The History and Significance of the BBC Microcomputer

It all starts with this device, which plugs into your own television so out of the back here. We've got a cable that's just connecting into a standard aerial input in fact. It was quite a job trying to find a TV that would plug into this computer, as George explains. He recalls his attempt to find a monitor sufficiently old to plug into the computer, and how he eventually found an older model to use.

The BBC Microcomputer: An Early Home Computer

George mentions that the BBC Microcomputer is one of the earliest computers, made for the BBC. It was designed to introduce people to computers and programming, as the BBC wanted to make computers a part of everyday life. The computer was developed by a British company called Acorn, which also made it "badged with the BBC badge". This was an innovative approach at the time, as people didn't really understand computers or how they worked.

A Computer for Beginners

The BBC Microcomputer is notable for being one of the first home computers that many people learned to program. The computer's simplicity and ease of use made it accessible to beginners, including children like George, who was just 11 years old when he started learning to program. He used a user guide that had become worn and faded over time, which he still kept as a keepsake.

Programming the BBC Micro

To start programming the BBC Micro, George turned on the computer and immediately launched into the basic programming language. The computer presented him with a cursor and a screen that showed the amount of memory available (32k). George was able to write his first program, which simply printed "hello world" millions of times until he told it to stop. He then repeated this process to create another program, which plotted triangles in different colors.

The Graphics Mode

George wanted to explore more advanced graphics capabilities on the BBC Micro, so he changed the computer's settings to a graphics mode. This allowed him to plot circles, ellipses, and other shapes, as well as create simple animations. He also experimented with sounds, using a command at the command line to produce different tones.

The Impact of the BBC Micro

The BBC Microcomputer had a lasting impact on George's life and career. Programming was his passion, and he spent countless hours learning new skills and experimenting with the computer. The experience sparked his interest in computing and technology, which has stayed with him throughout his life.

A Piece of History

For George, the BBC Micro is more than just a piece of technology - it's a nostalgic reminder of his childhood. He couldn't bear to part with the computer, even when he upgraded to newer models. The device has become a keepsake, a tangible connection to his past and a symbol of the impact that computers have had on our lives.

A Legacy Lives On

The BBC Micro is just one example of how early home computers can shape our experiences and interests. For many people, these devices represent the beginning of their journey into computing and technology. The legacy of the BBC Micro lives on in the countless programs, apps, and websites that have been developed over the years, thanks to the foundation laid by this humble computer.

The First Computer Game: Elite

The BBC Micro was used for one of its most notable applications - the game Elite. Developed by Acornsoft, Elite was one of the first games to use three-dimensional graphics. The game's success helped establish the BBC Micro as a viable platform for gaming, paving the way for future generations of gamers and developers.

