knudsen (01/29/83)
I have a TRS Color Computer and have been considering LOGO for my 8-year old son, so I was pleased to see that "Toma" may choose this machine. Unfortunately, his bad keyboard or some overzealous censor deleted the leading digit of all his cost figures, so all computers cost $00.00 (where's that store, Tom??). I trust that Tom figured the CoCo at $300, and I think the LOGO is $100, available only at Radio Shack "Computer Center" stores. I'd advise you to mail-order an Extend Basic CoCo for $325 from various outlets rather than pay a.most as much at your loacl Shack for the base unit. It will quickly pay for itself when your kids get hold of the geometric graphics functions in the Extended Basic. LOGO will whet their appetite for such goodies, which are educational too. As a touch typist, I find the weird keyboard quite satisfactory in feel and spacing -- I object only to certain missing characters that your kids will never miss. The LOGO is definitely a subset, and was reviewed in a recent issue of "80 Microcomputing" magazine. Mys son & his two rough friends have not yet managed to hurt my CoCo. To protect from spilled drinks, tape some thin polyehtylene (I really can type...) over the keyboard, and enforce some house rules about food & drink around the machine. TomA says kids & floppy disks don't mix. Could anyone relate their opinions re kids and cassette tapes? I think that floppies are actually easier to deal with than tapes, and thus safer with kids. At least, and adult can insert and remove the disk, but with tapes the kids have to flog the rewind & play buttons on the recorder. mike k