and, of course, as a third type, Exatron Stringy-Floppy computer based, but NOT entirely usable.
The department chair at one of the colleges attempted to convert an entire TRS80 based student computer lab over to stringy floppy. He was the same one who later had a lab full of TRS80 model 3s converted into model 4s at a slightly higher price per unit than buying model 4s. Nodel 3s were still quite in demand in that lab, and the student technicians were quite capable of adding memory and disk drives. The same expenditure could have resulted in almost twice as many usable machines, plus a few 3s waiting for funding for RAM and drives. Later, he thought that it would be cool to have all of the 5150 PCs on their sides, ("to look more professional"), with the switch on the underside. And, of course, although it meant far fewer machines, all of the AT machines used for teaching spreadsheets, word processing, and beginning programming HAD TO have color monitors.
