I Miss My TRS-80 Color Computer

I miss my first real computer. I miss reading my thick, bound Rainbow Magazines. Or Hot CoCo Magazine.

If I ever get too nostalgic, thanks to modern technology, I can go work on a Color Computer right now, by going to the JavaCoco Emulator, a TRS-80 Color Computer emulator that runs in Java. I can program it in Microsoft BASIC (the great-great-grandpappy of Microsoft's Visual Studio 6.0), just like I used to in the old days, and it works the same way. There were a number of editing functions that were related to the editing BASIC programs using the CTRL key, and they all seem to work with the Java Applet. Pretty cool. No way to really open or save programs, but there are plenty of real software emulators and CoCo ROMs out on the internets.

If you happen to go there (to the Java Applet), you'll happen to notice the "UNDER LICENSE FROM MICROSOFT" that happens to accompany the emulator. I looked at the screen almost every day for years, and if I had--during that time--invested, say, $500 in Microsoft, I wouldn't be worried about money right now. Because that Microsoft stock would be worth a million bucks, or nearly, depending on exactly when the investment happened. Which wouldn't be too shabby.

And, doomsayer predictions to the contrary, and Microsoft's stagnant stock price to the contrary, Microsoft ain't going anywhere. Could global business run without Microsoft Software. Critics aside, Windows Vista is not only a much better product that it is given credit for being, but it's selling well, and Microsoft is raking in the money. Also, it might be nice to point out that Microsoft's market cap is about 250 billion, which is about 100 billion higher than Google or Apple's, to name two.

Microsoft's Window Server products dominate the server landscape, and will continue to for the forseeable future. Microsoft SQL is becoming the dominant commercial SQL database, as Oracle treads water. Microsoft Office dominates the productivity software landscape, and does anybody think that Star Office is going to displace Microsoft Office software any time in the near future? No? I didn't think so.

Certain markets are weaker for Microsoft, sure. Windows Mobile is big in the mobile device market, but competing against the Apple iPhone and RIM's Crackberry--I mean, Blackberry and Google's upcoming Android platform, Microsoft isn't going to be to mobile what Microsoft has become to the enterprise. But that's okay. Sure, Microsoft has the Zune, but they also have the X-Box. Apple may be making inroads, but Microsoft still owns the enterprise. And Microsoft owns most of the global desktop and laptop operating system market. So, when it's all said and done, I still wish I have invested a few pennies in Microsoft, back in the day.

A Full Line of Computer Hardware and Parts

If you've been to the site, you know we sell some hardware.

But we're actually selling a lot more hardware products than you think.

Somewhat hidden (at least for now, as we focus on software and get some of the hardware and parts selection organized) is a special part of our website where you can get great prices on, and a wide variety of, dekstops, laptops, hard drives, DVD drives, and various other computer hardware and parts.

And there will be more (and more and better images and descriptions) as time goes on.

CRT monitors?

Mobile and portable hard drives?

Power Supplies?

Printers, Scanners and Faxes? All-in-ones?

Oh, we got 'em, and more. Come on by and check 'em out.

Yes, it needs a little more organizing. We certainly need to get more images up. We're working on that. In the meantime, here's your secret link. Don't forget it!

Corel WordPerfect Office X3 Standard Edition OEM

I think I've mentioned this before, but, since it's the Deal of the Week this week, why not mention it again?

We've got Corel WordPerfect Office X3 Standard Edition, Full Version, in OEM (that means no boxes, just the media, manual, license and registration info). This thing can created and edit PDF files. Microsoft Office files? Fully compatible. That means Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel--open 'em all up and save 'em again, in WordPerfect Office X3. Or open up, and save 'em out, in any of 150 other formats WordPerfect Office X3 happens to support.

Customize your workspace using Office X3s groovy Workspace Manager. Save any and all documents without metadata, if you so choose, for maximum security. Comes with a full featured email application (WordPerfect MAIL) that includes calendar and contact management and RSS capabilities, all rapidly searchable.

The best news? It's only $12.42 at the time of this posting. Only $10.95 each, if you want to buy 100 or more, or $12.00 if you want to buy 20 or more. Pretty good deal, if you ask me.

Find this and more great deals in Software Supply Group's Miscellaneous Software Section. Get 'em while they're hot (and still in stock!).

TR2N (Or, Tron 2 For the Geekspeak Illiterate) Is on the Way

Comic-Con 2008 is over, and the most important announcement made at the show? It wasn't even in an announcement.

It was a surprise trailer for Tr2n (or, Tron 2), a 26-years-later sequel to Disney's classic Tron. While it didn't get great box office the first time out, the popularity of Tron has grown over the years, becoming a cult classic. And then, of course, there are folks like me who liked it from the very beginning, and still love it to this day.

Just search for Tron on YouTube and see what you find. Tron Guy.Fan projects like this. Tron-like music videos. And don't forget Cardboard Tron.

