View source for 80 Micro

{{short description|Computer magazine published between 1980 and 1988}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox magazine
|              title = 80 Micro
|         image_file = 80micro.jpg
|         image_size = 200px
|      image_caption = June 1983 issue
|             editor = [[Wayne Green]]
|       editor_title = Publisher/Editor
|          frequency = Monthly
|        circulation =
|           category = [[Computer magazine]]
|            company =
|          publisher = 1001001 Inc. (as ''80 Microcomputing'' or ''80 Micro''<!-- since June/July 1982 issue 30 -->), CW Communications (as ''80 Micro'')
|          firstdate = January 1980
|          finaldate = June 1988
|        finalnumber = 101
|            country = United States
|           based = [[Peterborough, New Hampshire]]
|           language = [[English language|English]]
|            website =
|               issn = 0744-7868
}}
'''''80 Micro''''' was a [[computer magazine]], published between 1980 and 1988, that featured program listings, products and reviews for the [[TRS-80]].
==History==
[[File:80 Microcomputing 1st issue January 1980.png|thumb|upright=0.75|left|First issue (January 1980)]]
[[Wayne Green]], the creator of many magazines such as ''[[73 (magazine)|73]]'', founded '''''80 Microcomputing''''' as a spinoff of his ''[[Kilobaud Microcomputing]]'' solely for [[Tandy Corporation]]'s [[Radio Shack]] [[TRS-80 Model I]] microcomputer. Like his other magazines it encouraged readers to submit articles and reviews.{{r|reed}} A 1980 advertisement for the magazine promised that it would "tell you the truth … the good things about the TRS-80 and the not so good" because "Wayne Green has never been one to mince words".<ref name="kb198009">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/kilobaudmagazine-1980-09/Kilobaud_Microcomputing_1980_September#page/n207/mode/2up | title=80 Microcomputing advertisement | work=Kilobaud Microcomputing | date=September 1980 | access-date=23 June 2014 | pages=211}}</ref> By 1982 ''80 Micro'' was the third largest magazine in terms of obtaining advertising, selling 152,000 issues;<ref>{{cite magazine |year=1983 |magazine=Information Intelligence, Online Libraries, and Microcomputers |volume=1-2 |publisher=Information Intelligence, Inc|title=Information Intelligence, Online Libraries, and Microcomputers - google books}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=jIHiAAAAMAAJ ''Information Intelligence, Online Libraries, and Microcomputers'', Volumes 1-2].</ref> only ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' and ''[[BYTE]]'' were larger. Renamed ''80 Micro'' on issue 30 in June/July 1982, the magazine's November 1982 issue had 518 pages, the most in its history for a regular issue.{{r|reed}}
Green attributed the magazine's success to Radio Shack's policy of not allowing other companies to distribute their products through their stores, while other stores would not carry the products as Radio Shack customers did not visit them. ''80 Micro'' became the most accessible venue for small companies to advertise their TRS-80 products.<ref name="bartimo19841210">{{cite magazine|title=Magazines Woo Users|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=si4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35|access-date=March 14, 2011|author=Bartimo, Jim|date=1984-12-10|pages=35–36|magazine=InfoWorld|volume=6|number=50}}</ref><ref name="white198708">{{Cite magazine |last=White |first=Ron |date=August 1987 |title=The Tandy Story: It all started 10 years ago in a converted used-car showroom... |url=https://archive.org/details/80-microcomputing-magazine-1987-08 |magazine=80 Micro |pages=[https://archive.org/details/80-microcomputing-magazine-1987-08/page/n51 50]–64 |access-date=2019-05-18}}</ref> Despite a Tandy executive writing a column for the magazine,<ref name="juge198108">{{Cite magazine |last=Juge |first=Ed |date=August 1981 |title=Inside 80 |url=https://archive.org/details/80-microcomputing-magazine-1981-08 |magazine=80 Micro |pages=[https://archive.org/details/80-microcomputing-magazine-1981-08/page/n150 8], 10 |access-date=2019-05-28}}</ref> Tandy also prohibited the Radio Shack stores it owned from selling or displaying ''80 Micro'' so as to not lose sales to the magazine's advertisers,<ref name="green198108">{{Cite magazine |last=Green |first=Wayne |date=August 1981 |title=Tandy Growth Retarded |url=https://archive.org/details/80-microcomputing-magazine-1981-08 |magazine=80 Micro |page=[https://archive.org/details/80-microcomputing-magazine-1981-08/page/n152 10] |access-date=2019-05-28}}</ref>{{r|white198708}} and Green&mdash;who claimed that most stores kept a copy hidden from "company spies"&mdash;asked readers to persuade franchise and other non Tandy-owned stores to sell the magazine.<ref name="green198112">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/80-microcomputing-magazine-1981-12/80Microcomputing_1281#page/n5/mode/2up | title=80 Remarks | access-date=March 21, 2011 | author=Green, Wayne | date=December 1981|work=80 Microcomputing | page=6}}</ref>
''80 Micro''{{'}}s success encouraged other publishers to start platform-specific computer magazines;{{r|bartimo19841210}} [[Harry McCracken]] described ''[[PC World]]'' as "essential an ''80 Micro'' clone that happened to be about Windows, not TRS-80's". In May 1983 [[Computerworld|CW Communications]] purchased ''80 Micro'' and most of Green's other magazines. As Tandy introduced other computers ''80 Micro'' also covered them, but in 1983 it discontinued coverage of the [[TRS-80 Model II|Model II/12/16]] and moved coverage of the [[Color Computer]] to the separate ''Hot CoCo''. In January 1988 ''80 Micro'' began only covering Tandy's [[MS-DOS]] computers such as the [[Tandy 1000|1000]]. The change failed, and the magazine published its last issue in June 1988.<ref name="reed">{{cite web | url=http://www.trs-80.org/80-microcomputing/ | title=80 Microcomputing | publisher=TRS-80.org | access-date=8 March 2015 | author=Reed, Matthew}}</ref>
==Features==
Programming contests for young children were featured annually, and were noted by both the [[Scholastic Corporation]]<ref>{{Cite journal |date=September 1984 |editor-last=Roberts |editor-first=Jack L. |title=Newsboard: Contests: Programming Contest |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_electronic-learning-in-your-classroom_1984-09_4_1/page/n15/mode/2up |journal=Electronic Learning |location=New York, NY |publisher=[[Scholastic Corporation|Scholastic]] |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=15 |issn=0278-3258 |access-date=December 9, 2022 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> and the [[Boy Scouts of America]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stuckey |first=Scott |date=August 1984 |editor-last=Hood |editor-first=Robert E. |title=Hobby News |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b2YEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14 |journal=[[Boys' Life]] |location=Irving, TX |publisher=[[Boy Scouts of America]] |page=14 |issn=0006-8608 |access-date=December 9, 2022 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> The magazine challenged readers to write complete games, sometimes including scoring, on just one line of BASIC code.  Creativity was remarkable and included techniques to allow for a slightly longer line of code than originally envisioned. The magazine featured program listings for the machine, primarily written in [[BASIC]] and occasionally [[Z80]] [[assembly language]]. These programs were printed in the magazine, but could be purchased on [[Compact Cassette (data)|cassette tape]] and [[diskette]] media under the name Load 80 to save some typing. The magazine also featured articles, letters, reviews and humor (including - from January 1980 through July 1983  - the monthly [[Kitchen Table International]] satire/parody column).
==References==
{{reflist|40em}}
==External links==
* {{Internet Archive|id=80-microcomputing-magazine|name=80 Micro}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.trs-80.com/trs80-mag-80micro-main.htm|title=Magazines - 80 Microcomputing - Main Page|access-date=2007-12-18|website=Ira Goldklang's TRS-80 Revived Site|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825235734/http://www.trs-80.com/trs80-mag-80micro-main.htm|archive-date=2017-08-25}}
[[Category:Home computer magazines]]
[[Category:Defunct computer magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:TRS-80]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1980]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 1988]]
[[Category:Defunct magazines published in New Hampshire]]