<s>
The	O
Transam	B-Device
Triton	I-Device
was	O
an	O
early	O
British	O
8-bit	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
announced	O
in	O
1978	O
as	O
a	O
partnership	O
between	O
Transam	O
Components	O
and	O
Electronics	O
Today	O
International	O
(	O
ETI	O
)	O
magazine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
emerging	O
wide	O
availability	O
of	O
single	O
chip	O
microprocessors	B-Architecture
had	O
enabled	O
computing	O
to	O
become	O
affordable	O
to	O
individuals	O
,	O
whereas	O
previously	O
the	O
devices	O
had	O
been	O
the	O
preserve	O
of	O
businesses	O
and	O
universities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
similar	O
home	O
computers	O
arrived	O
around	O
this	O
time	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Nascom	B-Operating_System
and	O
Newbear	B-Device
77-68	I-Device
just	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
well	O
known	O
low	O
cost	O
machines	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Sinclair	B-Operating_System
ZX80	I-Operating_System
and	O
ZX81	O
that	O
helped	O
establish	O
the	O
mainstream	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
8K	O
static	O
RAM	O
card	O
and	O
an	O
8K	O
EPROM	B-General_Concept
card	O
were	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Triton	O
preceded	O
the	O
convention	O
of	O
8-bit	O
micros	O
booting	O
to	O
a	O
BASIC	O
prompt	O
and	O
initially	O
presents	O
a	O
machine	B-General_Concept
code	I-General_Concept
monitor	I-General_Concept
on	O
start	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
develop	O
machine	B-Language
code	I-Language
programs	O
from	O
within	O
the	O
monitor	B-General_Concept
but	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
an	O
assembler	O
,	O
code	O
must	O
be	O
entered	O
as	O
hex	O
digits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Triton	O
was	O
supplied	O
with	O
the	O
2K	O
Tiny	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
which	O
could	O
be	O
extended	O
with	O
more	O
sophisticated	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BASIC	O
could	O
be	O
invoked	O
from	O
the	O
monitor	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cheapest	O
configuration	O
,	O
described	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
magazine	O
articles	O
,	O
supplied	O
a	O
1K	O
monitor	B-General_Concept
ROM	O
and	O
a	O
2K	O
BASIC	O
ROM	O
and	O
was	O
originally	O
offered	O
at	O
£286	O
+	O
VAT	O
in	O
kit	O
form	O
(	O
January	O
1979	O
price	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
configurations	O
added	O
extended	O
BASIC	O
and	O
monitor	B-General_Concept
functionality	O
and	O
a	O
Pascal	B-Application
compiler	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
bundle	O
was	O
available	O
that	O
supported	O
the	O
then	O
popular	O
CP/M	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
and	O
a	O
disk	O
interface	O
for	O
Shugart	O
5.25	B-Device
"	I-Device
and	O
8	B-Device
"	I-Device
floppy	B-Device
drives	I-Device
.	O
</s>
