Radio Shack PC compatibility

[wa...@fortune.uucp]

The fact that the R.S. machine has a 80186 (I actually believe
that it is an 80188 though...) by definition makes it incompatible
with a IBM PC. I'm sure that it will be compatible with MS-DOS, but
that is far from the same thing as PC-DOS. All application programs
can interface at three different levels: operating system calls,
BIOS calls, and hardware. Apps. that interface at the O.S. level only
will work fine between an 8088 machine and an 80188 machine, those
that use the BIOS levels will probably be O.K. if Intel ever makes
the interrupt structure the same between the 8088 and the 80188/186.
Those applications that touch the hardware directly will not be
compatible with any machine that has different addresses or chips than
the original PC. Unfortunately, many of the sophisticated software
packages available do this for speed or security reasons (Lotus 1-2-3,
and Flight Simulator come immediately to mind). This is a real shame,
if the software companies continue on this trend, it will really hurt
the MS-DOS machines, and the 80186 machines...
-Jim

[par...@ihuxf.uucp]

x
From a New York Times clipping in the "Company News" column:

Tandy's Personal Computer

It Uses Many I.B.M. Systems

"LAS VEGAS, Nev., Nov. 30 - The tandy Corporation
today introduced a personal computer - the TRS-80 Model
2000 - that will be nearly compatible with the Interna-
tional Business Machines Corporation Personal Com-
puter.....

.......While the Tandy machine does appear to be
several hundred dollars less expensive than a compar-
ably equipped I.B.M. computer, the Model 2000 is not
fully compatible with the I.B.M. machine, which some
analysts saw as a drawback. Some I.B.M. programs can
run on the Tandy computer but others, including some
popular programs such as 1-2-3 and Wordstar, cannot
unless modified by software developers....."

.....Tandy has also been hurt by the electronic "hobby
shop" image of its Radio Shack chain. To counter that,
the new machine is being called the Tandy Model 2000,
rather than the Radio Shack 2000."

--
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Robert S. Parnass, AT&T Bell Laboratories, ihnp4!ihuxf!parnass (312)979-5760