Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!lll-winken!uunet!tektronix!percival!bucket!leonard
From: leonard@bucket.UUCP (Leonard Erickson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.tandy
Subject: Re: Tandy Printer + PC Compatible Query
Message-ID: <1346@bucket.UUCP>
Date: 9 Apr 89 07:45:42 GMT
References: <1370@cunixc.cc.columbia.edu> <136500014@cpe> <1407@csm9a.UUCP>
Reply-To: leonard@bucket.UUCP (Leonard Erickson)
Organization: Rick's Home Grown Unix; Portland, OR
Lines: 41

In article <1407@csm9a.UUCP> japplega@csm9a.UUCP (Joe Applegate) writes:
<The real facts are that Tandy has designs their peripherals and
<computers to NOT use industry standards in order to force their customers
<to ALWAYS BUY TANDY...
<
<Case in point:  The Tandy 1000
<Non-Compatible hard disk interrupt
<Reversed drive cable
<Non-standard JoyStick
<Non-standard Parallel Port
<Uses Tandy Specific 8087 (won't use IBM chip)
<Non-Standard Monitor scan rate
<Very Non-Standard - Not replacible keyboard!
<
<I could beleive that 1 or 2 incompatibilities in a system were the result
<of lack of standardization but for a computer bought in 1986, such radical
<departure from standards in every peripheral interface on a machine sold
<as an IBM compatible could only be acomplished by design!

First of all, the entire Tandy 1000 line was never intended to be PC
compatible. It was intended to be *PCjr* compatible! That takes care of
several of your objections right there (HD interrupt, video, and [maybe]
the keyboard and 8087)

The joysticks and printer port were designed to allow use of exiisting
units (CoCo joysticks, Model 1/3/4 printer cables). Note that the 
connector is the *only* non-standard item about the printer port!

Tandy hasn't *tried* to be incompatible for some time, they just don't
see much point in working any harder at compatibility than they have to.
Thus the 1000 series will *never* be "compatible". But they have added
switches to allow you to use standard video and HD.

Note that the 3000, 4000, and 5000 are all *very* compatible. And
there are so many 1000's that there are 1000 versions of most software.
(nobody ignores *that* big a market!)
-- 
Leonard Erickson		...!tektronix!reed!percival!bucket!leonard
CIS: [70465,203]
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools.
Let's start with typewriters." -- Solomon Short