computer science

NewDos/80

NewDos/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 NewDos/80 rather than just read about it. In short: NewDos/80 is a third-party operating system for the Radio Shack TRS-80 line of microcomputers released in 1980. NewDos/80 was developed by Apparat, Inc., of Denver, Colorado.

Key takeaways

NewDos/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 NewDos/80 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NewDos/80 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NewDos/80 is a third-party operating system for the Radio Shack TRS-80 line of microcomputers released in 1980. NewDos/80 was developed by Apparat, Inc., of Denver, Colorado. NewDos/80 version 2.0 was released in August 1981. It runs on the TRS-80 Model I and Model III.

Overview The operating system had additional commands and features that were not available in TRSDOS, the native operating system for TRS-80 computers. NewDos/80 allowed TRS-80 computers to take advantage of advances in floppy disk storage that went beyond the initial 87.5KB 35-track, single-density, single-sided format. The system also corrected issues that early versions of TRSDOS had with arbitrarily losing data due to errors in how it communicated with the contemporary TRS-80 disk drives' 1771 disk controller. NewDos/80 had many options for specifying specific low-level disk configurations. Settings such as diskette formats, disk drive types, track geometry and controllers could be configured using the PDRIVE command. In version 2.1, Apparat added support for hard disk drives via an external bus adapter. Additionally, NewDOS/80 incorporated a software fix for the infamous hardware "keybounce" problem associated with the TRS-80 Model I. Without such a fix, keyboard keys would often repeat multiple times when struck. This fix was not built into TRS-DOS that came with the computer, so users were forced to load a separate debounce utility every time they booted. NewDos/80 was written by Cliff Ide and Jason Matthews. Ide was the primary author of NewDos in all of its incarnations, Matthews wrote "patches" for various applications such as Scripsit and VisiCalc. Ide later retired and Matthews went on to other projects in the software business.

Commands The following is a list of NewDos/80 commands:

Reception While criticizing NEWDOS's "nearly incomprehensible documentation", Jerry Pournelle of BYTE wrote in 1980 that it was "a much better operating system" than the "needlessly complex" TRSDOS and stated that "Tandy ought to be marketing NEWDOS+ themselves". A 1982 review in the magazine stated that NEWDOS/80 2.0 "may be the most powerful operating system for any microcomputer", with "much better" documentation, albeit not written for novices.

See also List of DOS commands List of Unix commands

References

External links Mike's Virtual Computer Museum - NEWDOS/80 page Ira Goldklang's TRS-80 Revived Site - NEWDOS/80 Version 2 reference

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NewDos/80

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NewDos/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 NewDos/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 NewDos/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 NewDos/80

In research: NewDos/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 NewDos/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: NewDos/80 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1980 software, Disk operating systems, Operating system stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NewDos/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 NewDos/80 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NewDos/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 NewDos/80 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NewDos/80 in simple terms?

NewDos/80 is a third-party operating system for the Radio Shack TRS-80 line of microcomputers released in 1980. NewDos/80 was developed by Apparat, Inc., of Denver, Colorado.

Why does NewDos/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 NewDos/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 NewDos/80.