ins_asac@jhunix.UUCP (Stephan Alexa Cooper) (12/19/85)
Sorry to post this, but I got a query a while back asking for a list of IBM PC programs that Do NOT run on the Tandy 1000. Here is a summary: (note - this list was compiled from other sources, I did not write this, just put it together from other people's replies): Tandy 1000 ========== RE: its compatibily, It is quite compatible up to a point: I have found that several games fail to start up (the original version of the diskette) which indicates problems with the floppy disk controller. I looked at the schematic diagrams of the t1000 and the XT controller and they are quite different - the Tandy uses a couple of PAL's and large devices while the XT controller uses a lot of TTL MSI. Not having a hardware ref manual for t1000, I don't know if the t1000 emulates the XT controller to a high degree but I doubt it. Something which annoyed me considerably more: expansion cards of the right size (10'' or less) don't quite fit: part of the IBM-PC form factor is a little tab in the end of the metal plate used to hold the card to the chassis. Well the t1000 motherboard is flat against the chassis not having any space for the tab. There are two solutions: cut the tab or remove the metal plate. I removed the plate of a RS232 card (because of the warranty) but that is not a very good solution because then the card wobles. Not wanting to give a bad opinion of the machine, I fully recommend it. It works very well, generates little noise, it has a small footprint, it is cute, and I think it is great. As someone said, it is what the PCjr should have been. Price/performance-wise, if you buy it through the mail, it is unbeatable. ----- > I'm thinking on buying one of these, but I wonder > how compatible it is with an IBM/PC. > Can you buy expansion cards and plug them in? > Can you put an 8087? What about software: would > it run DBase III, Symphony, etc? The machine is a cross between the PC and the jr. One BIG compat. problem has to do with DMA. The base machine has none, but the memory cards add DMA circuitry. The as a result, you can not use any add-in cards with memory unless you have first added a tandy memory card. since the machine only has 3 slots, this is a pain (tandy has no multi-function card for this beast last time I checked.) The keyboard is a bit different. (BTW - they don't have a scroll lock key, which some packages want (like 1-2-3), but there is a key combo that emulate it, I forget which). As a guide to compatibility, Lotus 1-2-3's IBM version can be made to run on the machine (not well, but functional). However, the hassles/ problems were significant enough that a migration for the tandy was done. With the current price trends for the IBM PC, why not wait until the next round of price cuts (this fall?? if you believe S.Katt) and get a 'fully compatible unit' :-). ----- > as a result, you can not use any add-in cards with > memory unless you have first added a tandy memory card. since the machine > only has 3 slots, this is a pain (tandy has no multi-function card for > this... However, there are third party memory boards that DO work. The one I have (an MFB1000, by PBJ(tm)) is one such card. It comes with a clock, the capacity for 512K more, and an RS232 port. The machine itself has a built in printer port, so I still have two slots left (and I have 640K, a printer port, and an RS232 and a clock). This is definitely NOT a pain (This is definitely NOT a flame, either...just an explanation.) > The keyboard is a bit different. (BTW - they don't have a scroll lock key, > which some packages want (like 1-2-3), but there is a key combo that emulate > it, I forget which). > With the current price trends for the IBM PC, why not wait until > the next round of price cuts (this fall?? if you believe S.Katt) > and get a 'fully compatible unit' :-). I would recommend the T1000, as it is (and probably always will be, less expensive, especially if not bought from a Radio Shack store, but from a warehouse or computer outlet). ----- A couple of weeks ago, I posted an inquiry to the net asking for what software people knew would not run on a Tandy 1000. At that time, I promised a summary of responses; well, this is it. Six people responded to the original article. Unfortunately, most of the replies were from people considering the Tandy, rather than from owners. Nevertheless, a small list of software did evolve: Alphabet Zoo- IBM Version (Spinnaker) Buzzard Bait (Sirius) Mastertype (Scarborough Software) Math Blaster (Davidson & Associates) Murder by the Dozen (CBS Software) CopyIIpc PCWRIT Prowriter utilities (C. Itoh) Telios (seems to talk to the modem, but won't let me in on the conversation.) PC-VT Notes: The programs are arranged as follows: the first group are game/educational programs, second are copy programs, third are utilities, and last are communications programs. According to reports, there is one problem with hardware compatibility, the length of the board. The 1000 is designed to take boards up to 10.5" long. Unfortunately, many popular boards exceed that length. Any board which will fit in the short slot of the XT or in the Portable PC should be right at home in the Tandy. -- Steve Cooper Johns Hopkins University Homewood Computing Center ...!seismo!umcp-cs!jhunix!ins_asac ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "But it was just fantasy "When I was a child, I had a fever The wall was too high My hands felt just like two balloons, as you can see... Now I've got that feeling once again no matter how he tried I can't explain he could not break free You would not understand and the worms ate into his brain." his is not how I am..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
john@moncol.UUCP (John Ruschmeyer) (12/23/85)
