first Classics (WAS Apollo DN systems)

[Tony Duell]

> Depends. If you are coming from a Unix/Linux world, *or* started out with 
> the GWBASIC crowd, a Tandy (CoCo|Model3/4|etc.) might be easier to get 
> accustomed to as there will be less of a learning curve with the Basic (or 
> in the *nix case, OS-9 on a CoCo). Parts are still cheap, plentiful, and 
> some are even swappable with the IBM scene; not to mention utilities to 
> write to cross-platform floppies & whatnot; which is a bit tougher in the 
> GCR world.
> 
> However, I agree that if it is your first foray into the world of classics, 
> a small cheap 8-bitter is definitely the way to go.

If you're interested in going that route, the 2 machines I'd recomend 
would be the CoCo series for much the reason you gave (OS-9 is an 
interesting operating system) and the BBC micor (excellent BASIC and 
assembler built-in, lots of standard interfaces built-in, plenty of 
software and docs on the web).

-tony