<s>
Hobbit	B-Device
(	O
Russian	O
:	O
Хоббит	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
Soviet/Russian	O
8-bit	O
home	O
computer	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
hardware	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
Sinclair	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
it	O
also	O
featured	O
CP/M	B-Application
,	O
Forth	B-Application
or	O
LOGO	B-Device
modes	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Forth	B-Application
or	O
LOGO	B-Device
operating	O
environment	O
residing	O
in	O
an	O
on-board	O
ROM	B-Device
chip	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hobbit	B-Device
was	O
invented	O
by	O
Dmitry	O
Mikhailov	O
(	O
Russian	O
:	O
Дмитрий	O
Михайлов	O
)	O
(	O
all	O
R&D	O
)	O
and	O
Mikhail	O
Osetinskii	O
(	O
Russian	O
:	O
Михаил	O
Осетинский	O
)	O
(	O
management	O
)	O
in	O
Leningrad	B-Device
,	O
Russia	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
circuit	O
layout	O
was	O
designed	O
on	O
a	O
home-made	O
computer	O
(	O
built	O
in	O
1979	O
using	O
ASMP	O
of	O
three	O
KR580	O
chips	O
-	O
Soviet	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
8080	I-General_Concept
clones	O
)	O
,	O
also	O
created	O
by	O
Dmitry	O
Mikhailov	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hobbit	B-Device
was	O
marketed	O
in	O
the	O
former	O
Soviet	O
Union	O
as	O
a	O
low-cost	O
personal	O
computer	O
solution	O
for	O
basic	O
educational	O
and	O
office	O
needs	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
its	O
obvious	O
use	O
as	O
a	O
home	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Schools	O
would	O
use	O
it	O
on	O
the	O
classrooms	O
,	O
interconnecting	O
several	O
machines	O
and	O
forming	O
a	O
56K	O
baud	O
network	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
possible	O
to	O
use	O
another	O
Hobbit	B-Device
or	O
a	O
IBM	O
PC	O
compatible	O
with	O
a	O
special	O
Hobbit	B-Device
network	B-Protocol
adapter	I-Protocol
card	I-Protocol
by	O
InterCompex	O
as	O
a	O
master	B-Operating_System
host	O
on	O
the	O
network	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Hobbit	B-Device
was	O
also	O
briefly	O
marketed	O
in	O
the	O
U.K.	O
,	O
targeted	O
mainly	O
at	O
the	O
existing	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
fans	O
wanting	O
a	O
more	O
advanced	O
computer	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
familiar	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
mentioned	O
on	O
Your	O
Sinclair	O
September	O
1990	O
and	O
January	O
1991	O
issues	O
;	O
Crash	O
April	O
1992	O
issue	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
Sinclair	O
User	O
August	O
and	O
September	O
1992	O
issues	O
,	O
highlighting	O
the	O
available	O
Forth	B-Application
language	I-Application
and	O
CP/M	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
rarely	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
domestic	O
market	O
,	O
export	O
models	O
featured	O
an	O
internal	O
3.5	B-Device
"	I-Device
drive	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
contemporary	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
or	O
Amiga	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
models	O
had	O
both	O
EGA	B-Device
and	O
composite	O
TV	O
output	O
connectors	O
operational	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
AY8910	B-Device
sound	O
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AY8910	B-Device
chip	O
for	O
the	O
domestic	O
models	O
was	O
sold	O
separately	O
as	O
an	O
external	O
extension	O
module	O
,	O
hanging	O
off	O
the	O
same	O
extension	B-General_Concept
bus	I-General_Concept
as	O
the	O
optional	O
external	O
disk	O
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
featured	O
32KB	O
of	O
cache	O
memory	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
dedicated	O
to	O
a	O
video	O
text	O
buffer	O
in	O
CGA	B-Device
mode	O
(	O
only	O
supported	O
by	O
drivers	O
in	O
the	O
FORTH	B-Application
or	O
the	O
CP/M	B-Application
environments	O
;	O
no	O
known	O
programs	O
using	O
the	O
Sinclair-based	O
BASIC	O
mode	O
used	O
this	O
feature	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SME	O
was	O
capable	O
of	O
rendering	O
several	O
dozens	O
of	O
windows	O
per	O
second	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
capabilities	O
were	O
fully	O
utilized	O
only	O
in	O
the	O
Forth	B-Application
environment	O
.	O
</s>
