Tandy's Little Wonder (1993)(Farna Systems).pdf - TRS-80 Color ...

In the coming months, it is almost like the introduction ofthe original CoCo! Owners of the new CoCo 3 were pouringover the remaining CoCo magazines looking for new productsand information that took advantage of the great newfeatures. Except for a few offerings from Tandy (such asDecembers unveiling of DeskMate 3), the pickings werefew and far between.Spectrum Projects became the first third party vendor toadvertise software for the CoCo 3. First came C III Draw,a graphics program, in December, then Elite Word/80 inFebruary- a word processor that used the 40 and 80 columnscreens and expanded memory. Like many programs tocome, this one DID NOT work on previous CoCo models.Cer-Comp started advertising versions of their softwarefor the CoCo 3 in January. These special versions are onlyinterim versions though! Cer-Comp had software that tookfull advantage of the power in the new CoCo still in theworks...In February, Rainbow reprinted an old article- the first (andonly) time this was done. The article was a utility to transfertape programs to disk. The reprint is due to the programs’popularity (it successfully transfers machine language aswell as BASIC programs) and the popularity of Rainbow onDisk.June marked the arrival of the first CoCo 3 only graphicsprogram: Computize's Color Max 3. Picture convertors toallow use of pictures in Atari ST (.ST, .NEO, and .TNY),Graphicom, and CoCo Max formats as well as severalsupporting utility programs are also offered. Cer-Compstarted advertising their first CoCo 3 only products. Acommunications terminal, disk editor/assembler, and screenenhancing programs were described. A word processor,disassembler, and BASIC enhancer were promised, even bythe time the ad was out! Speaking of BASIC enhancements,Art Flexser (Spectro Systems) introduced ADOS-3 for$34.95 this month. Although it was for the CoCo 3, it had adisable feature so that it could be burned into an EPROM andthe disk controller could be used with a CoCo 1 or 2 also.Double speed disk I/O, command line editing, and support of35,40, or 80 track as well as double sided drives were someof the new features.A new "magazine" was introduced this month also. Thisnewsletter was created by two seventh grade friends who haddiscovered the Color Computer just a few years before. Thename of the newsletter/magazine was TRS-80 Computing,and the publishers were Joseph Ahern and David McNally.The first few would be delivered monthly, but the boys soonfound that a bi-monthly schedule worked around their schoolwork better. Good work guys, shows just what a coupleimaginative teenagers and a computer can do!Disto finally started delivering the long promised harddrive interface in February of 1987. Since it fits inside theSuper Controller, there is no need for a MPI, and it makes fora neat installation. Good thing... J&M stopped advertisingtheir neat hard drive system a few months back... maybeDisto came around just in time!THE EIGHTH YEAR (Jul '87 - Jun '88)The new CoCo year started with the introduction of a muchneeded book: The Complete Rainbow Guide to OS-9Level II - Vol. I: A Beginners Guide to Windows. As thetitle suggests, the main subject of this volume was the newwindowing system of OS-9 Level II. Very little was mentionedabout the operating system in general, necessitatingthe need for the original Rainbow Guide to OS-9 also.Still, this book provided much needed information to thebeginner and experienced OS-9 user alike. The "Vol. I" in thetitle led readers to believe that other volumes were forthcoming. It is unknown whether more were planned, but therewere no further volumes published or advertised. The bookwas advertised for August delivery.It seems everybody was out to capitalize on the outstandinggraphics capability of the new CoCo. Even Owl-Ware gotinto the act with the introduction of DaVinci 3 in August. Aunique feature was that no hi-resolution adapter was needed,fine control of the input device (joystick, mouse, X-pad, ortouch pad) was accomplished via software.Diecom Products quickly followed Computize and Owl-Ware with a graphics program of its own in September- theRat. This package came complete with a two-button digitalmouse (not the Tandy analog mouse). Almost all functionswere accessed through the mouse with pull-down menus.Iron Forest, a unique game which used a SEGA light gun,and several other CoCo 3 only games were also introduced.Not to be outdone in the graphics field, Colorware introducedan updated version of its popular CoCo Max programs...CoCo Max III (naturally!) for the CoCo 3, whichalso debuted in the September issue of Rainbow. Rather thancreating an entirely new hi-res adapter, Colorware supplieda modified Tandy hi-res adapter that did not require using thecassette port. Animation and color sequencing were specialfeatures of the new program. The November issue of Rainbowfeatured a Colorware ad comparing CoCo Max III toColor Max 3. Interestingly, the ad was back to back with aComputize Color Max 3 ad!Cer-Comp released a terminal program, word processor,and BASIC compiler for the CoCo 3 only in September also.The word processor supported 512K by adding two RAMdisks. Mail merge and even laser printers were supported!The ad was even edited and printed using Textpro IV and anOkidata laser printer.Tandy's Little Wonder page 17