AlchNews and Z88 USER ISSUE 38, MARCH 2002

THE SPECTRUM RETURNS TO THE SHOPS! 1

INDEX ISSUE 38

3. EDITORIAL. My ramblings.

4. NEWS & VIEWS. Latest happenings.

9. THE AMSTRAD EMAILER-PLUS. Amstrad’s new multi-function telephone device, which now features a Spectrum emulator!

10. LOOK, IT’S 1983. Michael Bruhn looks at the first full year of Sinclair software and some classics which first appeared.

16. THE HISTORY OF SINCLAIR BASIC. Andrew Owen details how one of the finest BASIC interpreters was created.

23. CP/M PLUS SOFTWARE FOR THE SPECTRUM. Christian Secara reviews some essential utilities for Spectrum CP/M and Realspec. All programs can be downloaded from his site.

28. SINTECH ADVERT.

Credits Big thanks to the following contributors:

MICHAEL BRUHN for his series

ANDREW OWEN for his excellent BASIC article and work on a new OS.

CHRISTIAN SECARA and his great CP/M material

And even AMSTRAD for putting a bit of computing history in their new product. Despite the knockers I hope it does well and gets even more people interested in the Spectrum

2 EDITORIAL I apologise immensely for the feature some initial feedback delay between issues. After from genuine Spectrum users Mick died, I just completely later on, although much of it is gave up on the Spectrum for a extremely negative - genuine short time. All the hardware dislike of the machine and all and software he collected, all that Amstrad stands for, or the hours he put into his just typical negative behaviour projects, and for what? It left from the CSS regulars? The me very disheartened with the fact that you have to actually whole business. pay to download games is certainly an issue, but I for But, I decided to stop moping one would recommend people around and get things back on actually try it before making track. I was tempted to make judgement. this the last issue but, getting towards the end of compiling it A few unplanned articles crept I thought “hell, why?”. We did into this issue, forcing the CP/ have a quiet spell of Spectrum M ‘special’ I had planned over activity a while ago but, once to the next issue. But, it will be again, things are picking up. worth it. Andrew Owen’s history of Sinclair Basic, and This issue’s news section is his new projects, make for one of the largest for ages, excellent reading. It is with information on new refreshing to know that as the emulators and hardware, Spectrum approaches including details on a build- TWENTY years old at the end your-own-+D project! of the year there are thousands of people still It’s fantastic to see that the striving hard to keep the name Spectrum is once again being going. sold in the shops, although technically it’s an emulation in Thanks for still reading and a glorified telephone! We keeping the magazine going. have a brief page of information on that and will Andy Davis, editor.

3 NEWS & VIEWS WOS UPDATED versions of each and every re- release. Using a new database The largest project on WoS to format and style for the point- date was successfully carried and-click lists, you can instantly out: a complete redesign of the tell which titles are MIA or part archive, the tooling and the of the new Spectrum Tape databases behind it, plus a Preservation project. The lists replacement of all TZX and are kept up to date fully DSK images from this archive automatically. with the ones on The TZX Vault! All short 8.3 filename directories (duplicated, hard- More importantly, the new linked) have gone - only tooling will make all future fullname directories are kept archive updates a breeze. (but still with the short We think it's a major filenames inside the zips). improvement and hope you like it too! Well over a thousand (!) database corrections were The new system gives much made in both the WoS and TZX more detailed information and Vault databases. e.g. tell you (much) more accurately which titles were re- The Spectrum Tape released, by whom and under Preservation project's site is which name. now hosted on WoS.

Finally, +3 disks and compilation tapes are properly HACKERS HANGOUT 11 dealt with as well. Issue 11 was released in mid- We stopped fiddling with the February. The cost is £1.50 current Perfect flag for game and is available direct from: images. Instead, we will aim for a full set of 1 TZX and 1 non- Andy Ryals TZX image per game, plus TZX 29 Dent Drive

