Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!albion.utah.edu!smcgee
From: smcgee%albion.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Scott Mcgee)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m6809
Subject: Re: SHOULD I BUY COCO3 NOW?
Message-ID: <1990Oct20.221643.26196@hellgate.utah.edu>
Date: 21 Oct 90 04:16:42 GMT
References: <1990Oct18.104630.17418@cbnewsl.att.com> <-286509998@hpcupt1.cup.hp.com>
Sender: smcgee%albion@cs.utah.edu (Scott McGee)
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept
Lines: 58

In article <-286509998@hpcupt1.cup.hp.com> stachnik@hpcupt1.cup.hp.com (George Stachnik) writes:
>/ hpcupt1:comp.sys.m6809 / rl@cbnewsl.att.com (roger.h.levy) /  3:46 am  Oct 18, 1990 /
>
>I've noticed that Radio Shack is selling the CoCo 3 for $100 this month.
>
>I have the following:
>	J&M floppy controller
>==>  I don't believe that the J&M controller can be used with the coco3...

Actually, I used my J&M controller on my coco3 with no problem. The only
reason I replaced it was because I wanted a Disto SC II controller with
"no-halt", rs232 port, parallel port, and real time clock.

>	TV as monitor
>==>  To get the most out of the COCO3, you need to buy their RGB monitor,
>     which (the last time I checked) was about $200.

Wrong! The best monitors to buy are NOT from Tandy! If you want a color
monitor then the Magnivox 1CM135 is reccomended but several others are 
good and may be cheaper. The CM8 by Tandy is both expensive and inferior.
I never have used a color monitor on my coco 3. I have had it for about
three years now. I recently got an amber monitor for it but used a B&W tv
for almost 3 years!

>	OS9 Level I, C Compiler, Pascal Compiler (all version 1.0 ?)
>===> While this stuff will work on the COCO3, it will not work any better
>     than it did on the COCO2 
All of them should work pretty much the same on the coco 3 but you would be
VERY pleased with level 2!

C can be ever so much nicer with a coco 3 without upgrading it! There is
a nice graphic interface that does wonders! Don't know if it is released
yet but I'm one of several testing it and it's really nice! Basic09 comes
with OS9 level 2 and is also pretty nice.

>	Do I upgrade to 512K by chip replacement, e.g. replace 16
>	   4164 with 16 41256?  What speed?  I have surplus 41256.
>	   Can I get more than 512K and do I need it?

According to Howard Medical in the Oct. Rainbow, a 1 Meg upgrade is $289
(includes software).
>
>	Are there applications that I'll really like better than what
>	   I have on a PC (e.g. Lotus, Wordperfect, DBase) or is the
>	   attraction primarily hacker appeal?
>===>  If you like Un*x, you'll like OS/9 and its app's.

In fact, you can make OS-9 look VERY much like Unix. I use both and got 
tired of changing syntax so I got some utilities that not only work better
than what I had, but have unix syntax as well. All of it was public domain!
(Including my terminal package!)

Scott

  When in danger,    |  This isn't even MY opinion, let alone any one else's!
  or in doubt,       |_______________________________________________________
  run in circles,    |
  scream and shout!  |    Email to: smcgee%albion@cs.utah.edu (Scott McGee)