TC01 System Master Disc (XtalDOS)

This is the master disc that came with the Tatung Einstein TC01 when it was new, usually called the TC01 system master disc, or simply the system disc. It carries the machine's operating system, XtalDOS, alongside an introduction, a demonstration, a keyboard trainer and a set of games, all written in house at Tatung.

The programs announce themselves with their own banners and version numbers. INTRO is "INTRODUCTION V008" by Nigel Deakin, dated 14 June 1984. DEMO is "DEMO-PROGRAM V009" by David Wess, dated 13 June 1984 and marked copyright 1984 Tatung (UK) Ltd. EINSTEIN is "EINSTEIN V010" by Julian Rangeley, dated 19 June 1984. KEYBOARD is "KEYBOARD TRAINER V010" by Nigel Deakin, dated 21 October 1984.

The games are versioned the same way: Hangman, Mastermind, Othello, Snakes, Picture Pen and an analogue clock.

A few files on this copy are not Tatung's: DECODER.XBS, a five-line program that turns codes into "winning numbers"; SOUND.ASC, a short sprite program kept as text; ATARI.OBJ, which is not a program but the text of notes for "The Ultimate Dungeon Master Cheat Routine"; and ATARI.PIC, data that nothing on the disc uses. Our guide The TC01 System Master Disc explains every file and how to run it.

Three programming languages are on the disc. Xtal BASIC as XBAS.COM, BBC BASIC as BBCBASIC.COM, and Dr Logo as LOGO.COM. If you want to run Dr Logo on the Einstein, this is the disc that carries it. Its manual is archived separately as Dr. Logo Introduction.

Files on the Disc