4 Eastmoor Estate about former athletics star, Wakefield Daley Thompson. West Yorkshire WF1 4JG Part of the documentary, entitled ‘Black Icons: Daley Thompson’, will focus on the Andy now has a new project on various Daley Thompson the go—ZX DIGEST., an on- computer games that have line magazine dedicated to been released over the years. bring you information of new Needing to get hold of three articles within ZX Digest : ageing Spectrum titles - Daley Thompson’s Decathlon, Daley +News of special readers Thompson’s Supertest and offers Daley Thompson’s Olympic +Website updates Challenge - urgently for a film +Details of obtaining brand shoot, a BBC researcher in new Spectrum software Manchester contacted The +The release date of ZX Sinclair Lair after stumbling Digest across our Web site. +The contents of ZX Digest +Information about players Within hours, Sinclair Lair chief guides, maps, hacks to Alex Waddington was able to latest software. offer the Beeb the opportunity to purchase all three titles. Two To subscribe to ZX Digest, were already sitting in a email Andy at: storage, while the other was quickly sourced through the [email protected] Lair’s successful Games Finder Service. JAMES WADDINGTON COMES TO BEEBS RESCUE! "Yet again The Games Finder service comes up trumps," said A small retro computer games Waddington. "The service has Web site has come to the helped dozens of people rescue of the BBC by supplying worldwide find old computer it with three vintage Sinclair titles, and now we’ve even Spectrum computers titles for a managed to help out the mighty forthcoming television program BBC."

5 The Games Finder Service is An exact transmission date for just one part of The Sinclair ‘Black Icons: Daley Thompson’ Lair Web site, which includes has yet to be set, but it will be articles from an old Spectrum shown on BBC2 in the 9.50pm fanzine called Classix, and full slot at some point during the solutions to Spectrum next few months. adventure games. Visitors can also browse a list of original PORNO BARON IN Spectrum software for sale, TEACHING SHOCK!!! with prices starting at just 5p. If any of you in the Blackpool Anyone seeking an elusive area are thinking of going, or piece of software for the sending your children to the Sinclair Spectrum, or indeed local college, beware! For our any old , is old pal ROY BENSON is now encouraged to get in touch with employed as a Computer The Sinclair Lair by visiting the Lecturer at Blackpool & Fylde Web site or by emailing College. [email protected]. Seriously, congratulations to If the Games Finder Service Roy, we are pretty sure that he manages to track down the will make an outstanding software required, the enquirer teacher (in where to get the is contacted and offered the best porn!). opportunity to purchase the title (s) at cost price plus a £5 LOADED FORUM CLOSES ‘finder fee’ per item. For customers in the EEC, the fee The LOADED Sinclair forum, is £6 per item, and £7 per item tipped to be the new CSS, has for those in other parts of the sadly folded. The hit rate was world. approximately 26,300+ in 3 months, but only post rates "We operate a genuine no win, count on Message boards not no fee policy," adds hits! - Loaded was only getting Waddington. "If we fail to find around 1 post per 20 visits. the software you are after, you don’t owe us a penny." The CSS newsgroup is still going strong, and can be

6 accessed by your email UK2086 Timexes. But by program’s newsgroup facility, replacing the existing system of or via the GOOGLE website. channels and streams with something more flexible the REALSPEC VERSION 11C aim is to make it fully platform RELEASE independent.

Just before the brand new The development of Sinclair Windows version of Realspec, Extended Basic means that any one minor update has just been Spectrum can be turned into a posted at the Realspec website ZX Spectrum SE, from the (www.ramsoft.bbk.org) original 16K machine upwards. This means that you can use This update features improved whichever machine suits you, AY/YM emulation (probably or an emulator. These are just perceived by audio maniacs some possibilities, but they are only), a usable tape browser by no means the only ones: (SHIFT-F7) and a few bugfixes. Most importantly, it is linked to 1) ZX Spectrum +3e (designed a new version of the Allegro by Garry Lancaster) - 3.546 library which seems much more Mhz / 128K stable than the previous ones, so you are recommended to 2) Timex TC2144 (designed by update if you are experiencing Jarek Adamski) - 3.528 Mhz / weird problems with the post- 144K beta10 releases. 3) SpeccyBOB (designed by SPECTRUM SE PROJECT Mike Wynne) - 7Mhz / 4MB

Andrew Owen is currently 4) (designed by Peters undertaking a project to design Plus Ltd) 21Mhz / 64MB a new operating system for the new Spectrums which are A full rundown of the software abound at present. will be covered next issue. Codenamed Chloe, the OS is designed to support 16K, 48K and 128K Spectrums, and TC2048, TS/TC2068 and

7 SPINTER REVISED I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT THE +D! The SPRINTER computer, which we featured in detail in Ever wanted a +D but been issue 10 (AN36) has unable, or not willing to pay the undergone major revisions. Not high ‘retro classic’ princes on only does this remarkable auction sites? Well, look no machine now run CP/M, which further than the following: is making a comeback quite recently, but there is a new http://www.worldofspectrum. BIOS and lots of new software, org/NotThePlusD/ including FORTH, and there is even a Sprint emulator! You Which features a full article by can visit the emulator site at the Philip Mulrane and Peter Shaos&Co. site: Rennefeld on building your own. The http://www.shaos.ru/ pictures, one of which is below, are fantastic and it must be (and click on NEDO PC) said that the cloned self-built interface looks more like a We’ll be looking at this Sinclair product than the emulator in depth next time. original!!!

NEW PAPER MAGAZINE

If you miss the likes of 8BIT, weep no more, for BlackMarket, a multi-formats paper magazine is shortly to be released.

The mag. Is to have it’s debut at the mekka & symposium in Fallingbostel, Germany, a demo-scene party held at the end of March. Original & clone - but which is which? End of news.

8 stored at any one time, allowing Official Amstrad Release: you to swap between your favourite games at the touch of A home phone that allows you a button. With its large screen play games may seem and easy-to-use keyboard, you unbelievable to most – but not really can have hours of fun. to Amstrad. We have incorporated the ability to download and play great And with a large library of Sinclair ZX Spectrum games on games to choose from (and to the e-mailerplus, allowing the new ones being added user to choose and play classic regularly), you need never be games from its extensive bored on the phone again. You library. You simply choose the can even play a game while a game you wish to play from the phone call is in progress! games menu and download it to your machine. *The cost of downloading a game and its expiry time is shown on the games menu. Charges are applied directly to your phone bill. Please read the information displayed on your e-mailerplus screen and make sure you have the authority of Each game is downloaded the person who pays the bill separately and is stored in your prior to the downloading of any e-mailerplus for a fixed time games. A parental lock is built- period*. Several games can be in to prevent unauthorised use.

9 L☺☺K, it’s 1983 By Michael Bruhn

Remember the last issue of In the last issue I asked if you AlchNews, where I looked at knew what the company named the Spectrum games industry Spectrum Games changed its of 1982? Now it’s the turn of name to in 1983. The answer is 1983. Let me start by warning Ocean, did you know that? you that from now on, I might However Ocean did not release forget some of your favourite any good games in 1983 that games. There are now so many are worth mentioning here. games released each year that You’ll have to wait for the Look, mentioning all of the good it’s 1984 article for that. games is impossible.

Should we get the boring part Also, it’s sometimes hard to done and name some of the remember or find out what year worst games from 1983? Well, a game is from. I’ve therefore in my opinion the absolutely used WOS (World of Spectrum) worst game from that year was to define which games came Schizoids from Imagine. Fol- out in 1983. However a game lowing closely behind was like Atic Atac might have been Transylvanian Tower by Rich- released at the very end of ard Shepherd software. It’s 1983 but is considered a 1984 quite fun reading games adver- game by me, because it didn’t tisements from back then in the start selling in big numbers be- early 80’s. A lot of the games fore 1984, and if you use the released were conversions of Sinclair Infoseek on WOS the Arcade games, but it was never game wasn’t reviewed before mentioned in the adverts that the February 1984 issue of Sin- their new great game was a clair User and Crash. I hope conversion of this or that Ar- you understand this, I’m sure cade game. No they made sure you know this can be a prob- that you wouldn’t have any lem. doubt about that when reading the text that came along with

10 the advert. Such a case was simple games and therefore I Maze Death Race by PSS, think they deserve to be men- which was a rip-off of my all tioned. 1983 was also the year time favourite arcade game where the first Frogger conver- Rally X. So, I rushed out and sions came out for the Spec- got hold of it, and what a disas- trum. However in my opinion ter. I’ve never seen such a bad it’s only Froggy by DJL Soft- conversion of an Arcade game ware that’s worth spending on the Spectrum after that. I some time on as it’s very close wonder why a good version of to the Arcade version. From Rally X for the Spectrum was Axis came the first good Break- never released, nor for Lady out style of game in the shape Bug, another favourite arcade of Superball and from Euro game of mine. Another disaster came the best Centipede from that year was the release conversion called Pod. of Cassette 50 by Cascade which was a collection of fifty boring games all written in Ba- 1983 was also the year where sic. Anyone with two weeks of one of the best and most inno- programming experience vative Spectrum games compa- could have made these games. nies started out. I’m of course talking about Ultimate. Their first game must be men- Back then there was a bunch tioned as one of the Cult of small companies who didn’t games of this year. They re- really sell as well as many of leased four games that year, all the big companies of that year, suited to run on a 16K Spec- like Bug Byte and Imagine. One trum and still they were ex- of those companies was Blaby treme fun and very addictive. Computer Games which re- The other 3 three were Cookie, leased great games like High- Pssst and Trans Am. Another rise Harry, Barmy Burgers, cult game of that year is Halls Gold Digger and Chopper Res- of the Things from Crystal, cue. There were also Silversoft, which I think was highly over CDS Microsystems, Romik rated. So, don’t expect to find it Software and Rabbit Software in my Top 10 at the end of this who released some fun games. article. It was probably the first I’ve always loved these small action Dungeon & Dragons

