![]() /details/Laser3000PersonalComputerUsersManualAppleIIClone.Much Apple software depends on various machine code routines that are a part of BASIC in ROM, and it is likely that the Laser would not have been as successful had it not had compatible ROM entry points. Like IBM with PC DOS, Apple did not have an exclusive license for the Applesoft dialect of BASIC, and VTech was free to license it. ![]() Microsoft made most of its money by keeping the rights to the software that it sold to others. Applesoft BASIC constitutes the largest and most complex part of an Apple II’s ROM contents. ![]() Licensing BASIC greatly reduced the amount of code that had to be reimplemented. The Laser 3000’s specs ensured that most major software companies tested their software on the Laser as well as on Apple hardware. By comparison, Apple claimed in 1984 that the IIc was compatible with 90% of all Apple II software. Most expansion cards worked properly but the magazine found “mixed results” with software compatibility, stating that graphics programs tested revealed flaws in the Laser 3000’s compatibility with both the Apple IIc and II+”. A+ similarly found that the computer was compatible with 28 of 30 popular Apple II programs, while only about half worked with the Franklin Ace. Programs that successfully ran on the Laser 3000 included F-15 Strike Eagle, Fantavision, WordPerfect, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and the magazine noted that it was easy to install $25 upgraded ROM chips if necessary to improve compatibility. inCider called the computer “amazingly Apple-compatible”, estimating 96% compatibility. Compatible software included AppleWorks, Quicken, Apple Writer, VisiCalc, Flight Simulator II, The Print Shop, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. InfoWorld found that the Laser 3000 was incompatible with 12% of 129 tested software packages, mostly educational software or games. Central Point claimed that testing had found that only Choplifter, David’s Midnight Magic, and Serpentine did not run on the clone, because of Broderbund’s copy protection. Maybe just because it was not sold in quantities large enough to justify any serious effort to stop its production.ĭespite its physical resemblance to the IIc, software sees the Laser 3000 as an enhanced IIe with 128K RAM. Apple carefully studied the Laser 3000 but unlike its efforts directed at Franklin, Apple was unable to force this model off the market. The company licensed an Applesoft BASIC-compatible version of Microsoft BASIC. Unlike the Apple II clones from Franklin and other companies, VTech reverse-engineered the Apple Monitor ROM using a clean room design rather than copying it. ![]() A Few Final Words about Laser 3000 Computer and Its Tech Specs The Laser 3000 was sold mostly in the Australian market where it was sold by Dick Smith Electronics under a name of CAT and APlus 3000.Īll the specifications are based on the Computer Direct ad that was published in Popular Science Magazine, November 1985, p.116 and on COMPUTE! Magazine, November 1985, p.85.A Z80 card with CP/M 80 was available for this model, as well as an Intel 8088 card.The Laser 3000 was software compatible with the Apple II by use of an emulation cartridge and was marketed as a very cheap alternative to the Apple machine.However, it had enough additions and changes to make it far more interesting than the average Apple clone. of Hong Kong had bugs in the hardware and in the firmware. The Laser 3000 personal computer built by Video Technology Ltd.Peripherals: Z80A card, Intel 8088 card, RS232c interface.Keyboard:Full-stroke keyboard with 81 keys, numeric keypad, 8 function keys, cursor keys, caps lock, esc, ctrl, shift (x2), tab, break, rubout.OS: Apple DOS 3.3 + optional CP/M 80 (with Z80A card).I/O ports: Joystick port, CP/M cartridge port, printer port, RS-232 serial port (optional), system bus connector, RGB video, Centronics, composite and RGB video outputs, cassette interface (tape).Display size, text modes: 40 / 80 x 24.3.1 A Few Final Words about Laser 3000 Computer and Its Tech Specs.
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