Computing at York: the Beginning, catalog
Catalog published by the York University Computer Museum on the occasion of the Computing at York: the Beginning exhibition opened on March 12, 2026 in the Scott Library at York University. Exhibition catalog can be accessed HERE
Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) Since the late 1940s, several computer enthusiasts and dedicated educators have engaged in a variety of computing-related activities, ranging from the design of computer toys and educational aids to publishing and establishing computer clubs and organizations. In 1949, Edmund Berkeley published Giant Brains or Machines That Think, a book intended for a general audience interested in technological innovations. He followed it with a series of computer construction projects and educational devices in the 1950s, including Simon, BRAINIAC, and GENIAC. These devices were not intended as scientific instruments, but rather as educational tools to exhibit in simple understandable form the essential principle of any artificial brain [E. Berkeley and R.A. Jensen, World's Smallest Electric Brain, Radio Electronics, October 1950.] Berkeley's computer education ideas inspired others to find ways of introducing knowledge about computers and their role in modern society to educators, electronics hobbyists, and even children. One such individual was Joseph Weisbecker, a computer engineer at RCA. His career spanned a wide range of fields, from designing mainframe computer hardware to developing microprocessors and microcomputer architectures. However, his true passion lay in demystifying the little-understood world of digital computing. Weisbecker's numerous iterations of his Flexible Recreational and Educational Device (FRED) were not another tape of computer toy—despite having designed many in the past—but as affordable, general-purpose computers for use in homes and schools. The introduction of the first microprocessors in the early 1970s not only reshaped the semiconductor industry but also gave rise to the global microcomputer industry. Education quickly emerged as one of the key application areas driving this new technological wave. As early as 1973, during the launch of its MCM/70 computer, the Canadian electronics company Micro Computer Machines (MCM) identified education as a primary market for microcomputers. The company emphasized that computers like the MCM/70 could provide each student in a computer equipped classroom with his own individualized interactive computer. [...] Featuring a language suitable in its simplicity and power for students and teachers alike, the MCM/70 brings to the world of education a technological solution to the problem of introducing economical interactive computer systems. [MCM promotional brochure, 1974] By the early 1980s, the use of microcomputers in schools had become widespread. In several countries, educators began experimenting with large-scale computer education programs. One such initiative was the BBC Computer Literacy Project, launched in the UK in 1981. It played a significant role in introducing computing into UK homes and schools and served as a crucial stepping stone for many people's first experiences with computers and programming. In Canada, the television series Bits and Bytes, produced by TVOntario in 1983, aimed to teach the basics of home and personal computer use and applications. That same year, the Ottawa-based NABU Network launched an education channel that featured both commercial and teacher-developed courseware. The content covered a broad range of subjects, including the arts, languages, computer programming, skills and tools, as well as mathematics, history, and various scientific disciplines. Ontario Educational Computer In the early 1980s, Canadian provinces and territories recognized that computers would have a significant impact on education. This awareness was reflected in the formation of numerous working committees and task forces at both the government and local school board levels. It became increasingly clear that advancements in microelectronics would continue to drive major changes in Canadian society—particularly within the education system. At the time, Canadian schools were using a wide array of incompatible microcomputers produced by companies such as Apple Computer, Atari, Commodore, Tandy, and Texas Instruments. As a result, educational software had to be developed separately for each platform, making it difficult to standardize and streamline computer-based education programs. In response to this challenge, the Ontario Ministry of Education began implementing a coordinated computer education program in 1983. It is increasingly important that students in Ontario schools have the opportunity to the full extent of their abilities to become knowledgeable and creative users of the microcomputer as a personal tool. Only in this way will we be able, individually and corporately, to cope with the "Information Revolution" that advancing micro-technology is creating, and to take full advantage of the social and economic opportunities it creates. [The Ministry of Education, Ontario, Policy/Program Memorandum No. 68, March 24, 1983] The Ministry argued that the most effective way to address the hardware and software needs of Ontario schools was to base the selection of microcomputers on well-researched and clearly defined functional requirements. The Functional Requirements for Microcomputers for Educational Use in Ontario Schools were issued in 1983. School boards that purchased microcomputers meeting these standards were eligible to receive grants covering 75% of the purchase cost. Additionally, the Ministry allocated $5 million for the development of educational software for use with microcomputers that met its requirements. The new Ontario educational computing initiative was also designed to achieve another important goal: stimulating the growth of Canada’s microelectronics industry, particularly in the areas of hardware and software development. It was argued that this need [for expertly developed educational software ] can best be met if a competitive educational software industry can be established in Ontario whose primary market is the province's elementary and secondary school system. Basing itself on this market and taking advantage of the strong R & D base in computer science which has developed in Ontario universities, and the experience gained to date, such an industry could potentially seize a dominant position internationally in the provision of educational software. [...] Unless every opportunity is taken to develop in Canada a world class capability in these vital technologies we cannot remain competitive in the world economy. [The Ministry of Education, Ontario, Policy/Program Memorandum No. 69, March 24, 1983] CEMCorp ICON computer At the time the Functional Requirements for Microcomputers for Educational Use in Ontario Schools were announced, only one Canadian company—Educational Microprocessor Corporation (CEMCorp) of Toronto—offered a computer design that met the specifications. Founded in 1981, CEMCorp was established in response to the Board of Industrial Leadership and Development’s recommendation to create an all-Canadian microcomputer tailored to the educational market and to support the growth of the Canadian educational software industry. Given this context, it is not surprising that the Ontario Ministry of Education awarded CEMCorp a $10 million contract to complete the design and manufacture the ICON—a new standardized educational microcomputer system for Ontario schools. CEMCorp began shipping the ICON in 1984. The computer was manufactured by Microtel in Belleville, Ontario (with the exception of the display manufactured in Taiwan). Its QNX operating system was developed by Quantum