Editing Timex Sinclair 1000 (section)

==History==
[[Image:Timex Sinclair 1000 Motherboard Top.jpg|thumb|Revision of the Timex Sinclair 1000  motherboard with "Sinclair ZX81" printed on it]]

Timex claimed to have sold 600,000 T/S 1000s in the US by early 1983,<ref name="auto3">{{Cite news |date=March 3, 1984 |title=Timex clocks out of home-computer industry |pages=34 |work=The Financial Post |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GWY_AAAAIBAJ&dq=%22Timex+Sinclair%22&pg=PA34&article_id=1167,3083420}}</ref> and other companies imported [[software localization|localized]] versions of British software.<ref name="bradbeer198303">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/sinclair-user-magazine-012/SinclairUser_012_Mar_1983#page/n81/mode/2up | title=Timex upgrades Spectrum | work=Sinclair User | date=March 1983 | accessdate=28 January 2015 | author=Bradbeer, Robin | pages=83–84}}</ref> It sold for {{Inflation|US|99.95|1982|fmt=eq|orig=yes|cursign=$}}<ref>{{cite news |author=Faludi |first=Susan C. |date=April 21, 1982 |title=Timex Plans New Computer to Retail at About $100 |pages=1 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/21/business/timex-plans-computer-to-retail-at-about-100.html |accessdate=2 July 2021}}</ref> in the US when it debuted, making it the cheapest home computer at the time; it was advertised as "the first computer under $100". This pricing initiated a [[price war]] with [[Commodore International]], who quickly reduced the price of its [[VIC-20]] to match and later announced a trade-in program offering $100 for any competing computer toward the purchase of a [[Commodore 64]]. Since the T/S 1000 was selling for $49 by this time, many customers bought them for the sole purpose of trading them in for a Commodore 64.

Like the Sinclair ZX81, the T/S 1000 used ''8K BASIC'', a version of [[Sinclair BASIC]] (a [[BASIC]] dialect), as its primary interface and programming language.  To make the membrane keyboard-less cumbersome for program entry, the T/S 1000 used a shortcut system of one-letter "keywords" for most commands (e.g., pressing {{keypress|P}} while the cursor was in "keyword mode" would generate the keyword <code>PRINT</code>). Some keywords required a short sequence of keystrokes (e.g., {{keypress|SHIFT-ENTER}}+{{keypress|S}} would generate the keyword <code>LPRINT</code>). One notable thing about this version of BASIC was that, unlike other versions where it's optional in a program, the <code>LET</code> command was mandatory.

The T/S 1000 was normally plugged into a regular TV that served as a computer monitor. The computer produced a black-and-white display that consisted of 32 columns and 24 lines. Of those lines, 22 were accessible for display, with two reserved for data entry and error messages. The limited graphics were based on geometric shapes contained within the operating system's [[ZX81 character set|non-ASCII character set]]. The only form of long-term storage was [[Compact Cassette (data)|Compact Cassette]]. The 16&nbsp;KB memory expansion module sold for $49.95. A shortage of the memory expansion modules coupled with a lack of software that would run within 2&nbsp;KB meant that the system had little use for anything other than as an introduction to programming. Home computer magazines of the era such as ''[[Compute!]]'' showed enthusiasts how to interface the computer with various kinds of equipment. These tutorials provided an opportunity to learn about early speech synthesis technology through a [[Speak & Spell (toy)|Speak & Spell]], robotics control through the memory port, and scrolling text displays for advertising.

Over time, the T/S 1000 spawned a cottage industry of third-party add-ons designed to help remedy its limitations and provide more functions. Full-size keyboards, [[speech synthesizer]]s, sound generators, [[disk drive]]s, and memory expansions (up to 64&nbsp;KB) were a few of the options available. Languages such as [[Forth (programming language)|Forth]] and [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]], as well as BASIC compilers and assemblers, augmented the T/S 1000's programming possibilities. Computer enthusiast magazines from the early 1980s included articles that contained programming instructions for simple games and other programs that could be used with the device. ''[[Kilobaud Microcomputing|Microcomputing]]'' magazine published an article in April 1983, criticizing the membrane keyboard ("The designers of the Timex-Sinclair 1000 ... reduced this important programming tool to a fraction of the required size") and describing how to connect external full-size keyboards.

Magazines dedicated to Timex Sinclair machines were published in the US, like SYNC (from 1981 to 1984)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-11 |title=SYNC |url=https://www.timexsinclair.com/periodical/sync-magazine/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=Timex/Sinclair Computers |language=en-US}}</ref> and ''[[Timex Sinclair User]]'' (1983),<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-11 |title=Timex Sinclair User |url=https://www.timexsinclair.com/periodical/timex-sinclair-user/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=Timex/Sinclair Computers |language=en-US}}</ref> and dozens of [[Fanzine|fanzines]] and group newsletters also existed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-11 |title=Periodicals |url=https://www.timexsinclair.com/bibliography/periodicals/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=Timex/Sinclair Computers |language=en-US}}</ref>