[net.micro] Rainbow 100

sue@burdvax.UUCP (Sue Mardinly) (02/09/84)

Does anybody have any opinions on the Rainbow 100?  Likes or dislikes?
Comparisons to the IBM PC or Tandy 2000. (even the Mac).  I don't know
much about this machine, but my gut impression is that I don't like it.
(I don't know why).  I am considering purchasing a tandy 2000, but I want
to check out other possibilities first.  How about the TI Professional?
Is there much commerical software for either of these machines?  How come
nobody posts articles about them?  Are they that unpopular?  why?

Thanks for the info!

Sue Mardinly
SDC - a Burroughs Company - Paoli, Pa.
burdvax!sue

sherouse@unc.UUCP (02/10/84)

>> Does anybody have any opinions on the Rainbow 100?  Likes or dislikes?
>> Comparisons to the IBM PC or Tandy 2000. (even the Mac).  I don't know
>> much about this machine, but my gut impression is that I don't like it.
>> 
>> Sue Mardinly
>> SDC - a Burroughs Company - Paoli, Pa.
>> burdvax!sue
>> 

Well, DEC is *giving them away* with the purchase of systems (our new
VAX, at least).  That can only mean that NOBODY likes them.  At any rate
free is a good price for a VT-220 with or without a couple of extra
microprocessors.


<< The views expressed are my own and should be everyone else's.  >>

(the real) George W. Sherouse
<decvax!duke!mcnc!unc!sherouse>

avsdT:deborah@avsdS.UUCP (02/16/84)

The only comment I have heard about the DEC Rainbow 100 is somewhat
negative; the person I talked to called it the 'Drainbow 100'

THOMPSON@USC-ECLC.ARPA (02/23/84)

From:  mark thompson <THOMPSON@USC-ECLC.ARPA>

If you decide to use the rainbow as something other than a terminal,
i think you will find it a reasonable machine (when compared to other
CP/M or DOS machines). With CP/M, it runs both -80 and -86 programs
without the user having to think about which they are running. The
floppies hold a reasonable amount of data. 

Complaints:

Far too noisy, esp. the disk drives. In contrast the IBM (yuck) PC
is whisper silent.

Keyboard is very nice, except for the keys that programmers use all
of the time for editing (ESC, BS, LF). I have had to learn to type
CTL-[, CTL-H, CTL-J.

All in all, much more pleasant than the PRO in my office, but that is
another flame...
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grw@inmet.UUCP (02/24/84)

#R:burdvax:-146100:inmet:5800043:000:782
inmet!grw    Feb 22 13:43:00 1984

I don't know if people like the Rainbow.  As to whether there is software
for it...I just received a catalogue of DEC PC software available from
DEC.  It lists about 50 packages which seem to include all the latest and
greatest including 1-2-3 and Microsoft Windows.  I don't know how there
can be anything BUT software for the stupid system, it runs CP/M in adition
to MS-DOS (I mean real old-fashioned 8bit CP/M) and I know that there's
a lot of software available for generic CP/M.

>From what I can tell the Rainbow seems to be short only in the game software
department.  Anyway, why buy a Rainbow?  Get a Rainbow 100+.  It makes
more sense.


					-- Gary Wasserman
					...harpo!inmet!grw
					...hplabs!sri-unix!cca!ima!inmet!grw
					...yale-comix!ima!inmet!grw
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