Software Systems of Ottawa, while Toronto-based Burroughs Canada was contracted to handle sales and support. Between 1984 and the early 1990s, several generations of the ICON were produced. In 1986, the ICON II workstation was introduced by Unisys Corporation, which had been formed through the merger of Burroughs and Sperry Rand. The ICON II featured a redesigned case, a detached keyboard with an integrated trackball, expanded RAM, and support for an internal hard disk. The ICON II was later succeeded by several models of IBM-compatible computers, built around the Intel 386 processor and ran Microsoft DOS and Windows operating systems. The success of IBM and Apple Computer in the microcomputer market—along with other manufacturers gaining ministerial approval for educational computers that had originally been the exclusive domain of the ICON—led to a significantly reduced presence of Unisys computers in Ontario schools. Moreover, unlike the ICON, these well-established platforms were supported by an extensive base of software publishers that provided vast libraries of educational software. Ultimately, the Ontario Ministry of Education ended all support for the ICON platform in 1994, which was soon followed by Unisys discontinuing ICON production. Despite its eventual demise, the ICON had a lasting impact on computer education in Ontario, introducing a generation of students and teachers to the world of computing. CEMCorp ICON technical description The CEMCorp ICON computer was based on a workstation–file server model, with the file server—called the LEXICON—providing system and application software, external storage, and connectivity to shared peripherals such as printers. The workstation itself was housed in a large metal case, featuring a tilt-and-swivel display mounted on top, a built-in full-sized keyboard, and a trackball. It booted from the LEXICON server via a dedicated ARCNET network. The ICON offered NAPLPS/Telidon-based graphics and included a speech synthesis controller that enabled synthetic speech communication. A GUI-based Ambience software, developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education, provided an environment for students and teachers to, among other operations, interact with ICON without the explicit use of the operating system. The LEXICON file server was housed in a cuboid-shaped metal enclosure and featured an internal hard drive with a minimum storage capacity of 10 MB, along with a single 5.25" floppy disk drive. In addition to system and application software, the hard drive stored all user workspaces. The server included multiple ports for connecting ICON workstations, a shared printer, and optional external peripherals such as a keyboard and display. Internally, its hardware closely resembled that of the ICON workstation. CEMCorp selected the little-known QUNIX operating system—renamed QNX in 1983—for the ICON. Its adoption by CEMCorp, and shortly thereafter by the NABU Network for its NABU 1600 computer, helped open the global embedded systems market to QNX. CEMCorp ICON software One of the key objectives of the Ministry’s Ontario Approved Educational Computer initiative was to foster the growth of a competitive educational software industry. To support this goal, the Ministry allocated $5 million to its Exemplary Lessonware Project, aimed at assisting in the development of high-quality educational software aligned with the learning objectives outlined in the Ministry’s curriculum guidelines for elementary and secondary schools. More than 500 software proposals were submitted in response to the call for computer-based learning materials; however, only 57 lessonware projects were selected for funding. These projects were managed by the Ontario Educational Software Service (OESS), and the completed software was distributed by TVOntario. However, by the end of 1987, Ontario's educational software industry remained in its early stages. Despite some notable exceptions, companies from outside the province were generally reluctant to participate. As a result, fewer than 100 lessonware titles were available through TVO/OESS (see the list below), which negatively affected ICON’s competitiveness in the educational market. Several programming languages were offered for the ICON, including C and Logo from UNISIS, as well as APL, BASIC, COBOL, Fortran, and Pascal from Watcom of Waterloo. Other notable software developed for the ICON included the aforementioned Ambience, created by the Ontario Ministry of Education, ALICE Pascal from Looking Glass Software in Toronto, and a variety of text and graphics editors. Selected ICON software, 1987: TITLE AUTHORS PUBLISHER AREA Accele-read M. Barcelos, M. Billard et al. Centre (1) reading Animals of Ontario A. Delong Southwood (18) biology Art Treasures J. Pollock Ministry (2) art history Bar Graphs M. Barcelos, M. Billard et al. Centre (1) data representation The Bartlett Saga Part I: Refugees in the Wilderness J. Bemrose, Ch. Moore Interactive (16) history, geography The Bartlett Saga Part II: The Rebels J. Bemrose Interactive (16) history, geography The Bartlett Saga Part IV: The Golden West P. McGrath, Ch. Moore Interactive (16) history, geography B.C. Lumbering J. Buckley, K. Donald - geography, economics Cargo Sailer ? Ministry (2) social studies, geography CASI Accounting Paul Rehak Computer Systems (4) business, accounting Cattle J. Pollock Ministry (2) biology, history Colourball ? Ministry (2) system demo Contributing Canadians J. Pollock Ministry (2) history Data Classification G. Caissy, M.Howart et al. Mindflight (5) social studies, science Decide, Your Excellency J. Leishman, J. Thiessen et al. Liveware (17) sociology, geography Electric Chemistry Building D. Santry, A. Blizzard et al. Snowbird (19) chemistry Flame Life J. Olson Queen's (6) physics Food Nutrient Tally S. Jones Peel (7) biology Function Workshop J. Thiessen et al. Liveware (17) math Get Ready for Math M. Howarth Mindflight (5) math Grand Tour L. Haynes Copp Clark Pitman, Ltd. math Greenhouse ? ? biology Ideal Gas Simulation M. Kilpatrick, G. Miao at al. Gemini (8) chemistry InfoSchool - Create New Database ? ? data management InfoSchool - Discovering Ontario ? ? geography Intuitrig B. Collacutt, D. Collacutt Logicus (10) math IPaint M.Lamb, J. Martin, L. Gondor Innovations (3) art Izzit M. Golick, M. Lee Cinemedia (9) problem solving, reading Know Your Numbers M. Howarth Mindflight (5) math Learn to Ad M. Howarth Mindflight (5) math Learn to Count M. Howarth Mindflight (5) math Learn to Subtract M. Howarth Mindflight (5) math Learning Game Generator ? Ministry (2) game generator Logic Lab W. Buxtonm M. Delange UofT (11) computer studies Map Manoeuvre C. Ratsep social studies, geography Math Maze D. Didu DAD's (12) math MathVille ? Courseware (20) math Micro News B. Collacutt, D. Collacutt Logicus (10) language arts Moving Words M.Barcelos, M.Billard et al. Centre (1) vocabulary North-West Fur Trade J. Brent J.J. and J. (13) geography, history Offshore Fishing D. Leslie - geography, environment Partie-Prise M. Barcelos, M. Billard et al. Centre (1) visual perception Putting Yourself Together S. White East York Board (14) social studies Rapidodactylo S. Nakamura, M. Kryger - science, dactylography Ratio Factors R. Snyder - chemistry Shape Mate B. Collacutt, D. Collacutt Soft Sell (14) geometry Speakface ? Ministry (2) language arts The Number Place ? ? math The Puzzler J. Gollan, D. Burnett, et al. Queen's (6) language arts, reading The Voyages of Columbus ? Ministry (2) social studies, history Treasure of Ile Madame ? ? ? Type-Away S. Nakamura, M. Kryger - typing Unusual Countries J. Pollock Ministry (2) geography, history Upstairs-Downstairs J. Hosack Twintek (15) special education (1) le Centre franco-ontarien de ressources