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The Amazon Store at MillionDollarPetPix.com ( In association with Amazon.com )Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolution Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackEAN: 9780979346804 Edition: 1st ISBN: 0979346800 Label: The Seeker Books Manufacturer: The Seeker Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 348 Publication Date: May 21, 2007 Publisher: The Seeker Books Studio: The Seeker Books Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Microcomputer Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolution by David Welsh and Theresa Welsh takes you back to the largely unknown origins of personal computing. Personal computers grew out of a hobbyist movement in the 1970s, as some began experimenting with the new microchips, building their own computers. Kit computers appeared, available from small mail order companies, but the computer that brought a wider audience to personal computing was the TRS-80 Model I, introduced by Tandy Corporation in August 1977. It was the first complete mass market, off-the-shelf microcomputer that anyone could buy for $599.95. And it was available at 3500 Radio Shack stores nationwide. Introduction of the TRS-80 meant, for the first time, anyone could experiment with software and affordably use word processing, spreadsheets, accounting, database and other applications... except for one thing: there weren't any programs. So, of necessity, new computer owners became programmers, and enterprising individuals working in basements and garages created the software everyone wanted. Many of them had never done any programming before. The authors were part of a community of entrepreneurs who sold software for the TRS-80. Besides telling their own story, they also collected stories from key innovators from that era, including some who had never been interviewed before about their contributions to computing. The technology that originated with these amazing microcomputer pioneers went on to change life in fundamental ways and their stories are the heart of this book.There were programmers who created fabulous games like Dancing Demon, Microchess, Oregon Trail and the Scott Adams Adventures; there were rivals who created five different Disk Operating Systems for the TRS-80 and one man's fight with Tandy over who owned the code; there were scam artists who offered products that were too good to be true, and brilliant visionaries who were first with software features later "invented" by big companies with more money but not more talent. The authors relate how Don French, a computer hobbyist who worked for Radio Shack at the time, suggested to his bosses that they capitalize on the latest craze, home-built computers. Radio Shack took a chance and hired young Steve Leininger away from Silicon Valley and told him to build a machine they could sell cheap. Working alone in an old saddle factory in Fort Worth, he built the first TRS-80; its total development costs were less than $150,000. Author David Welsh was one of those self-taught computer-buyer/programmers. He created a word processor, Lazy Writer, and, working with his wife Theresa, sold copies worldwide to enthusiastic fans who were eager to ditch their typewriters. This was before Microsoft was a household word, when software was new and exciting and everyone was learning. Software generally had only one author, and programmers were proud of their work; some became stars. David and Thesesa Welsh, who lived through it all, have captured the defining moments and excitement of this era, with the untold stories from the microcomputer pioneers whose efforts and love for their "trash-80" helped spark the PC revolution that followed. Average Rating:
 Rating: - Heady Times & Lost LegendsOh, the memories. This is a book that you can judge by its cover; doesn't it remind you of something you'd see in the hobby book section of a Radio Shack circa 1980, sandwiched in between the SAMS photofacts books and ham radio antenna guides? "Priming The Pump" is a very personal recollection of early microcomputer history, more along the lines of Stan Veit's "History Of The Personal Computer" than Brian Bagnall's journalistic "On The Edge: The Spectacular Rise And Fall Of Commodore" (both great ... Read More Rating:  - Some Good Information, but lacks polishIf you are a die-hard fan of the history of microcomputers, then this book may be worth your time. Personally, I found it to be poorly written, and lacking any polish. Typos, missing articles, inconsistencies, repetition, and difficult to read passages are the norm. There are some good stories, but they are not well-told. The authors mention that they did quite a bit of freelance writing to support themselves. You would never know it by looking critically at what they have ... Read More Rating:  - Some interesting history, but too much baggageThis is a first-person narrative of the experiences of an early "cottage industry" software business focused on the TRS-80. I tend to enjoy this kind of material, and the TRS-80 was indeed a landmark in personal computing, but this book just isn't enjoyable. It consists of three completely separate parts: (1) anecdotes from the early days of the TRS-80's design and the people behind it, (2) David's personal story, and (3) his wife Theresa's personal story. There is no attempt to connect the three, so ... Read More Rating:  - When Radio Shack RuledThere must be as many as a million people with fiond memories of their first experiences with a TRS-80 computer, for there were more than a score of magazines devoted to the TRS-80, and book stores had a shelf of books on the Model I-IV, the 100, the PC-1 and the PC-2. "P" stood for ("pocket",not "personal"). We didn't call TRS-80 the "operating system" but we loaded it slowly with an audio cassette, or in a few seconds from a floppy, and it had "hooks" to allow attachment of our own code. This work concerns ... Read More Rating: - Great book!Radio Shack and the very cool TRS-80 line and later PCs that followed from Tandy are never given credit for the true impact that they had on the PC revolution and simply getting people to use PCs.... A TRS-80 Model one was my first PC and it rocked! At the time, it was amazing - I still have it! This is a very interesting book for those who want to know the real story of Tandy and their very cool computers! 
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