#z80

SONY Hit-Bit HB-101 (1984)

The Sony Hit-Bit HB-101 is one of the best-known and most distinctive Sony MSX1 home computers from the 1980s. “Hit-Bit” was Sony’s MSX product line name, and the HB-101 is still popular among retro collectors because of its compact, highly recognizable design.

Technically, it’s a classic MSX1 machine: a Sharp LH-0080 (Z80A-compatible) CPU at ~3.58 MHz, 16 KB RAM (the European HB-101P version often had 32 KB), 16 KB VRAM, and 2 cartridge slots, which made it very practical for games and expansions.

With the Z80 towards the stars. To the edge of the galaxy

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Long Live the Z80! - David Henderson  

I must admit I haven't used Z80, or any 8 bit assembly languages, so can't speak from first hand experience. But I just read up on it a bit, and it seems cool. I like that it's compatible with the older 8080, when possible I think backwards compatibility is something that should be strived for. And it seems they added a bunch more instructions, and simplified some things, which is obviously a nice thing for the programmer.

Selections from The Personal Computer Handbook by Peter Rodwell (1983)

Some of my thoughts while reading:

- I forgot how old ASCII is

- MOS 6502 my beloved (with 8086 jumpscare)

- That one page I misread as "Computer Erotica"

- Program listings printed on dot matrix and scanned as images for publication, because that was the best option - normal in magazines, a suprise in a hardcover book