pédagogiques, Ottawa, On. (2) Computers in Education Centre, the Ministry of Education of Ontario (3) Innovations Foundation, University of Toronto, ON (4) Canadian Education Computer Systems, Beamsville, ON (5) Mindflight Technology Inc., Dunnville, ON (6) Faculty of Education, Queen's University, Kingston, ON (7) Peel Board of Education, Mississauga, ON (8) Gemini Education Group, Don Mills, ON (9) International Cinemedia Center Ltd., Toronto, ON (10) Logicus Inc., Nobelton, ON (11) Computer Systems and Research Institute, University of Toronto, ON (12) DAD's Computing, Ancasetr, ON (13) J.J. and J Enterprises, Brantford, ON (14) Soft Sell, Bolton, ON (15) Twintek Educational Software, Orilla, ON (16) Interactive Image Technologies, Toronto, ON (17) Liveware, Winnipeg, MB (18) Southwood Park School, Ajax, ON (19) Snowbird Software, Hamilton, ON (20) Courseware Solutions Inc., Toronto, ON CEMCorp ICON workstation technical specifications CPU: Intel iAPX186, 7.16 MHz, RAM: 512KBytes, ROM: 128KBytes, Voice Synthesis Processor: TMS5220CNL speech synthesizer, display: 12in monochrome (640x240 pixels) or 13in color (320x240 pixels), Hitachi HD46505 SP-1 display controller supporting NAPLPS, keyboard: 96-key QWERTY with additional function keys and special keys: ACTION, HELP, PAUSE, and REBOOT, numeric keypad: 18-key, built-in, trackball: built-in, ports: Iconet network IN and OUT, video out, external keyboard, RS232 serial port (x2), parallel printer port, LAN: a modified ARCNET, 2.5 Mbit/sec token passing. CEMCorp LEXICON File server specification CPU: Intel iAPX186, 7.16 MHz, motherboard: the same as ICON workstation, diskette drive: single 5 1/4" floppy diskette drive, 640Kbytes capacity, hard drive: minimum 10MBytes (YUCoM's LEXICON contains a Metropolis ST 506, 85MB hard drive), ports: external keyboard, external video, Iconet network IN and OUT, parallel port, RS232 serial port (x2), AC in and an auxiliary power out. Museum holdings ICON archive: extensive collection of documents related to the introduction and development of the ICON program, CEMCorp ICON workstation, serial number 11003684 (on display), LEXICON file server, serial number T-841201-219, manufacturing date: April 1985, Unisis ICON 2 workstation, serial nr. 345953715, manufacturing date: Nov. 1987, Unisis Model CA-3321 computer, serial nr. 432008332, Unisis display terminal VGA 200 MON, serial nr. 310902161, manufacturing date: Feb. 1991.
The Ministry of Education of Ontario, CEMCorp, Unisis
Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In April 1972, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, CA, announced its first 8-bit microprocessor, the 8008. Shortly after, the company introduced the 8008-powered SIM8-01 single-board computer designed as a trainer and a software development system for the 8008-based applications. The introduction of this novel hardware marked more than just a leap in microprogrammable controller technology. Within months, prototypes of the first general-purpose computers powered by the 8008 chip were operational on-site at the French company Réalisations et Études Électroniques located in the suburbs of Paris and at Micro Computer Machines with headquarters situated on the outskirts of Toronto. The SIM8-01 board generated the first wave of computer hobby activities in North America. It also became an educational tool that enabled electrical engineering students to gain a deep understanding and appreciation of this new microprocessor technology. In 1973, the SIM8-01 board became the primary hardware at the newly established digital design labs at the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. These labs broadened the digital system design curriculum, introducing students to microprocessor technology recognized as a crucial component in computer engineering education. Other universities opted for various microprocessor development and demonstration systems, such as the Motorola MEK6800 single-board computer introduced in 1975, or developed and constructed their own hardware to support their microprocessor laboratories. The University of Toronto M6809 computer In the late 1970s, the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto developed and built the M6809 single-board microcomputer for its microprocessor lab. "Peter Pereira [a Senior Technologist at the University of Toronto] and I developed the hardware and Robert MacKay [a Ph.D. student] developed a Monitor Program that made it easy to use the board," recollected Zvonko Vranesic, a University of Toronto professor. "At that time I was teaching courses on Logic Design and Computer Organization in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Computer technology was developing rapidly, boosted by the emergence of powerful microprocessor chips. I was in charge of organizing a new Microprocessor Laboratory. Since commercially available equipment was expensive, we decided to develop our own board using the 6809 microprocessor. Our new laboratory was a huge success." The computer was introduced alongside comprehensive lab materials that included the computer's technical specifications, software descriptions, and a series of laboratory exercises. The M6809 board was manufactured by Exceltronix Components and Computers — one of the largest and popular electronics stores of the 1980s in Toronto. Until 1984, the computer, initially developed as a lab tool for instructing microprocessor technology to electrical engineering students, was also commercially sold by Exceltronix to commercial customers and computer hobbyists. "It turned out that the board was quite powerful and easy to use," Vranesic added. "We gave the Exceltronix company a licence to sell the board to commercial customers, which included industrial companies and several other universities. The board found uses that would otherwise have required a PDP-11 minicomputer (at a much higher cost)." Between 1984 and 1985, Peter Bubonia, a research associate in the University of Toronto's Department of Electrical Engineering, revamped the M6809 computer. His new computer, the SBC6809 Lab-mate, supported experimentation with microprocessor technology at, among other institutions, the University of Toronto and Ryerson Polytechnic Institute. M6809 hardware specifications CPU: Motorola MC6809, 8-bit, RAM: 16, 32, or 48Kbytes, ROM: slots for three TMS-2532 EPROMs, display chip: Intel DL1416, 64 characetr display, ports: two RS-232 compatible serial ports (used to communicate with a terminal and auxiliary devices such as printers, modems, and computers); two VIA 6522 chips providing two parallel ports each (for audio cassette recorder, keyboard, parallel printer, etc.); 16-bit I/O connector providing access to data, address, control lines and signals; switches: RESET switch, to reset hardware and enter the monitor software, and NMI switch to interrupt a program and enter the monitor software, power supply: +5V, +12V and -12V. M6809 software The M6809 software package TEACH included: monitor — allowed the user to test the memory, dump blocks of memory, examine and modify single memory locations, read and write from the cassette port, set and examine the breakpoints, single sterp or/and execute machine language programs, and set the examine the processor registers, editor/assembler — allowed the user to develop programs in the M6809 assembler (full screen), wire mode — allowed the user to up and download text files to or from remote computer as well as to download machine code in Motorola's S-record format. Museum holdings M6809 computer with hand written code "UT0180" and a sticker "2/13/87 BN", Robert MacKay, Peter Pereira, and Zvonko Vranesic, University of Toronto M6809 MIcroprocessor Laboratory Notes and Experiments, v. 1.1, University of Toronto, 1982, SBC6809 Lab-mate computer.
Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) Cognos Incorporated, formerly known as Quasar Systems Ltd., was a pioneering Ottawa-based software company renowned for its innovative business intelligence and performance management solutions. The company was established in 1969 by Alan Rushforth and Peter Glenister. Michael Potter joined the company in 1972 and, within three years, became the sole owner of Quasar. The company changed its name to Cognos in 1983, opened its new head office in Ottawa in 1985 and, a year later, went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. By the early 1990s, Cognos became the largest independent software company in Canada. By the turn of the century, Cognos served more than 17,000 customers in 120 countries. Potter retired in 1995 and was replaced by Ron Zambonini as the company's CEO. In 2007, Cognos was acquired by IBM for $4.9 billion. Throughout the 1970s, the company primarily focused on information system consulting, predominantly serving the Canadian federal government. Under Potter's leadership, the company's business profile changed. In an interview with the Ottawa Business Journal [1], Potter credited Bob Minns as the catalyst for this transition. Bob was an extraordinarily important guy to the whole Cognos story. [...] Once with Quasar, Bob Minns had the bright idea, which was quite revolutionary at the time, that you could develop a higher-level language which could allow an end user, not an IT specialist, to be more directly involved in actually writing code that would extract data and write the summary reports that he needed. That higher-level language was independent of any particular application, so it could be standardized and packaged as a product. Bob then developed the idea and we released our first software product [Quiz] in the early ’80s. The margin for selling these products was much higher. The geographic constraints of having our people at each customer site were gone, so we could sell it internationally. It just took off. The rapid success of Quiz spearheaded the firm’s transformation from a service-based business to software publishing, shifting the company's emphasis towards business intelligence and performance management tools. Quiz was followed by PowerHouse (1982), PowerPlay (1990), Impromptu(1995?), and PowerPlay Web (1998). As of 2024, UNICOM Systems distributes PowerHouse software (including PowerHouse 4GL and PowerHouse Web), while IBM offers PowerPlay (current version is 11.0). PowerHouse PowerHouse is a fourth-generation programming language (4GL) designed for developing business applications. Introduced in 1982 for the Digital Equipment VAX minicomputers, PowerHouse expanded upon the original Quiz reporting product, providing much broader functionality focused on simplifying and accelerating the development of comprehensive data management applications. In Power House Primer (version 5.04), Cognos explained that Compared to traditional languages like Cobol, PowerHouse dramatically reduces the programming effort required to develop applications. PowerHouse applications can be functionally equivalent to Cobol applications, while development can be up to ten times faster. Simple English statements eliminate many laborious programming tasks, significantly reducing the total number of programming instructions. Fewer instructions, in turn, not only shorten the development process, but equally important, reduce the programming effort required to maintain an application. PowerHouse consists of three main integrated components: QUICK - screen builder (QDESIGN module) and screen-based transaction processor, QUIZ - report generation software, QTP - volume transaction processor. The PowerHouse Dictionary serves as the foundational framework for these components, acting as a central repository for defining the basic entities necessary to describe data within a specific system or systems. The dictionary is created and maintained through a system of screens developed in QUICK. PowerHouse was the first Cognos global product set, swiftly attracting international attention and amassing a revenue exceeding $100 million. By the mid-1980s, it became the most widely installed fourth-generation language on minicomputers worldwide. The robust sales of PowerHouse played a pivotal role in Cognos' decision to go public in 1986 and paved the way for the transformation of Cognos into a business intelligence software company. Following IBM's acquisition of Cognos in 2007, support for PowerHouse persisted until 2013, when the entire PowerHouse product line, including PowerHouse 4GL Server, Axiant 4GL and PowerHouse Web, was acquired by UNICOM Systems. Selected PowerHouse versions TITLE COMPANY PLATFORM YEAR PowerHouse Quasar Systems Vax minis 1982 PowerHouse for MPE/HL Cognos HP 3000 199? PowerHouse for MPE/iX Cognos HP 3000 199? PowerHouse PC Cognos Intel-DOS PCs 1998 PowerHouse Web Cognos Unix-based servers 1999 IBM Cognos PowerHouse 4GL IBM multiple platforms 2010-2013 PowerHouse 4GL UNICOM Systems multiple platforms 2013- Further Readings: [1] Lifetime Achievement, Ottawa Business Journal, Nov. 7, 2016, pp. 14--15. [2] Voyer, R. and Patti, R., The New Innovators: How Canadians are shaping the knowledge-based economy, James Lorimer & Comp. Pub., 1994. [3] Cognos Inc., Encyclopedia.com, https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/cognos-inc. Museum holdings PowerHouse library of documents including: PowerHouse Quiz, Cognos, 1985, PowerHouse Quiz, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987, PowerHouse Dictionary, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987, PowerHouse QTP, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987, PowerHouse Quick, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987, PowerHouse Pocket Guide, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987, PowerHouse Pocket Primer, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987, E. Schurr, Introducing the PowerHouse for Application ,Development on VAX, Cognos, 198?, How to Use PowerHouse Screens, Cognos, 1987.
Historical Context (by Z. Stachniak) In 1971, Bell Canada and Northern Electric (renamed Northern Telecom in 1976) established Bell-Northern Research (BNR) -- a common telecommunications research and development entity. BNR played a crucial role in Northern's evolution into a leading global provider of fully digital telecommunications solutions. In 1975, Northern launched the BNR-designed SL-1 -- the first digital switching system in commercial service. Four years later, Northern introduced the DMS-100 digital switch, which seamlessly integrated switching and transmission capabilities (DMS: digital multiplex switch). The widespread adoption of the DMS-100 propelled Northern to the forefront of the global telecommunications industry. The experience gained during the design of the DMS-100 prompted BNR to establish a Computing Technology Development Group in 1979. As described in [2], the group's objectives were: creating the foundational computing components for Northern Telecom's future products; developing tools essential for software development for these products; exploring emerging computing technology trends and ensuring a continuous flow of relevant technologies into BNR's operations. Initially, the Computing Technology Development Group, informally referred to as the XMS group, was comprised of Peter Cashin, who previously led the original core development team for the DMS computer systems, Neil Gammage (systems software: OS and systems), Jean Jervis (systems software: OS), Ragui Kamel (software: compilers), Bill Williams (software architecture), and Rick Workman (hardware/software integration). Shortly thereafter, Liam Casey (distributed software architecture) and Kerry Zoehner (file systems) joined the group. Over time, the XMS group expanded to include more than 100 engineers primarily based in Ottawa. The primary task of the group involved researching and defining hardware and software architectures that could form the basis of a distributed computing network to support the development of future BNR products. The resulting architecture, named XMS (eXtended Multicomputer System), was defined as a cluster of processing nodes (such as workstations, file servers, communication servers, printing servers, etc.) interconnected by a single high-speed local area network and operated under concurrent software. As articulated in [2], "XMS