computer science

LNW-80

LNW-80 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LNW-80 rather than just read about it. In short: The LNW-80, released in 1982, is the first computer built by LNW Research Corporation (later known as LNW Computers). The computer is 100% compatible with the Tandy TRS-80 Model 1, but has some hardware enhancements.

Key takeaways

LNW-80 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LNW-80 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LNW-80 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The LNW-80, released in 1982, is the first computer built by LNW Research Corporation (later known as LNW Computers). The computer is 100% compatible with the Tandy TRS-80 Model 1, but has some hardware enhancements. Most notable are the high-resolution color graphics, which could also be used for an 80×24 screen, with a special software driver (TRS-80 is 64×16, while 80×24 is the screen size most CP/M software needed). Other enhancements were high processor speed (Z-80A at 4 MHz), color support, and optionally, CP/M support. The LNW-80 was also sold as a kit. The LNW supported four screen modes:

Mode 0 is the default TRS-80 screen with 64×16 characters, and 128×48 semigraphics. Mode 1 is 480×192 monochrome. Mode 2 uses high-resolution graphics memory to colorize the mode 0 graphics. This results in 128×48 dots with 8 colors per dot. This mode could be used to 'colorize' the standard TRS-80 games when loaded with special software. Mode 3 uses low-res character memory to colorize the high-res pixels. This results in 384×192 pixels on 128×48 color fields. Per color field, a foreground and background color is selected from the basic eight colors. The colors are white, green, yellow, red, magenta, blue, blue-green and black.

LNW Research LNW Research started by making third party extensions for the Tandy TRS-80 Model I market. They started in 1979 with the LNW System Expansion, a D.I.Y. kit that competed with the TRS-80 Expansion Interface. The LNW-80 appeared at the end of 1980. Later, in 1981, came the LNDoubler, an adapter enbabling the use of double-density disks. 1983 saw the LNW-80 Model 2, an upgraded model of the LNW-80 which was natively capable of running (and shipped with) CP/M. Finally, in 1984, the company introduced the LNW Team, which provided a slot for an optional Intel 8088 board for MS-DOS compatibility. The company folded due to bankruptcy later in 1984.

Reactions and Reviews In response to a letter to the editor complaining about freezes on the TRS-80 Model I, Creative Computing's Editorial Director said: "This is a continuing problem, which we have not solved. In fact, it is the main reason that we have been converting to the LNW-80 computer for some of our in-house computing. It has yet to show the problem, while our Model I's and Model III's do lock up." 80 Microcomputing's review of the LNW-80 kit warned, "[b[uilding an LNW-80 is not a project for a beginner". It praised the circuitry ("[m]ost of the circuit design is a leap ahead of the TRS-80"), but criticized the keyboard ("the designers were out to lunch"), the "overpriced" cost of the "attractive" case, and the fact that 80x24 text was in graphics mode rather than true text. The overall conclusion: "[t]he LNW-80 is, for the most part, a well designed, fast, effective computer." Kilobaud Microcomputing said that it "performs superbly" and that its "price and performance make it an excellent bargain." BYTE ran a review criticizing the LNW-80 Model 2's documentation and 80x24 video driver, but praising it overall, concluding: "[t]he LNW’s price is comparable to or better than its competition's, and its quality of construction is outstanding. Then too, it comes with as much or more software than any other 8-bit computer I know of.... It's hard to choose which one of the LNW's advantages is most important."

References

External links LNW80 Main Page, Galaxy of Features LNW-80 User Manual via Internet Archive LNW-80 Technical Reference Manual via Internet Archive LNW-80 Model 2: CP/M User Manual via Internet Archive

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LNW-80

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LNW-80 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LNW-80 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LNW-80 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LNW-80

In research: LNW-80 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LNW-80 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LNW-80 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-related introductions in 1982, Computer hardware stubs, Home computers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LNW-80 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study LNW-80 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LNW-80 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LNW-80 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LNW-80 in simple terms?

Why does LNW-80 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LNW-80?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LNW-80.