Saturday, July 15, 2006

7/12/06 Ooopsie, Dept.

Occasionally an auction comes that's funny... or sad... or funny and sad... I use to try to help out by sending corrections to folks that did this sort of stuff, but they always got snippy. So now I just keep my mouth shut. Well, not entirely shut. :)

Tandy TRS-80 64K Color Computer 2 Plus Extra Stuff

This CoCo 2 runs Level 2 BASIC and comes with the Model I/III game packs! Woo hoo! Um, no. Er... well, the seller does mention that the tapes are untested. Good thing, I suppose.

The Catch: The CoCo can't run Level 1 or 2 BASIC tapes, or anything else written for the TRS-80 Models I and III (or II, for that matter). The CoCo uses Microsoft Color BASIC, which is a different animal than the Level II BASIC the Model I and III use. The CoCo also uses the Motorola 6809 microprocessor, the Model I/IIIs used the Zilog Z80 chip. Very, very different beasts. Some BASIC programs could probably be converted with a bit of elbow grease, but not binary programs. Tapes made for the I/III will not work on the CoCo.

If you've got a Model I or III and want a CoCo as well (consider it an upgrade :P) this might be worth while. If you're just buying for the CoCo stuff, though, be aware there's a few odd birds mixed in there that don't belong.

Angel's Luck,
Capt.

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