c60b-kk@buddy.Berkeley.EDU (Phil Brown) (02/17/90)
If you're thinking of a coco, a coco III is the only way to go. It runs at 2 Mhz (1.87...), as opposed to 1. It has 640X200X4 and 320X200X16 graphics capabilities. It's 6809-based, which is easy to program on (in assembly). It is NOW the only system to run OS9 level 2. See comp.os.os9 for more info on that operating system. Suffice it to say that Level II has a windowing interface that is at least on a par(I think it is better) than MS windows & MAC interfaces. (The rest of this shall be on OS9) OS9 is memory-based. You load and unload things into memory, as opposed to fiddling around with disks. You don't run it FROM a disk, or a hard disk. You run them FROM OS9. The coco has a magazine called "RAINBOW" magazine, available in most waldenbooks book stores, and a few other places. That magazine is CRUCIAL for support. Don't look to Tandy to see what it can do. The good stuff can only be found in RAINBOW. memory available, with OS9, is officially 1 MEG. That upgrage (not from Tandy, but from people advertising in RAINBOW, again) came out recently. It is said that 2 MEG is possible. You can configure a RAM-DISK of virtually any size. Modular programs of up to <total memory> -64k (that's about 900k, with 1 MEEG) can be loaded in. It supoorts Full multitasking: concurrently running processes. OS9 level II costs about $85. you WILL need a disk drive for it. HOWEVER, comfy to use as the CoCo is, there is a more expensive version coming out in about a year, which will be 68000/68030 based. hence, it will be much faster. It will only be partially compatible with the CoCo III. (it will be an OS9 :OS9/68000 machine, with certain mods to make it more like level II os9. Preliminary pricings say it will be about $500-$800, without monitor. I'm not sure about disk drives coming with it Philip Brown DELPHI:THEFERRET c60b-kk@buddy.berkeley.edu