{"id":313913,"date":"2021-08-02T14:00:13","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T11:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/"},"modified":"2021-08-02T14:00:13","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T11:00:13","slug":"remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/","title":{"rendered":"#Remembering Radio Shack\u2019s Windows Competitor: Tandy DeskMate"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a22a8b1225e2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a22a8b1225e2\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#Discover_the_DeskMate_Difference\" >Discover the DeskMate Difference<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#Using_DeskMate\" >Using DeskMate<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#Notable_Versions_of_DeskMate_Over_the_Years\" >Notable Versions of DeskMate Over the Years<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#DeskMate_I_II_PC_1984_1986\" >DeskMate I &amp; II (PC, 1984, 1986)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#DeskMate_100_TRS-80_Model_4_and_Others_19841985\" >DeskMate 1.00 (TRS-80 Model 4 and Others, 1984\/1985)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#DeskMate_for_the_Color_Computer_TRS-80_CoCo_1985\" >DeskMate for the Color Computer (TRS-80 CoCo, 1985)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#Personal_DeskMate_Tandy_1000_1986\" >Personal DeskMate (Tandy 1000, 1986)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#Personal_DeskMate_2_Tandy_1000_1987\" >Personal DeskMate 2 (Tandy 1000, 1987)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#DeskMate_3_Color_Computer_3_1987\" >DeskMate 3 (Color Computer 3, 1987)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#DeskMate_3x_PC_1989\" >DeskMate 3.x (PC, 1989)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#WinMate_PC_1992\" >WinMate (PC, 1992)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/#Try_DeskMate_Today\" >Try DeskMate Today<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#Remembering Radio Shack\u2019s Windows Competitor: Tandy DeskMate&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-743424 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_hero_2.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_hero_2.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_hero_2.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Tandy DeskMate Logo\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-credittext=\"Tandy Corp.\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\">Tandy Corp.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the 1980s, Radio Shack parent Tandy Corp. released a graphical user interface called DeskMate that shipped with its TRS-80 and Tandy personal computers. It made its PCs easier to use and competed with Windows. Let\u2019s take a look back.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Discover_the_DeskMate_Difference\"><\/span>Discover the DeskMate Difference<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the early 1980s, IBM PC compatible computers were not very user-friendly. To use MS-DOS, you needed to memorize typed commands that didn\u2019t im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely make sense if you weren\u2019t already used to them. Meanwhile, computers like the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>le Macintosh made computing as easy as point-and-click with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and a mouse.<\/p>\n<p>Since the debut of the TRS-80 Model I in 1977, Tandy marketed most of its PCs toward a mainstream consumer audience\u2014one that might stop by a neighborhood Radio Shack retail store. Sure, there were business machines too, but Radio Shack sold huge numbers of its home PCs like the Color Computer <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> and the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tandy_1000\">Tandy 1000<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743463 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_ad_1989.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A 1989 magazine advertisement for Tandy DeskMate.\" width=\"1300\" height=\"1000\" data-credittext=\"Tandy Corp.\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Tandy Corp.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To make its home computers easier to use, Tandy developed a menu-based operating environment called DeskMate in 1984. It began as a text-mode-only suite of productivity applications but evolved over time into a mouse-driven graphical interface.<\/p>\n<p>As a user interface shell, DeskMate wasn\u2019t an operating system itself. Instead, it made existing text-based operating systems easier to use. On the TRS-80 Model 4, it ran atop <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/TRSDOS\">TRSDOS<\/a>, on the Color Computer 3, it served as a shell for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/OS-9\">OS-9<\/a>, and on IBM PC compatibles, it required MS-DOS to work.<\/p>\n<p>Tandy advertised DeskMate as a major selling point of its consumer PCs, and it <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/80_Micro_1985-05_CW_Communications_US\/page\/n31\/mode\/2up\">impressed several reviewers<\/a> shortly after its debut. According to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atarimagazines.com\/creative\/v10n12\/44_Tandy_Model_1000_junior_.php\">a 1984 review<\/a> in Creative Computing magazine, with DeskMate, \u201cyou might never need another software package for your computer.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_DeskMate\"><\/span>Using DeskMate<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Usually, DeskMate shipped with Tandy computers on several 5.25\u2033 or 3.5\u2033 floppy disks. To load it, you\u2019d insert a DeskMate floppy in the drive and turn on your machine. Later, you could install it onto an internal hard disk.<\/p>\n<p>But in some cases, using DeskMate was as easy as switching on your PC: Both the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/oldcomputer.info\/portables\/tandy1100fd\/index.htm\">Tandy 1100FD laptop<\/a> and the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atarimagazines.com\/compute\/issue106\/reviews_tandy.php\">Tandy 1000 SL desktop<\/a> included portions of DeskMate built into internal ROM chips so they would load instantly on boot. Other components had to be loaded from disk, but it made the machines friendlier with DeskMate instantly available.