Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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The TRS-80 Color Computer is a machine that despite playing second fiddle to other more popular home computers in the 1980s, went on to have a surprisingly long life, spanning 10 years. And why did it have such an odd origin?

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Sources:
Radio Shack catalogues.
Tandy history: archive.org/details/80-microcomputing-magazine-1987-08/page/n61
Motorola 6809: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_6809
TRS-80 Color Computer: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer
Tandy VideoTex: trs-80.org/trs-80-videotex.html
AgVision & VideoTex: tandyvideotex.com
CoCo as a business machine:
books.google.com/books?id=rD0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA51
TRS-80 Pocket Computer: trs-80.org/pocket-computer-1.html
CoCo internals: archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1981-03/page/n91
CoCo1 release information: archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1980-10/page/n177
SCRIPSIT: trs-80.org/scripsit.html
CoCo: trs-80.org/color-computer-1.html
BASIC reference guide: archive.org/details/getting-started-with-color-basic-trs-80-color-computer-2
Color BASIC vs Extended BASIC:
cococentral.com/download/431/?tmstv=1766126476
MC-10: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_MC-10
Matra Alice: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matra_Alice
OS-9: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS-9
CoCo2:
web.archive.org/web/20160106144348/http:/tandycoco.com:80/coco2.shtml
Video display chip:
colorcomputerarchive.com/repo/Documents/Datasheets/MC6847T1%20MOS%20Video%20Display%20Generator%20(Motorola).pdf
Dragon 32/64: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_32/64

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