>From: ins_asac@jhunix.UUCP (Stephan Alexa Cooper) >Message-ID: <1477@jhunix.UUCP> >Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ. Computing Ctr. > >Sorry to post this, but I got a query a while back asking for >a list of IBM PC programs that Do NOT run on the Tandy 1000. >Here is a summary: (note - this list was compiled from other >sources, I did not write this, just put it together from other >people's replies): > >Tandy 1000 >========== >RE: its compatibily, It is quite compatible up to a point: I have >found that several games fail to start up (the original version of the >diskette) which indicates problems with the floppy disk controller. I >looked at the schematic diagrams of the t1000 and the XT controller >and they are quite different - the Tandy uses a couple of PAL's and >large devices while the XT controller uses a lot of TTL MSI. Not >having a hardware ref manual for t1000, I don't know if the t1000 >emulates the XT controller to a high degree but I doubt it. The Tandy 1000 uses an Intel 8272A FDC. Doesn't the IBM use an NEC chip? According to the specs, the 8272 can read/write single density as well as double density. Anyone know of a program which could use this capability to read TRS-80 Model I or old Osborne 1 disks? (Didn't I hear somewhere that the controller in the IBM PC can not handle single density?) >The machine is a cross between the PC and the jr. One BIG compat. problem >has to do with DMA. The base machine has none, but the memory cards add >DMA circuitry. The as a result, you can not use any add-in cards with >memory unless you have first added a tandy memory card. since the machine >only has 3 slots, this is a pain (tandy has no multi-function card for >this beast last time I checked.) Tandy now produces a card called the MEMORY PLUS card which will allow expansion to 640k using only one board (it used to take two Tandy boards) and will take a piggyback RS232 or clock/mouse card. >The keyboard is a bit different. (BTW - they don't have a scroll lock key, >which some packages want (like 1-2-3), but there is a key combo that emulate >it, I forget which). ALT-BREAK works on most packages (1-2-3, SideKick, etc.) The one major exception is Framework v1.0 (I don't know about v2) which requires installation of the KEYCNVRT.SYS device driver and still requires a two keystroke sequence (HOLD followed by CTRL-HOLD) to emulate the use of the PC's Scroll Lock key in switching between frames. >As a guide to compatibility, Lotus 1-2-3's IBM version can be made to >run on the machine (not well, but functional). However, the hassles/ >problems were significant enough that a migration for the tandy was >done. As I recall, this comment was made by a person from Lotus and I do wish he would explain his comment. I have run IBM PC version 1A* and only saw a couple of possible gotchas: Scroll Lock is now ALT-BREAK Tandy's original version of MS-DOS would not SYS to a disk it didn't format (okay- so I ran it under PC-DOS). New function key labels are needed since the keys run along the top of the keyboard rather than the side The PC version does not come with drivers for Tandy printers (ARGH! Is it so hard for Lotus to add them to *all* 1-2-3 distributions?) Personally, I think it runs better on the 1000 than the PC since you can use the arrow keys and the keypad at the same time. > A couple of weeks ago, I posted an inquiry to the net asking for what >software people knew would not run on a Tandy 1000. At that time, I >promised a summary of responses; well, this is it. I origianlly posted this list. At the time, I had not had access to a few of the programs which I have since had a chance to try. Therefore, I will make a few notations as I go... > Alphabet Zoo- IBM Version (Spinnaker) > Buzzard Bait (Sirius) > Mastertype (Scarborough Software) > Math Blaster (Davidson & Associates) > Murder by the Dozen (CBS Software) > > CopyIIpc I don't remember who said this, but the copy I borrowed from a co-worker ran with no problem. > PCWRIT I assume this was supposed to be PC-WRITE. The current version (2.55) runs beautifully. As a matter of fact, it comes with a small file to re-configure the keyboard for the 1000's eccentricities and drivers for Tandy's printers. > > Prowriter utilities (C. Itoh) > > Telios (seems to talk to the modem, but won't let me in on > the conversation.) > PC-VT Well, maybe the old version didn't, but the current(?) version (8.x, I think) seems to run fine. (We don't have a VMS system so I cna't be sure whether all the keypad mappings function with the 1000's keyboard, but the basic terminal emulation, dialer, file transfers, etc. all work fine.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now for the $640 question... assuming that there is no problem with the power supply, will an IBM PC-compatable hard disk and controller work in the 1000? Since the 1000 is an IBM-compatable, one would think so. A note in the current 80-Micro, however, seems to indicate that a special ROM on the controller board would be needed. Anybody know for sure? -- Name: John Ruschmeyer US Mail: Monmouth College, W. Long Branch, NJ 07764 Phone: (201) 571-3451 *** NEW NUMBER *** UUCP: ...!vax135!petsd!moncol!john ...!princeton!moncol!john ...!pesnta!moncol!john "I hate this beer. It has no taste." "And it's so filling." "No taste." "So filling."
greggt@ncoast.UUCP (Gregg Thompson) (12/25/85)
> Alphabet Zoo- IBM Version (Spinnaker) > Buzzard Bait (Sirius) > Mastertype (Scarborough Software) > Math Blaster (Davidson & Associates) > Murder by the Dozen (CBS Software) > > CopyIIpc That's Strange I am currently using a Tandy 1000 and CopyIIpc works great! > PCWRIT > > Prowriter utilities (C. Itoh) > > Telios (seems to talk to the modem, but won't let me in on > the conversation.) > PC-VT I am currently running PC-VT Version 8.3. It is a FANTASTIC program. The programmer has made VERY nice documentation, infact I was able to make a very good termcap from it. Gregg Thompson decvax!cwruecmp!ncoast!greggt