While we still can't be completely digitized into the computer and become a program, and talk to, say, Microsoft Office like we're talking to a co-worker in the next cubicle (btw, here's my vote for the modern-day equivalent of the Master Control Program). What would Power DVD 7 from Cyberlink look like? I dunno. I just hope, when they do make it--and, based from the cheers I heard on the bootleg cell phone footage of the teaser they ran at Comic-Con, actually doing it is a no-brainer--they don't make it cutesy with lots of references to things like FaceBook, MySpace, Google, Web 2.0, etc. I hope it takes place in the original world of Tron . . . updated, of course, given 26 years have passed since the original Tron and Tr2n.

And, though we can't get you into the computer to have you hob-knob with you're software, we can still get you great software at great prices. Like Norton Anti-Virus 2008 for only $15.84, as of this posting, of course.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 / SQL 2005 / Exchange 2007 And More

Microsoft Server products (previously called Windows Server System) have been around for a long time.

While the "Server" branding orginally debuted with Microsoft Windows Server 2003, file sharing had been available for some time and much of the functionality of a typical server was available in Microsoft's Windows NT.

Naturally, this expanded with the release of Microsoft Windows 2000 to the point where, aside from certain specialized enterprise software and policy management features, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate is, in fact, a robust server platform. Although this hasn't prevented Microsoft from coming up with products like Windows Home Server, or prevented them from developing robust enterprise database and mail server products like Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise and Microsoft Exchange 2007 Enterprise. Both of which, purely by happenstance, we happen to sell. Yay for us!

So, get some chocolates, curl up with a good book, and enjoy unprecedented computer security for a great price.

Am I pimping the Software Supply Group ride too much? Well, I can't help it. We've got great products and great prices, including some difficult to find older software titles that can be a lifesaver when you've got large networks and backwards-compatability issues.

Yeah, you know what I mean.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

I started really working with and on computers in 1981, with my first computer, The Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer, which has a long and storied history. Pretty much every evening, and every day during the summers, I started my free time looking at this:

And I'm nostaligic for it to this day. Around 1987, thanks the computer studio at Memphis College of Art, I became an equally big fan of the Amiga 500. Although I had some fun playing with the Color Computer's graphic capabilities, including what could be done in Microsoft BASIC as well as apps like Chesire Cat's Graphicom software (Copy and paste graphics! Invert! Wow!), the Amiga 500 and Deluxe Paint and Digipaint and Digiview, which allowed me to work in tens-of-thousands of colors and play with scanning via a video source (in our case, a black and white security camera with a color wheel to assist in color scanning), blew open the doors as far as what could be done with graphics and computers. Plus, it was fun as anything I've ever done in my life.

Then, after about a year of non-stop action on the Amiga, I started working in the Mac studio. And though I've worked on plenty of Windows and Linux desktops since then, nothing has ever bested the Mac, in my opinion.

Even though, when I started, it was in a studio with a few Mac IIs and several Mac 512ks. Over the years, I have personally owned or have worked on almost 25 models of Macintosh. The Amiga has faded (and I never owned one), and while I still have my Color Computer III (my third or fourth, I lost track) in storage, I will probably never boot it up again. But I fully expect to be using my Mac until the day I die.

Which brings me to Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac. This edition includes Microsoft Word 2008, Microsoft Excel 2008, Microsoft Powerpoint 2008, Microsoft, Entourage 2008, and Messenger for Mac. While there is still no Microsoft Access for Mac (a slap, indeed), and they dropped support for some of their older productivity apps like Microsoft Project for Mac years ago, it's still a robust suite of Office products . . . and shows that the Mac is more than important enough for Microsoft to throw some serious development resources at. And right now we have the full retail product for only $289.95! Get it while it's hot.

Microsoft Office XP Student And Teacher

One could argue that Microsoft has too many iterations of their products--Home and Professional, Basic and Ultimate, Desktop and Server and Mobile and Tablet and Media Center and . . . and . . . and . . .

Still, they do, and sometimes you can get a perfectly good version of their software at a much better price just because it's a different version will largely the same capabilities.

So let me point you at Microsoft Office XP 2002 Standard for Students and Teachers, Retail Box for only $79.95 (as of this posting) . . . this offer won't last forever, so if you're interested, I suggest you hit it now. Because it'll be gone soon.

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It ain't the only thing we've got for a good price, however. May I also point you at Microsoft Works 2006 OEM on DVD for only $37.95. Microsoft Works includes Word 2002, Microsoft Works 8.0, Money 2006 Standard, Digital Imaging Standard 2006, Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2006, Streets & Trips Essentials 2006 . . .and Microsoft Works 8.0 by itself is a pretty robust application for productivity. This software does require a DVD-ROM to install, and is OEM. But I suggest you check it out.