Sir Clive Sinclair talks ZX Spectrum, electric cars and the UK tech scene

"Yes, we've certainly gone backwards"

Sir Clive Sinclair should be no stranger to Computing readers.

A pioneering mind in the UK technology scene, Sir Clive Sinclair was responsible for one of the first truly mass-market personal computers as well as the "revolution in personal transport" in the form of the much-derided Sinclair C5.

Here, hot on the heels of launching a handheld version of his classic ZX Spectrum computer, Sir Clive speaks to us exclusively about some of his technological achievements, as well as sharing his views on the development of the UK technology scene since his heyday.

Computing: The Spectrum inspired a generation of bedroom coders, launching the UK software industry in the process. Have we now gone backwards in terms of the numbers of kids learning about programming, and how do you feel about that?

Yes, we've certainly gone backwards. In the 1980s Britain was the world leader in coding for children, and the government should have put computing on the school syllabus then, not wait decades to do it. I feel very sad that it happened that way. We could now still be a world leader, but many other countries have embraced coding and IT in their education systems considerably more than we have done.

Did you ever envisage that the Spectrum range would turn out to be as popular, and enduring as it has been? How do you feel about its ongoing legacy?

In those days, I wasn't thinking at all about its endurance, only about creating a product that I believed would be very popular with consumers.

I'm pleased that it remained as popular as it has done, for example in the USSR and Russia, the Spectrum (and its clones) was the most popular computer for ages, even well into the era of the PC. Nowadays there remain enthusiastic user groups in some countries, most notably the UK of course, with the World of Spectrum web site, and we have seen that the Spectrum Vega has caused quite a stir, so I'm quite proud of all that.

Which particular programming languages do you think UK children should be learning today?

I haven't been keeping bang up-to-date with all the many languages which have materialized since the 1980s, but from what I've read I would still say that BASIC takes a lot of beating. It's so simple to learn and to use, and yet it can be quite powerful.

Do you believe the UK government is doing enough to promote the technology industry and plug the skills gap through initiatives such as Tech City and tax breaks? Could it do more?

Unfortunately, our government has never devoted anything like sufficient money and other resources to IT, with the result that countries such as Singapore, Korea, Japan and China are probably the world leaders today, and of course India has many millions of coders and IT specialists who market their skills widely on the internet.

One of the reasons is that we never seem to have any scientists in the Cabinet. The last time I checked - during the coalition government - there wasn't a single science graduate in the Cabinet. I don't know if that's still the case today but it wouldn't surprise me. How can our country hope to capitalise on the scientific and technological skills of our people if there aren't a goodly number of scientists at Cabinet level? In an era when science and technology are so terribly important, it's a ludicrous situation.

What do you think of today's home computing devices? Are you a tablet/hybrid tablet fan? What sort of home computing devices do you think we'll be using in the next five years?

I think it's quite well known that I don't own or use a computer. And as I said in a BBC TV interview a year or so ago, if I did use one I would forever be thinking of ways to improve it. As to what type of computing devices we'll be using in five years - with miniaturisation (Moore's Law) continuing we will see no end of clever electronic products incorporating all kinds of artificial intelligence.

How do you feel now that electric cars, which you helped to pioneer, are on the verge of becoming mainstream? And where do you see transport going in the future?

Naturally, I'm pleased that my vision has turned out to be correct. And with so much money and effort being pumped into the discovery of new battery technologies, I'm certain that battery-driven cars are the future of motoring, and self-drive, of course.

How easy was it for you to find technically skilled staff to help design computers back in the late-1970s/early 1980s?

Being in Cambridge helped a lot. And in those days there were already a lot of very bright techies in the UK.

Do you feel it has become easier - or harder - to get new technical products manufactured today?

Both easier and harder. Easier because the cost of taking a product to manufacture has come down, relatively speaking, with the help of technologies such as 3D printing. But harder because there are so many new products being launched each year that the competition is much stiffer than it was in the 1980s.

And finally... What did you think when Amstrad introduced the CPC-464 [Sir Alan Sugar's company would eventually acquire manufacturing and distribution rights to Sinclair machines]?

I don't recall exactly what I thought. But I don't recall it having a big effect on me.