The xtrs package will not function as it ships because it requires a ROM image from one of the original TRS-80 Model I, III, 4, or 4P computers to operate. Because of licensing restrictions on the ROM images, they cannot be distributed with this Debian package. You will need to obtain one or more ROM images and install them where xtrs expects to find them for the program to work. See /usr/share/doc/xtrs/README.contrib-only for more information. The Model 4 emulation mode uses the Model III ROMs, so xtrs will have full functionality if you have one ROM each from the Model I and Model III computers. The Model 4P had no BASIC interpreter ROM, but instead had a boot ROM and could load the standard Model III ROM from a file shipped with the operating system. There is, on the other hand, a freely-licensed minimal 4P boot ROM provided with xtrs that can bootstrap a Model 4 operating system (such as LDOS). Since I am aware of no DFSG-free Model 4 OS that can be shipped with this package, the existence of this free boot ROM is insufficient, in my opinion, to permit xtrs to be placed in Debian's main archive. There are at least three variants of the Model I ROM around, but I know of no practical operational differences between them; at least none that I can remember after fifteen years. In any case the differences are largely cosmetic (minor changes to the copyright notice) and all should work. Place Model I, Model III, and Model 4P ROM image files in the following files, respectively: /usr/local/lib/xtrs/level2rom.hex /usr/local/lib/xtrs/romimage.m3 /usr/local/lib/xtrs/romimage.m4p They should be mode 644 ("chmod 644 /usr/local/lib/xtrs/*" as root). These files will not be removed or replaced during an upgrade, downgrade, removal, or purge of the xtrs package--you will have to delete them manually if you want to be rid of them. xtrs can operate with only the ROM images--it will boot to the Model I or III BASIC interpreter. If you wish to use some of the software designed for use with the Model I/III/4, you will need to provide it in the form of disk images, and boot to a disk operating system. See trs80faq.html in /usr/share/doc/xtrs for more information. It is theoretically possible to use cassette images of executable programs, but I know of no one who has made cassette images in this fashion. In practice, people simply use disk images. Please read /usr/share/doc/xtrs/trs80faq.html before attempting to work with disk images. The manual pages for xtrs(1) and mkdisk(1) will also be helpful. If you wish to work with cassette images, please read the manual page for the cassette(1) program. Finally, you may wish to observe the licensing of the ROM images and software you use with xtrs. If you own the original computer(s), you have a license to use the corresponding ROMs. Alternatively, a book was published in the 1980's called _Microsoft BASIC Decoded & Other Mysteries for the TRS-80_ (James Farvour; IJG Computer Services; ISBN 0-936200-01-4) which had the source code for the Model I Level II ROMs (no Level I ROM images are available, to my knowledge). If you own that book, you also have license to use the Model I ROM images. Licenses to use software for the Model I/III/4 are often restricted to original owners of the disks or cassettes, as applicable. However, a couple of dozen software packages for the Model I/III/4 published by Misosys Software are freely available for use, including the LDOS operating system, compilers for BASIC and K&R C, an editor/assembler, a disassembler, and some utilities and applications (including games). Please see Tim Mann's TRS-80 page for more information: http://www.tim-mann.org/trs80.html Enjoy your retrocomputing! -- Branden Robinson $Id: README.Debian 110 2008-02-07 04:09:22Z branden $ vim:set ai et ts=4 sw=4 tw=80: