ZX in the world - Today in this section we are publishing an article prepared by Boris Sharapov (OPER), system operator of OPER BBS from the international electronic network ZXNet.

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║  ZX in the world.       ║
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(C) Klim Gromov

 Today in this section we are publishing an article prepared by
Boris Sharapov (OPER), system operator of OPER BBS from the state
Tava of the international electronic network ZXNet.

(c) S. Simonovich, 1994;  Boris Sharapov (OPER), 1998.

 SPECTRUM IN RUSSIA

 The period from 1985 to 1987 is the stage of primary penetration
Spectrum's introduction to Russia. It should be noted that in those
times, the computer was absolutely incomprehensible to Soviet people -
new thing and only a few who were lucky enough to visit
outside the “great and mighty” they brought this miracle. Imported
computers varied greatly in price and quality. Yes, from
The richest people in Europe usually imported COMMANDER-64. A little me-
Her demanding ones imported ATARI-800. The poorest (but also the most
happy) imported our beloved "ZX-SPECTRUM 48", and at the same time
programs for it.
    While the owners of "Commanders" and "Atari" stood sadly
or in the queues at the second-hand store, eager to hand over your device and cursed
Nayafate for not bringing a video camera instead, happy
vye owners of Spectrums actively established connections between themselves and
developed a common cause. It’s funny to remember now, but in those years...
the appearance of Spectrum on the shelves of any thrift store causes
there was an instant flurry of mutual calls and after just a few hours
Buyers were rushing after him from different parts of Moscow. By 1987
There were about 50 thousand Sinclairites in the country. Their center is 80
Moscow became one percent, although other than Moscow things were not bad
in Novosibirsk, Dushanbe and Tashkent. Oddly enough, but practically
technically "at zero" for a very long time (until about 1988) remained
Leningrad fell.
    As for software, this is the direction
During this period, no serious developments were carried out. Information about the program
Few people had knowledge of formatting in codes, and programming in BAY-
SIKE was practiced only by those who required it for the main purpose.
both.
    The most important achievements of this period include the first
Russification of the text editor - the TASWORD program (Tas-
word-RL). This work was carried out in Moscow by an associate professor at MEPhI.

    Information support during this period was important
tion, but, unfortunately, it was very poorly developed. They helped the cause
several departmental translations made in scientific organizations
tions. Among them were instructions for working with the Vickers Computer
and a repair bookand setting up a computer. In amateur circles
the matter was limited to copying and distributing branded
leaflets, which are usually inserted into cassettes, as well as xerox
copying articles from rare issues of Sinclair Uzer magazine.

    1987 was a turning point in the development of the Spectrum. In-
intensive import of these cars from abroad. They began to be carried not only
“for yourself”, but also “for sale”. Tens of thousands of Spectrums arrived
to the USSR from India, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Austria, USA,
England.........
    Stable commercial supplies of Spectrums have been established from
countries of Eastern Europe - Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary. Crisis
phenomena and accompanying inflation in Poland and Yugoslavia in 88-89
years led to the import of Spectrums being very profitable for shuttles
in the USSR.
    In 1987, the experimental creation of the first
quality models.  At the beginning of the year, the secret
ULA chip of a branded car and appeared in Moscow and Novosibirsk
the first cars were assembled using domestic parts (for
except for the Z-80). The “Law on Cooperation” played a significant role
and".  In 1988-1989, several dozen of the first cooperatives
countries have begun supplying do-it-yourself kits for
Spectrum assemblies.  The main production centers have been identified
Spectrum (Moscow, Cherepovets, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Novo-
Sibirsk, Lvov, Kharkov,Leningrad, Sverdlovsk). At the same time
period, production of Spectrums began and at state-owned pro-
industrial enterprises (Izhevsk, Chisinau, Smolensk, Cheboksary and
etc.).
    The end of 1988 and the beginning of 1989 were marked by yet another
breakthrough - a domestic version of the Be-
ta-disk interface. At first there was an attempt to “classify” but
development and establish its industrial production. But from-
lack of funds did not allow this to be done. Gradually the development of a
la famous and by July 1989, piece production began
production of disk drive controllers in Zelenograd near Moscow, and
a little later in other cities of the country.
    In the spring of 1987, the “Artstu-
dio". It alone was enough for the Spectrum to win in Russia.
NOTHING LIKE THIS ELSE ON ANY OTHER COMPUTER AT THE TIME
IT WAS NOT!
    A little later, in July 1987, the editor of “The Last” came to Russia
Word 2". It was brought to the electrical exhibition by SEGA,
which produced extended keyboards for the Spectrum. Interesting
An interesting conversation at the company’s stand led to the fact that foreign
representatives, in exchange for a matryoshka doll, gave our colleagues a cassette-
the one with TLW-2 with a full description. A month later, the description of TLW-2 was already
went around the country, and six months later (1988) a Russian-language version was released
adaptation of TLW-2.

