Introduction; Features - Tandy 1000 TL3 User Manual

Introduction
A computer system is made up of
hardware
and
software.
Hardware is com-
puter equipment, such as a diskette drive or a monitor. Software is the
programs that help you to use the hardware. Your Tandy 1000 TL/3 system
has some software built in. DeskMate, a powerful collection of integrated
application programs, is provided on diskette with the core program built
into read-only memory (ROM). ROM is a storage area for information you
can read but not change. Having DeskMate in ROM makes it easy to begin
using the computer as soon as you set it up.
Understanding what the features of your computer are designed to do can
help you get the most out of your 1000 TL/3 system. Some features are
built into the TL/3 and ready to use. Others make it easy to add optional
equipment to the system. This section describes each feature and lists a sec-
tion of the manual where you can learn more about it.
Features
CPU
The central processing unit (CPU), or microprocessor of the TL/3 is an Intel
80286 running at a clock speed of 10 megahertz. The CPU is the brain of
your computer. It processes or prepares the information that programs use
to operate. Some programs work better at a CPU speed slower than 10
MHz. Check your program documentation and refer to the "Setting System
Options" section for more information.
Memory
Random-access memory (RAM) is an area of memory that temporarily
stores programs and information that the CPU is working on. The TL/3 has
640KB of RAM. One kilobyte of memory can store 1,024 bytes, or charac-
ters, of information. If you run programs that require large amounts of
RAM, like some desktop publishing and graphics applications, you might
need to add more memory. To learn how to add memory, refer to the
"Adding Optional Equipment" section.
Information in RAM is erased when you turn off the computer, so you must
save your work on a diskette or an optional hard disk before you turn off
the computer.
3