Technology | Nostalgia | 1980s
Remembering the Jupiter Ace: A Quirky 1980s Home Computer
The Jupiter Ace’s use of FORTH caused challenges in the market compared to BASIC-based competitors
This is an updated version of an article I wrote a few years ago for some of my now-defunct blogs.
Ex-Sinclair Designers
Richard Altwasser and Stephen Vickers played key roles in designing the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Then they moved on to form Jupiter Cantab where they produced a small low-cost 8-bit microcomputer called the Jupiter Ace.
In 1982, when they released their creation, their adverts had a similar feel to Sinclair’s.
Sinclair Similarities
The ACE was comparable in size, appearance, and hardware specification to the Sinclair ZX range.
It had the following things in common with the Sinclair ZX81:
- 8 KB of ROM
- 1 KB of RAM *
- Monochrome video output