maxg@tekig4.UUCP (02/24/86)
I have a friend who want to buy his first PC. He's really zeroed in on the stuff from Radio Shack. Is it really any good? How compatible is it? They have all the software in their catalog at rather spendy prices, can he buy software from the local software shops? There's several good compatibles on the market, how's the bang for the buck on the Tandy stuff? Have you had in problems with getting the Tandy/Radio Shack stores to stand behind their equipment? Thanks in advance Max Guernsey tektronix!maxg
dcgoricanec@watnot.UUCP (dcgoricanec) (02/27/86)
Advantages of Tandy micro-stuff :
1) Very cheap PC clone entry-level product.Likely cheaper than you can build.
2) Radio Shack is everywhere, so support of defects probably good although
usually the regular employees will send it off for repairs.
Disadvantages :
1) The clone with the small footprint uses 11" cards and not 13" (?) like
the real PC, so definitely not hardware compatible.
2) Upgrading memory by buying from R S is quite expensive :
256k on the open market is $45 Can ,R S is >> $150 Can.
3) Modems are 3x going rate.
4) Drives are $140 Can on open market ,maybe 300 at RS.
I looked at R S before assembling my own XT piecemeal . Price was comparable,
my product is better (it has the personal touch !).
If you live outside a metropolitan region one could justify buying R S.
greggt@ncoast.UUCP (Gregg Thompson) (03/01/86)
> > I have a friend who want to buy his first PC. He's really zeroed > in on the stuff from Radio Shack. Is it really any good? How > compatible is it? They have all the software in their catalog > at rather spendy prices, can he buy software from the local > software shops? There's several good compatibles on the market, > how's the bang for the buck on the Tandy stuff? Have you had in > problems with getting the Tandy/Radio Shack stores to stand behind > their equipment? > > Thanks in advance > > > Max Guernsey > tektronix!maxg At home I have a Tandy 1000 and where I work we have 1200s and one 3000. The 1000&1200s are compatible to the IBM-PC. If you buy a 1000 buy the extra memory card (something about the computer not having a DMA until this card is installed). The 1000 is very much software compatible not so much hardware compatible. The housing is smaller and the internals are `sealed' in a metal box. Thus you have to buy half-cards and you can't add a math co-processor unless the memory card supports it. I have yet to find any IBM-PC programs not run on the 1000. The 1200 is a 1000 but hardware compatible too. This also means you can use the full-size cards. The 1200 is totollay compatible with the IBM-PC (at least to my knowledge so far). The 3000 is an IBM-PC/AT compatible system. We recently purchased software for it, non-Tandy software, and it all runs fine. Great workhorse. Problems: The speaker on the 1000 is in front by the disk drives so when passing disks by the computer to put them inside the machine may cause problems to the disk (I don't know if this is true with the 1200s or 3000s). The hard-disk base computers have been noted to over-heat rather quickly if proper ventilation (sp) BEHIND the computer is not provided! The 1000 joystick ports are `strange'. All the programs that require a joystick or koala pad are not very steady, especially drawing programs. It is VERY hard to draw without the joystick or koala pad `jumping'. Support: The support, meaning repairs and services, TOTALLY depends on who you are dealing with. Don't judge Tandy by the managers and employees, though many seem to be `bad', ignorant, and uncooperative, some are just the opposite. Tandy does supply wide variety of software that can be purchased at most stores if not all. Gregg Thompson
ignatz@aicchi.UUCP (Ihnat) (03/05/86)
The Tandy 1000 is compatible with an IBM PC, but with some differences that are important, probably, only to someone doing extensive graphics and sound work. The graphics BIOS routines have some *definite* bugs when dealing with color graphics, which I was told (while discovering these gems on contract) that Tandy has no intention of fixing. (It's painful to fix roms; they're not easy to get to everybody, I guess.) Also, notice that the 1000 has PC/Jr compatible (kindof) color graphics and sound capabilities, vice the vanilla PC capabilities. Except for the color bugs, and the fact that they 'cheated' and tried to make the sound hardware cheaper by eliminating some gates. (This means that to control differente sound sources on the Tandy 1000, you can't just disable that input; all inputs are OR'd together, and you have to explicitly bring the volume/amplitude to zero to shut a single source down...) -Dave Ihnat Analysts International Corporation -- Dave Ihnat Analysts International Corporation (312) 882-4673 ihnp4!aicchi!ignatz || ihnp4!homebru!ignatz
greggt@ncoast.UUCP (Gregg Thompson) (03/08/86)
> ................ The graphics BIOS routines have some *definite* bugs when > dealing with color graphics, which I was told (while discovering these > gems on contract) that Tandy has no intention of fixing. (It's painful > to fix roms; they're not easy to get to everybody, I guess.) Also, notice Tandy is selling a ROM Bios upgrade. I am not sure of the cost of installation nor the price of the actual chip. Gregg Thompson