Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
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Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
This is whether we bought our machines in retro times or back in the day. What made you choose a BBC over some other computer, especially outside education? (I guess the education side is too easy a question to answer.)
For me, it was Beebsynth and know I've probably bored you with it before: http://www.remix64.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=10407
I enjoyed tinkering with that on Beeb-Em a few years ago but the emulator's sound was choppy and not so good, plus there's always a latency issue using an emulator for performing music. There's a lot of sampling possibility with envelopes and a couple of BBCs compliment my Commodores and the rest superbly.
For me, it was Beebsynth and know I've probably bored you with it before: http://www.remix64.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=10407
I enjoyed tinkering with that on Beeb-Em a few years ago but the emulator's sound was choppy and not so good, plus there's always a latency issue using an emulator for performing music. There's a lot of sampling possibility with envelopes and a couple of BBCs compliment my Commodores and the rest superbly.
Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
I remember being very impressed by the operating system - even from what I could see in my friend's User Guide, it was well-organised. A world away from machines where you have to learn lots of peeks and pokes. Of course it had graphics and sound too, which you can't quite say for the UK101 I was upgrading from.
But you ask about a killer app... I'd have to say BBC Basic! (It's an application like any other, almost, the way the Beeb deals with it.)
(Edit: and, of course, the assembler which is built in to BBC Basic... beats assembly by hand.)
But you ask about a killer app... I'd have to say BBC Basic! (It's an application like any other, almost, the way the Beeb deals with it.)
(Edit: and, of course, the assembler which is built in to BBC Basic... beats assembly by hand.)
Last edited by BigEd on Sun Aug 05, 2018 12:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
I’d say BBC Basic is definitely an ‘app’ (although I guess I am stuck in my ways and call things software or programs or applications etc.
) - take it away and the computer still works (assuming you put another language in of course)
I think also BBC Basic as the main reason - very comprehensive and a relatively easy door way to assembly. Before Elite came out I spent more time programming than anything else. Had Elite already been released that would have been another killer app for me.

I think also BBC Basic as the main reason - very comprehensive and a relatively easy door way to assembly. Before Elite came out I spent more time programming than anything else. Had Elite already been released that would have been another killer app for me.
BBC model B 32k issue 4, 16k sideways RAM, Watford 12 ROM board, Acorn 6502 coproc
BBC model B 32k issue 7, turboMMC, Opus Challenger 3 512k, Pi 3 coproc
USA Model B
BBC Master, Datacentre + HDD, pi co-proc, econet
BBC model B 32k issue 7, turboMMC, Opus Challenger 3 512k, Pi 3 coproc
USA Model B
BBC Master, Datacentre + HDD, pi co-proc, econet
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Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
BBC BASIC was a close second for me, too. I enjoyed tinkering with it back at school and readers probably remember helping me with my RIFFER program, especially where I got the joystick going: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11512
Richard Russell's BBC BASIC FOR WINDOWS is also very splendid because I like the sound that makes and it compiles to a Windows executable. But for me, a separate killer app program tipped the balance to persuade me to finally buy a real BBC.
Richard Russell's BBC BASIC FOR WINDOWS is also very splendid because I like the sound that makes and it compiles to a Windows executable. But for me, a separate killer app program tipped the balance to persuade me to finally buy a real BBC.
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Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
Agree 100%. I still prefer my Beeb to any other computer.BigEd wrote: ↑Sun Aug 05, 2018 12:05 pmI remember being very impressed by the operating system - even from what I could see in my friend's User Guide, it was well-organised. A world away from machines where you have to learn lots of peeks and pokes. Of course it had graphics and sound too, which you can't quite say for the UK101 I was upgrading from.
But you ask about a killer app... I'd have to say BBC Basic! (It's an application like any other, almost, the way the Beeb deals with it.)
(Edit: and, of course, the assembler which is built in to BBC Basic... beats assembly by hand.)
Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
For me, it wasn't about a killer app, it was about the killer hardware. Although if I were forced to choose an "app", BBC BASIC was a killer app BITD...
Paul
Paul
Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
The built in assembler and the ability to program the 6845, even back then 

Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
2nd processor elite and sideways ram enhanced exile. I was happy with my elk until I saw these. This is quite recent though. My original elk was bought purely because it was the cheapest computer in the shop at the time.
Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
For me it was basic and the operating system. I was relocating the basic for my Atom-in-PC card and I needed some references. Afaik there was no emulator back in 1998 so I borrowed a real BBC and later I could keep it.
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MAN WOMAN
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Re: Which killer app made you buy a BBC?
Although I did not own any Acorn computers until well after the 1980s, at school, in terms of software, BBC BASIC was the primary interest for me. At home we had a ZX Spectrum and I loved programming in BASIC on it. But BBC BASIC was up another level. Especially the structured programming elements (procedures etc).
Mark
Mark
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Logic Levels for 5V TTL Systems
Fault finding index