Editing Sinclair QL (section)

== Legacy ==

=== ICL One Per Desk ===
{{Main|One Per Desk}}
[[File:Merlin Tonto.jpg|thumb|Merlin Tonto at [[The National Museum of Computing]]]]
The QL's [[Central processing unit|CPU]], ZX8301 and ZX8302 [[Application-specific integrated circuit|ASICs]] and Microdrives form the basis of [[One Per Desk]] (OPD). Built by [[International Computers Limited]] (ICL), it was also marketed by [[BT Group|British Telecom]] as the [[One Per Desk#Merlin Tonto|Merlin Tonto]] and by [[Telstra|Telecom Australia]] as the [[Computerphone]].

The result of a three-year collaboration between Sinclair Research, ICL and British Telecom, the One Per Desk adds a [[telephone handset]] at one end of the keyboard, and rudimentary [[Computer-Telephony Integration]] (CTI) software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=275|title=ICL OPD One Per Desk|work=OLD-COMPUTERS.COM|access-date=2008-04-21}}</ref> This machine interested a number of high-profile business customers, including certain divisions of the former [[HM Customs & Excise|UK Customs and Excise Department]], but its success was generally limited. In the late 1980s they were used in bingo halls to allow a country-wide networked bingo game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk/Museum/icl/opd.php|title=ICL OPD|work=Binary Dinosaurs|access-date=2008-04-21}}</ref>

=== Linux ===

[[Linus Torvalds]] has attributed his eventually developing the [[Linux kernel]], likewise having [[Preemption (computing)|pre-emptive multitasking]], in part to having owned a Sinclair QL in the 1980s. Because of the lack of support, particularly in his native [[Finland]], Torvalds became used to writing his own software rather than relying on programs written by others.<ref>{{cite AV media | people = Torvalds, Linus (speaker) |title = Presentation: "The Origins of Linux," |date = 19 September 2001 | via = [[YouTube]] |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVTWCPoUt8w&t=9m13s  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/WVTWCPoUt8w| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|time = 9:13}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In part, his frustration with [[Minix]] on the Sinclair<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moody |first=Glyn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kIU1scm4w6QC |title=Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution |date=2009-02-18 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-7867-4520-3 |pages=90 |language=en}}</ref> led years later to his purchase of a more standard [[IBM PC compatible]] on which he would develop Linux. In ''[[Just for Fun (book)|Just for Fun]]'', Torvalds wrote, "Back in 1987, one of the selling points of the QL was that it ''looked'' cool", because it was "entirely matte black, with a black keyboard" and was "fairly angular". He also wrote he bought a floppy controller so he could stop using microdrives, but the floppy controller driver was bad, so he wrote his own. Bugs in the operating system, or discrepancies with the documentation, that made his software not work properly, got him interested in operating systems. "Like any good computer purist raised on a 68008 chip," Torvalds "despised PCs", but decided in autumn 1990 to purchase a [[I386|386]] custom-made IBM PC compatible, which he did in January 1991.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Torvalds |first1=Linus |url=http://archive.org/details/justforfun00linu |title=Just for fun : the story of an accidental revolutionary |last2=Diamond |first2=David |date=2001 |publisher=New York : HarperBusiness |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-06-662072-5 |pages=43–60}}</ref>

=== Clones ===
{{Main articles|List of Sinclair QL clones}}

After Amstrad abandoned the QL in 1986, several companies previously involved in the QL peripherals market stepped in to fill the void. These included [[Cambridge Systems Technology|CST]] and DanSoft, creators of the [[CST Thor|Thor]] line of compatible systems; [[Miracle Systems]], creator of the Gold Card and Super Gold Card processor/memory upgrade cards and the QXL PC-based hardware emulator; and Qubbesoft, with the Aurora, the first replacement QL mainboard, with enhanced graphics modes.<ref name="faq-hardware">{{ cite web | url = http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/roklein/ql/Hardware | title = QL History FAQ: Hardware | first = Robert | last = Klein | access-date = 2008-04-21 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060504000555/http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/roklein/ql/Hardware | archive-date = 2006-05-04 }}</ref>

