| Your Spectrum Issue 1, January 1984 - contents - |
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| Your Spectrum Issue 1, January 1984 - contents - |
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| SECTION | PAGE | SUBJECTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Frontlines | 5 | A heady concoction of gossip, speculation, fun, philosophy, news and reviews.
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| Spectrum & QL News | 6 | SinclairWatch Interface 2, Issue 3 Spectrum, Microdrives, Flat screen TV, ZX84 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Software Reviews | 47 | Spectrum Soft Ron Smith takes a slightly jaundiced look at all that's latest and greatest in games and leisure software for the Spectrum. (letter)
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| Software Features | 21 | Go-Faster! - Courting Compilers - Flirting with Forth Looking for an alternative to Basic? Steve Mann comes up with some possibilities. Once the initial association with Sinclair Basic has run its course, Spectrum owners soon come to realise its limitations - especially with regard to speed of operation. Steve Mann checks out alternative routes - in particular the 'FP' and 'IS' compilers from Softek, and the Abersoft Forth package. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hardware Features | 32 | Talk to Me, Oh MicroSpeech! Maggie Burton has a quiet tete a tete with Currah's new MicroSpeech device. One of the great things about speech synthesis add-ons is that, for one reason or another, they usually give your computer an unrivalled capacity to make people laugh. Maggie Burton discovered that Currah Computer Components' MicroSpeech turned out to be no exception. (letter) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 58 | Spectrolysis - DIY Spectrum keyboard buffer Adding a keyboard upgrade to your Spectrum? Do it yourself ... with Stephen Adams. Frigging with the rigging is not as difficult as you might at first think. Stephen Adams gives comprehensive instructions on linking the Spectrum to an alternative keyboard, via its rear expansion port. (letter) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 64 | Sticking with Adjustables There are now several different ways of hanging a joystick onto the Spectrum, and they fall into two distinct categories - the dedicated type, which uses fixed input/output locations, and the more recent programmable type, which can simulate any chosen keys when the joystick is moved. Andrew Pennell is concerned with the second variety - devices which should, in theory, offer compatibility with all software. He examines products from AGF Hardware, Cambridge Computing, Downsway Electronics and Stonechip Electronics. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Programming | 6 | Project 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Machine Code Breakout! YS scoops a little bit of computer history with Toni Baker's machine code RESET. Once upon a time machine code gave rise to infinite loops. If such a loop was encountered then there was absolutely nothing you could do about it except pull the plug out and start again. Now, however, those sorry days are gone as, exclusively for readers of this magazine, Toni Baker presents one of the most important Spectrum discoveries ever made. Learn from her the secrets of Spectrum RESET. (letter), (letter) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 | Routine Stuff: Moving Graphics of the Horizontal Kind Speed up your arcade games with machine code - the Toni Baker way! Every now and again you may feel an uncontrollable urge to write some sort of computer program. (There is no known cure for this compulsion, although it has been suggested that long holidays in the countryside might possibly do the trick.) But for instance, what do you do if you want to scroll the screen sideways and haven't the foggiest idea where to start? Well, forget phoning the Samaritans because Toni Baker is about to suggest that one answer to many of your problems lies in machine code. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miscellaneous Features | 30 | "sp(ee)ki(ng) of spe(ck)t(rr)ums" Adding speech to your Spectrum opens up a whole new dimension for experimentation. No longer do games programs have to be silent events filled with the occasional computer-generated snap, crackle and buzz. Mark Anson gives an introductory guide to speech analysis on home computers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 38 | Cross Check With tongue-in-cheek seriousness, YS recently organised an unusual chess tournament, one that featured many of our favourite Spectrum chess programs - each playing the other. We commiserate with Jonathan How for having to preside over the (at times excruciating) games, and thank Grand Master, Dr John Nunn, for compiling this analysis and report.
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| 71 | Broadening Your Communications Spectrum Communication is what it's all about, and here is John McNulty to tell you all about it. Communication is a two way process. If you want to communicate through your Spectrum you'll have to find out how it 'talks' to the outside world - a world made up of local (in-house) communication and distant (tele) communication. Over to John McNulty. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reader's Programs | 80 | Play Power Three anotated listings all ready for you to pop into your Spectrum. Settle down to your ZX Spectrum and get those fingers ready for some typing. Your Spectrum is proud to present two programs prepared by Michael Scott and Gavin Monk, and a Wild West adventure specially adapted for us by Artic Computing. Sir Clive (Michael Scott), Showdown (Artic Computing), Gnashers (Gavin Monk). (letter) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Books | 14 | Frontlines
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| 77 | Paperdata It's easy to feel that the glut of computing books forgo the rudiments of the craft and settle for lots of games for the frogger freak. But, asks Alan Jowett, coulld it be that the authors of these texts ignore a rather vital question. What is a book?
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| Interviews | 96 | David Potter (Psion) Everyone's heard of Psion. But what about the faces behind the corporation? Phil Manchester deals some tough questions. Psion is the software firm that put the Horizons tape together for Sinclair Research. And if you ever had any illusions about software companies, forget them - Psion is a highly professional outfit. Tough questions were well parried by Psion's managing director, ex-computer science academic - David Potter. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competitions | 15 | Debugit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 44 | Prof. Brainstawm's Program Challenge Win yourself a complete Spectrum outfit in our competition. The competition that's open to both chess players and virtual chess illiterates alike - a basic knowledge of the rules is all that's required. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Odds & Ends | Advertisements | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||