zx spectrum this side of the pond did the same. it worked for a number of reasons, some of which are mentioned in the post.

1) a computer was perceived as educational. even if it was for games. 2) games were so much cheaper. and could be copied so easily with 2 cassette recorders. 3) there were tv shows here on home computing showing how to use/setup/program to get kids interested. 4) they were cheaper. the zx spectrum had many faults (glares at rubber keyboard) but it was cheap. anyone could get one. and as people upgraded 2nd hand units came along even cheaper. 5) monthly magazine gave away free games to type in and later included on cassettes taped to the cover. 6) schools had some of these home computers and created instant support groups if you bought one that gave you access to help, support, games, software.

perhaps it was a system that different names in different countries/markets? would you have a pic of the system or the keyboard?

what i liked about crt's was the toughness. you could slap, punch or hit the glass tube and the screen would be fine. there were so many pics of screens destroyed by nintendo wii controllers that would have bounced off a crt. even pointing out numbers on a spreadsheet can cause a modern screen to be damaged if it's not done carefully. and of course all the cats miss the warm shelf they could sleep on while they watched their human work. :-)

same, i'd love one but just don't have the space for another computer in a tiny space. will just have to stick with speccy emulators. but as soon as i have the space i'll get one in a heartbeat.

as a speccy user all things clive sinclair were to be oooohed and aaaaahed over in the 80s. even things like the c5 and micro drives which weren't successful they still showed an early attempt at things we take for granted now like usb sticks and tiny electrical vehicles which surround us.

some of the ideas that didn't make it off the drawing board were his transputer to get back into the computer market and his later ebikes which never took off as he hoped.

will just have to rewatch micro men https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXBxV6-zamM to remember someone who helped put computers into the hands of everyone by making them so very cheap.

it's good to know that the luggable class still exists. :-)

https://liliputing.com/a-xp-portable-threadripper-workstatio.../

the original zx80 had 1k of ram so it was a way to save a lot of space for code.

i had a zx +2 and wrote code on it in basic. the extra commands the 128k basic had allowed you to swap data in and out of the extra ram. it was still an antiquated basic compared to basics like the bbc or the amstrad cpc's which where around at the same time. but it was cheaper and had a massive user base. so much more software available.

if i could buy a brand new palm now i'd buy one in heartbeat. preferably with mini-sd slot for storage. bt for syncing instead of a cable. and b&w instead of colour so i can use it outdoors in bright light which the colour ones were awful at. even modern phones in an irish summer can be hard to read.

of course if you want to store about 200k per a4 page then try http://ronja.twibright.com/optar/