Doug's first computer was a Tandy 2000 that Rose bought him for his birthday. This computer was based on the Intel 80186 microprocessor. Unlike the 4.33 MHz 8088 processor used in the original IBM PC, the 8 MHz 80186 processor had a full 16-bit data path to complement the processor. It could get 16-bit operands from memory with one fetch, while the 8088's 8-bit access required two. It also featured higher resolution g raphics (640 x 400 with 16 colors) than the contemporary IBM PC. The 2000 was faster and better than the PC.

The Tandy 2000 hardware was different from that of the IBM-PC in several key areas. It could contain and use 768K of RAM, while the IBM PC was limited to 640K of DOS-addressable memory. The address for its video memory also depended on how much RAM was installed. Programs written for the IBM PC often wrote directly to video memory for better speed than using the DOS function calls. This kept them from working on the Tandy 2000. Also, the sense of the Tandy 2000's "Printer Busy" bit was reversed from that of the IBM machine, causing printing problems when use of IBM PC applications was attempted on the Tandy 2000.

Although Radio Shack sold Tandy 2000 versions of major applications such as dBASE II®, Lotus Symphony®, and AutoCAD®, the software choices for the 2000 ended up being much more limited than those for the far more ubiquitous IBM-PC and its scores of clones. Doug wrote several utilities for the Tandy 2000, some of which were featured in articles he wrote for PCM, a magazine published by Falsoft, Inc. that catered to Tandy computer users. T2KIBM was a memory-resident utility which would allow the IBM versions of dBASE III+ and other applications to run on Tandy 2000 equipped with the full 768K of RAM. Doug makes T2KIBM and the other programs he wrote for the Tandy 2000 available for down load here on an as-is, unsupported basis (his Tandy 2000 is in the attic with an inoperative CM-1 color monitor and only 256K of RAM left in it). If you run a computer museum, or own a working Tandy 2000, you're welcome to dowload and use these programs. One of them, CAL2K, a memory-resident pop-up calendar, will also run on almost any x86 computer in a DOS command window of most versions of Windows (64-bit versions excluded). The rest are strictly for the Tandy 2000.

T2KIBM - A utility program affording SOME additional IBM®-compatibility for Tandy 2000. Memory-resident program for color and monochrome machines with at least 768K of memory. Moves characters and translates attributes from IBM CGA buffer address to correct Tandy 2000 video memory address. Reverses "Printer Busy" bit from Tandy 2000 to IBM sense. Enables dBASE® III+ and certain other programs for IBM-compatibles to run on the Tandy 2000.

Download T2KIBM.EXE--Self-extracts to executable T2KIBM.COM & T2KIBM.DOC documentation. 11 kB.

DOSCLR - Enables a 4-color display in fast text mode. User selects colors for normal video, reverse video, highlight video, and background. Alters colors in BIOS area so they're retained until reboot.

Download DOSCLR.ZIP-- 2 kB. Unzip to DOSCLR.COM after downloading.

KLOK2K - Puts a 24-hour clock in the upper right corner of the display which can be toggled on and off with a hot-key. Also functions as a configurable screen blanker.

Download KLOK2K.ZIP--4 kB. Unzip to KLOK2K.COM after downloading.

PONG2K - The classic arcade game for the Tandy 2000. No graphics adapter is required.

Download PONG2K.ZIP--11 kB. Unzip to PONG2K.COM after downloading.

Download CAL2K.ZIP--11 kB. After downloading it, just unzip it to extract cal2k.com (the MS-DOS program) and cal2k51c.txt (the documentation).