A Blast from the Past

Looking back at the transcription, it becomes clear that this is more than just a conversation about a computer - it's a nostalgic journey through time. The device has been used to create countless memories and experiences, from simple programming exercises to complex graphics and animations. As George reflects on his past, he realizes that the BBC Micro has become an integral part of his identity, a symbol of his love for computing and technology.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enIt comes like this it plugs into your own television so out of the back here. We've got a cableThat's just connecting into a standard aerial input in factIt was quite a job trying to find a TV that would plug into this computerSo George a few minutes agojust did a race up to the other end of the physics to try and find aMonitor sufficiently Old which would plug into this computerthe home computer that IGot out my parents lost actually. I think my dad bought it in about I use probably defender in 1982I think my dad used it most to start with and then quite rapidly I got itI was worried about 11 years old at the time andI basically taught myself to program using this this thing here which this is the BBC micro?This is a BBC model b microcomputer. It was one of the earliestcomputers one of the earliest home computers andIt was actually made for the BBCSo this was a time when computers were completely brand so nobody nobody had seen computers computers weren't these allubiquitous things that you have in homes and offices now, so people didn't really understand them andso the BBC wanted to develop a project to get to introduce people to computers and andProgramming because this was going to be the next big thing and the BBC thought this was going to be the next big thingSo a commission that can accompany a British company called acornto make this computer not only badged it with the BBC badge andthe BBC did a series of TV programs using this computer to try and teach people how toProgram a lot of people find working professionally in computercomputers now computer programming certainly in my age their first experience ofComputer programming and computers will be something something like this or as that x spectrum or a commodore 64 or something like thatIt's getting on a bit now this computer and so it tends to overheat after a whileSo I've just taken the screws off so we can actually take the top offThis is the central processing unit here, so this is a 6502 central processing unit andProcess is running at two MegahertzSo you can pair that with a clock speed modern computer which is around about two to four Gigahertzso we're running this is running about a thousand times slower thanthetypical computer nowadaysIt's got32 K of memory that's 32 thousand bytes of memory. This is the memory down herethis is the down here is the memory andall these chips amount to 32 kilobytesit's 32 times 1,024 bytes of memorySo you can pair that with a modern computer which has now got something of the reason of a gigabytes of memory?So you can see how much of a difference there is between the Modern PCAnd these keys types of computers, but of the really neat things this is thatIt turns on instantaneously, you don't have to wait for it to boot upSo if I do this and turn it offAnd turn on and that's it it's ready to goYou just turn it on it's ready to go reason is because if I just move this keyboard hereSo it's because that the software the operating system of the computer is stored on RomWhich is a read-only memory as a chip so don't it's got no hard disk insideIt's got no disk drive attached to it at all in factAll the software that it needs to run is stored on this chipso when youWhen you switch it on it's ready to go and that means I always put the cover back on againAnd that means we can start programming it straight awayWe can make it do stuff really straight awayAnd as you can see once when you turn it on you're presented with this it says here the BBC computer32k that tells us. How much memory we've got to play with?Basic so we've launched into the basic programming language, so we're not presented with any mice pointers Windows or anything like thatjust cursor and we can start just immediately writing aComputer program so I can stop enter line 10 and let's try writing the simplest ever program ever writtenfirst and remember how to do thisI'm going to use the dreaded go-toOkay, so that's a that's the first program thatmuch anybody have a right so when to start programmingThere you goSo you just print hello world millions of times over until you tell it to stop press escapeAnd can list that program back by tackling listAnd you say it basically start you start off with line ten says printHello world, and the second line. Just tells it to go back to line ten again. I startedJust mucking about with the graphics. So this is you know you can write programs to doYou know muck around with playing with text and things but I wanted to start playing with graphicsSo I can write a little program to let's let's start another oneRemember the command to do it. This is going back a Few now. I'm going to tell it to repeat this programI'm going to choose a colorRandom color each time this computer's got one of seven colors or eight if you include blackSo that's how many colors you want to play withThen I'm going to just tell it to plot triangles everywhere and last thing I need to do is change it to a graphics modeso if I type run now, IShould just print triangle. So place so various different colorsso it's not much to look at but theBeauty of it is you can really just you can get into programming so easily doing this and you can you can start doing more?Fancy things like plotting circles and the at ado figures and things like that, and then you can make it do sounds by typingJust one command at the command line like thisSo so you muck around with planes stop that?Say muck around with sounds and graphics, and that's what I got into as a kid and I spent ages and agesbut probably far too long learning to program out of this this user guide atone point it had a ring binder on it andI just spent my time reading this this was my bedtime reading when I was a kid is a bit sad really I supposeThat's what?That's what I wanted to do, and that's the so like holding that book againIf it was big part of your childhood , it's quite unusual. Oh, it's quite unusualI actually kept it some of the pages that still are turned upside down for some reason, but yeahI couldn't bear to throw it away, reallyI mean, I've got a lot of computers have had since and I've just when they've come to the end of the lifeI've just thrown them awayAnd they're just expendableBut this one because it's the first one I ever had I just sticks to my fingers and I try to throw it awayI can't get rid of it, and I'm sure a lot of peoplebut we feel the thing the same way actually so they'll have a piece of technology first bit ofTechnology like this which they just can't bear to throw awaySo this is this is a computer game Elite Elite was the firstReally proper game to use three-dimensional graphics. Okay like so it's firing at us now sadlycan still name that spaceship. Which is a copper mark 3 as we got some pirate something\n"