[Coco][Color Computer] CoCo video?

[KnudsenMJ at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/2/06 10:01:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
yahoo at dvdplayersonly.com writes:

>Now,  if I knew how to write a real program on this XP-Pro box, I wouldn't  
>need the coco as much as I do now, but I cannot replace these old  boxes. 

Remember the good old days when PCs came with BASIC, or Q-Basic?
What happens when you install these DOS-era programs on a Windows PC?   Do 
they work at all?  Probably will in a DOS window.  I remember  writing in these 
BASICs, which are VERY much like Coco Extended BASIC,  especially as regards 
graphics and simple sounds.
 
I do have Visual BASIC and C and C++ on my Windows box, but they are way  
overpowered with a steep learning curve for most projects.  Trying to  program 
for Windows runs into serious human life-span issues.  Though I may  *yet* try 
to port UltiMusE from Linux X-Windows to Windows ...

It's too  darned easy to interface them with the real world

That's a real shortcoming of modern PCs, especially without RS232 serial or  
parallel ports.
Though there must be some gadgets sold to the hobbyists robotics field,  
giving a simple TTL interface thru the USB port (but how to program it?).   --Mike 
K.