11 game for the Spectrum, but it was way too confusing for me to become a personal favourite. Another Cult games was the adventure game The . Based on the book by the same name by JRR Tolkien, it was the first really good adventure game for the Spectrum. But put The man in question is Jon Rit- Hobbit, Jetpac and Halls of the man, who later would rise to Things aside now for the big- fame for games like Match Day, gest cult game of 1983. I’m of Batman and Head over Heels. course talking of Manic Miner by Matthew Smith, which was released by Bug Byte. Manic To please as many Spectrum Miner was the first platform users as possible companies game for the Spectrum. You started to release tapes with had to collect a certain amount both a 16K and an extended of keys on each screen to es- 48K version on it. Some exam- cape to the next screen. Later ples of that were New Genera- Matthew Smith left Bug Byte to tion’s 3D Tunnel and Abbex’s join Software Projects under E.T.X., which had speech on which label Manic Miner was the 48K version. re-issued. In one of the next ar- ticles I’m sure we’ll talk about Mr. Smith’s second huge game, Before I go on, let me mention which took platform games one some other great games from more step into the future. 1983 that deserve to be men- tioned, before I forget them. Let’s start with Penetrator, the Besides the great Stamper best scramble conversion for boys of Ultimate (above, right) the Spectrum released by Mel- and Matthew Smith, another bourne House. Then there’s great programmer released his Train Game, Microsphere’s first first games for the Spectrum good game. Legend got them- that year. He released Cosmic selves a good name by releas- Debris, 3D Combat Zone and ing Valhalla. However that Dimension Destructors at Artic. good name was ruined one

12 year later when they released released some great Spec- The Great Space Race, which trum games that year with was nothing compared to Val- Harrier Attack and Jungle halla. After a lot of bad games Trouble, both programmed by in which I also count the 1982 Mike Richardson. released Arcadia and the worst game of 1983 Schizoids, Imag- ine finally released a good If you read my 1982 article in game, Jumping Jack. Pheenix last issue of AlchNews, you’ll from Megadodo was an excel- probably remember that I lent conversion of the arcade mentioned some games game Phoenix. After releasing where you could win money two boring games (Black Hole by playing them and solve & Violent Universe) under the some puzzles. The games name of Quest Microsoftware, were Krakit from Artic and - Bob Hamilton changed the mania from Automata. Well, company name to Fantasy Automata released such a Software and released The game again this year called Pyramid, which was a huge im- ‘My Name is Uncle Groucho provement on the two other you win a Fat Cigar’. games. Besides the marvellous Manic Miner, Bug Byte also re- leased two other games by Mat- thew Smith that year, they were Styx and Birds and the Bees. Digital Integration released Fighter Pilot which was way ahead of the other Flight Simu- lation games of the time. Finally Durell Software

13 sponsored by Sinclair User and This time you had to solve the Spectrum software house some puzzles to identify a Hol- Cases Computer Simulations, lywood star. If you were lucky was announced. The winner of enough to name the star and the prize money of £1000 was your name came first out of the Mark Lucas for his game Battle hat, then you would win the 1917. CCS released the top 3 prize which was a trip to Holly- games of the contest which be- wood for two, with a flight by sides Battle 1917 included War Concorde one way, a trip on 70 and Oligopoly. the QEII on the way back, and £500 spending money. I don’t know if someone actually won released the prize, I couldn’t find any in- the first version of Scrabble for formation on it. If you know, the Spectrum which could be please let me know. Another played by up to 4 players and game where you could win you could also play against the something was the incredible computer. It had 11.000 words Splat from Incentive Software. in its vocabulary. To my knowl- You could win £500 if you edge only two scrabble games achieved the highest score on for the Spectrum were ever re- the game. The scores were leased. The other one was checked using a hi-code gen- Scrabble Deluxe which was re- erator built into the program leased by Leisure Genius in which produced a code for 1987. each score. The winner was James Tant who made a score of 112.930 points. Quite im- Before I round off this article pressive as the average score with my Top 10 Spectrum of all the entered scores was games of 1983, I’ll award the 10.500. My own personal re- worst company that year. Re- cord on Splat is 22.085, not member last issue, C-TECH even close. won the award of being the worst company in 1982. This year the award goes to Richard The winner of the first Cam- Shepherd Software. Well, I bridge Award, which was a pro- nominated their game Transyl- gramming contest co- vanian Tower the second worst

