BBC Micro, ancestor to ARM

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

BBC Micro → ARM Lineage

  • Thread clarifies the missing context: Acorn built the BBC Micro, then designed the Acorn RISC Machine (ARM), which now underpins most phones.
  • Some see (BBC Micro, Acorn, ARM) as analogous to (IBM PC, IBM/Intel, x86), with BBC’s educational role similar to Apple II in US schools.
  • Others argue the analogy is weak because the BBC Micro used a 6502, not ARM, and the direct “ancestor of your phone” claim is overstated.
  • Counterpoint: same core people, same company, BBCs were used to simulate and host early ARM development boards; several commenters assert “no BBC Micro, no ARM.”

CPU Lineages and Backward Compatibility

  • Long subthread on x86 lineage: 8080→8086→8088→modern x86, with extensive binary continuity despite big microarchitectural changes.
  • Contrast drawn with 6502/65C816 and Motorola/Zilog families; Datapoint 2200 repeatedly cited as an important upstream influence.
  • Some emphasize that modern x86 still boots DOS binaries; others note early instruction sets and bus widths make “commonality” debatable.

Archimedes, RISC OS, and Market Failure

  • Debate on how much the Archimedes was a “BBC Micro on steroids”: not hardware-compatible, but BBC BASIC, MOS→RISC OS, and conceptual similarity to 6502 gave strong continuity for developers.
  • Disagreement on branding: some remember it as BBC-endorsed but distinct, others say it was never really sold as a “BBC Micro.”
  • Mixed views on commercial impact:
    • One side: Acorn “dropped the ball” vs Amiga/ST/PCs; RISC OS underpowered and lacked apps.
    • Other side: Acorn successfully pivoted; ARM (ex‑Acorn CPU group) now dominates global CPU shipments, so strategically they excelled.

Representation and Sophie Wilson

  • Several comments note that both the article and the TV docudrama Micro Men underplay Sophie Wilson’s central role in ARM and BBC BASIC.
  • Extended discussion on deadnaming, how to refer to historical periods vs current names, and broader concerns about erasure of trans women’s contributions to computing.

Nostalgia and Programming Experience

  • Multiple reminiscences: school BBCs, prototype units, early Archimedes demos, and commercial/homebrew games.
  • BBC BASIC is praised for inline assembly, firmware calls, and ease of low-level experimentation, seen as pivotal in teaching structured programming and hardware hacking.