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743693 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_hangmac.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Hangman for Tandy DeskMate 3.x on PC\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" data-credittext=\"ToastyTech\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Not Quite Solitaire: <em>Hangman <\/em>shipped with Tandy DeskMate 3.x. <span class=\"imagecredit\">ToastyTech<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Every version of DeskMate included a suite of applications. By version 3.0, that included a calendar, a word processor, a spreadsheet application, a simple database, a vector drawing program, a telecommunications program, and a <em>Hangman<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>. It also included a simple calculator and the ability to set alarms.<\/p>\n<p>How you used DeskMate varied between platforms and versions. Some were icon-based, so launching an app was as easy as clicking an icon with a mouse. In other versions, you could select names from lists in boxes on the screen, or select choices from menus using arrow keys.<\/p>\n<p>Although DeskMate\u2019s integrated apps might not have been as fully featured as some competing apps that shipped individually, this integrated software suite represented a huge cost savings for Tandy PC owners\u2014buying each of those applications independently would have cost thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tandy DeskMate: Four Incarnations\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iFg0S0gjnEM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>While DeskMate never received deep application support like Windows or OS\/2, several popular applications did support DeskMate as its interface by 1989, including Lotus Spreadsheet for DeskMate, Q&amp;A Write, PFS: First Publisher, Activision\u2019s The Music Studio, and Quicken accounting software.<\/p>\n<p>In practice, many Tandy computer owners used DeskMate as a way to quickly launch their favorite games and applications without having to hunt for the exact EXE file name to type in a nested directory.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Notable_Versions_of_DeskMate_Over_the_Years\"><\/span>Notable Versions of DeskMate Over the Years<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Tandy released at least 11 versions of DeskMate between 1984 and 1991 for at least four different computer platforms. The version numbers are a little confusing, with some versions having very similar names despite having different features. Here\u2019s a rundown on some of the most notable versions.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DeskMate_I_II_PC_1984_1986\"><\/span>DeskMate I &amp; II (PC, 1984, 1986)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743688 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_I_PC.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Tandy Deskmate I for PC\" width=\"650\" height=\"490\" data-credittext=\"ToastyTech\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">ToastyTech<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The original version of DeskMate shipped for the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tandy_1000\">Tandy 1000<\/a>, an IBM PC compatible machine originally created as a clone of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/IBM_PCjr\">IBM PCjr<\/a>. It was text-only, ran atop MS-DOS, and it included a simple word processor, spreadsheet, database, terminal program, calendar, and even an electronic mail client. Deskmake II (1986) remained text-based but added color text and a few new features.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DeskMate_100_TRS-80_Model_4_and_Others_19841985\"><\/span>DeskMate 1.00 (TRS-80 Model 4 and Others, 1984\/1985)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743689 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_1_trs80.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Tandy DeskMate 1.00 for TRS-80\" width=\"650\" height=\"497\" data-credittext=\"ToastyTech\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">ToastyTech<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After releasing DeskMate on the Tandy 1000, Tandy <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/webcache.googleusercontent.com\/search?q=cache:W23_Asvrx-4J:toastytech.com\/guis\/pdm3.html+&amp;cd=5&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=us&amp;client=firefox-b-1-d\">began to port it<\/a> to some of its other machines such as the TRS-80 Model 4 (running over TRSDOS), the Tandy 2000, and the 1200HD as Deskmate 1.0. It included features similar to DeskMate I &amp; II on the Tandy 1000.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DeskMate_for_the_Color_Computer_TRS-80_CoCo_1985\"><\/span>DeskMate for the Color Computer (TRS-80 CoCo, 1985)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743461 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_for_color_computer.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"DeskMate for Color Computers entry in a Tandy catalog, 1985\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" data-credittext=\"Tandy Corp. \/ LGR\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Tandy Corp. \/ LGR<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 1985, Tandy shipped DeskMate for its <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/TRS-80_Color_Computer\">TRS-80 Color Computer<\/a> series, which included many similar applications as the earlier DeskMate but added a more Mac-like graphical interface with icons that could be navigated with a mouse or joystick.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Personal_DeskMate_Tandy_1000_1986\"><\/span>Personal DeskMate (Tandy 1000, 1986)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743687 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/personal_deskmate_1.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Tandy Personal Deskmate 1 for PC\" width=\"650\" height=\"490\" data-credittext=\"ToastyTech\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">ToastyTech<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With the release of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/redirect.viglink.com\/?key=204a528a336ede4177fff0d84a044482&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.computinghistory.org.uk%2Fdet%2F37124%2FTandy-1000-EX-Personal-Computer%2F\">Tandy 1000 EX<\/a>, a low-cost MS-DOS PC that integrated a keyboard, disk drive, and CPU into one unit, Tandy included the new Personal DeskMate, which added graphical flair to DeskMate and could be navigated with a joystick or mouse.