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The xtrs package will not function as it ships because it requires a ROM image
from one of the original TRS-80 Model I, III, 4, or 4P computers to operate.
Because of licensing restrictions on the ROM images, they cannot be distributed
with this Debian package. You will need to obtain one or more ROM images and
install them where xtrs expects to find them for the program to work. See
/usr/share/doc/xtrs/copyright for more information.
The Model 4 and 4P were designed as disk-based systems, and did not require ROM
images. For Model I and Model III emulations (including the Model 4's own Model
III emulation mode), you will need ROM images.
A freely-licensed minimal 4P boot ROM is provided with xtrs that can bootstrap a
Model 4 operating system (such as LDOS). Since I am aware of no DFSG-free Model
4 OS that can be shipped with this package, the existence of this free boot ROM
is insufficient, in my opinion, to permit xtrs to be placed in Debian's main
archive.
There are several variants of the Model I Level II BASIC ROM in existence; see
http://www.trs-80.com/wordpress/rom-analysis-page/
for more information.
Level I BASIC ROMs for the Model I and Model III also exist.
The Model 4 uses the Model III BASIC ROM image. The Model 4P ROM does not
implement a BASIC interpreter; it is a boot loader for disk operating systems
only.
Place Model I, Model III, and Model 4P ROM image files in the following files,
respectively:
/usr/local/lib/xtrs/level2rom.hex
/usr/local/lib/xtrs/romimage.m3
/usr/local/lib/xtrs/romimage.m4p
They should be mode 644 ("chmod 644 /usr/local/lib/xtrs/*" as root).
These files will not be removed or replaced during an upgrade, downgrade,
removal, or purge of the xtrs package--you will have to delete them manually if
you want to be rid of them.
xtrs can operate with only the ROM images: it will boot to the Model I or III
BASIC interpreter. If you wish to use some of the software designed for use
with the Model I/III/4, you will need to provide it in the form of disk images,
and boot to a disk operating system. It is possible to use cassette images of
executable programs, but disk images are usually favored.
The manual pages for xtrs(1) and mkdisk(1) will be helpful if you want to work
with disk images, as will Tim Mann's TRS-80 FAQ at
http://www.tim-mann.org/trs80faq.html .
If you wish to work with cassette images, please read the manual page for the
cassette(1) program.
Finally, you may wish to observe the licensing of the ROM images and software
you use with xtrs. If you own the original computer(s), you have a license to
use the corresponding ROMs. Alternatively, a book was published in the 1980's
called _Microsoft BASIC Decoded & Other Mysteries for the TRS-80_ (James
Farvour; IJG Computer Services; ISBN 0-936200-01-4) which had the source code
for the Model I Level II ROMs (no Level I ROM images are available, to my
knowledge). If you own that book, you also have license to use the Model I
Level II BASIC ROM images.
Licenses to use software for the Model I/III/4 are often restricted to original
owners of the disks or cassettes, as applicable. However, a couple of dozen
software packages for the Model I/III/4 published by Misosys Software are freely
available for use, including the LDOS operating system, compilers for BASIC and
K&R C, an editor/assembler, a disassembler, and some utilities and applications
(including games). Please see Tim Mann's TRS-80 page for more information:
http://www.tim-mann.org/trs80.html
Enjoy your retrocomputing!
-- Branden Robinson, 2017-03-23T20:59:21-0400
vim:set ai et ts=4 sw=4 tw=80:
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