KT>>> I personally am the original owner of a TRS-80 model 1 with
16K of RAM,

 BK>>  Mine had 4K originally. I ordered a 16K set for $165.
 BK>>  Immediately thereafter the price dropped 50% and I cancelled my
 BK>>  order.

 BK>>  See the tagline.

 DD> I never wrote original programs for the TRS-80. But, I did
 DD> for the C=64. In assembler even. Then the Amiga came out
 DD> and I got a look at the instruction set for the Motorola
 DD> 68K CPU ... and ran screaming for the exits.  Bv)=

 I originally bought mine to balance the checkbook. Let's just
 say my late wife was a bit math impaired. So I wrote a check
 book program. It was a lot of work to enter all the numbers, but
 once done all the errors showed up immediately.

 Ok, I wanted it anyway. That was my excuse.

 BK>>  ...

 DD>> My first "store-bought" computer was a TRS-80 model 1 --
 DD>> Level 2. Does yours have the Saran-Wrap keyboard mod to cut
 DD>> down on k-k-k-ke-e-ey-y b-b-bounc-ce?

 BK>>  There was a keyboard fix. Software change in the timing.

 DD> Oh. Wish I'd know of that when I was fitting all those
 DD> clingy, staticky, fiddly Saran Wrap bits. Would have save
 DD> lots of frustration and blistering of the paint with the
 DD> language shouted at the keyboard.

 Yeah. I learned assembly and machine language on the 8080 in a
 class I took at the U of Toledo. The Z-80 was about 97% the
 same. Then I rewrote the IO routines for the Mod 1, made it work
 a lot like the Mod III. That and sped up the operation a small
 amount. It was amazing how much more you could squeeze into the
 ROM. Oh, I had a burner then for EProms. Used a company black
 light to erase them.

 In the class I started programming in machine language, using
 toggle switches, on Imsai and Altair machines. Not terribly
 useful training, but a very interesting experience. What we
 learned from that was a bit about how computers really work, one
 bit at a time.

 Oh, and I put 48K ram inside the keyboard, and doubled the speed
 of the clock. All my own designs, and all after it was already
 obsolete.

 Which led to a philosophical insight...no technology is ever
 developed to it's highest potential until after it's obsolete.

 That expands to..."No human system ever reaches it's highest
 development until after it's obsolete".

 Look at fencing. Long obsolete as a training for war, and far
 more hightly developed today than when it was used for war.



 DD> ... In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as
 DD> algebra - F Leibowitz
 DD> --- MultiMail/Win32

BOB KLAHN bob.klahn{at}sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

... I have a firm grip on reality.  Now I can strangle it!
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