    The period from 1990 to 1993 is characterized by turbulentdissemination
Spectrum. By 1992, the computer was already being produced in dozens of cities.
of the country under many different names. Total
The new production of Spectrums per year has approached a million cars,
Moreover, there are no cases of lying on the shelves of trade organizations
noted.  After 1991, the spread of
disk version of the computer, and in 1992 there was widespread
transition to 128 models, and in 1993 - the widespread introduction of music
cal coprocessor.
    It should be noted the invaluable contribution of domestic software hackers
rammists to popularize SPECCY in Russia. They made you-
thousands of disk adaptations of famous Western programs. Their names
forever inscribed in the history of the Spectrum in golden letters. (Radio
new, Larchenko, Kulikov, Vasiliev, Laptev, MAX IWAMOTO, RST-7, KSA and
many others).
    In 1993, IskraSoft released a new OS for SPECCY.
IS-DOS was essentially the first OS on the Spectrum. (TR-DOS is just
only a tape recorder emulator on the disk drive). So-called
our "big Spectrums" ATM and PROFI. But the biggest breakthrough in
"iron" area of ​​development SPECCY was carried out by Sergei Zonov - created
Dator Scorpion ZS 256.
    Since 1995, the quality of software has increased sharply
provision.  Let us at least remember what a shock the Spectrum was thrown into
Comrade wonderful programmer Slava Mednonogov released UFO. A
"Star Legacy"and "Prince of Persia" ? Many did not believe then
maybe this is good old SPECCY. On the Spectrum they began to make a lot of
a lot of computer magazines. SPECCY in Russia has found its second
Homeland.  ENLIGHT made a great contribution to the development of demomaking. We
saw how much the quality of demos increased in 1997-96, compared
Can't compare with them "classic" INSULT, etc. they just don't roll.

    In 1996, ZXNet was formed in Moscow, which partly
contributed to the collapse of the software market in Moscow. Too many
It's in the blood of the "HALYAVistirina" spektrumists. But nevertheless we can
Dem connection is the next significant stage in the development of Spectrum. For-
Meanwhile, nets appeared in St. Petersburg and Minsk. Now modem
Communications are successfully developing in many other cities.
    No matter what they say, SPECCY lives and does not collect for the next world -
yes!  Although, of course, it is not possible to compete with other platforms
maybe.  Technological progress is an inevitable thing. But on SPECCY
have their own unique programs that you will not find elsewhere
like other most modern cars. Spectrum is the perfect car
for creativity, is it really possible to create on a pussy? Which one else?
Can you “climb the computer with a soldering iron”? Otherwise how will you explain
why do people who have the most sophisticated PCs often sit down to
your SPECCY? Spectrum is already 16 years old. What other platform could
live the same amount of time? Remember that you have a lot in lifelucky, you have a wonderful computer ZX-SPECTRUM!

Anecdote:

BK-0010 (BK) is walking, he sees PENTIUM (PC) sitting sad,
almost crying:
BC: why are you so sad? You have such a memory, such
performance and WINDOWS are there!
PC: Yes, Spectrum stole the icons........


Boris Sharapov (OPER)
ZXNet: (500:95/333)

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 Thank you Boris, you gave us all the opportunity to pro-
feel all those nostalgic memories of ours, by all
favorite SPECCY, but only brighter and more colorful than I heard
this story from other sources.
    Continuing today's topic, namely the history of the Spectrum,
I can’t restrain myself and boast to you that I unexpectedly fell on
me as an inheritance... One person, perhaps one of that line for
Spectrums in a thrift store, recently, by the will of fate, I bought
PC for myself, it was necessary due to his work, so here it is for me
donated a whole mountain of technical literature on the Spectrum. What's there
just never happened, from auto_fire in kempston joystik to general information
workshops for repair and adjustment of almost all existing types of Spectrum
in Russia. Of course, this literature represents great information
national value, but among this there was also onea remarkable relic in two copies, namely a yellowed
a leaflet dated November 1982, which previously presented an advertising brochure
on the computer "Sinclair ZXSpectrum" completely in English -
ke, indicating prices for different configurations, as well as on pe-
refiria. So in 1982 in England our beloved one was worth:

 Sinclair ZXSpectrum-16K RAM version········125.00 f
    Sinclair ZXSpectrum-48K RAM version········175.00 f
    Sinclair ZXPrinter·························059.95 f
    Sinclair ZXMicrodrive·······················050.00 f
(all prices are naturally in pounds).

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