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  • R.I.P. John Roach

    From Dave Drum@1:18/200 to All on Thu Mar 24 07:16:03 2022
    John Roach, Pioneer of the Personal Computer, Is Dead at 83

    He helped make the home computer ubiquitous by introducing the fully
    assembled Tandy TRS-80, which was so novel at the time that it became
    a museum piece.

    He was instrumental in prodding Tandy to venture into the computer
    market. At the time, most small computers were sold as kits to be
    assembled by hobbyists, but Mr. Roach believed that consumers would
    welcome a model that they just needed to plug in.

    His team presented the original TRS-80 prototype - cobbled together
    from a black-and-white RCA monitor, a keyboard and a cassette recorder
    - to Tandy's chief executive, Charles Tandy, and to Lewis Kornfeld,
    the president of RadioShack, in January 1977.

    It was my first "store bought" confuser. Bv)=

    TRS-80 Model I / Level 2 ROMS

    The TRS-80 was considered so novel that a model was later acquired for
    the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

    ... Genealogy: (n) a DNA square-dance in the Twilight Zone
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  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Dave Drum on Thu Mar 24 08:37:56 2022
    Hello Dave,

    24 Mar 22 07:16, you wrote to All:

    John Roach, Pioneer of the Personal Computer, Is Dead at 83

    Mr. Roach helped change the world. My first and favorite computer was my brand-new TRS-80 CoCo 2 my parents bought new in 1984 for me. Sadly it was stolen but I hope to acquire another CoCo 2 eventually.

    -- Sean

    ... COBOL programs are an exercise in artificial inelegance.
    --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200)
  • From Ron Lauzon@1:275/89 to Dave Drum on Thu Mar 24 08:26:00 2022
    Dave Drum wrote to All <=-

    John Roach, Pioneer of the Personal Computer, Is Dead at 83

    This is why I'm trying to hit the various vintage computer festivals in the next few years.

    The "movers and shakers" of the original computers are getting to that age and I'd actually like to meet them before they pass on.

    Tandy Assembly is on our list this year. Hopefully some of these people will attend.


    ... It's 10:00pm. Do you know where your daughter is?
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  • From Daryl Stout@1:2320/33 to Sean Dennis on Thu Mar 24 11:56:00 2022
    Sean,

    Mr. Roach helped change the world. My first and favorite computer was
    my brand-new TRS-80 CoCo 2 my parents bought new in 1984 for me. Sadly
    it was stolen but I hope to acquire another CoCo 2 eventually.

    My first one was a TRS-80 MC-10 Micro Color Computer, with 4K of memory,
    and a 16K RAM Expansion module. You used the TV as a monitor, and programs
    were saved to/loaded from a cassette tape. It used a simple modem (with just
    a toggle switch for ANS or ORIG (answer or originate mode) when calling
    BBS's, CompuServe, etc., and a small thermal paper printer. There was no
    mouse to it.

    Daryl

    ... Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool.
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  • From Tony Langdon@3:633/410 to Dave Drum on Fri Mar 25 20:35:00 2022
    On 03-24-22 07:16, Dave Drum wrote to All <=-

    John Roach, Pioneer of the Personal Computer, Is Dead at 83

    He helped make the home computer ubiquitous by introducing the fully assembled Tandy TRS-80, which was so novel at the time that it became
    a museum piece.

    I never had one myself, but the TRS-80 did look nice in its day. I first saw one in a brochure around 1978.



    ... In seeking the unattainable, simplicity only gets in the way.
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  • From Dave Drum@1:18/200 to Sean Dennis on Fri Mar 25 06:02:07 2022
    Sean Dennis wrote to Dave Drum <=-

    John Roach, Pioneer of the Personal Computer, Is Dead at 83

    Mr. Roach helped change the world. My first and favorite computer was
    my brand-new TRS-80 CoCo 2 my parents bought new in 1984 for me. Sadly
    it was stolen but I hope to acquire another CoCo 2 eventually.

