@Aladár Mézga

Wow, I wasn't familiar with the KC85/3. Was it compatible with any other 8-bit platform? Did it have a significant software library?

The Spectrum 48k and Amiga 1200 need to be brought back to life. 😀

@Andrew Pam

You were lucky enough to get an early start in computing. The first time I saw and used a computer was in 1985, when home computing was already a reality and there were many 8-bit platforms on the market.

I never saw a Hitachi Peach, but judging by the specifications, I gather it was a powerful machine, featuring Microsoft BASIC Level 3, advanced graphics support, and expandable memory.

@Willy 81

In my case, except for my early years learning BASIC, I never used computers for programming. I always enjoyed running utility software, operating systems, and games.

@Ali the Amalekite

That’s great! I took my first BASIC courses back in 1986 on a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A. I used the Extended BASIC cartridge for programming, with endless "CALL" statements. 😀

Nowadays, I own four TI-99/4A units equipped with FlashROM99 and 32K memory expansion.

@Tedel

Hahaha, my parents were never interested in computers. When I discovered computing in 1985, I pestered my father endlessly to buy me my first computer. He finally gave in, and one day a Commodore 16 arrived at the house.

Was it compatible with any other 8-bit platform?

Yeah, with the KC85/2 and KC85/4, to a lesser degree with the KC85/1. A few programs were sorted from the Spectrum.

Did it have a significant software library?

That depends on your definition of "significant". I personally had a few cassette tapes, mostly machine code programs. I also had a Z1013, but that is probably even less known here...

@N. E. Felibata II

¡Hola!, ¡muchas gracias por la bienvenida! 😀

@Aladár Mézga

Affordable kits for electronics hobbyists, such as the Z1013, were never sold in my country (Argentina). The arrival of computing happened directly with the emergence of home computers in the 1980s.

In my case, except for my early years learning BASIC, I never used computers for programming. I always enjoyed running utility software, operating systems, and games.

After writing the account program in Basic i never continued programming neither, just some utils and small scripts.
I had a very cool system on a Pentium 133 based on Drdos 7.0,
I wrote some scripts etc, it ended up being the fastest sytem i ever saw. After switching to linux, i gave it all up, never needed a computer anyway 😀