[net.micro.6809] Question on the Dragon computer

ravi@eneevax.UUCP (05/05/84)

In recent byte magazines I have seen advertised the Dragon computer for
$139.  It supposedly has 64k, a serial port and a centronics parallel
port.  It also comes with basic, and a data base,spreadsheet,word
processing package.  The micro it uses is a 6809.  Does anybody have
any information on this computer, either positive or negative? It looks
like it would be a great software development tool for the vectrex as
well as a decent standalone computer comparable to the coco or c64.

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dyer@wivax.UUCP (Stephen Dyer) (05/11/84)

As far as I can tell, the Tano Dragon 64 is a CoCo clone, first introduced
in G. Britain, and introduced to the US in the past year.  Its Microsoft
BASIC is compatible with the CoCo's, but ROM locations are not always
identical, and it tokenizes BASIC programs differently (a deliberate
Microsoft incompatibility, in my mind) so that binary cassette files 
created on the CoCo are not readable.

Unlike the CoCo, it multiplexes the keyboard PIA to provide a parallel
printer port, and supplies a real ACIA-based RS232 port, and composite
video output, all of which are conspicuously absent on the CoCo, which
has only a single serial bit-banger PIA and an RF TV output.  The Dragon
also allows all 64K to be used without disk--a simple "exec" turns on all
64K RAM, relocates the ROM code, and thus provides 48K usable program space
(as opposed to 32K ROM/32K RAM standard.)

They had advertised a disk system, but I didn't know much about it.
The Nelson Software "VIP" series of software were to be included with
it.  I am not sure if it can support Radio Shack OS-9 off the shelf
(excluding the obvious differences of the parallel and serial ports.)

All, in all, it seemed like a very good competitor to the Radio Shack
CoCo.  Unfortunately, Radio Shack dropped its price of the 64K CoCo
to $220, undercutting Tano enormously, to such a point that it simply
could not make it in the market.  I have heard that Tano is no longer
selling the Dragon in the US, so your $139 Dragon may or may not be a good
deal, depending on what your needs are.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
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