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From: ward@tsnews.Convergent.COM (Ward Griffiths)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.tandy
Subject: Re: Tandy 16 and 12
Summary: They're still viable
Message-ID: <696@tsnews.Convergent.COM>
Date: 31 Aug 90 00:41:20 GMT
References: <5722@plains.NoDak.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Convergent Technologies, San Jose, CA
Lines: 45

In article <5722@plains.NoDak.edu>, blee@plains.NoDak.edu (blee) writes:
> 
> I may be buying a 16b and 12 soon, and I would like to know of software
> that is available (via ftp) and what is a reasonably up to date release
> of xenix to run?
>
The final release of Xenix for the Tandy 68k systems was 3.2, based on 
AT&T's System III.  It's a reasonably stable OS and I've used it for 
many years.  If you have the Development system add-on to the OS, many 
of the sources here on the net are just compile and run, plus a fair 
number of packages can still be special ordered through any Tandy 
Computer Center.
 
> What are these systems worth? I believe the 12 has a 15 meg drive
> attached. and the 16 has about 4 8inchers on it, but I am not sure about
> a hard drive...( can the 12's drive be put on the 16? )
> 
What are they worth?  In money, very little at this point in history.  A 
pity, it was a damned fine product line, something Tandy could really be 
proud of:  a single user 8-bit computer released in 1979 that could (as 
of 1983) be upgraded to a 32-bit multi-user system.  I owned two Model 
16's, since rendered not-worth-repairing by shoddy merchandise from 
SoCal Edison.
What is their value?  The Model 12, with it's Z-80, runs what I still 
consider the best damn general purpose word processing program around, 
Tandy's own Scripsit.  No, it doesn't do proportional spaced 
justification.  Who really needs it for manuscripts or business 
correspondence? The 6000 is a good machine for learning Unix, for doing 
light development, for doing heavy bookkeeping.

Any add-in boards are interchangable between the 12 and the 6000, and 
that includes the hard-disk adapter.  Any external peripherals are 
likewise interchangable.  Heck, if you want, you can move the 68000 cpu 
and memory from the 6000 to the 12 and they totally swap places, as 
that's the only difference between them except the name-plate.

Your best source for information on these noble beasts is on Compu$erve, 
the Unix Forum, the Tangent (Tandy Business User Group) section.  Like 
how to add a total of about 2GB of storage or 7MB of RAM.

-- 
Ward Griffiths             [Judas] went and hanged himself.  Matt. 27:5
                Jesus said  ... Go, and do though likewise.  Luke 10:37
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