14 Let me end with my Top 10 of 1983:

1. Jetpac - Ultimate 2. Splat - Incentive 3. Jumping Jack - Imagine 4. Highrise Harry - Blaby 5. Pod - Euro Byte 6. Penetrator - Melbourne House 7. Cookie - Ultimate 8. Manic Miner - Bug Byte 9. Mined Out - Quicksilva 10. Slippery Sid - Silversoft game of 1983, however they can contact me at did more games that were just [email protected]. as horrible that year like Devils of the Deep and Everest As- cent. I think the only decent game they released in 83 was Pete Cooke’s Invincible Island.

What? Where’s The Hobbit? Well, I’m no big fan of adven- ture games. Maybe someone who’s more into adventure games should do a series like this for adventure games only. Just outside the Top 10, we find games like Pool (Bug Byte), Pssst (Ultimate), Train Game (Microsphere), Chopper Rescue (Blaby), Aquaplane (Quicksilva) and Pheenix (Megadodo).

If you have any comments or questions about the article, you

15 The History of Sinclair Basic

By Andrew Owen

SINCLAIR BASIC needs no BASIC became so introduction to enthusiasts of popular that it made Gates and the little rubber-keyed machine Allen their first fortune and was but its evolution is stranger subsequently supplied with the than you might think. majority of 8-bit computers. So not surprisingly, when the ANSI In July 1975 Micro-Soft, as it Standard for Minimal BASIC was then called, shipped (X3.60-1978) was launched, it BASIC (Beginner's All purpose was based mainly on the Symbolic Instruction Code) Microsoft version. version 2.0 for the MITS Altair 8800 hobbyist computer. This In May 1979, 's was the first commercial engineers began work on the version of the Beginner's All- machine that would become purpose Symbolic Instruction the ZX80. Sinclair was inspired Code , to create the machine after originally developed by J.G. seeing how much his son Kemeny and T.E. Kurtz in 1964 enjoyed using a TRS-80 but at Dartmouth College in the guessing that many people United States. would be put off buying one because of the high price - just By then Kemeny and Kurtz had under £500. addressed the main criticisms of BASIC; that it lacked Unlike Sinclair's previous foray structure and encourage bad in to the computer hobbyist programming habits, but the 4K market, the MK14, this machine and 8K versions for the Altair, would ship with BASIC, based written by Paul Allen and Bill on the ANSI standard. But the Gates, were based on the aim was to keep costs down original Dartmouth BASIC. and that precluded paying a licence fee to Microsoft. To this

16 end, Sinclair had already met Grant's achievement. He laid with John Grant of Nine Tiles in the path for things to come, April to discuss the software introducing many unique requirements of the ZX80. features of Sinclair BASIC, such as the way it refuses to Given the tiny R&D budget, allow most syntax errors to be Nine Tiles stood to make hardly entered into the program, any money out of the deal, but instead pointing out where the the feeling was that the project error is in the line before it is was exciting and worthwhile, entered, making it much easier and one the company would to learn and use than any other benefit from being associated version of BASIC. with. The kit was launched at a To achieve the launch price of computer fair in the first week £79.95 in kit-form, RAM was of February 1980, and while it limited to 1K and the integer was not a massive success by BASIC had to be crammed into comparison with the ZX a 4K ROM. Grant wrote the Spectrum, it turned Sinclair's bulk of the ROM between June fortunes around, eventually and July. But the resulting earning him a knighthood, and program was 5K in length so it sold well enough to persuade Grant spent that August him to make a new computer - trimming the code. the ZX81.

According to Cambridge Work on the hardware had mathematician Steven Vickers, begun in September 1979, who wrote the subsequent even before the launch of the versions of Sinclair BASIC: ZX80, but it was the "The ZX80 integer BASIC, development of the written by John Grant, was in uncommitted logic array, or Z80 assembly code pure and ULA, which allowed the simple, though it did use the machine to go into production. usual stack based techniques The ULA, produced by Ferranti for interpreting expressions." for Sinclair, reduced the chip count and brought the retail The lack of support for floating- cost of the machine, in kit- point numbers, overshadows form, down to £49.95.

