Comments on: 80 Microcomputing http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/ TRS-80.org is a source for information about the Radio Shack TRS-80 line of computers, hardware, and software, with articles, interviews, and more! Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:40:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Peter Hammer http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-42063 Peter Hammer Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:13:05 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-42063 In 7th grade, my Dad showed up one day with a TRS-80 Level 1 computer and said "this will change your life." Was he right! I loved 80 Micro and couldn't wait for the next issue to arrive! What an adventure is right. In one issue was an article about drawing a line faster in assembly language. I studied it over and over and used it as inspiration to learn Z80 assembly language and create my own library of graphics routines. Does anyone happen to know how to get a copy of it or even in which issue it was? It would be a fun walk down memory lane of a very exciting time. Many thanks in advance. In 7th grade, my Dad showed up one day with a TRS-80 Level 1 computer and said “this will change your life.” Was he right! I loved 80 Micro and couldn’t wait for the next issue to arrive! What an adventure is right.
In one issue was an article about drawing a line faster in assembly language. I studied it over and over and used it as inspiration to learn Z80 assembly language and create my own library of graphics routines. Does anyone happen to know how to get a copy of it or even in which issue it was? It would be a fun walk down memory lane of a very exciting time. Many thanks in advance.

]]> By: Roger Smith http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-39696 Roger Smith Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:30:16 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-39696 Oh, this brings back memories ... :-) I wrote several articles for 80 Micro including the series "Bugs from Outer Space" describing how to write an arcade game in assembly language. It was an exciting time. Back in those days I knew the TRS-80 inside and out. I knew everything about the computer from how information was stored on the Model III's floppy drives to what each indvidual part did on the motherboard. I could write code in machine language - for example, typing in the hex values 21 00 3C 11 01 3C 36 20 01 00 04 ED B0 (I still recall that sequence) to clear the screen. I often resorted to hand-assembled machine code to overcome the memory limits. My first TRS-80 only had 1K of free memory. When I upgraded it to 4K of total memory, tripiling the available memory to 3K, I was certain I would never find a way to use all of that memory! Oh, this brings back memories … :-)

I wrote several articles for 80 Micro including the series “Bugs from Outer Space” describing how to write an arcade game in assembly language.

It was an exciting time.

Back in those days I knew the TRS-80 inside and out. I knew everything about the computer from how information was stored on the Model III’s floppy drives to what each indvidual part did on the motherboard. I could write code in machine language – for example, typing in the hex values 21 00 3C 11 01 3C 36 20 01 00 04 ED B0 (I still recall that sequence) to clear the screen. I often resorted to hand-assembled machine code to overcome the memory limits. My first TRS-80 only had 1K of free memory. When I upgraded it to 4K of total memory, tripiling the available memory to 3K, I was certain I would never find a way to use all of that memory!

]]> By: DeWitt Shank http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-36884 DeWitt Shank Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:05:23 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-36884 I'd like to call attention to two of the most useful TRS-80 BASIC programming books ever written, both by an ingenious programmer Lewis Rosenfelder. The first is Basic Faster and Better & Other Mysteries. The second is Basic Disk I/O Faster and Better & Other Mysteries. Mr. Rosenfelder took interpreted BASIC to a whole other level of functionality. He claims to have only spent 3 years learning the content he put in these 400-some page books. Unbelieveable! I had the good fortune of communicating with him very briefly by email a few years ago. What a guy! Thanks, Mr. R., for all your fantastic help. I’d like to call attention to two of the most useful TRS-80 BASIC programming books ever written, both by an ingenious programmer Lewis Rosenfelder. The first is Basic Faster and Better & Other Mysteries. The second is Basic Disk I/O Faster and Better & Other Mysteries.

Mr. Rosenfelder took interpreted BASIC to a whole other level of functionality. He claims to have only spent 3 years learning the content he put in these 400-some page books. Unbelieveable!

I had the good fortune of communicating with him very briefly by email a few years ago. What a guy! Thanks, Mr. R., for all your fantastic help.

]]> By: Pete Olivier http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-35424 Pete Olivier Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:45:46 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-35424 I remember 80 Microcomputing with fondness. I live in the Linux O/S these days, and would love to be able to refer to some of the old program listings and articles - things like "Gabby Coot" (a colorful character monologue genrator) and the "Kitchen Table" articles. Alas, my collection was pulped in the flooding of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Gone, but not forgotten... I remember 80 Microcomputing with fondness. I live in the Linux O/S these days, and would love to be able to refer to some of the old program listings and articles – things like “Gabby Coot” (a colorful character monologue genrator) and the “Kitchen Table” articles. Alas, my collection was pulped in the flooding of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

Gone, but not forgotten…

]]> By: William C. Garretson http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-31796 William C. Garretson Thu, 19 May 2011 19:08:26 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-31796 I was always a big fan of 80 Micro, although I didn't get into computing until late 1983. I was even one of the contributing authors ("Fireworks Factory", July 1986). I have owned as many as three TRS-80 Color Computers (Two 2's and a 3), but they've conked out one by one over the years. Funny how, even though computers keep getting faster and faster, the operating systems and other software that run on them seem to get slower and slower! I'm afraid programmers by and large are just getting lazier. Furthermore, I believe that many so-called obsolete computers never really reached their full potential. Although I eventually branched out into MS-DOS computers and then Windows and Web-based work, I still miss the CoCo! I was always a big fan of 80 Micro, although I didn’t get into computing until late 1983. I was even one of the contributing authors (“Fireworks Factory”, July 1986).

