now I'm a programmer and get paid to play with computers all day - thanks, Sir Clive!

RIP

[QuorTek]

I want one of them small cars ^^

[Tarinder]

Sinclair C5 - way, way ahead of its time, much like the work Sir Clive did. RIP.

[daddacool]

Cut my teeth on a rubber keyboard 16K Spectrum. It's a shame most of the obits in the general press have lead with a photo of the C5, that's not what Sinclair was famous for.

[theleader]

It's was a shame that 'Sir Clive Sinclair' never recovered from Sinclair C5 debacles!
To think what he might achieved if so! Maybe a self build super computer which fits into a match box with dead fish keyboard

[philehidiot]

It's was a shame that 'Sir Clive Sinclair' never recovered from Sinclair C5 debacles!
To think what he might achieved if so! Maybe a self build super computer which fits into a match box with dead fish keyboard

Or build a fish that fits in a dead supercomputer?

[kompukare]

Sinclair C5 - way, way ahead of its time, much like the work Sir Clive did. RIP.

I'd argue the C5 was simply tried in the wrong country.

A country with almost no cycling infrastructure where the car totally dominates over pedestrians and cyclists was never going to be suitable for a C5.

The UK where pavements are often under a metre simply doesn't value anything except cars. And it's not just historical - witness all these recent new housing developments with no pedestrian shortcuts to their town or city. That's American-style sub suburbian planning.

The low centre of gravity is ideal but I'd never feel safe on a recumbent bicycle in traffic and on those you can turn your head.

If a Dutch inventor had done the C5, it might have been a huge success.

[rob4001]

Fond memories of my ZX81 - and the 16kb RAM Pack that used to protrude from its rear end whilst typing in program listings and playing 3D Monster Maze and an early Flight Sim (from Psion I believe - who were primarily a software firm at the time).

Later in its life, a handful of 'High-Res' games emerged that surpassed what everyone thought was possible on the machine, such as "Forty Niner" and "Rocket Man" from Software Farm. It was a great time, where literally every new development was pioneering and innovative - so many opportunities to learn.

Miss those heady days - where home computers and software literally lined the shelves of every decent-sized branch of WH Smith and Boots.

Sir Clive was a true pioneer in the purest sense and who knows what could have been had he avoided a few of the missteps that crushed his business and ushered in the dark days of Amstrad's ownership of his IP.

The ZX81 kept me going until the C64 lured me in with it's custom graphics and audio chips - making hardware sprites, smooth scrolling, 16-colour graphics, decent 3-channel chip-music and all kinds of other wizardry possible.

16k ram pack for ultimate flexing

[DOA_Draven]

A sad loss, I owned a ZX81, still do, it still works. RIP.

[tag75]

R.i.p

[DemonHighwayman]

My parents had a ZX81 back when I was about 9, all my mates had spectrums. Anyway it blew up after it was powered on the second time ! Never had another computer at home until my dad got himself a PC for xmas about 10 years later.