creates a single, powerful system from loosely coupled microcomputers. Programs work together across nodes, making systemwide resource management transparent and distributed-system design simpler." Detailed information regarding both the hardware and software architectures of XMS can be found in [1] and [2]. The first XMS system was deployed at BNR in 1981. It was the XMS Software Development Environment (SDE) whose main purpose was to provide the computing facilities and resources essential for supporting XMS-based projects. The system comprised several XMS personal workstations, a file server, a print server, and a communications server. The majority of XMS SDE software was developed using BNR Pascal. This language, an extension of UCSD Pascal (designed at the University of California, San Diego), incorporated ADA-like tasks and concurrency features implemented in XMS. Alongside XMS system software and the BNR Pascal, the SDE environment featured a robust file system called Helix and an array of software development utility programs, including: editors: text and graphics editors, software development tools: compilers, assemblers, dissassemblers, linkers, etc., analysis tools: debuggers, profilers, test tools, cross referencers, etc. document preparation package: support for text and graphics, spellcheckers, index generator, LAN communication: messaging and bulletin board, IBM communication: passthrough and file transfer, project management tools: source management, problem database and project tracking. The XMS was a proprietary platform. Although built from commercially available components, initially it could not take advantage of commercially available software, or engaging external development groups. In response, the XMS group developed a facility called Distributed Unix (or DUX), enabling the loading and execution of Unix applications within the XMS system. The SDE offered a robust and adaptable environment for software development. It also demonstrated the effectiveness of the XMS platform when combined with suitable software. As emphasized in [1], "A major benefit of the deployment of XMS SDE systems has been the designer's ability to both develop and test systems on the same hardware." According to data provided in [2], by 1985, approximately 2,000 workstations in 25 XMS networks were operational across 15 geographic locations spanning from California to Europe. However, despite numerous successful applications of the XMS platforms, such as the Nortel Meridian PBX family, significant factors ultimately led to the decline of XMS developments at BNR. In the February 2024 interview for the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, University of Auckland, Peter Cashin summarized the root cause of the disbanding of the XMS group in the late 1980s as follows: The [XMS] project was technically successful... We thought we had a better solution than Unix, with nice multi-computer inter-process messaging... But the writing was on the wall, the use of C and Unix was spreading, and the commercial computing industry was going to be able to supply the needs for telecom. The necessity for our own hardware was gone, and the advantages of our own systems software was shrinking. It was a computer industry opportunity, and Nortel made the decision that it was not getting into the computer business. The XMS Workstations The XMS SDE systems utilized workstations designed at BNR by John Perry. These workstations were conceived to function as development platforms as well as the foundation for future products. Over the course of the XMS project, four distinct models were developed. Each of these models was built around a microprocessor from the Motorola 68000 family. Initially, all XMS prototypes and models 1 and 2 featured the Motorola 68000-x microprocessors. However, in later iterations, models 3 and 4 incorporated the Motorola 68010 and 68020 CPUs. For external storage, the workstations initially relied on 8" floppy drives but later also incorporating a 10M-Byte Winchester hard disk. User interaction was facilitated through a standalone video display terminal, which provided both keyboard input and display. Model CPU ROM RAM external storage display/ keyboard exp. slots 0 MC6800-06 65,536 bits MM2716 eproms 4 SIP-like memory cards 294,912 bits each, AM9016 RAMs two 8" floppy disk drives external terminal 6 2 MC6800-08 137,072 bits HN462732G eproms 4 memory cards 1,179,648 bits each, HM4864-2 RAMs two 8" floppy disk drives external terminal 8 Table: Technical specifications of one of the XMS prototypes ("model 0") and of model 2. Museum Holdings XMS prototype ("model 0", second image below), XMS Model 2 (first image below), 8" floppy disk drive (x 2) for XMS mode 1, other related items are listed in the Nortel archive. Bibliography [1] Gammage N. and Casey, L., XMS: A Rendezvous-Based Distributed System Software Architecture, IEEE Software, vol. 2, no. 3 (1985), pp. 9-19. [2] Kamel, R.F., Software Development in a Distributed Environment: The XMS System, In: Conradi, R., Didriksen, T.M., Wanvik, D.H. (eds) Advanced Programming Environments, Springer LNCS, vol 244 (1987), pp. 126-141. [3] Cashin, P. and Carpenter, B.E., An Overseas Experience with Hypertext and Packet Switching, CDMTCS-577, Centre for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand (February 2024).
Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The North American personal and home computer market of the late 1970s and early 1980s, witnessed a proliferation of manufacturers and rapid growth in computer sales. In 1980, Apple Computer sold 130,000 Apple ][s while Tandy sold 175,000 of its TRS-80 computers. By the end of 1982, there were over 800,000 Commodore VIC-20s world-wide. The sales reached the one million mark in early 1983. These numbers were particularly noteworthy when juxtaposed with the global sales of mini and mainframe computers during the same period. On August 12, 1981, IBM entered the personal computer market with its announcement of the Personal Computer (PC). Much to IBM's surprise, the business community, traditionally hesitant to adopt microcomputers, responded with overwhelming enthusiasm. By the close of 1981, IBM had sold tens of thousands of its PCs, facing challenges in keeping up with the escalating demand. The momentum persisted as IBM sold 538,000 PCs in 1983, a figure that more than doubled in the following year with sales climbing to 1,375,000 units (see [1]). The success of the IBM PC in the marketplace, coupled with its informal adoption as the de facto industry standard for business desktop computers, had a positive impact on software and hardware compatibility. Numerous software and hardware companies promptly capitalized on the PC's surging popularity and IBM's disclosure of the machine's design. IBM PC-compatible systems began cropping up everywhere, offering compatible functionality and performance at a lower price. However, the introduction of the IBM PC also had a detrimental effect on the diverse microcomputing landscape. Many computer manufacturers, opting to resist IBM's entry into the PC market and defend the unique hardware platforms of their computers, were forced out of the personal computer market or closed their doors altogether. By the mid-1980s, the vast and lucrative PC market became saturated with IBM PC-compatible computers and IBM PC clones — affordable microcomputers that were both hardware and software compatible with IBM PC (and later, IBM XT and AT) products. Possibly the earliest IBM PC compatible computers were manufactured by Compaq Computer Corp. in the U.S. (the Compaq Portable) and Dynalogic Info-Tech. in Canada (the Hyperion). These two companies were soon followed by a fast growing group of other manufacturers who were cloning not only the IBM PC hardware but also its case and documentation. In many cases, the only visual distinction between these IBM PC clones and the IBM PC was the absence of the `IBM PC' logo on the computer's case. Notably, even the documentation and packaging for these clones mimicked the style and packaging of the original IBM PC documentation. The Canadian PC cloning industry was particularly strong in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Compiling a comprehensive list of Canadian manufacturers of IBM clones proves challenging due to the clandestine nature of the industry. Many clones were offered with unauthorized copies of the Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) program compelling the "cloners" to conceal any traces that could reveal their identity. Nevertheless, the list of reputable cloners adhering to industry regulations is long and includes, among other manufacturers, Microelectronics (Richmond, BC), Aftek (North York, ON), Computech Micro Designs (Mississauga, ON), Dynalogic (Ottawa, ON), ECS Computers (Mississauga, ON), IDM Research Industries (Etobicoke, ON), COR BIT Computer Industries Ltd. (Toronto, ON), Dynasty (Mississauga, ON), Exceltronics Components and Computing (Toronto), HAL Computer Company (Toronto, ON), J.L.S. (Toronto, ON), Lanpar (Toronto, ON), Soltech Industries Inc. (Surrey, BC), Solare (Quebec, QC), and Universal Computer Systems (Montreal, QC). In 1983, Joe Loren Sutherland founded J.L.S. Research (later renamed as J.L.S. Computers) in Toronto while he was working at Exceltronix—a prominent electronic store in 1980s Toronto—repairing computer hardware. Sutherland began his professional carrier as an electrical designer and detailer working at Ontario Electric on lightning and power installations. Then came his involvement with film industry and photo-electric art during his studies at Toronto's Ontario College of Art. However, the rapid development of desktop and home computing industry turned Sutherland attention to computer hardware design. His first single-board computer was the result of the major redesign of the popular Big Board II single-board computer designed by Jim Ferguson. Operating under the CP/M operating system, Sutherland's computer seamlessly ran "classic" CP/M software, including the Wordstar word processor from MicroPro International Corp., the Supercalc spreadsheet from Sorcim Corp., and MBASIC from Microsoft. When it was offered in 1983, the J.L.S. board was arguably one of the most advanced and cost-effective Z80-based computers in the Canadian market. In a 1983 article titled "The Legend of J.L.S." published in Computing Now!, Steve Rimmer characterized Sutherland's company as follows: "J.L.S. Computers has the distinction of being the world's most unknown computer company. This, and possibly the distinction of making the world's best value in powerful, low cost computers." (see [2]) By the end of 1983, Sutherland had designed yet another comouter, this time producing an IBM PC compatible hardware — the J.L.S. OBM-100. The computer's design differed from that of the IBM, opting for readily available components, ultimately resulting in a more cost-effective desktop solution. The J.L.S. PC was functionally identical to the IBM PC, could be interfaced with PC-compatible peripherals and run all of the software developed for the IBM computer. Sutherland's IBM PC-compatible motherboards, packed in IBM-look-alike cases, began appearing not only in Ontario but also beyond, with diverse model and company name stickers affixed to the cases. Manufacturers such as Aftek and HAL Computer were among those which built their products around Sutherland's clones of the IBM PC motherboard. In 1984, J.L.S. introduced a clone of the IBM XT — the second generation of IBM's PCs. It was the first made-in-Canada desktop compatible with the XT. The final product released by J.L.S. was the clone of the IBM AT motherboard offered by Sutherland in 1985. Museum Holdings: J.L.S. OBM100 (IBM PC compatible motherboard), 1983, Aftek XT (J.L.S. IBM XT compatible motherboard designed for Aftek), 64-256KB System Board (J.L.S. IBM XT compatible motherboard), J.L.S. AT board (IBM AT compatible unpopulated motherboard), HAL Computer memory/serial card, The JLS Single Board Computer: Assembly Instructions and User's Manual, JLS Research, March 1983, BIG BOARD II Assembly Manual, preliminary draft, Cal-Tex Computers, 198? Assembly and Instruction Manual for the HAL Computer and HAL Computer Memory, preliminary edition, HAL Computer, 1983. References: [1] Cringely, R. X., Accidental Empires, Harper Business, 1996. [2] Rimmer, S., The Legend of J.L.S., Computing Now!, August 1983. [3] Rimmer, S., The Further Legend of J.L.S., Computing Now!, December 1983. [4] Rimmer, S., Fables of Three Blue Clones, Computing Now!, June 1984. [5] Campbell, S. and Stachniak, Z., Computing in Canada: Building a Digital Future, Canada Science and Technology Museum Transformation Series 17, 2009.
Nortel Europa (description courtesy of Mobile Phone Museum) The Nortel One (also known as the Europa handset) was an early instance of what’s come to be known as a ‘smartphone’, developed to show off the future that Nortel envisioned as a product family it called the Orbitor. Work on the Orbitor vision started at Bell-Northern Research (Nortel’s R&D subsidiary) in the early 1990s with a series of concept models focusing on what a handheld personal communicator could be like. Once this proof-of-concept was validated through extensive user and chooser research, the design for Nortel One started apace in early 1995. It used the GSM radio and physical interface module from theNortel 92x/1920 phones with a digital signal processor (DSP) core for speech recognition and added an ARM processor module that interfaced with the touchscreen and powered the screen user interface. The first working units, of which 80 were made, were delivered at the end of February 1998 in time for the GSM World Congress in Cannes, France. The development of the Nortel One device was primarily a skunk works project undertaken at Nortel's Bell-Northern Research (BNR). It required the incorporation of many new technologies, overcoming internal corporate process challenges at Nortel, and managing a variety of logistics issues that the team working on the product had to address. The project largely flew under the radar at Nortel but succeeded thanks to a dedicated multi-disciplinary design team drawing on broad expertise at BNR (Ottawa, Canada) and AEG Mobile Communication (Ulm, Germany), then part of Matra-Nortel. Initially, the prototype devices were going to be manufactured at an AEG factory in Berlin, but the manufacturing was moved to an SCI factory in Bordeaux, France where the final units were built. When it was originally conceived, the Nortel Orbitor was envisaged as being a “highly featured, pocket-sized wireless device” that would use advanced voice-recognition technology and a touch-sensitive screen to deliver voice, messaging and graphical notes in “one convenient, easy-to-use mobile communications devices.” The team working on the device boldly claimed they were “creating a new vision of personal communications for this decade [the 1990s] and into the next century.” They made it clear that the Orbitor was not a telephone, pager or a personal digital assistant (PDA) but that it was “something new, different and unique.” They preferred to describe it as being part of “a new category of personal communications management products that would put the user in control of emerging services and applications.” The original idea for the Orbitor was to be a compact, lightweight personal device, about the size of a wallet, that would be attached to a person’s clothing or easily fit in a pocket or handbag. The early design ideas centred on users being able to “dial” a number by simply speaking a number or a person’s name – a concept, that at the time, seemed like science fiction. Early concept models also included a detachable speaker that was designed to fit over a user’s ear “for handsfree operation and private conversations” – akin to a detachable Bluetooth headset that would come in later years. Nortel also envisaged that the Orbitor would support multimedia capabilities allowing users to communicate in different ways. For example, sending written messages to one person while having a call with another at the same time – yet another example of a use-case that is now taken for granted. Another revolutionary feature of the Orbitor was the use of animation in the user interface rather than plain text and static graphics – a capability that was only just starting to emerge on PCs at that time. The graphics on the Orbitor were animated offering an early example of skeuomorphic design – which mimics real-world experiences in the user interface. For example, when a message was received, an envelope moved onto the Orbitor’s screen and when the user selected it, the envelope unfolded to reveal the message. When the user deleted the message, the paper crumpled up and dropped off the bottom of the screen. The designers