A tribute to the old BBC computer

I bet there will be a lot of people with very fond memories of the old BBC computers. 

After all they were at one point the computer used in over 80% of our schools.

And you can see why. 

They were sturdy machines and I guess could be said to be the Morris Minor of the computer world. 

All of which made them perfect for hamfisted children.

I have a particular fondness for them as it was a BBC that was my introduction to the wonderful work of  the computer.

Of course using one was a world away from the present range of computers.

Even simple tasks like doing a calculation on the spreadsheet first involved typing in a command.

But for someone who had never really appreciated the power of spreadsheets and databases this was a minor problem. 

Added to which there was the magic of  seeing your thoughts tumble out across the screen, advancing in a stream of green sentences on a black background.

The purists will mutter that the old typewriter was just as good and if really pushed the pen was an even better and cheaper means of expressing yourself.

All of which is true, but for someone who had always had difficulty with spelling, the ability to erase a word, sentence or even whole paragraph  was empowering and left me completely hooked.

So, thank you BBC.

Pictures; the BBC computer, circa 2012, and 2021, from the collection of Andrew Simpson