17 Again, Nine Tiles was called on the machine. to provide the New BASIC, but this time there was 8K to play Despite this problem, the ZX81 with. Vickers, who had joined was well received and became Nine Tiles in January 1980, massive success, spawning a wrote the BASIC more or less series of clones, both illegal from scratch, only using some and licensed by Timex, which of the ZX80 code, making was manufacturing the UK numerous improvements while models for Sinclair at its managing to maintain Dundee plant. Inspired by the backwards compatibility with public reaction to the ZX81, the ZX80 hardware. and annoyed at not winning the contract to design a computer "As far as Clive was concerned, for the BBC, Sinclair decided it wasn't a question of what the the market needed a budget machine ought to be able to do, colour computer. but more what could be crammed into the machine The ZX80 and ZX81 hardware given the component budget had been the primarily the work he'd set his mind on," said of one man; Jim Westwood, but Vickers in an interview on July he had been moved to the flat- 23, 1985. "The only firm brief screen television department , for the '81 was that the '80's so the hardware design job on math package must be the ZX82, which became the improved." ZX Spectrum, was given to Richard Altwasser, while at The ROM was almost complete Nine Tiles, Vickers was again by the end of autumn 1980, but asked to provide the BASIC. support still had to be added for the ZX Printer. Somewhere What started out as an between this time and the expansion of the ZX81 BASIC launch, a bug crept in which soon turned into a large 16K caused the square root of 0.25 program. Sinclair wanted as to be 1.3591409. Nine Tiles few changes to the ZX81 code quickly fixed the bug, but as possible but at Nine Tiles Sinclair was somewhat tardy in the feeling was that software making this version available to designed for a machine with 1K people who had already bought was inappropriate for a

18 machine with 16K and that order to form their own problems would occur later on. company, Cantab, which went They were right. on to produce the Jupiter Ace, essentially a ZX80 with the "Certainly with the Spectrum Forth language built-in in place we wanted to rewrite the code, of BASIC. The result of the but there wasn't the time and delays these problems caused there definitely wasn't the was that when Sinclair resources," said Grant in an launched the machine, it did so interview on September 8, with an incomplete ROM. Nine 1985. "At every point [in the Tiles continued working on the development of the ZX range] ROM for three months after the Clive wanted the maximum launch in April 1982, but by new facilities for the minimum then too many units had been money." sold and the program was never finished. After the best part of a year's work the BASIC was almost The original plan was to issue finished. While it was greatly only a limited number of enhanced, it was also Spectrums with the incomplete depressingly slow, but more ROM and provide an upgrade, problems were to follow. The much in the way the bug in the main problem was providing ZX81 ROM had been handled, support for the planned except that by the time Sinclair peripherals because no got its act together, around working prototypes were 75,000 units had been sold and available to Vickers until near the plan became unworkable. the end of 1981. But then, in This is the reason why the February 1982 Nine Tiles microdrive commands don't began to have financial work in the standard ROM, and disagreements with Sinclair hence led to the development over royalties which it became of the shadow ROM in the apparent would not be Interface 1 in order to handle forthcoming. peripherals which should have been supported directly by To make matters worse, BASIC. Vickers and Altwasser both handed in their resignations in

19 Various 'enhancements' were Sinclair. When Spectrum made to the BASIC over the clones began appearing back years, including the extra in late 1984, Sinclair Research syntax of the shadow ROM boss Nigel Searle found he was introduced with the Sinclair powerless to do anything about Interface I. And again in 1983 it because the only really when attempt was made to unique part of the Spectrum overhaul the BASIC by Timex was the ROM and in the when it launched its TS2068. disagreements following the But again, the version of the Spectrum's launch, Sinclair had ROM launched with the failed to acquire the rights, for machine was incomplete, and which it had originally offered the machine was unable to run Grant £5,000. By now the the majority of Spectrum Spectrum had sold more than software because of hard- 2.5 million units. coded calls to locations in the

ROM which were different in Towards the end of 1986, when the TS2068. Amstrad wanted to create a

