TRS-80

(Tandy RadioShack-80) An early line of personal computers from Tandy Corporation (later renamed RadioShack Corporation). In 1977, the TRS-80, along with the Apple II and the Commodore PET, ushered in the personal computer revolution. The operating system for the TRS-80 was TRS-DOS, sometimes affectionately called "Trash-DOS." See Tandy and personal computer. See also TSR.

The TRS-80

This early advertisement of the TRS-80 suggests every home should have one. At an initial price of $599, it was relatively affordable, but the software was not there to make it useful. However, it was widely used in small businesses and was a major contributor to the personal computer explosion. (Image courtesy of RadioShack Corporation.)

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(computer)

TRS-80 - A series of personal computers sold by Tandy Radio Shack. The '80' refers to the use of Zilog Z-80 processor (NOT Intel 80x8x). There were 7.5 computers in the TRS-80 line: Models I, II, III, 4, 100, 102, 200. The Model 4P was a portable version of the Model 4 with no tape drive -- only 2 1/2-height single sided disk drives. Later models that Radio Shack produced were not TRS-80 machines -- they were based on the Intel 80x8x architecture. These included Tandy 1000, Tandy 2000, Tandy 3000, and others. The 1000 had a proprietary Color card. The 2000 was a powerful machine for its time, but was based on the Intel 80186, so when IBM didn't build a computer based on this chip, it failed. It was used to design a boat for the America's Cup. The TRS-80 GUI, DeskMate, was proprietary, but no more than Windoze at the time. Many joke about "TRaSh-80" machines but several models were in fact classics of their time.