In the late 1990s, two partly QL-compatible [[motherboard]]s named Q40 and Q60 (collectively referred to as [[Qx0]]) were designed by Peter Graf and marketed by D&D Systems. The Q40 and Q60, based on the [[Motorola 68040]] and [[68060]] [[CPU]]s respectively, are much more powerful than the original QL and have the ability among other things (such as multimedia, high resolution graphics, [[Ethernet]] networking etc.) to run the [[Linux]] operating system.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.q40.de/ | title = Q40.de | access-date = 2008-04-21 }}</ref>

In 2013 Peter Graf announced that he was working on the Q68, a FPGA based QL compatible single board computer. The Q68 was first presented to the public in April 2014 and became available in autumn 2017. It is produced and marketed by Derek Stewart (of former D&D Systems).<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2203 | title = Q68 Order Process | first = Derek | last = Stewart | access-date = 2020-01-16 }}</ref>

Hardware add-ons such as new developments like the QL-SD (designed by Peter Graf)<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=385 | title = QL-SD card project | first = Dilwyn | last = Jones | access-date = 2020-01-16 }}</ref> and reengineered or even expanded 1990s designs such as QubIDE interfaces (by José Leandro Novellón).<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=566 | title = QubIDE clone | author = José Leandro Novellón | access-date = 2020-01-16 }}</ref> Trump, Gold & Super Gold Cards (by Tetroid) are still being produced for the original QL.<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1670 | title = Announcement - new QL Interface | author = RWAP | access-date = 2020-01-16 }}</ref>

RWAP Software supplies various hardware and software upgrades and spare parts.

=== Operating systems ===

Patched or reengineered versions of QDOS were produced, most notably Minerva which gradually evolved into a completely rewritten operating system, offering improved speed, with multitasking SuperBASIC interpreters. Tony Tebby went on to produce another updated operating system, [[SMSQ/E]], which has continued to be developed for the Sinclair QL and emulators, offering many more features.<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/roklein/ql/Firmware | title = QL History FAQ: Firmware | first = Robert | last = Klein | access-date = 2008-04-21 }}</ref>

=== Emulators, virtual QLs and distributions ===

Several [[Emulator|emulators]] and virtual QLs became available over time, of which Q-emuLator (Windows/Mac),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Q-emuLator Sinclair QL |url=http://www.terdina.net/ql/q-emulator.html |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=www.terdina.net}}</ref> QPC2 (Windows),<ref>{{Cite web |title=QPC {{!}} Kilgus.net |url=https://www.kilgus.net/qpc/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> SMSQmulator (Java),<ref>{{Cite web |title=The official SMSQmulator Site |url=https://wlenerz.com/smsqmulator/index.html |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=wlenerz.com}}</ref> ZEsarUX (Windows/Mac/Linux)<ref>{{Citation |last=Hernandez |first=Cesar |title=chernandezba/zesarux |date=2023-01-03 |url=https://github.com/chernandezba/zesarux |access-date=2023-01-05}}</ref> and sQLux (Windows/Mac/Linux)<ref>{{Citation |title=sQLux (or QL Sux according to DaveP) |date=2022-11-28 |url=https://github.com/SinclairQL/sQLux |publisher=Sinclair QL Home Computer Development |access-date=2023-01-05}}</ref> are actively maintained. 

Several distributions of emulators, applications and information have been produced, of which Black Phoenix<ref>{{Cite web |title=Black Phoenix – Quantum Technology |url=http://www.hunggartorino.it/ql/black-phoenix-en/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |language=en-GB}}</ref> and QL/E<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE REPOSITORY - Sinclair QL Preservation Project (SQPP) - sinclairql.net site |url=https://www.sinclairql.net/repository.html#QLE |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=www.sinclairql.net}}</ref> are the most actively maintained.