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Personal_DeskMate_2_Tandy_1000_1987\"><\/span>Personal DeskMate 2 (Tandy 1000, 1987)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743464 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_2.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"490\" data-credittext=\"ToastyTech\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">ToastyTech<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Personal DeskMate 2 shipped with the Tandy 1000 HX and TX, and it included a new 3-voice music program, enhancements to the Paint program, and a new modular core that made adding new DeskMate applications easy.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DeskMate_3_Color_Computer_3_1987\"><\/span>DeskMate 3 (Color Computer 3, 1987)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743692 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/coco3_deskmate.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Tandy DeskMate for TRS-80 Color Computer 3\" width=\"650\" height=\"484\" data-credittext=\"Tandy Corp.\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Tandy Corp.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.old-computers.com\/museum\/computer.asp?c=109\">Tandy Color Computer 3<\/a> included dramatically better graphics capabilities and more RAM than the two previous computers in the Color Computer series. Accordingly, Tandy upgraded DeskMate to take advantage of the new graphics modes. As with the earlier versions, you could use it with a mouse or joystick, but this time it ran over the advanced OS-9 operating system.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DeskMate_3x_PC_1989\"><\/span>DeskMate 3.x (PC, 1989)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743462 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_305.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" data-credittext=\"ToastyTech\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">ToastyTech<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Versions of the DeskMate 3 series could run on non-Tandy machines for the first time. It shipped with a new \u201cDraw\u201d program that replaced Paint, included a PC-Link online service client (the precursor to America Online). The final PC clone version, 3.05, shipped in 1990, although the Tandy-specific version 3.04 (that supported VGA graphics) shipped as late as 1991.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WinMate_PC_1992\"><\/span>WinMate (PC, 1992)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-743465 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/winmate_shot.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" data-credittext=\"ToastyTech\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">ToastyTech<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With the release of Windows 3.0 in 1990, the industry began to solidify behind Windows as the PC graphical interface of choice. By 1992, with Windows 3.1, Microsoft dominated the PC GUI market.<\/p>\n<p>Around that time, Tandy began shipping Windows 3.x on its PC-compatible machines. Beginning in 1992, DeskMate transformed into <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210127104435\/http:\/\/toastytech.com\/guis\/winmate.html\">WinMate<\/a>, a tutorial and application suite developed as a menu program that ran on top of Windows 3.1 for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/business\/1992\/11\/16\/tandys-multimedia-sensation-is-a-dandy\/a70cfa27-0446-4da1-a866-c5ff8bcd1eac\/\">Tandy Sensation!<\/a> multimedia PCs. It didn\u2019t last long; Tandy <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1993-07-02-fi-9351-story.html\">sold its PC business to AST<\/a> less than a year later, bringing the era of DeskMate firmly to a close.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Windows 3.0 Is 30 Years Old: Here&#8217;s What Made It Special<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try_DeskMate_Today\"><\/span>Try DeskMate Today<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019d like to play around with DeskMate yourself, the Internet Archive <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/hdemudeskmate\">hosts a version of DeskMate 3.x<\/a> that can run in your browser. It\u2019s a little too slow and some of the files are missing, but if you make it full screen, you can get a taste of what it felt like to use back in the day. It was no Windows, but if you had no alternative, it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the bleak MS-DOS prompt.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, you can <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.oldskool.org\/guides\/tvdog\/deskmate.html\">download the original DeskMate 3.x files<\/a> thanks to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.oldskool.org\/guides\/tvdog\/index_html\">Tvdog\u2019s Archive<\/a> and run them in an MS-DOS emulator like DOSBox with some fiddling (ToughDev has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.toughdev.com\/content\/2019\/06\/exploring-tandy-deskmate-on-dosbox-v0-7-4\/\">some tips<\/a> on its site).<\/p>\n<p>Either way, you\u2019ll probably feel like a computer archeologist roaming through the digital ruins of an ancient temple. That\u2019s the joy of rediscovering <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>\u2019s cultural history Have fun!<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How To Use DOSBox To Run DOS Games and Old Apps<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/743142\/remembering-radio-shacks-windows-competitor-tandy-deskmate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Remembering Radio Shack\u2019s Windows Competitor: Tandy DeskMate&#8221; Tandy Corp. In the 1980s, Radio Shack parent Tandy Corp. released a graphical user interface called DeskMate that shipped with its TRS-80 and Tandy personal computers. It made its PCs easier to use and competed with Windows. Let\u2019s take a look back. Discover the DeskMate Difference In the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":313914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deskmate_hero_2.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-313913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}