The TRS-80 Pocket Computer | Hacker News Reader

The TRS-80 Pocket Computer

trs-80.org

33 pointsrbanffy11 comments

Words cannot even describe how much I loved my TRS-80 pocket computers. As far as having something in your pocket which you can program on, even today there's nothing quite like it.

Even touchscreen phones are not a replacement. The TRS-80 pocket computers had actual keyboards, which were small enough to make a portable form-factor, but large enough that you could thumb-touch type on them.

Alas, we've gone from being pocket programmers to doom-scrollers.

My favorite is the much larger CASIO PB-700. I went to college with a almost-programmable Texas TI-55 but got the CASIO in the middle of my first year. It was a mind-blowing experience. I felt so sorry for the other people having to program their HP's while I could just do a quick BASIC program to solve the problem.

Several years ago Robert Baruch[0] did a video series[1] on having replacement LCDs manufactured for this line of computers. He sells LCDs for this model[2] and several models of Casio/TRS-80 pocket computers on his Tindie store. I found the discussion about reverse-engineering and having new LCDs manufactured delightful. It's amazing to live in a time when an individual can get small lots of a part like this manufactured economically.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/@RobertBaruch

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8-HfGTCcCk

[2] https://www.tindie.com/products/halfbakedmaker/lcd-replaceme...

I know I've found my people when I remember the same relatively obscure video about a relatively specific repair of a long forgotten (by most) device.

I loved mine. Found one at a yard sale as a kid (with the book!) and taught myself how to program with it. Eventually, I learned about QBASIC and my world — and love for programming — got so much bigger.

Literally the first computer I ever saw. My dad had one and used it for engineering calculations. When it too proved inadequate he went out and bought a full-on desktop TRS-80 (the Model 16).

> TRS-80 (the Model 16).

That was a seriously cool computer back then.

It was, but it took Radio Shack a while to figure out what to do with it. It was kind of "a solution in search of a problem" until they decided to port Unix to it. At first the plan was to use Unos from Charles River Data Systems, but then -- because Microsoft gonna Microsoft -- Microsoft came in and said that unless they made Xenix the Model 16's operating system, Tandy Corp.'s business relationship with Microsoft would be threatened.

I have some here, my favorite pocket computer by the look is a FX-730P. It looks so classic 80s.

I had one.

Me too! In fact, it was the first computer I managed to destroy in the course of trying to learn its secrets.

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