VCF SE 5.0 -- Stories on the History of the TRS-80 -- Don French

This is the talk given by Don French at VCF SE 5.0, April 30, 2017 Don French is credited as being the driving force behind the TRS-80 line of Personal Computers. He purchased a MITS Altair kit computer then began designing his own and proposed to the VP of manufacturing at Radio Shack the idea of selling a microcomputer. He hired Steve Leininger and the two begin working together in 1976 building what would become the TRS-80 Model I. It was unveiled in 1977 and by 1980 InfoWorld described Radio Shack as “the dominant supplier of small computers”. Don left Radio Shack in 1978 to found Applied Data Corp which implemented software (including porting CP/M and all Microsoft Products) to the TRS-80. After this company was acquired by Lanier Business Products, he went on to found three more companies that focused on Physician Management Systems. He retired from Optio-Software in 2008, but still continues consulting in the medical field and creating software for the hospitality and gaming industries.