Talk:Mera-Elzab Meritum

Really a clone of the model II?

Old-computers.com tells us that the software was derived from the TRS-80 model II which was a Business computer very unlike the well know TRS-80 model I (and its later successor the model III). One of the telling difference between a Model I and II was that the model I sported a 64/32 x 16 screen, while the model II used a 80 x 25 display, so that it could run most (80 x 25 based) CP/M software. Strangely enough the Mera-Elzab Meritum uses a 63/32 x 16 display format, so it seems that the hardware was at least partially more like a Model I. On the other hand, the Mera-Elzab Meritum ran CP/M, which isn't possible to do on a Model I, because of its incompatible memory model, patchboards existed that could fix this, but with a very small transient program area (TPA) and with limited software compatibility due to the "wrong" screen format. So this leaves open the question, should the (hardware of) the Mera-Elzab Meritum be considered based on the model I or the model II? Mahjongg (talk) 13:45, 24 April 2012 (UTC)

In Polish (thanks, Google Translator ;): "Were produced perhaps two versions of the computer Meritum. The main difference is the possibility of connecting a floppy drive in the newer version (Meritum II). The prototype of this computer was an American Tandy Radio Shack 2".Source: 8-bit. - Al Lemos (talk) 00:25, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

I changed my mind after reading about the Hungarian HT-1080Z: it's quite probable that the Meritum was really a clone of the TRS-80 Model I with a Level II BASIC (hence the confusion with TRS-80 Model II). - Al Lemos (talk) 15:40, 12 May 2012 (UTC)