believed these “real-world images would make the Orbitor extremely easy to use by attracting user’s attention to the action being performed in a clear, unambiguous and memorable fashion.” A further example, that is also taken for granted these days, was when the Orbitor played a voice message an animated slider on a bar moved across the display. Users could use the touch screen to stop the message and play back portions of it by touching the bar at the appropriate position. Another innovation was offering “canned messages” such as “leave a voice msg.” or “call back to reschedule” so users could respond discreetly to calls when they were in a meeting or otherwise occupied. The early concepts of the Orbitor were validated starting in late 1992, using industrial design models in videos where various users were seen using the Orbitor in real-life situations. This was a smart approach as it avoided the costly and time-consuming process of building working prototypes. Screen simulations were super-imposed onto the devices used in the video which were so realistic at the time that some viewers thought the Orbitor models being used were real products. More details of the Orbitor concepts and underlying research can be found in the article that featured in the BNR in-house magazine, Telesis, Issue 97, December 1993. The first reveal of a functioning Orbitor device occurred in the BNR Futures Room at Nortel’s booth at Telecom’95 in Geneva, Switzerland. It was a fully featured device with a GSM radio, large 320 x 160-pixel eight-shade greyscale touch-sensitive screen and a graphical user interface, combined with advanced voice dialling and personal hands-free capabilities that had been pioneered on the Nortel 922 mobile phone. The prototype was powered by General Magic's MagicCap OS. This demo garnered intense interest and was successful enough to give Nortel the confidence to progress down the road towards a commercial product. The Orbitor concept became the Europa device, which was eventually branded commercially as the Nortel One. By 1997, the design team decided to replace the MagicCap OS with Microware’s OS-9 combined with P-Java (a.k.a. Personal Java). The use of Java pioneered the notion of downloadable applications (today known as “apps”) to further personalize the user experience. The Nortel One worked in conjunction with the “Nortel One Server” which these days would be described as a “cloud platform”, or perhaps even an “app store". This allowed operators to provide customised data and services to users, including personalised menus and home screens, as well as being able to deliver apps in the form of Java applets. Users could back up their phones to the server. Nortel believed that typical applications that would be offered on the Nortel One could include timetables and schedules, restaurant guides, stock prices, sports results, road and traffic information, ticketing, work scheduling and more. All types of content that are commonplace today. The phone had a range of features including text entry using the stylus either via character recognition or a soft keyboard, a “business card style directory”, a rudimentary browser with virtual buttons (tiles) that allowed users to access content and PIM (personal information manager) capabilities. The handset had a range of features including text entry using the stylus either via character recognition or a soft keyboard, a “business card style directory”, a rudimentary browser with virtual buttons (tiles) that allowed users to access content and PIM (personal information manager) capabilities, integrated speech recognition for voice-activated dialling, and a personal speakerphone. A novel sliding keypad preserved the familiar 3-by-4 cellphone keypad with SEND and END buttons— when slid open the large touch-sensitive display was revealed. The first 80 pre-production handsets were manufactured in February 1998 to be showcased at the GSM World Congress trade show that month in Cannes, France by members of the Nortel team, including Ken Blakeslee. The Nortel One appeared again at the CeBIT fair in Hannover, Germany in March 1998. Initially, Nortel had planned to showcase the device as a major feature on its exhibition stand. However, the decision was taken to move the prototype devices to a back room away from public view. They were demoed by invitation to a few selected customers and industry personnel (including Nokia's Anssi Vanjoki) who were hugely impressed by the device with its futuristic capabilities such as weather data on a greyscale map with real-time data being transferred over SMS. Nortel was also secretly working with the UK’s BT Cellnet to deploy the Nortel One offering a complete end-to-end solution combining the handset and a server solution hosting Java applications that could be downloaded onto the device. The team at BT Cellnet comprised several individuals including Simon Robinson, Tony Eales, Brian Greasley and others. The trial was destined to take place following GSM World Congress in 1998 with a goal of launching in the summer of 1998. The device and service portfolio was also shown to a number of retailers including Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone. Sadly, the BT Cellnet trial never came to fruition when John Roth, the then CEO of Nortel, abruptly ended the project. He felt that Nortel lacked the expertise required to be successful in consumer electronics devices and would not be able to hit the price points needed to be successful. Ultimately, this meant the future commercial iteration of the phone never came to market, but it has become a notable (albeit little-known) device in the history of the smartphone. Interestingly the patents and prior art that Nortel created around the Orbitor project have gone on to feature in several court cases concerning intellectual property in mobile phones, reflecting what a ground-breaking device it was for its time. Addendum: Nortel Europa — historical context (by Z. Stachniak) Integration of different, often disparate, functionalities within a single personal device, as exemplified by the smartphone, is not a new concept. In the 16th century, crucifix dials served as instruments to determine the time of day. These were small boxes in the shape of a crucifix typically crafted from brass and engraved with hour numbers and religious scenes. A built-in magnetic compass was used primarily, though not exclusively, to orient the instrument. It also aided in determining directions while traveling. Some of these dials incorporated other functionalities such as the conversion of "Italian hours" (24 hours of a day and night) into "common hours" (1 to 12 day hours) and vice versa carried on using built-in rulers. Thus, the dial addressed temporal and spiritual needs, provided secular guidance and helped to contemplate things eternal. 16th century crucifix dial made by Melchior Reichle. Source: The British Museum, museum number 1874,0727.3. The rapid advancements in microelectronics during the 1970s and 1980s enabled the integration of multiple information management functionalities into single handheld devices, such as electronic organizers and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The Psion Organizer, released in 1984, offered users an electronic diary, searchable address database, flat-file database, calculator, and clock, as well as the execution of application programs and limited programmability. The Psion Organizer, 1984. Source: York University Computer Museum. In the same year, Motorola introduced the DynaTAC 8000X phone, recognized as the first commercially available portable handheld cell phone. It offered approximately 30 minutes of talk time on full charge and limited call management features. The immediate social acceptance of PDAs and cell phones contributed to the popularization of the concept of personal, portable communication and information management devices. It was inevitable that sooner or later, a new generation of personal electronic devices combining PDA-like functionality with mobile telephony into a single device would emerge, and several companies began to work on such projects, including IBM (the Simon smartphone launched in 1994), Nokia (the Communicator released in 1996), and Alcatel (the One Touch Com introduced in 1998). Notably, BNR began its work on its vision for such a device (known as the Orbitor) in 1992. Comprehensive market research was conducted to identify