7 Feb
2002
7 Feb
'02
6:06 p.m.
Hi. I think I'm gonna snatch a TRS-80 at work. I was going to ask
opinions about whether the 4D or the 4P is the better choice, and I
guess I am listening, but I think the Desktop is just too cute not to
have.
I think it's unmodified, with 2 floppies and no peripherals that I've
found. Case looks excellent, keyboard is all there and legible. What
should I be looking for, both in the way of problems and externals?
I know there diagnostics disks or boot floppies available in .dsk
format, from playing around with xtrs. Can I reliably wite them to
floppy on PC? The FAQ says Tony Duell's utility is "convenient...if
you can get it to work". ??? Does that just mean "if the operator has
a clue"?
Should I just leave the thing on the shelf?
And the burning question of the day:
But will it run Unix?
Doc
8 Feb
8 Feb
6:51 a.m.
On Thu, 7 Feb 2002, Doc Shipley wrote:
Hi. I think I'm gonna snatch a TRS-80 at work.
I was going to ask
opinions about whether the 4D or the 4P is the better choice, and I
guess I am listening, but I think the Desktop is just too cute not to
have.
Can't you get BOTH?
The 4P is far more collectible, but the 4D has more room inside for adding
additional stuff. For example, most hard disks for them are external,
but I've seen 5 and 10 Meg ones shoehorned in.
I think it's unmodified, with 2 floppies and no
peripherals that I've
found. Case looks excellent, keyboard is all there and legible. What
should I be looking for, both in the way of problems and externals?
I know there diagnostics disks or boot floppies available in .dsk
format, from playing around with xtrs. Can I reliably wite them to
floppy on PC? The FAQ says Tony Duell's utility is "convenient...if
you can get it to work". ??? Does that just mean "if the operator has
a clue"?
It IS possible to write certain kinds of boot disks for it with a
PC.
But there also exist some disk formats that it can deal with that the PC
can not, including some copy protection.
Should I just leave the thing on the shelf?
Always use it on a sturdy desk or shelf. It is too heavy for lap use.
And the burning question of the day:
But will it run Unix?
Sure. You have two choices:
Run ST-80D or equivalent terminal program and connect it directly or
through modem to a Unix host.
Or, ...
just modify the Linux kernel to run with a Z80, 64K RAM, and floppies
instead of hard disk. Might be difficult, but there have been stranger
ports.
But CP/M 3.0 (aka "CP/M Plus") is a supported OS for it, along with LDOS
(Marketed as TRS-DOS 6?), NewDos80, DosPlus, etc.
12:33 p.m.
New subject: Att'n Dave McG Re: TRS-80 4D boot/diagnostics floppies
On Fri, 8 Feb 2002, Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote:
Dave, you've been upstaged. *That* was funny.
Doc
On Thu, 7 Feb 2002, Doc Shipley wrote:
The more I think about it, the more I think I have to.
Hi. I think I'm gonna snatch a TRS-80 at
work. I was going to ask
opinions about whether the 4D or the 4P is the better choice, and I
guess I am listening, but I think the Desktop is just too cute not to
have.
Can't you get BOTH? It IS possible to write certain kinds of boot disks
for it with a PC.
But there also exist some disk formats that it can deal with that the PC
can not, including some copy protection.
Any comments on Tony's TRS disk utilities[for Linux]? trsfmt &
diskdmp? The readme looks simple & straightforward.
Should I
just leave the thing on the shelf?
Always use it on a sturdy desk or shelf. It is too heavy for lap use. 
10:45 a.m.
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ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
cisin＠xenosoft.com -
doc＠mdrconsult.com