TRS-80 Software Archive for easy download?

[MHaensel]

The Model 2 Archive is a convenient place to download basically everything for the TRS-80 Model II. (Thank you, pski!)

 

For the Model I/III/IV, there are several sites with lots of stuff:

• https://www.willus.com/trs80/
• http://cpmarchives.classiccmp.org/trs80.php 
• http://cpmarchives.classiccmp.org/trs80/mirrors/www.discover-net.net/~dmkeil/trssoft.htm
• A (mostly documents) torrent linked at http://akhara.com/trs-80/docs/

 

But is there a comprehensive archive for easy download? Would there be interest in one if it was created?

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by MHaensel
Wording tweak

[pski]

30 minutes ago, MHaensel said:

But is there a comprehensive archive for easy download? Would there be interest in one if it was created?

 

There is not a truly comprehensive archive for the Model I/III/4.  But, I'm sure one would be most welcome by the community.

 

However, this is not a trivial undertaking.  The numbers of artifacts for the I/III/4 is many orders of magnitude greater than the Model II.  Properly curating the model2archive is a significant task so I imagine doing the same for the I/III/4 is Herculean.  If it could somehow be done well in a crowdsourced way by many members of the community, then it may have chance.

 

That being said...go for it!

 

 

[Michael Kline]

It's been done for the CoCo. It would be cool to have a group effort to make a one-stop-archive for the I/III/4. 

[youxia]

Amazing work on Model II archive, @pski, much appreciated! I'm a great fan of this underappreciated machine, have never seen this resource before.

 

One way to rustle up a I/III/4 one is to take TOSEC and organize it - get rid of duplicates sort them into a few categories (I have a very old torrent called "TRS-80 collection" which has attempted this to some degree, but it's very outdated). It would be a lot of work though, no doubt. I'm doing similar things in my spare time for some other platforms (eg trying to turn Total Dos Collection into 1G1R), but it's a glacial progress.

[Texas Tandy restorations]

I think if a "archive" is to be done it should be in separate blocks, i.e. Model 1, and Model 3 and model 4/4D/4P, this would make each archive a little easier to handle. yes I know some programs work in multiple categories but the original program would be in the right category i.e.: a model 1 program in a model 1 archive not in a model 4 archive.

 

I have started this process on my own, just to make sens of the many archived files, there are so many repetitions of software that often half of them dont even work properly, weeding old badly built DMK's and DSK's and retrofitting the rest into bootable/not bootable, 180K, 360K, 720K , self Booting etc.. 

 

I have already downloaded all the TRS-80 files on cpmarchives, and other locations, I had not put any effort in Willus because at 15,000 files.. and sit contains o many repeats, I figure I would fix the pile I already have on had before adding to the fire.  I am arranging right now about 14,000 files  (1.2GB) to "separate" into manageable "categories" such a OS, Games, etc. and I am only handling Model 3 and 4 stuff at this point, simply because I have to verify each file for functionality.

 

I test them in TRS80GP, then on a Gotek Drive and finally to a Floppy Diskette, each time for functionality. I end up with DSK/DMK and HFE files ready for use and copiable to diskette by any TRS-80 with a Gotek and a Floppy Drive using Copycat.  If your looking for Model 3 or 4 software, ask me I probably am working on it or can make it happen very quickly

 

Also side projects related to this, are TRS-80 Based Magazine I have been collecting in the PDF formats of a great many worlds wide including newgroups and newsletters

so far I have the complete collections of 80 microcomputing, 80-Micro, 80-US, TRS-80 User Journal, Bits and Bytes, Byte bandit club, codeworks, Computer News, H&E Computronics, , kilobaud, Micro-80, and that is just to name a few. as I stand right now I have over 882 Magazine in PDF format (18GB) 
 

Also been working on my TRS-80 Books and Manuals, from "how to use Basic, to service manuals, about 1770 Manuals (10GB) on hand.

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by Texas Tandy restorations