In an attempt to make the machine a real office contender, a useable keyboard was included. I have never had time to get the thing working so I can't comment on the key action. Sinclair did return to rubber keys for his Z88. I have used those and they work very well indeed.

Memory was 128k of RAM with 48k of ROM holding Sinclair Super BASIC and the QDOS operating system. Both ROM and RAM were expandable. There was a CPU expansion port, two RS-232 ports, TV and monitor outputs, two joystick and a cartige port.

The most innovative aspect of the machine was the decision to include a built-in micro drive. This was a bold move at a time when other machines were limited to tape storage.

What was the QL like to use at the time? Simon Robinson, a programmer friend, recounts his experience -

The QL was launched in 1984, at that time anyone who previously wanted a serious home computer probably opted for the BBC Micro. The QL promised to change things. In reality the QL promised much but failed to deliver, it was promoted as a serious computer, a business machine. The original sales brochure emphasised the double shot keys that would not fade through use, the membrane that would prevent coffee spills leaking through. As soon as the machines surfaced though most discovered the keyboard required a 'special technique', it was not a fast keyboard.

The QL's real abilities, along with most computers of the time was an introduction to microprocessor based technologies - these were the future at the time. The BBC Micro used a good processor, the 6502, but it was 8 bit. The QL boasted 32 bit power encouraging home users to believe they were buying a micro-minicomputer. Again the reality was less appealing, the 68008 used in the QL only had an 8 bit external data bus and as such was not the high performer anticipated.

Well that was reality. But the appeal of the QL was in the imagination. It was black. It was sleek. It had microdrives, LAN connections, it had a suite of quite reasonable applications. At the time I was writing up a project report for my finals, I borrowed a Daisy Wheel printer with RS-232 and along with the QL hammered out the details - I was pretty chuffed with it, it did the job. The machines native language, SuperBasic was a big improvement on the speccy. Other companies delivered on the back of the QL. I bought a Pascal compiler, assembler and Forth. It was the time to play and learn. With these other languages, but not SuperBasic, it was possible to explore the world of multiple processes, at the time a revolution. To a novice programmer (as most of us were in 1984) the excitement of seeing two Towers of Hanoi programs running alongside, albeit in a staggered manner, was simply great stuff.

The QL did open many opportunities for computer discovery at the time. A whole generation of people were developing skills on the Spectrum and QL, for many they would later find themselves engaged in employment that required a PC and would look back with affection to the mid-80's, the days when computers were both wonderfully simple, and highly playable.

I still have my QL

Simon Robinson - September 1999