I have owned as many as three TRS-80 Color Computers (Two 2′s and a 3), but they’ve conked out one by one over the years.

Funny how, even though computers keep getting faster and faster, the operating systems and other software that run on them seem to get slower and slower! I’m afraid programmers by and large are just getting lazier. Furthermore, I believe that many so-called obsolete computers never really reached their full potential.

Although I eventually branched out into MS-DOS computers and then Windows and Web-based work, I still miss the CoCo!

]]> By: Jim Perry http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-29852 Jim Perry Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:11:35 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-29852 As the "founding" editor of 80 Micro, then to depart to IJG & Exatron. last saw Bob in London about 30 years ago! Funny old world. As the “founding” editor of 80 Micro, then to depart to IJG & Exatron. last saw Bob in London about 30 years ago! Funny old world.

]]> By: Bob Liddil (AKA Captain 80) http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-26393 Bob Liddil (AKA Captain 80) Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:09:13 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-26393 Like so many other TRS-80 users of the time, I loved 80 Micro. I had the honor and rare treat of also being able to write articles and a column for my favorite magazine, as well as knowing many of the editors and other writers personally. That was a wonderful time to be young and technically alert. What an adventure! Like so many other TRS-80 users of the time, I loved 80 Micro.

I had the honor and rare treat of also being able to write articles and a column for my favorite magazine, as well as knowing many of the editors and other writers personally.

That was a wonderful time to be young and technically alert.

What an adventure!

]]> By: Michael M. T. Henderson http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-8184 Michael M. T. Henderson Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:15:50 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-8184 My very first computer was a TRS-80 Model 1, purchased in 1978, which used cassette tapes for storage of programs and data. Eventually I got an "Expansion Interface," which contained 2 5.25" floppy drives--single-sided-single density, holding about 160K each. That was great compared to the tapes. In 1980 or so I got my first hard drive, a 15mb behemoth the size of a shoebox. I still had to boot from a floppy in order to load TRSDOS, the operating system, but after that it was very fast. I skipped the 16-bit Model 2 (as most people did) and the one-piece Model 3, with 2 floppy drives built in. In 1982 I moved, with some nostalgic regret, into the DOS 3.2 world with my first IBM compatible computer, a Leading Edge machine with 640K RAM and a 30MB hard drive from which it could boot directly to the C: prompt relatively quickly. Now I'm on my fifth computer, an HP with 4g of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. It came with Vista, and I now have Win 7 on it. There are things I miss about the C: prompt and Config.sys and Autoexec, because I could easily write programs in QuickBasic or Access Basic, but in general I like Win 7. It's nice not to have to remember the difference between extended and expanded RAM, and to get away from the IDE disk connection system--even if 7 takes 5 minutes to boot. My very first computer was a TRS-80 Model 1, purchased in 1978, which used cassette tapes for storage of programs and data. Eventually I got an “Expansion Interface,” which contained 2 5.25″ floppy drives–single-sided-single density, holding about 160K each. That was great compared to the tapes. In 1980 or so I got my first hard drive, a 15mb behemoth the size of a shoebox. I still had to boot from a floppy in order to load TRSDOS, the operating system, but after that it was very fast. I skipped the 16-bit Model 2 (as most people did) and the one-piece Model 3, with 2 floppy drives built in. In 1982 I moved, with some nostalgic regret, into the DOS 3.2 world with my first IBM compatible computer, a Leading Edge machine with 640K RAM and a 30MB hard drive from which it could boot directly to the C: prompt relatively quickly. Now I’m on my fifth computer, an HP with 4g of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. It came with Vista, and I now have Win 7 on it.
There are things I miss about the C: prompt and Config.sys and Autoexec, because I could easily write programs in QuickBasic or Access Basic, but in general I like Win 7. It’s nice not to have to remember the difference between extended and expanded RAM, and to get away from the IDE disk connection system–even if 7 takes 5 minutes to boot.

]]> By: Bernadette Evans http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-206 Bernadette Evans Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:40:33 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-206 Just a quick note to say Thank You to Mr. Reed. Mr. Reed sent me a zip file with my husbands article from 1982. Thank you Mr. Reed. Bernadette Evans Just a quick note to say Thank You to Mr. Reed. Mr. Reed sent me a zip file with my husbands article from 1982.

Thank you Mr. Reed.

Bernadette Evans

]]> By: Bernadette Evans http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/comment-page-1/#comment-205 Bernadette Evans Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:23:12 +0000 http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing#comment-205 Hello folks, I am looking for somebody with a copy of 80 microcomputing, issue 30 (Mar. 1982). I would like to have a photo copy of the article my husband Bruce Evans wrote called: "VariSpeed, Put a stick shift in your 80". It is in the 'utilities' section. Thank You for any help you can give me, God Bless, Bernadette Evans Hello folks,
I am looking for somebody with a copy of 80 microcomputing, issue 30 (Mar. 1982). I would like to have a photo copy of the article my husband Bruce Evans wrote called: “VariSpeed, Put a stick shift in your 80″. It is in the ‘utilities’ section.
Thank You for any help you can give me,
God Bless,
Bernadette Evans

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