Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!hoptoad!gnu
From: gnu@hoptoad.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Laptop machine of interest
Message-ID: <897@hoptoad.uucp>
Date: Sat, 12-Jul-86 02:53:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: hoptoad.897
Posted: Sat Jul 12 02:53:47 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jul-86 07:25:51 EDT
References: <441@inuxh.UUCP> <1800@ecsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Nebula Consultants in San Francisco
Lines: 43

This message is being typed on a Kaypro 2000, which is a laptop PC clone
with 768K RAM, 1 3.5'' disk drive (720K), 25x80 LCD screen, full size
detachable keyboard, and built in 6 hour batteries.  It cost about
$1700.  I got the 1200 baud built in modem option for an extra $250 or
so.

The screen is readable though as with all LCDs it could be better.
I looked at all the laptops I could find in the Bay Area before
buying this one (at Whole Earth Access in Berkeley).  This one had
the best screen by far.  (We could not see the Toshiba; the one
store that had it had *sold their demonstrator* and would be glad
to order us a machine but could not let us see the screen ahead of time.
We said no thanks.)

Its only drawbacks are that it runs MSDOS and the floppy is very slow
-- takes a second to seek from one side of the disk to the other,
buzzing all the way, and of course MSDOS doesn't have a buffer cache so
it seeks a lot.  Also, the modem jacks use HANDSET modular plugs, not
WALL JACK modular plugs, so Whole Earth ends up making a custom cable
for each one they sell.  Also the AC adapter is pretty huge.  If they
made a version where the phone cord and AC cord came out on little cord
reels it would be a big win, but they didn't have the space.

The whole bus comes out on a long connector on the bottom, so you can
sit it in a "base unit" which can have video monitors, hard disks,
5-1/4'' disks, etc plugged into it.  No option for IBM slots though.

It came with a lousy terminal emulator, a good SideKick clone, and
wordstar or something.  The emulator had xmodem though, so I could
upload something better; I'm currently using Procomm and highly
recommend it.  I've never had trouble running MSDOS binaries, and
the hardware or BIOS emulates both color and b&w.

Be sure you get the one with a big screen.  An earlier version had a 25x80
screen but the screen was only a few inches high.  The one we got has
square pixels and a higher contrast, larger screen.

It's all very cleverly packaged and includes room for carrying two disks
inside the machine.  We've been carying it on a month long motorcycle trip,
in one of the saddlebags, and have had no problems.
-- 
John Gilmore  {sun,ptsfa,lll-crg,ihnp4}!hoptoad!gnu   jgilmore@lll-crg.arpa
		     May the Source be with you!