    Never owned any of his products with the exception of the TRaSh-80. I
    did, however , work on a Tandy 1000 running Unix that was the main box
    for Family Video - a chain of video rental stores that survived to be
    the last remaining physical video rental operation in USA. They used to
    1000 well into the first decade of this century. It was sort of amazing
    to know that this fairly major company was being coordinated by a wood
    fired, steam powered computer. Bv)=

    ... The key to eating healthy: don't eat any food that has a TV commercial
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  • From Dave Drum@1:18/200 to Ron Lauzon on Fri Mar 25 06:07:42 2022
    Ron Lauzon wrote to Dave Drum <=-

    John Roach, Pioneer of the Personal Computer, Is Dead at 83

    This is why I'm trying to hit the various vintage computer festivals in the next few years.

    The "movers and shakers" of the original computers are getting to that
    age and I'd actually like to meet them before they pass on.

    Tandy Assembly is on our list this year. Hopefully some of these
    people will attend.

    If you can get to the Vintage Computer Fest in Wall, NJ this year (April
    22, 23, 24) Bil Herd, Dave Haynie, Andy Finkel, Al Charpentier, Benny
    Pruden, Bob Russell, Neil Harris, Joe Myshko and possibly others from CommodeDoor/Amiga will be in attendance. Check the InfoAge Science and
    History Museums main page for information:

    ... This year's only moments of joy were when we could buy toilet paper
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    * Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200)
  • From Ron Lauzon@1:275/89 to Dave Drum on Fri Mar 25 08:04:00 2022
    Dave Drum wrote to Ron Lauzon <=-

    If you can get to the Vintage Computer Fest in Wall, NJ this year
    (April 22, 23, 24) Bil Herd, Dave Haynie, Andy Finkel, Al Charpentier, Benny Pruden, Bob Russell, Neil Harris, Joe Myshko and possibly others from CommodeDoor/Amiga will be in attendance. Check the InfoAge Science and History Museums main page for information:

    I saw that. Sadly, the east coast is not possible for us for a number of years. I'm hoping some of these people will come to VCF Mid West at some point. 8-bit Guy and the LGR guy made the trip there the last couple of years.

    So Tandy Assembly this year. Maybe VCF MW next year. Hopefully things align that we might be able to make VCF East some day.


    ... The only dumb question is one you haven't asked yet.
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  • From Ron Lauzon@1:275/89 to Tony Langdon on Fri Mar 25 08:08:00 2022
    Tony Langdon wrote to Dave Drum <=-

    I never had one myself, but the TRS-80 did look nice in its day. I
    first saw one in a brochure around 1978.

    For a 13 year old geek, it was wonderful.

    My dad was an 8th grade science teacher. One year he found a TRS-80 Model I Level I that the PTA had bought the school. He learned to use it, had it upgraded to Level II and bought it home for the summer - where I pretty much commandeered it.

    One summer teaching myself BASIC on a 16K computer with only the manuals and some example programs started a whole career in Computer Science for me.


    ... How do you keep a turkey in suspense?
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  • From Ron Lauzon@1:275/89 to Dave Drum on Fri Mar 25 08:09:00 2022
    Dave Drum wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    1000 well into the first decade of this century. It was sort of amazing
    to know that this fairly major company was being coordinated by a wood fired, steam powered computer. Bv)=

    They are still producing new Z80 processors today. Mostly for industrial systems, but still...

    When it works and works well, if there's no need, why change it?


    ... Just when you got it all figured out: An UPGRADE!
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  • From Dave Drum@1:18/200 to Ron Lauzon on Sat Mar 26 06:35:38 2022
    Ron Lauzon wrote to Dave Drum <=-

    1000 well into the first decade of this century. It was sort of
    amazing to know that this fairly major company was being coordinated
    by a wood fired, steam powered computer. Bv)=

    They are still producing new Z80 processors today. Mostly for
    industrial systems, but still...

    This was an original PC-JRish model with an 8088 CPU and proprietary
    chipset.

    When it works and works well, if there's no need, why change it?

    To claim "new and improved" and to enhance your bottom line. Bv)=

    ... Our new improved keyboard even has an ANY key!
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  • From Ron Lauzon@1:275/89 to Dave Drum on Sat Mar 26 18:09:00 2022
    Dave Drum wrote to Ron Lauzon <=-

    When it works and works well, if there's no need, why change it?

    To claim "new and improved" and to enhance your bottom line. Bv)=

    That doesn't work when your customers have to spend many thousands of dollars to vet and change their software.


    ... Well, to be frank, I'd have to change my name.
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