[8pla.net]

Eliza on a Retro Computer with a Voice Synthesizer Box.

[Art]

Cool. Man that stuff was so overpriced but at the time, it was new territory so the pricing wasn't really a deterrent.
I had one of the original Model I computers. Cassette tapes, then on to one of their SS/SD (Single Sided/Single Density) disk drives. That was some serious storage as there were no hard drives then.

Tandy had it's own Basic programming language as did scores of other computer manufacturers at that time period.

Wow! I feel old(er).

[Freddy]

So that's what a TRS-80 looks like. What date were these ?

I see he has some 5 1/4 inch floppies there so I'm guessing mid 80s.

[Art]

The Model I came out around 1979-1980. It was another year or so before that expansion interface (beneath the monitor) appeared (it held some expansion connections and memory if mine serves). That appears to be a dual disk drive which was not generic to the Model I as I recall. And yes, it could only read one side of that 5" floppy disk at a time thus the SS/SD Single Sided/Single Density. There were other companies that made dual drives and lots of hobbyists were always hacking ways to squeeze more from their computers. There were also TI-99 (Texas Instruments, Cromemco, Commodore, Altair DEC, MITS, Base2, HP, SWTP (South West Technical Products), TDL Zapple, SOL, PET, Ohio Scientific, IMSAI, North Star to name a few. Yes, and they all had their own somewhat different version of BASIC programming language.

Now you know what I was trying to forget all these years!! Hehe!! Yeah...I was there! Right after Edison turned on the lights!

[8pla.net]

Decades later, it still has appeal, I think.  The durable quality of vintage keyboards makes typing feel like piano playing. DOS was a real time operating system (RTOS), which does in that regard make old A.I. superior to most modern A.I. considering today's operating systems that are incapable of operating in real time.