TRS-80 Disk and Other Mysteries
| Title | TRS-80 Disk and Other Mysteries |
|---|---|
| Author | Harvard C. Pennington |
| Publisher | International Jewelry Guild, Inc. |
| Publication Date | 1979 |
| Pages | 132 |
| ISBN | 0-936200-00-6 |
One of the most popular books for the TRS-80 was TRS-80 Disk and Other Mysteries by Harvard C. Pennington. Published by International Jewelry Guild for $22.95, it quickly sold out two printings before arrival. It was acclaimed as “the definitive work on the TRS-80 disk system” and valued as a standard reference.
Pennington was an early adopter of the TRS-80 Model I and covered a variety of topics including disk systems, programming, and personal views on Radio Shack. The book included detailed discussions of file systems, troubleshooting disk problems, and unique insights.
The book explains disk organization, allocation, troubleshooting, and tools for managing files.
An appendix contains an amusing list of “Murphy’s Law” corollaries including Pennington’s Observation: “The probability that a given program will perform to expectations is inversely proportional to the programmer's confidence.”
“Electric Pencil” bugs and other snafus are addressed.
The book was produced entirely on a TRS-80 using digital tools of the time. Pennington’s background in illustration added a personal style to the book. Despite some criticism of its style, many readers praised its informative and engaging tone.
The success of the book led to the popular “... and Other Mysteries” series including the well-known The Custom TRS-80 and Other Mysteries.
International Jewelry Guild transitioned fully to publishing, selling millions of books by 1983.
- Note: The book did not contain a partial disassembly of the Level II ROM; later books like Microsoft BASIC Decoded and Other Mysteries had such material.
Categories: Books