Spectrum with a built in disk In 1985 Sinclair launched the drive, it simply took the DOS Spectrum 128 with a new editor from its PCW machine and bolted on to the original BASIC. patched the 128 editor to This was slightly more provide simple disk access. compatible than the Timex None of the bugs were fixed effort but the editor was bug and new ones were introduced, ridden, and some software but in fairness, there was little refused to work, even in 48 documentation at the Sinclair mode, because the empty Computers division and space at the end of the original development had moved from a ROM, used as a table by some VAX network running CP/M to programs, was now overwritten a room full of PCWs running with extra code. CP/M which was perhaps less

than ideal. Amazingly, Sinclair never owned the rights to the ROM. Amstrad stopped selling the Amstrad had to acquire them last Spectrum model, the +2A, seperately from Nine Tiles in in the early 1990s. For a time it 1986 when it bought out looked as if the SAM Coupe, a 20 powerful Z80 based machine material for use with emulators with a Sinclair compatible although it retains that BASIC, might offer an upgrade copyright. But there are also path to Sinclair BASIC users, native interpretters available for but after two false starts the the Commodoree 64, MSX and machine disappeared into IBM PC compatibles. obscurity. Of course, the story doesn't end there, because There are also a vast number even before as the last of unofficial versions of Sinclair Spectrum was sold people BASIC, written by individuals to were writing emulators. With suit their own needs. Although the advent of the Internet, most are available on-line, increasing numbers of people many do not comply with the began to rediscover the provisos under which Amstrad computer of their childhood. grants distribution. Fortunately the emulation community came As a result, programs are still up with a solution to this in the being written in Sinclair BASIC form of .IPS files - patches that and the language is still being can be applied to a legitimately developed. Admittedly, most of obtained ROM file. the new programs take the form of entries in the annual Finally there is a new project to Crap Games Competition run bring Sinclair BASIC up to date. by contributors to the usenet Dubbed Sinclair Extended newsgroup comp.sys.sinclair, BASIC, or SE Basic, this but some people are still writing project is an extension of the proper games and applications BASIC provided on the for fellow enthusiasts because, Spectrum. The project has above all, it's fun. been in development in one form or another since 1996, but If you want to program in it has recently reached a major Sinclair BASIC the most milestone with the removal of common choice will be a all the bugs from the original Spectrum emulator. It is legal to ROM. Unfortunately it has use Spectrum emulators introduced one or two new because Amstrad has kindly bugs, but it is still in the beta given permission for the stage of development. distribution of its copyrighted Eventually the authors of the

21 project hope it will provide a Copyright (C) 2002 Andrew universal base for expansion of Owen. the ZX Spectrum hardware, and compatibility across the The author asserts his moral range. right to be identified as the sole author of this work. Much of the software referred to in this article, and a shorter No part of this article may be on-line version of this article, reproduced without prior written can be found at the Sinclair permission of the author. The BASIC page on the World of author will take legal action Spectrum at against anyone found to be in breach of copyright. http://www.worldofspectrum. org/sinclairbasic/ I the author hereby grant Alchemist Research a one-time including the latest public beta publication right for this article of SE Basic. to be reproduced in the electronic magazine AlchNews. For more information about Sinclair and the actual hardware the five-part article 'Sinclair and the "Sunrise" Technology' by Ian Adamson and Richard Kennedy, available on Planet Sinclair at http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/ computers//mk14_sst.htm makes excellent reading.

22 CP/M Plus (for +3 Spectrum) related software By Christian Secara I am using the name CP/M The essential Y2K fixed files for Plus, as used by Locomotive CP/M Plus for +3 Spectrum Software for the +3 Spectrum are: version; in fact, CP/M Plus is CP/M version 3. DATE.COM DIR.COM I am using the programs and/or SETDEF.COM files described below on a SHOW.COM regular basis on my real +3 Spectrum, using CP/M Plus for SETDEF now allows you to set +3 Spectrum from Locomotive dates in US (MDY), UK (DMY) Software and also on my PC, or YMD format. These fixes are using MYZ80 emulator © the work of John Elliott. Simeon Cran. All mentioned programs and resources can be downloaded from: Compare v3.0 for CP/M http://www.secarica.ro/html/ cp_m_plus_for_plus3.html Ever wanted to know if two files are identical ? Today, you may use the CP/M Plus for +3 from a bootable This program compares two diskette with the RealSpectrum disk files for equality and lists in emulator © RamSoft case one or more differences are encountered. The different CP/M Plus Y2K fixes byte is displayed in reverse video, both HEX and ASCII I was really surprised to find format, if byte is printable Y2K fixes for CP/M Plus character. If not, it displays a "." system. The whole story can be as ASCII representation. found at the Unofficial CP/M Web Site. More info is in the COMPARE. TXT file, with the archive.

