Thanks for the feedback. Did the WP-2 still have issues as a dumb terminal? Did you connect it to a Linux machine and pass a getty instance over serial? That seems like a promising application. I'm curious to hear more about your experiences.
Jon On Sun, Mar 31, 2019 at 11:12 PM C. Magaret <[email protected]> wrote: > I’ve had a number of WP-2s, originally for writing, but in my experience > the keyboard is very unreliable. The “jumping cursor” effect has already > been mentioned, so I’ll add to that the “ghost character” effect, where > certain key combinations (as in typing out a certain work fairly quickly) > can occasionally result in the generation of unwanted characters. I’ve > seen maybe four WP-2s (and still own one) and haven’t found one without > this problem, which killed my interest in using it for word processing. > > For me, the killer app of the WP-2 was being used as a terminal for > headless servers. This was facilitated by a termcap file that I created > which was mostly 100% compatible with the WP-2. > > CAM > > > > On Mar 31, 2019, at 12:53, David Szasz <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I have two WP-2's, but one is dead and I plan to transplant it's screen > to a Amstrad MC100 (it's a pin compatible change and a contrast improvement > for the NC100) > > > > The WP-2 is a good writing machine. I wish the flash memory cards for > the slot on the side weren't scarcer than hen's teeth. But the cheap 128K > upgrade chip (from Jameco) helps to alleviate that problem > > Other than the keyboard it is superior to a m100 for just plain writing. > > > > Regards all > > Dave Szasz > > > > On Sun, Mar 31, 2019 at 10:29 AM Abraham Moller <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Thanks for the tips. It sounds like I should stick with my x86 palmtops > for now. Maybe when the price is right I should consider an M100/M200/T102 > with the REX option (and flash MFORTH onto that). > > > > Jon > > > > On Sun, Mar 31, 2019 at 8:57 AM Anthony Coghlan <[email protected]> > wrote: > > I recently got one and like it as a dedicated word processor / note > taker because of the nice screen and cool form factor, as you note. It’s > also easy to transfer files to my Windows 10 machine (I think I use > LaddieCon). But as Willard mentioned, the screen is slow. Sometimes the > word processor does odd things, such as jumping to another nearby part of > the text. Maybe I accidentally typed a command or arrow to jump, but it’s > still silly to suddenly and somewhat frequently find myself typing in the > middle of another place in the text. Nonetheless, as a dedicated word > processor, it’s a nice idea. > > > > I was intrigued by the Zork idea also. A purely text based application > like that, which also doesn’t require super fast screen refreshing, may > work well. I share Willard’s concern that it may be a challenge to do much > more from a programming perspective on the WP-2, though. > > > > Best wishes, > > Anthony > > > > > > > > > > On Sunday, March 31, 2019, Abraham Moller <[email protected]> wrote: > > Oops - I meant the VCF SE 7.0. But Zork on a WP-2 was evidently > demonstrated at the VCF MW 9.0 in 2014 (by Christopher at > randomvariations.com). > > > > Jon > > > > On Sun, 31 Mar 2019, 02:07 Abraham Moller, <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi all, > > > > I had a few questions about the Tandy WP-2. How many here have used the > machine? It seems like a nice upgrade from the Model 100, although the lack > of BASIC is a disappointment. The 80x8 display, XMODEM capability, and 128K > drop-in RAM upgrade seem like the main advantages. It also looks like Forth > and an Infocom interpreter have been ported to the machine. > > > > Has anyone here used or upgraded WP-2 CamelForth (besides John > Hogerhuis, of course)? It looks promising, and disk I/O plus inline > assembler would make it really strong. Also, does anyone on the list have > the source for the WP-2 zxzvm Infocom interpreter (Christopher from > randomvariations.com ported it, but I can't find his email address > anywhere)? > > > > I have a QuickPad Pro (80186-powered) in a similar form factor that does > much more (DOS), but it is hampered by a weird serial port (no way to > receive data without frequent software interruption, at least through > testing with DSZ). Is the WP-2 worth it for tinkering? Has anyone developed > other apps for the WP-2? A Z80 laptop running Forth and zcode interpreter > would be really nice and a great addition to my planned portable computing > exhibit at VCF SE 9.0. > > > > Let me know if you have any suggestions or if I should just steer clear. > > > > Thanks, > > Jon > >
