The Enterprise 64 and 128: the best 8-bit computers you’ve never heard of. More advanced in some ways than the Commodore 64, sleeker than the ZX Spectrum and yet it vanished into obscurity. What went wrong? #RetroComputing #Enterprise64 #Enterprise128 #80s - ThreadSky

markfixesstuff.com • 3 days ago

The Enterprise 64 and 128: the best 8-bit computers you’ve never heard of.

More advanced in some ways than the Commodore 64, sleeker than the ZX Spectrum and yet it vanished into obscurity.

What went wrong?

#RetroComputing #Enterprise64 #Enterprise128 #80s

Comments

binarydinosaurs.co.uk•3 days ago

Lovely machine. Initially codenamed 'DPC' (Damp Proof Course) in case someone left the plans on a train. Beset by naming problems, ideas thieved (allegedly) by Siralan, it arrived 18-24 months too late. Pity. 4MB RAM, excellent graphics from the 'Nick' chip, stereo sound from the 'Dave' chip.

Boo.

benf.org•3 days ago

Someone was "inspired" by the 464 keyboard? Or is there a common ancestor/designer somewhere?

breakintoprogram.co.uk•3 days ago

It is a lovely looking machine yet apparently the build quality is not the best. If it had been released earlier it may have been a reasonable bit player, excuse the pun. The 8 bit market was saturated at that point with 16 bits promise or released.

lockfarm.bsky.social•3 days ago

Same guys behind the Sinclair Vega - might explain something.

Very interesting hardware, looks like it would be capable of some cool effects. Never got enough community to really find out.

binarydinosaurs.co.uk•3 days ago

Vega? Nope. David Levy, yes. But the others were good people. Nick Toop, Dave Greenfield to name but two. Issues were largely marketing because of the names they chose.

https://binarydinosaurs.co.uk/Museum/Enterprise/

Mike Shirley (marketing) was the fall guy. Also Siralan thieved the colours for the CPC 🥸

binarydinosaurs.co.uk•3 days ago

I mean...

lockfarm.bsky.social•3 days ago

I have one. It was owned by Graham Stafford of Design Design/Crystal Computing fame.

binarydinosaurs.co.uk•3 days ago

I remember writing to Design Design about the 'Hunt the Wumpus' subgame in one of their games, got a cassette with a voice reply from Simon Brattel :D

lockfarm.bsky.social•3 days ago

They were one of the very cool teams writing for the Spectrum.

lockfarm.bsky.social•3 days ago

I was thinking of Levy. Agreed the technology was excellent, but Intelligent Systems (Levy) massively overreached and it was as much the delay to release the machine as the messy marketing that led to it's failure. Trying to be far too clever.

binarydinosaurs.co.uk•3 days ago

He saw £££ when a Hong Kong company contacted him wanting a slice of the sweet UK computer market.

lockfarm.bsky.social•3 days ago

The Vega thing did not paint him as a very nice person.

binarydinosaurs.co.uk•3 days ago

Yup. @lewispackwood.bsky.social did a great book that featured the Ep with input and pics from me, it's a good read :D

nemo20000.bsky.social•3 days ago

Dave *Woodfield*. Who I was lucky enough to work with on a project for Hasbro.

binarydinosaurs.co.uk•3 days ago

Indeed, that's what I get for typing from memory instead of referencing my own page on the machine 😄

markfixesstuff.com•3 days ago

Meh. If you saved brain power for remembering things you'd never get anything created.

jasesdesouza.bsky.social•3 days ago

I remember the Enterprise! ☺️ Can't recall spotting any machines on sale in the main UK retail chain outlets but it appeared in much of the computer press ads.

The little internal joystick always stood to me and reminded me of the MSX machines' similar set up with their large cursor keys for gaming.

nemo20000.bsky.social•3 days ago

Late. Slow (the flood-fill was painful). Overcomplex (the video chip was particularly overpowered compared to the minimalistic Spectrum).
Beautiful though, and did (they said) have BBC Basic compatibility - but no 6502 emulation.

fuzzweed.co.uk•3 days ago

Someone smashed the joystick off it on their first round of DT Decathlon?

srusher.bsky.social•3 days ago

It was too late, basically. Released just in time for the crash of '84.

Lots of delays, lots of renaming (Flan, Elan, Enterprise etc.).

Apparently a hit in Hungary where all the excess stock was sold.

zxdunny.bsky.social•3 days ago

Crash of 1984? Do tell, I'm not familiar :)

nemo20000.bsky.social•3 days ago

Everyone had bought a computer and there was suddenly vast oversupply, driving many to the wall, and even causing the highly successful Acorn to sell to Olivetti in '85.

weirdo95.bsky.social•3 days ago

The adorable Flan.

I saw a room full of the half finished ones many years ago. I knew the guy that bought the remnants when they went bust.

Lovely machine. And I made a 'fold over' expansion for the side expansion port to sit on top. Only ever made like four or five though.

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