Fuse (emulator)
Encyclopedia
The Free Unix Spectrum Emulator (Fuse) is an emulator
of the 1980s ZX Spectrum
home computer and its various clones for Unix
, Windows
and Mac OS X
. Fuse is free software
, released under the GNU General Public License
. There are ports of Fuse to several platforms including GP2X
, Playstation 3
, PlayStation Portable
, Wii
and the Nokia N810
.
The project was started in 1999 and is still under development . It has been recognised as one of the most full-featured and accurate Spectrum emulators available for Linux , and portions of its code have been ported and adapted for use in other free software projects such as the Sprinter
emulator SPRINT and the ZX81
emulator EightyOne.
Development of Fuse places high importance on accurately emulating the timings of the Spectrum to recreate such effects as multicolour graphics
, and this effort has in turn resulted in previously unknown hardware behaviour becoming documented for the first time.
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
of the 1980s ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
home computer and its various clones for Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
, Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
. Fuse is free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
, released under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
. There are ports of Fuse to several platforms including GP2X
GP2X
The GP2X is an open-source, Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on November 10, 2005, in South Korea only....
, Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and the Nokia N810
Nokia N810
The Nokia N810 Internet tablet is an Internet appliance from Nokia, announced on 17 October, 2007 at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. Despite Nokia's strong association with cellular products, the N810 is not a phone, but instead allows the user to browse the Internet and communicate using...
.
The project was started in 1999 and is still under development . It has been recognised as one of the most full-featured and accurate Spectrum emulators available for Linux , and portions of its code have been ported and adapted for use in other free software projects such as the Sprinter
Sprinter (computer)
The Sprinter is a microcomputer made by Russian Peters Plus, Ltd.; it is the last model of ZX Spectrum being produced in a factory. It's built using what the company calls a "Flex architecture"...
emulator SPRINT and the ZX81
Sinclair ZX81
The ZX81 was a home computer produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Scotland by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and was designed to be a low-cost introduction to home computing for the general public...
emulator EightyOne.
Development of Fuse places high importance on accurately emulating the timings of the Spectrum to recreate such effects as multicolour graphics
ZX Spectrum graphic modes
The ZX Spectrum is generally considered to have limited graphical capabilities in comparison to other home computers of the same era such as the Commodore 64, largely due to its lack of a dedicated graphics chip...
, and this effort has in turn resulted in previously unknown hardware behaviour becoming documented for the first time.