Date : Mon, 06 Dec 1982 10:06:00-PST (Monday)
From : teklabs!tekcrd!tekmdp!scotth@Ucb-C70
Subject: Re: id A11717; 4-Dec-82 05:26:42-PST (Sat)
Regarding portables for sons-off-to-college:
I have used the Kaypro-II, thought it an adequate solution. The Osborne
doesn't please me very much, but I haven't seen it outside the showroom.
I do like the Kaypro for what it offers, which is a simple CP/M system,
without a whole lot of extra features. If 64K is enough main store, and
200K on each of two drives is enough mass store, then it ought to be
adequate for a freshman or sophomore.
The best portable (truly defining the term "portable"; the Kaypro and
Osborne are merely "moveable") system, at least from my engineering
standpoint, is the OTRONA Attache.
The Attache is also a 64K CP/M system, 360K per shock-mounted disk drive.
But it has a LOT of big pluses, which can't all be listed here, but
include:
Real time clock
Bus extender (S-100, GPIB, STD)
DMA
Fully interrupt driven
Graphics (damn good, too)
comes with Wordstar (customized to keyboard), MBASIC(for what
it's worth), software to utilize the clock, graphics
tools, a RPN calculator, nice version of CP/M...
The cost is a little higher ($3995), but it's engineering cost well
spent. The system is professional, harddisk, 16-bit processor are
planned extensions, battery-pack is available, 12-volt for use in
campers etc, high-resolution screen, the list is long.
The machine is an 8-bitter that will carry the user a long way into
the future (specifically through college and graduate school and
them some). I am impressed with the machine and plan to acquire one.
You may wish to contact OTRONA at
OTRONA Corporation
4755 Walnut Street
Boulder, Colorado 80301
(303) 444-8100
My name is Scott Herzinger
Software Engineering
Microcomputer Development Products
Tektronix, Inc
PO Box 500, MS 92/525
Beaverton, Oregon
uucp: tekmdp!scott
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