TANDY INTRODUCES NEW NETWORKING STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION
July 27, 1988

FORT WORTH, TEXAS -- Tandy Corporation, the leader in educational networks and
PC-compatible personal computers for the classroom, announces the introduction
of SchoolMate, a powerful, yet easy-to-use classroom networking strategy based
on the graphics-oriented DeskMate interface, the MS-DOS operating system, and
the low-cost TandyLink network or the industry-standard 3Com network.

SchoolMate is an integrated collection of applications and utilities designed
specifically to assist students, teachers and administrators in organizing,
creating and sharing information, software, time and resources.

Unlike most classroom networks, SchoolMate requires very little training and
prior knowledge.  Without sacrificing power, the graphics-oriented DeskMate
interface eliminates confusing start-up procedures and the technical aspects
of a network.  SchoolMate provides its users with friendly pull-down menus and
pop-up dialog boxes that can be accessed by either a mouse or via the
keyboard.

SchoolMate's classroom management applications, Roster, Grade Book, Lesson
Scheduler and Exam Maker, complement the network for a well-balanced system
that addresses the unique needs of educators and students.

The administrative system can be a stand-alone computer, a SchoolMate network
workstation using stand-alone administrative software, or a station on a
separate or connected network using multi-user administrative software.
SchoolMate is capable of accepting and transferring basic student information
from selected third-party administrative software packages.

The teacher workstation is designed with easy-to-use application tools to
automate time-consuming classroom management processes.	 DeskMate teacher
tools provided with the SchoolMate network include a Roster, which allows a
teacher to maintain a list of student names and identification numbers for
each class or the entire school; a Lesson Scheduler, by which the teacher can
assign instructional applications to one student, a group of students or an
entire class on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly or yearly basis; an Exam Maker, for
building and storing multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill-in-the-blank
and essay questions; and, a Grade Book, for tracking and automatic average
calculation of weighted and non-weighted homework, quizzes, exams, projects
and other assignments for teacher-specified periods or terms.  Grade Book and
Exam Maker may be checked in and out so that the teacher can enter information
away from the classroom environment.

Student access on the SchoolMate network is limited to teacher-scheduled
applications.  The desktop user interface allows students to access these
applications without exiting to confusing MS-DOS commands.

More than 80 existing education-specific applications currently run on the
SchoolMate network and software publishers are being encouraged to release
additional products.

"Tandy has dominated classroom networking since the 1979 introduction of our
first low-cost networking system known as the Network 1.  A continuing series
of faster, more sophisticated networking products to support Tandy computers
has resulted in Tandy having the largest installed base of educational
networks today," said William D. Gattis, vice president of the Radio Shack
Education Division.

"With SchoolMate, our newest classroom networking solution, we have focused on
ease-of-use features and the specific needs of teachers, administrators and
students.  We are confident SchoolMate will be very well accepted by the
educational community and Tandy will continue its innovative lead in classroom
networking," Gattis added.

SchoolMate is compatible with the entire line of Tandy personal computers and
can support up to 35 workstations and 2,000 student log-ins per network.  Each
workstation and file server require 640 kilobytes (Kb) of memory.

SchoolMate operates under the low-cost TandyLink network hardware or 3Com's
Etherlink network.  This hardware versatility allows schools to network
SchoolMate with a minor investment and move to the high-capacity 3Com network
environment as their needs increase.  The user interface of DeskMate is the
same for all configurations so the transition from one network to another
requires little or no additional training.

The initial SchoolMate network installation includes both server and
workstation modules.  Supported applications may be installed at any time
using a fully automated and easy-to-use "Install" process.

The suggested retail price of SchoolMate (Cat. No. 25-1241), which includes
3Com's 3+Share, is $999.95.  Prices are good at Roft Corporation.