On This Day - 11th August

Rick Dickinson was born on 11 August 1955. He became one of the most important industrial designers of the British home-computer era, developing the distinctive physical designs of several Sinclair computers during the company's rapid expansion in the early 1980s.

Dickinson's work included the case and touch-sensitive membrane keyboard of the ZX81, helping to create a computer that was remarkably compact and inexpensive to manufacture. He subsequently worked on the design of the ZX Spectrum, including its distinctive black case and iconic rubber keyboard. The Spectrum's colourful keyboard markings and compact form became an instantly recognisable part of Sinclair's visual identity.

Dickinson's designs demonstrated how industrial design could be just as important as the underlying electronics in making a home computer successful. His work helped Sinclair turn technically innovative computers into affordable consumer products and contributed greatly to the distinctive appearance of the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum.

In August 1982, Dragon Data released the Dragon 32, a new British home computer designed to compete in the rapidly expanding personal-computer market. Produced by Dragon Data, a division of Welsh toy manufacturer Mettoy, the machine was designed in Cambridge and manufactured in South Wales. It entered the market only a few months after the launch of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and became one of its most significant British rivals.

The Dragon 32 was built around the Motorola 6809E processor running at approximately 0.9 MHz and came with 32K of RAM, a substantial amount for a home computer of the period. It included Microsoft Extended BASIC in ROM, colour graphics, sound, a full-size 53-key keyboard, two analogue joystick connections, a Centronics printer interface and a composite video output as well as an RF television connection. Its architecture was closely related to the Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer, although the Dragon was adapted for the British market.

The Dragon 32 initially proved popular and demand was strong enough for Dragon Data to expand production. At its peak, the company was producing thousands of machines each week. However, the Dragon faced increasingly strong competition from the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and other home computers, while limitations in its graphics capabilities made it less attractive for some games. Dragon Data subsequently developed the Dragon 64 and a range of peripherals, but the company eventually went into receivership in 1984.

Commodore launches the Commodore 64, a colour home computer that would become one of the most successful machines of the 1980s. The C64 was introduced as the successor to the VIC-20 and combined a MOS 6510 processor with 64K of RAM, advanced colour graphics and a dedicated sound chip.

The machine's graphics were provided by the VIC-II chip, which could display 16 colours and hardware sprites, while the revolutionary SID sound chip provided three-channel synthesised audio with programmable filters and envelopes. These capabilities made the C64 particularly attractive to computer-game developers and helped establish it as one of the leading gaming computers of its generation.

With 64K of RAM, the C64 offered substantially more memory than most of its contemporary competitors. Its full-size keyboard, joystick ports, cartridge connector, cassette interface and expansion port made it a versatile home computer for programming, education and entertainment.

The C64 entered a fiercely competitive market that included the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Atari 400/800, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A and BBC Micro. Commodore's ability to combine impressive graphics and sound with aggressive pricing helped the C64 become a major force in the home-computer market.

The computer remained in production for many years and built an enormous software library. Its games, music and demos became an important part of 1980s computer culture, while its SID chip became particularly influential among electronic musicians and later demoscene programmers.

The Commodore 64 eventually sold many millions of units worldwide and became one of the defining home computers of its era. Its success helped drive the rapid expansion of the home-computer and computer-games industries during the same period in which the ZX Spectrum was becoming dominant in Britain.