Chapter
1
Computer
Etiquette
From
the
moment you
turn
it on,
the TRS-80 follows a well-defined set
of
rules
for
coping
with
you,
the
"master," This makes it an especially easy computer
to
use.
To a
large
extent,
all you
have
to
do
is say the right thing (via the keyboard) at the right
time. Of
course, there
are lots
of
"right things" to say; putting them together for
a
purpose
is
called
programming.
In
this
chapter
we're going
to
start
a
conversation with
the
TRS-80 by teaching it a few
simple
social
graces.
At
the same time, you'll be
learning
the fundamentals
of
computer
etiquette. You'll
even write,
wonder of wonders, your first
TRS-80
computer program!
Getting
READY
1. Connect the keyboard
-computer, Video Display
and
Power Supply
as
explained
in the
previous
section. Plug Video Display and Power Supply into 120-volt AC
outlets.
2. Press
POWER
button on Video Display and
the back of the Keyboard.
Give
the
video
tube a few seconds to
warm
up.
3.
READY
____
>—
should appear
in the upper left corner of the screen. Press the
QQQ|Q
key
several times to
produce
a
column of
READY
messages. The Computer is trying
to
tell
you something: "I'm ready
—
it's your turn to do
something!
"
To make sure you start off with a clean slate
—
erasing
all
traces of
prior programs
or tests
—
type
NEW
and press
|3fllia;|
,
The Computer will respond by erasing the screen and print-
ing
READY
>
—
at
the
top of the screen.
Now
type
in
p
.
M .
and
I3i?na;l
.
This is a test
to see
that the
Computer powered up
proper-
ly.
The
display
should
read:
P.M.
3583
This
set of
rules is permanently
stored
in the
Computer in two programs,
called
the monitor
and the interpreter.
is a monitor command.
It
tells
the Com-
puter
to take
a look at whatever
you've
typed on
the
screen. In step
3,
you
didn't
type
anything,
so the Computer just
comes back with another
READY
.
Hit
E
key,
(Tj
key,
[M] key and
Q
key.
Don't
use
shift key
—
letters
are always capital
for
TRS-80.
If
you
have
8K of memory, the number should
be
7679. With 16K
of
memory, it should be
15871.
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