TI-99/4A

What hackers pick instead

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• ZX SpectrumA 1980s home computer many people learned BASIC programming and games on, praised for its quirks and repairable boards. Critics point to rubber keys and colour clash.31recommend
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• Sinclair ZX81A cheap 1k home computer that imposed no artificial limits and got many people started in programming. Critics find its keyboard hard to use and its tape loading unreliable.18recommend

Every quote

The 35 most detailed of 40 comments. Each links to the original.

1. TI's implementation of the concept in that particular cost-optimised home computer was pretty bad

   Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

2. the 99/4a was brutally hobbled by some bizarre design choices that nerfed its performance

   Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

3. The included manual for programming BASIC was extremely well written

   Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

4. I LOVE the Ti99/4a, its one of the first computers I ever used.

   Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

5. I suddenly remembered why I loved programming to begin with

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Recreational Programming”

6. I love reading about classic machines like the TI 99/4A.

   Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

7. the 16kb of working memory is going to be a struggle

   Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

8. Really brilliant system, turtles all the way down.

   Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “The Port I couldn't Ship”

9. What impresses me about the TI 99/4A is that PLATO

   Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC”

10. maximum love to the weird uncle of home computing

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

11. so limited even for the era, but still iconic

    Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

12. This was my first computer too! I loved it

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

13. Lots of memories learning programming

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

14. it made me what I am today!

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

15. It gets worse because the TI99 only has 256 bytes of RAM directly addressable on its 16-bit bus.

    Criticizes · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

16. it was designed as a game console and tried to pass up as a computer

    Criticizes · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

17. makes the system probably the least capable machine of the era

    Criticizes · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

18. know of the limitations of its weird design

    Criticizes · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

19. The company sounds like a complete disaster. No, there was no arrogant strategy. There was no strategy.

    Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “The Home Computer Hybrids”

20. The TI-99 is such a perfect fit for this too given the chip was designed for multi-user computing

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

21. turning it on and getting a BASIC prompt was real cool. never could save anything, though.

    Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

22. Though fun, it doesn't get used very much unless I'm playing old game cartridges.

    Mixed · Aug 2026 · in “TI-74 Basicalc”

23. Tape save and load seemed pretty reasonable on our system.

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

24. they still work as well as they did in the '80s

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

25. What a mercurial beast of thing that was.

    Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

26. It worked out pretty well really.

    Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

27. Unfortunately, no cassette drive.

    Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

28. So it is not easy to program.

    Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

29. why pick the more expensive, state of the art 16-bit CPU* that you're getting little or no benefit from

    Criticizes · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

30. it was a lot better than the keyboard on its predecessor, the TI-99/4 (no 'A')

    Criticizes · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

31. a drop in the bucket compared to my friend's Apple ][. Alas.

    Criticizes · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

32. Just use a Z80 instead of whatever mess they were using.

    Criticizes · Jan 2026 · in “TI-99/4A: Leaning More on the Firmware”

33. had a nerfed BASIC that was not only very slow

    Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “I Owe My Life to the Commodore 64”

34. The TI's keyboard wasn't great either

    Criticizes · Feb 2026 · in “UNIX99, a UNIX-like OS for the TI-99/4A”

35. It solved the issues of the 99/4a

    Criticizes · Mar 2026 · in “AMD Am386 released March 2, 1991”