Dr David Mills
Stephen Hawking asking Sir Clive Sinclair for some QL computers. #retrocomputing
May 22, 2024 at 4:52pmTusky
Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EW

Telephone: Cambridge (0223) 351645

Re-typed + Sent. Cuthy work Sec. 7th March to Dee

2nd February 1984.

23, Поксомь Strea handa SWI

Sir Clive Sinclair, The Stone House, Madingley Road, Cambridge.

Tel. 01-235-9649

Dear Sir Clive,

I have just seen a brochure about your new computer, the Quantum Leap. It sounds very impressive, much better than the B.B.C. machine.

Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024
The Charles River Data Corporation of Boston, Massachusetts, have recently given the Cambridge Relativity Group one of their new "Universe" computers. This is a 68000 based machine with a megabyte of RAM and 35 megabyte of hard disc, with its floating point board and array processing, it is equivalent in computing power to a VAX-750.
Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024
We shall use it to do numerical calculations and symbolic manipulation of equations on black holes and quantum gravity and scientific word- processing. We are planning to connect it to a printer and several personal scientific work-stations with graphic displays. We were thinking of using B.B.C. computers or I.B.M. personal computers for the work-stations.
Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024
However your new computer seems much better: it would allow to have high resolution graphic displays in colour and because it is a 68000 machine we could fairly easily transfer assembler language programmes that we had developed on the Universe computer. One of these programmes that we are working on at the moment is a Tektronix terminal emulation programme to plot graphs of functions in two and three dimensions with hidden line removal.
Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024
Would you consider donating four or five QL computers to the Relativity Group? In this way the Quantum Leap would be making a big contribution to quantum gravity. They would also be highly visible: there have been several TV programmes about the Relativity Group, the most recent being the "Horizon" programme, last October and a number of magazine articles, the most recent in this months "Readers Digest".
Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024

You might also be interested in some of the software that we shall be developing for our own purposes, like the graphics programme mentioned above.

Yours sincerely,

SJ Hawking

Stephen Hawking

Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024
Show threadTommy ÞMay 23, 2024
@Dtl This wonderful bit of history desperately begs the question: "so what happend?" Did ol' Clive dish off a handful of his latest babies to the boffin? Did he even reply?
Show threadDr David MillsMay 23, 2024
@tommythorn wish I knew. I spoke to the person displaying this last night and they hadn't found anything else as yet.
Show threadChris Gerhard Jan 6, 2025
@Dtl @tommythorn are there similar letters to acorn and IBM?
Show threadChris Gerhard Jan 6, 2025
@Dtl @tommythorn are there similar letters to acorn and IBM?
Show threadGary ParkerJul 4, 2024
@tommythorn @Dtl I was going to ask exactly the same thing! 😀
Show threadTommy ÞJul 4, 2024
@witewulf @Dtl If the popular media Clive portrayal is accurate then “no & no” but that’s exactly why any yes here would have been interesting.
Show threadDr David MillsJul 4, 2024
@tommythorn @witewulf I do wonder if there's a reply somewhere in the archive waiting to be discovered.
Show threadGary ParkerJul 4, 2024
@tommythorn @Dtl my thoughts, too
Show threadPaolo AmorosoMay 22, 2024
@Dtl Did Hawking get the QLs?
Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024
@amoroso that's not recorded in this display.
Show threadPaolo AmorosoMay 22, 2024
@Dtl Okay thanks.
Show threadBill, organizer of stuffMay 22, 2024
@Dtl I LOVED the QL. Bragged about it to friends. Carried the brochure around in school. Total fanboy. Everything about it was amazing for its time, except the stoopid tape drive!
Show threadDr David MillsMay 22, 2024
@wcbdata I had a book about one in the mid 90s. Not sure where I got it from. I finally got a QL in late 90s, but it had never worked correctly. I understand that's a feature, not a bug.
Show threadBill, organizer of stuffMay 22, 2024

@Dtl These things could _definitely_ have been better thought out:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Microdrive

ZX Microdrive - Wikipedia

Show threadPaula MaddoxMay 23, 2024
@Dtl What a BBC with the ARM sidecar?
Show threadDr David MillsMay 23, 2024
@PaulaMaddox I think this was before the ARM expansion for the BBC
Show threadeobetMay 23, 2024
@Dtl for exposure!? 😆
Show threadJ👀May 24, 2024

@Dtl

That letter is amazing. Thanks for posting!

Show threadMerry ChristmasSep 27, 2024
Why is it on Mastodon, I get to see just a few of those who I follow Toots and not others that I Follow?
Show threadHerr Irrtum! 🔊Jan 7, 2025
@Dtl

Yeah, "Hidden line removal"!!
The thing that Braben + Bell's Elite did in 1984 on the 8 bit BBCs (also mentioned) in real-time. And it was the hot shit back then!
I'm sure he played it or at least checked on others playing it! Not sure if Elite even had black holes?

In any other aspect: Considering the low end 68008 CPU (8 bit bus) and the nearly useless micro drive (endless tape cassette drives) and the fact, that the Atari ST surfaced shortly after with a real 68000 CPU at real 8 MHZ/32 Bit bus, better (but monochrome) hires options (640x400 instead of 512x256), more memory and most important comparable price tag, other than the Amiga or the Mac – which however doesn't matter when aiming for donations ;)...
Well, considering all this (which also let to the downfall of the QL soon) I imagine someone said "never mind this" and they didn't went this road.
Show threadKristoffer LawsonMar 12, 2025
@Dtl did they ever receive those QLs?