Sinclair QL
Photo 1: "Ewx" (Minor non-creditworthy tweaks by Ubcule), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Sinclair QL Top.jpg) Photo 2: Ewx, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Sinclair QL rear view (brighter)(filtered).jpg) Photo 3: Rama, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, via Wikimedia Commons (Sinclair QL mp3h0654.jpg)
Personal computer, 1984, Sinclair Research. The QL ("Quantum Leap") was Sinclair's attempt at a serious computer for business and professional users, announced in January 1984 with a 68008 processor, multitasking QDOS operating system, SuperBASIC and two built-in Microdrive tape-loop drives in place of floppy disks. It shipped late, with early units needing an external ROM "dongle", and the unreliable Microdrives and the dominance of the IBM PC limited its success to about 150,000 units; it was however the machine on which Linus Torvalds learned programming. Its bundled Psion software (Quill, Abacus, Archive, Easel) was well regarded.
| Years | 1984 to 1986 |
|---|---|
| Processor | Motorola 68008 at 7.5 MHz |
| RAM | 128 KB, expandable to 640 KB or more |
| ROM | 48 KB with QDOS and SuperBASIC |
| Graphics | 512 x 256 in 4 colours, 256 x 256 in 8 colours |
| Sound | Intel 8049 controller, beeper |
| Storage | 2 built-in ZX Microdrives of about 100 KB |
| Ports | 2 serial, 2 joystick, QL network, ROM cartridge, expansion, RGB and RF video |
| Price (1984) | £399 |
Documentation
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