[Coco] Re: [Color Computer] What's wrong with this Picture

[L. Curtis Boyle]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 14:11:31 -0400 (EDT), Arthur Flexser <flexser at fiu.edu>  
wrote:
> As a matter of fact, the CoCo 3 keyboard was available from Radio Shack,  
> as an
> add-on for earlier CoCos, well before the CoCo 3 itself came out.  These
> keyboards were originally for the aborted "deluxe CoCo", and were sold  
> for $4.95
> at the Shack.  It was perfectly hardware compatible with later models of  
> CoCo
> 1/2, and just needed software that supported the extra keys, if you  
> wanted to
> use them for something.  Third-party keyboards from HJL (?) and others  
> were
> available earlier still that included the 4 extra keys that were  
> logically
> possible but omitted in the original keyboard scheme.  (I think HJL  
> labeled them
> as F1, F2, F3, and F4 rather than CTL, ALT, F1, and F2.)
>
> Art
>
    Yes, I remember their being several. Keyronix had a really nice one  
with a single function key labelled 'PF', and I think it even had a  
locking Shift key, didn't it? The first one was Micronix (sp?), and they  
had two versions: the first one had the extra keys in some pretty weird  
places, and then their 'Premium' keyboard with a more standard layout, but  
both had the 4 extra keys. Mark Data Producuts had their Professional  
keyboard, but it didn't have the extra keys. These all came out around  
1982-1983, from what I remember (probably 1983).

-- 
L. Curtis Boyle