Jupiter ACE
Released:April 1983
Price:UK £89.95
US $149.95
CPU:Z80 @ 3.25 MHz
RAM:3K
Ports:user port
expansion (RAM) port
Display:32 X 24 text
TV out - channel 36
Strorage:cassette interface
OS:FORTH in ROM




Probably the fastest microcomputer in the universe!

The Ace is set apart from all other personal computers on the market by its use of a revolutionary language called "FORTH".

Some computer languages are easy for humans to understand, others are easy for computers, FORTH is most unusual in being both. Its underlying principles are so simple that it takes even a newcomer to computers only a few minutes to learn how to do calculations on the Ace, yet the very same principles are powerful enough to allow you to invent your own extensions to the language itself.

FORTH's unique combination of speed, versatility and ease of programming has already made it a prime choice for professional applications as diverse as pub games and radio telescopes, and gained it an enthusiastic national user group. Now the Jupiter Ace can bring this addictive language into your home.

(Source: Jupiter Ace advertisement)

The Jupiter ACE is possibly the only microcomputer ever released which has the "Forth" computer language built-in. Most other micro- or personal- computers had BASIC or CP/M as their default language.

The ACE was manufactured by Jupiter Cantab from England in 1983. It was designed by two ex-Sinclair Research employees, Steven Vickers and Richard Altwasser, who earlier worked on the Sinclair ZX-80 and ZX-81, as well as the Spectrum.

Following the development of the Spectrum, they set up their own company - Jupiter Cantab (Cantab is short for Cantabridgian, e.g. of Cambridge) in 1981. Their first and only system was the Jupiter Ace. It was sold in the US as the Jupiter ACE 4000, but it was still the same computer.

Unfortunately, the ACE wasn't very popular, and Jupiter Cantab went bankrupt only seven months later in November 1983.



Related Links

  • Jupiter ACE FAQ from Paul Robson's Emulator Pages
  • The Jupiter Ace hardware page
  • Jupiter ACE from old-computers.com
  • Evaluation from Classic Computer Magazine Archive
  • Jupiter-Ace Resource Site



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