A unit testing framework for Sinclair ZX Spectrum assembly | Hacker News Reader

A unit testing framework for Sinclair ZX Spectrum assembly

github.com

17 pointskiyouta8 comments

Oh wow! My first code I ever wrote was on ZX Spectrum computer. What a jog down the memory lane to those good ol' days. Peek Poke GoTo GoSub Return. Took a stab at Z80 Assembly at that time but ended up playing Saboteur video game on ZX Spectrum+

My friend and I used to "transfer" video games across the city between our Sinclair Spectrums by plugging cassette players to the analog phone lines and then feeding the output directly to the computer data input/output jacks on the other end. We did the same with the programs and data we wrote to solve math problems. And this was in the early/mid 80's where we "invented" our own Internet/BBS system as a necessity.

Ok, just random thoughts. Maybe irrelevant to the post but just felt compelled to share.

Mine too. Our family moved house and that year we all shared a single present which was a 48k Spectrum, with a bundle of ten games. The tape-player didn't work, so my sisters lost interest - I read the (orange) manual from cover to cover instead.

I suspect I'd have gotten interested in coding eventually regardless, as most of my efforts were hacking games for infinite lives, but it was definitely my defining moment.

I have always wanted to get into assembly programming ever since I was a kid, growing up on those magazines with “listings” that you could type in to play games (something that I hope gets rekindled in the current era, on devices like the iPad with Swift Playgrounds; kids getting simple new games by literally typing in their source code.)

Then the Commodore 64 came along with its more complex features, and it got more intimidating. Decades later, I dabbled in GameBoy Advance homebrew for a very short while, but my life still feels incomplete without having made a ZX Spectrum game in assembly. I hope to get around to it one of these days.

I know what you mean. Ping me when you embark on that journey!

I’ve been meaning to dig up those old books and magazines, and try to only use the resources that were available back then, and try them out on an accurate emulator.

Effectively going back in time seems to be the best way to correct that wrong and fill the hole of an unfulfilled ambition. :)

Preach! I am actually looking for one on eBay as we speak.

My first computer experience was with its under-powered sibling, the ZX81 [1]. Typing in and running silly little BASIC programs was the most exciting thing in those days.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX81

Could have done with this in 1986! :-)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com