GoSpeccy vs JNEXT

GoSpeccy is a free ZX Spectrum 48K emulator written in Go for Linux. It provides almost complete Zilog Z80 emulation and uses a concurrent architecture. The emulator loads 48K SNA and Z80 snapshots, reads TAP tape files, accelerates tape loading, and opens ZIP files. A beeper and initial Kempston joystick support cover listed audio and input needs. Its SDL display backend offers a 2x scaler and fullscreen mode, while an on-screen console provides interactive controls. A command-line option can search World of Spectrum for a program and start it. The freely distributable Spectrum 48K system ROM is included, but copyrighted games and programs are not. Installation uses Go’s command line and the gospeccy command. The MIT-style license permits use, copying, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and sale under its conditions. Listed outstanding work includes memory and I/O contention bugs, limited file-format support, and missing tape saving.

JNEXT is a free, open-source emulator for ZX Spectrum software, with developer-oriented debugging and automation tools. It emulates 48K, 128K, +2A/+3, and ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2 machines. The debugger offers hardware views, registers, breakpoints, and backward execution; headless mode and deterministic screenshots support CI testing. Supported files include NEX, SNA, SZX, Z80, TAP, TZX, WAV, and RZX. Emulated audio includes three AY chips, a DAC, and a beeper, and supported peripherals include DivMMC, DMA, USB gamepads, and an ESP-01 WiFi module; networking is off by default. On first run, JNEXT can download the official NextZXOS SD-card image if none is configured. The original and working images together use about 2 GB of disk space. Packages are offered for Linux, Windows, and macOS under GPLv3. The project remains under development, and extreme cycle-exactness is not a goal. The Windows executable is not code-signed, and the macOS app is not notarized, affecting their first-launch warnings or blocking behavior.