The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (also called Tandy Color Computer, or CoCo) was a home computer launched in 1980. Despite the name, the "Color Computer" was a radical departure from earlier TRS-80 Models - in particular it had a Motorola 6809E processor, rather than the TRS-80's Zilog Z80.
The Motorola 6809E was a very advanced processor, but was correspondingly expensive. Competing machines such as the Commodore VIC-20, the Commodore 64, t...
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The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (also called Tandy Color Computer, or CoCo) was a home computer launched in 1980. Despite the name, the "Color Computer" was a radical departure from earlier TRS-80 Models - in particular it had a Motorola 6809E processor, rather than the TRS-80's Zilog Z80.
The Motorola 6809E was a very advanced processor, but was correspondingly expensive. Competing machines such as the Commodore VIC-20, the Commodore 64, the Atari 400, and the Atari 800 were designed around a combination of the much cheaper 6502, paired with dedicated sound and graphics chips and were much more commercially successful.
The TRS-80 Color Computer started out as a joint venture between Fort Worth-based Tandy Corporation and (then) Austin-based Motorola Semiconductor, Inc. to develop a low cost home computer in 1977.
The initial goal of this project, called "Green Thumb", was to create a low cost Videotex terminal for farmers, ranchers, and others in the agricultural industry. This...
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