website/content/museum/televideo-ts-802.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Televideo TS-802	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1982	Z80-A	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread adverts oc_id source TS-802 /media/museum/photos/televideo_ts802_system_1.jpg /companies/televideo Televideo label value NAME TS-802 label value MANUFACTURER Televideo label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1982 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None label value KEYBOARD Full_stroke 103 keys with 11 function keys & numeric keypad label value CPU Z80-A label value SPEED 4 Mhz. label value RAM 64 KB label value ROM Unknown label value TEXT MODES 80 columns x 25 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES None label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND Beeper label value SIZE / WEIGHT Unknown label value I/O PORTS 2 x RS232, high speed port for Televideo expansion cards label value BUILT IN MEDIA Dual 5.25'' 500 KB F.D. drives or 10 MB hard disk label value OS CP/M label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PRICE $3,495 (Dual F.D. version), $5,995 (H.D. version) adverts 597 title subtitle text image U.S. ADVERT (1982) The memo from the company president: Your purchase request for six personal computers just reached my desk. What gives? I thought you understood our grouth plans, Jack, but the computers you have recommanded are dead ends. They might do the job today, but what about tomorrow? They don't connect together to form any kind of functional system. The 8 bits aren't compatible with the 16 bits models. And I doubt the software that run on the computers you want will be of any use later when we're forced to buy computers that work together. You saved us a little now, Jack, but your decision will cost us a bundle as we grow into the future. We are growing, Jack, and I'm sure that you want to be part of the growth. See me before you go home tonight.\ Tom Cheer up Jack! Now the advert: If you don't want your boss to limit you growth, don't limit the growth of the company. Consider small business computers that can keep up with your business by giving you options for expansion in the future.\ With Televideo Systems Inc. you get what no other small business computer can offer... Perhaps jack was right... /media/museum/pubs/televideo_ts802_pub_1.jpg 610 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230608081336/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=610 2023-06-08

In 1982, Télévidéo was one of the first companies selling passive video terminals. These devices were used as monitors/keyboards for mainframes. Their major competitor was Digital and its VT100 terminal, which became the reference model and was later on copied by several companies.

The same year, Digital and Televideo had the same idea: to convert their video terminal into a business computer. The digital solution was called the VT-180. Televideo offered their solution under the name TS-802.

The TS-802 was a traditional Z80 and CP/M based system. There were two versions: one equiped with double 5.25'' disk drives, and another with a 10 MB hard disk (TS-802H). Like all CP/M systems manufacturers of the time, Televideo offered a free software suite called TeleSolutions. It included the two MicroPro editor bestsellers: WordStar (wordprocessor) and CalcStar (agenda/spreadsheet).

Initially, these computers were used by large companies as single user, stand alone systems. Then, they were connected to multitasking mainframe units (Televideo TS-806 or TS-816 for example) and used for many years as intelligent satellite stations.

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First LAN, by Jim:
Back in 1983, Los Alamos National Laboratory's first Local Area Network was created. It used 1 TS-800A terminal, 7 TS-802 computers and 1 TS-816 Service Processor.