23 Compare screenshot (above) As far as I know, there are only three items one should take care of: Help file for CP/M Plus, suitable for use on +3 PALETTE is quite ambiguous, Spectrum the manual has a better description for it The CP/M Plus for +3 Spectrum package contains a PAPER does not exists on CP/ single CF-2 diskette, with no M for +3 Spectrum version (significant) free space left on it. I guess this is the reason PRINTER does not exists on Locomotive Software missed CP/M for +3 Spectrum version the CP/M help file. The file is relatively long. It makes sense to use it only if I have the help file from both 720K diskettes are used with CP/M Plus for Amstrad CPC the CP/M Plus system (like I and CP/M Plus for Amstrad do). PCW8256. From the two, I find the PCW version the most suitable for use on +3 Spectrum.

24 HiSoft Devpac80 v2 ED80 & HDE interactive CP/M editor I have purchased this package by mistake, not mine, but Installation programs for each MicroSnips’s, an UK store that of the above components. does not exists anymore, AFAIK. I wanted the Devpac for The GEN80 assembler has +3DOS and they have sent a something +3 Spectrum box with the wrong diskette, the specific: option A+ generates CP/M version. I then wrote to +3DOS header. HiSoft (making the proof of purchase) and they have sent The rest of the package seems to me the complete to be universal CP/M (Plus) documentation for the CP/M compatible. version (at the same time I purchased the +3DOS Devpac I am not making Devpac80 directly from HiSoft). available for download (yet).

Frankly, I wish to thank Reason 1: I still don’t know the MicroSnips for that mistake, status of HiSoft copyright policy because the Devpac80 is an regarding its CP/M product. I excellent tool, and without wrote to them - no answer up them, I shouldn’t have known now. (They will answer your that a CP/M version even emails until they find out it’s 8- exists ! bit related, then they ignore you. Ed.) My package includes: Reason 2: at the time of this GEN80 v2.06 CP/M assembler writing, a quite similar package can be officially purchased from MON80 v1.06 disassembler/ at least two UK software debugger, previously included retailers, High Street Micro and in Devpac80 v1 The Trade In Post. There is, however, something different: ProMON v2.7 disassembler/ the packages that can be debugger; works with Amstrad- purchased there are for CP/M type CP/M banked memory Plus for Amstrad CPC or PCW computers; although the

25 software is basically the same, Notes: the GEN80 for +3 version has the +3DOS header generation At the time of this writing, option. If you really need the WordStar is the intellectual Devpac80 for +3, just let me property of The Learning know, I will see what can I do Company (many thanks to Mike for you :) Petrie for this info).

WordStar v3.0 for CP/M, No compatible version for use suitable for use on +3 with CP/M Plus for ZX Spectrum Spectrum +3 has been ever build or sell. This is a real word processor. By running such piece of This version is a binary software on a +3, it means your modified code of a WordStar Spectrum machine is a real v3.0 copy, originally computer :) customized for an unknown system. The version available here for download is customized for use The archive also contains the on CP/M Plus for +3. MAILMRGE.OVR overlay file. It is used by WordStar with the The terminal control codes are MailMerge option (M from main customized for VT52 menu). However, I have no compatible monitor. idea what this MailMerge does ... The printer control codes are customized for Epson FX/LX, The cursor movement control quite similar as the default keys have become a de-facto +3BASIC printer control codes. standard for many upcoming Please note that this version of text editors, especially those WordStar has a rather focused on programming rudimentary printing capabilities languages (the ED80 editor in respect with modern (dot) from HiSoft’s Devpac80 printers. The product belongs package belongs to this to daisy wheel printers era ... category). Frankly, Tasword 2 or 3 has better printing capabilities.

26 However, if you are not familiarized with the WordStar ftp://ftp.mayn.de/pub/cpm/ cursor movement control keys, archive/wstar/. or if you simply don’t like it and want to use the +3 cursor keys, This is a (partial) mirror of the you may change them by Oakland FTP archive, which is means of a submit batch file. “currently off-line due to a Just download this archive and hardware malfunction”. put the KEYS.WS and WSK. For general help and info about SUB files on the same floppy the WordStar program (all where WordStar resides. Then versions, including DOS and you may: Windows), visit Mike Petrie’s WordStar Resource Site at enter the WordStar as before, by typing WS at the CP/M http://www.petrie.u-net.com/ command prompt enter the WordStar with the new keys, by typing WSK at the CP/M command prompt; when WordStar exits, the key configuration will be reset as when nothing has happened

Please check also the README.TXT file included in the archive.

The KEYS.WS and WSK.SUB files are simple ASCII text files. You can write them directly on disk, instead of making a copy. Make as you wish.

For more info and patches regarding the CP/M version of WordStar, visit

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