Rick Dickinson, designer of Sinclair home computers, dies
This is a sad day for me, the Sinclair has where it all began for me. While in college studying economics, I was for some reason captivated by the Sinclair and put a large part of my college scholarship into acquiring one. And so the hacking began…
My very first computer was a ZX-81. That guy was a genius.
Me too.
I remember the Xmas morning, loading up 3D Monster Maze and being initially stunned by a simple message asking me to press a key!
The ZX-81 was my first computer. It was a kit and I had to assemble it. I remember being disappointed when the kit was finished because I thought building it was the fun part. But then over the next few days that thing completely beguiled me. To say that it changed the direction of my life is no exaggeration.
When I was a schoolboy in Cambridge on my way into school in the morning I would see Sir Clive jogging along Grange Road (and sometimes Joe Bugner in his Rolls Royce too).
I still have a ZX-81 in my loft. I also have one of these:
A significant loss, I started with an MK14 when I was 12 or so in the mid 70s, ZX80 and 81 plus Spectrum series followed.
Most certainly a primary part of getting my path in life started off.
Its about time we had an i7 Spectrum!
Still got my ZX80…
My dad brought home a ZX-80 when I was in junior high. It surely got me started on this path, but I don’t really miss the RF modulator and the cassette tape…
ZX-81 was my first computer and still have it! For sure, the one that poked me into programming.
I remember my first program that got up to 0C on my tape counter, ahhh those were simpler days 
Acorn electron at 7 for me, best childcare my parents ever got 