In the dark here, can you shed some light please

[newTIboyRob]

Hello all. I just plugged in and turned on a Tandy 1000 TL/3 that I just received. All is working well, except I am not familiar with what kind of operating system disk to get. When booting up, after an ultra brief DOS-like start up screen, the computer immediately goes to something I think called DESKMATE?  I see the usual tabs of File, etc on top and in the center of screen, mini boxes that show "MUSIC", and "A" and the like, but as you are probably aware, trying to do anything from here on makes the computer ask "Insert a Disk", and here is where I am at an impasse.

 

So I really have 2 questions:

 

1) Is there some sort of MAIN disk that this DESKMATE program is asking for to be inserted in the 3.5" drive and then I can proceed to FORMAT disks, save files, etc.  (I'm assuming from there I can then format blank floppies to store saved files via DESKMATE main)

 

2) Does this computer, (unrelated to the above referenced DESKMATE program), also have a simple DOS disk that I could buy and insert before turning the computer on, which will then give the DOS Prompt?  I need to be able to format disks for BASIC programs.

(I am looking to type, load, save and print some programs in BASIC as I've done on an IBM PC Jr, so I  need to be able to get into BASIC first to do anything.) I remember on the IBM PC and JR's it was BASICA at the DOS prompt and was smooth sailing from there.

 

If anyone can answer these two above questions and make me see the light, it is most appreciated. Thanks!

[jhd]

 

Deskmate was a Tandy-specific GUI. In some models (I am not familiar with the TL/3), the kernel software was installed in ROM, but everything else was on a floppy disk. The hard drive was an extra-cost option, so your system may not include one. The original package included a word processor, spreadsheet, terminal emulator, basic database, and some other things. 

The original TL/2 disks have been dumped: http://www.oldskool.org/guides/tvdog/system.html.

 

You presumably need a generic DOS boot disk. The BIOS can be set to not boot directly into Deskmate, but that requires an external program. DOS 6.22 should work on this hardware as it has a '286 processor. 

 

Tandy computers used a special version of GWBASIC, modified to support the custom graphics system.

 

It is a bit out-of-date, but here is the Tandy 1000 FAQ page, and here is an archived version of the Tandy Support Site page for the 1000 TL/3. 

   

[newTIboyRob]

Thank you so much for the information!

[doctorclu]

On 7/21/2023 at 9:12 AM, jhd said:

 

Deskmate was a Tandy-specific GUI. In some models (I am not familiar with the TL/3), the kernel software was installed in ROM, but everything else was on a floppy disk. The hard drive was an extra-cost option, so your system may not include one. The original package included a word processor, spreadsheet, terminal emulator, basic database, and some other things. 

The original TL/2 disks have been dumped: http://www.oldskool.org/guides/tvdog/system.html.

Deskmate... that is so cool.  So essentially it had what an ST had.  A built in GUI, and no other built in applications.

 

The only thing I saw cooler was a Headstart Explorer that had a built in GUI and a bunch of built in apps (calculator, word processor, calendar, etc) and I think if it just had a terminal emulator built in, I would have been hooked.