The ZX Files 1/ZX Files 1.adf/TECH/5

Text File | 1992-03-06 | 7.4 KB | 160 lines

 @4            The Hobbit


From Leningrad with love    @2
This is the  Soviet  Union  and  it's  September  1990.  There  are no
copyright or royalty laws so if  you  want  something you just make or
copy it. When Michail and Dmitri needed  to produce a computer for the
Soviet educational market  they  chose  the  Spectrum,  but instead of
simply cloning it they added  a  list  of  features that would show up
some western PCs.
  Dmitri  explained  -  "In  Leningrad,  many  people  get  out  their
soldering irons and make there  own  computers.  It's the only way. The
spectrum is the most well documented  computer in the Soviet Union, so
that is where most people start -  there are now at least 20 different
Spectrum clones in Leningrad  alone,  so  when  we  wanted to build an
educational computer it was the obvious  place  to start. A western PC
costs 60,000 roubles to buy in the  Soviet  Union, you see, and even a
Spectrum costs 40,000! At 250 roubles a month, that's just too much."
  As to why the Spectrum is so  well  known in the Soviet Union, well,
just think of the  size  of  it  (especially  one  of our rubber keyed
chums). What would you want  to  smuggle  through  customs  - a C64 or
something you could hide in  the  lining  of  your jacket? (It's quite
obvious really.)  @4

School prize @2
Over 15,000 Hobbits  have  been  produced  so  far  and  they are used
exclusively in schools. The  basic  machine  comes  with two 5.25 inch
disk drives, networking and more ports than the south coast.
  Games players will be chuffed to  know that there are three joystick
ports on the back. One is  Kempston  compatible  and the other two are
Sinclair. A built-in Rom routine allows  the transfer of tape programs
to disk, and any TV or standard Pc monitor can be plugged straight in.
The memory is 64K (though you can switch to 48 mode if you want).
@4
So what is it like to use?  @2
Well we powered it up to take a look. Right, switch it on and.........
a-ha! There's the familiar Spectrum screen.....but (of course) it's in
Russian! A single key press and you  can  put it back to Uncle Clives'
more familiar English  message.  In  fact,  to  make  it  east for any
country to use, the single  key  press  can  take  the Hobbit from the
Russian Cyrillic script to the Western Roman alphabet or anything else
you fancy (once you've loaded it  in).  Another key press and we could
be in Arabic!
  The full sizes 74  keyboard  is  as  comfortable  to  type on as any
conventional PC (and far  better  than  the  crappy little things most
Speccies are lumbered with) though the dual Roman/Cyrillic markings on
the keys were quite confusing to use.  Still, that's only a problem if
you're a crappy typist like most of us lot - a touch typist!
  As for what the computer looks like,  well it's sort of off white, a
bit plasticy and rather basic looking, but  it still manages to look a
lot more sophisticated than most  Speccies.  In  fact,  it's all a bit
reminiscent of a Lada really - an old (but perfectly good in its time)
western design, spiced up and improved  a  bit in the Soviet Union. Of
course, with Ladas they then brought the thing full circle and sold it
back to us! Could the same thing happen with the Hobbit? (Read on.)
@4
But how compatible is it with spectrum programs?   @2
Well, the Hobbit  claims  full  compatibility  with  all speccy stuff,
legally programmed or otherwise  (though  of  course  in the amount of
time we had to spend with  it  we  couldn't really judge how true this
is). There's no real reason to doubt  it  though - a quick look at the
workings inside show there's  a  good  deal  of Uncle Clive's original
bits and pieces in there!
  The Hobbit comes with  a  built  in  diagnostic  program monitor and
assembler/disassembler that will make life  simple  for those who like
to interfere with  their  programs.  Spectrum  Basic  is supported and
there's a Soviet version  of  CP/M  (called  Beta) included too, which
should open up a whole world  of  business software to the Hobbit. The
educational theme is continued with  the  inclusion of the graphic and
list processing language, LOGO, and provision for including Pascal, C,
and Forth on plug in Roms.
  In Leningrad, where the Hobbit is  used  in many of the schools, the
networking abilities mean that students can  do their work and hand it
in to the teacher's 'master' Hobbit or PC via the network.
  The teacher can also monitor what is  going on on any other machine,
and in the event of one crashing  any  other  Hobbit on the net can be
used to revive it and recover  files  from  it. It's a feature that is
especially useful in program development  because  it allows a teacher
to examine the crashed machine to see the state of various registers.
@4
How about games and magazines though? If  the Hobbit is mainly used in
schools, is there any interest in that sort of thing.?  @2
The ability  to  write  and  software  is  important  behind  the Iron
Curtain. With a few western  games,  peripherals, or magazines getting
through, home grown software is valuable currency.
  The quality and quantity  of  computer  publications  in the USSR is
next to zero. Michail said,  "The  one  computer magazine published in
the USSR is dry and  corporate.  We  would  like  a magazine like Your
Sinclair that has more life in it."
  But is this all really  just  of  curiosity  value,  or will we ever
actually ever see the  Hobbit  sold  in  the  UK?  Well maybe. Michail
confirmed that though they do  actually  hope  to launch the Hobbit in
Europe and the Third World, so who knows what may happen?
@7



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@4

              THE HOBBITS SPECS

The Hobbit                            @2
* Keyboard and processor in a single unit
* Twin 5.25 floppies
* Power supply unit
* Built in TV/monitor/colour card       @4

Processor                                 @2
* Z80A running at 3.5MHz
* 64K of addressed memory
* Operating system ROM (16/8/0K RAM used depending on configuration)
* 64K RAM (48, 54, or 64K including 6.5K screen memory)
                                            @4
Interfaces                                    @2
* System bus (accessible)
* Parallel port (Centronix)
* RS232 port
* Three joystick ports (two Sinclair, one Kempston)
 @4
Keyboard @2
* 74 key including 33 reprogrammable (soft) keys
* Support of Cyrillic/Roman/Arabic alphabets
           @4
Disk controller@2
* All types  of  SS/DD  and  DS/DD  drives  (maximum  of  four on each
machine). Hard disk supported by patching disk operating system.
                  @4
Power supply unit   @2
* Independent 5v at 1.5A on  220-240v 50/60Hz mains power (consumption
7.5 watts)
                      @4
Video adapter card      @2
* 256x192 pixels
* 24x32 characters in text mode
* 15 colours
* 80 column by 24 lines emulating CP/M supports colour/ mono TV
* TTL PC monitor
                          @4
Peripherals                 @2
* Up to four disk drives, including two supplied with each Hobbit
* Cassette recorder
* Printer (serial or parallel)
* Joystick
* Lightpen
* Mouse
                              @4
Software                        @2
* Inbuilt BASIC/LOGO
* Network drivers (100K Baud)
* BETA (CP/M clone)
* Sockets for ROM operating systems (Pascal, Forth, C)
* Fully Spectrum software compatible
@7
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