the types of products and services that would address crucial user needs through the use of such devices, as well as key user values for personal communications and data management. The Orbitor project was initiated by the BNR's Corporate Design Group which aimed at defining and implementing a new vision for personal communications. Initially, the device was envisaged as compact, lightweight, personal device—the size of the wallet—that would attach to a person's clothing or fit easily into a packet or purse. Offering voice, messaging, and graphical notes capabilities, Orbitor would be operated via voice-recognition capabilities and a touch-sensitive screen. Users could "dial" a telephone number simply by speaking a number or a person's name (provided that name has been entered in the personal directory) into the Orbitor's microphone. Orbitor would be designed with a detachable speaker that would fit comfortably over a user's ear for hands-free operation and private conversation. Orbitor would also be equipped with a detachable stylus to enable users to write messages, destined for other users, directly on the screen. As envisaged, Orbitor would also incorporate a multimedia capability that would let users communicate in different ways with more than one party at a time -- sending written messages to one person, while carrying on a voice conversation with another, for example. [1] One of the Orbitor's concept designs. Source: [1]. The concept was first visualized in 1992 through videos produced by BNR as part of their extensive behavioural research. A variety of potential communication services were demonstrated by simulating them on a non-operational mock-up of the device. During the following three years, the Orbitor's design progressed to a state where its main features could be showcased in a working prototype. “We’ve been talking about and working with this concept for some time now, and we wanted to show our customers that its market implementation is not that far away," explained Arlan Anderson, manager of BNR's Portable Terminals Platform Development, in a press release from 1995 [2]. "We decided the best way to do that was to develop an operational prototype that could be demonstrated on a real switch.” In October 1995, such a technology demo was prepared for the Telecom ’95 trade show held in Geneva, Switzerland. "I was recruited/tasked to create a tiger team to create a working demo that could be put on display at T’95," recollected David Cuddy, former director of Nortel's Advanced Terminals Technologies group [3]. "This wasn’t a prototype of a product. It was a technology demo, or more accurately perhaps, a concept demo. What we built wasn’t based on Java - that design decision came later - but used the Magic Cap platform created by General Magic. [...] Given the positive response from prospective NT customers and trade journalists who saw our T’95 Orbitor demo, a decision was subsequently made to launch a product development program." The Orbitor's demonstration—among four special presentations featured at the BNR Futures Room at Nortel’s Telecom ’95 booth—showcased simultaneous voice and data communications through the DMS GSM system at Nortel's booth. “We demonstrated new audio and acoustic values that we call “Personal Handsfree,” which allow you to conduct a high-quality telephone conversation without having to hold the handset to your head," Arlan added [2]. "We also demonstrated several different types of messaging – handwritten messages, voice mail, and text messaging – accessed through the handset display.” During the 10-day event, the Orbitor demo was shown to over 800 customers and key government officials. According to Arlan, feedback was overwhelmingly positive: There is a lot of excitement around personal communications services in general, and people were very enthusiastic about what they saw and heard. The need for the types of user values exhibited by the Orbitor prototype was clearly acknowledged. In particular, the service providers noted the potential of Orbitor as a new wireless communications format that can help them evolve their business and differentiate themselves from competitors, Des Ryan, senior product design manager, Corporate Design Group, concurred. “The prototype enabled our customers to experience a future of their business where high-value services will be very easy to use, and showed that this future is within reach today.” [2] In the following two years, the Orbitor's design foundations underwent major transformation driven by many factors, most notably the commercialization of the Internet and the introduction of Sun Microsystems' Java. In 1986, NSF created its NSFNET network which soon became the primary Internet backbone. However, the network's mandate limited its usage exclusively to research and educational support endeavors. The "privatization of the Internet" culminating in NSF's retirement of its network in 1995, widely expanded Internet accessibility and paved the way for a wide range of new services from personal and corporate websites to e-commerce platforms. The release of Java 1.0 software in 1996 marked another pivotal factor impacting Orbitor's development. The BNR design team promptly recognized the significance of Sun's platform as an enabler of a vast array of sophisticated communications services. Consequently, in the same year, BNR decided to implement Orbitor as a Java-enabled device code-named "Europa" — the first personal communications device of this kind. In an article for Talking Business magazine back in 1996, Ken Blakeslee, former head of the Business Development team at Nortel's Wireless Networks UK office, observed, "People understand what they want to do with mobile phones. It's only now that the technology arrived to enable it." The Europa handset, later rebranded as “Nortel One” [5], was officially unveiled during the 1998 GSM World Congress in Cannes in February 1998 and, a month later demonstrated at the CeBIT'98 International Trade Fair that took place in Hanover. The device had evolved into a full Java-enabled smartphone, running Microware OS-9 as the core operating system. It offered an advanced touch-sensitive graphical user interface, speech recognition, personal handsfree, and other advanced features. In addition, thanks to the Java underpinnings, it supported downloadable ‘apps’ as part of a client-server architecture. Sadly, as part of Nortel corporate refocusing, the Orbitor/Europa project was abruptly terminated in 1998. Nortel subsequently withdrew from the telephone handset market, divesting its portfolio of GSM, wireless, enterprise and landline telephones. The Advanced Terminal Technologies group was dismissed in 2000, and the following year, Nortel shut down the entire Corporate Design Group. Several groups within Nortel/BNR and outside companies participated in the Orbitor/Europa project including: Corporate Design Group, Nortel, Advanced Terminal Technologies Group, Nortel, Nortel Wireless Networks, UK, Marta Communication Cellular Terminals, France, AEG Mobile Communications, Germany, Sun Microsystems, USA. In 1997, over 50 contributors from various BNR/Nortel groups and departments involved in the R&D project signed a commemorative Europa poster. Nortel Europa poster, 1997. Source: York University Computer Museum. References [1] Brown, M., Fairless, J., French-St.George, M., Lindsay, M., Roberts, T., and Ryan, D.,"Orbitor: a new personal communications concept," Telesis 97 (1993), pp. 5--13. [2] Orbitor, Nortel press release(?) (1995). [3] David Cuddy, private communication (2024). [4] Talking Business Magazine, Sun Microsystems (1996). [5] Nortel One: Nortel's Multimedia & Service Delivery Solution, promotional brochure, Nortel (1998) . Nortel Europa main features and technical specifications (as of 1998) Main features: Java-powered cellular handset: Java enabled secure access to data from both the Internet and local Intranets, touch screen graphical user interface with handwriting character recognition and animated graphics (operated via touch, stylus, and keypad) business card style directory, ink notes: set-to-set ink messaging, allowing to send electronic hand written notes, diagrams, etc. from one device to another, text editor, built in help facility, Personal Information Manager (PIM) functions, integrated message center including SMS, voice, fax, e-mail, as well as notification and voice-mail interface, Internet browsing: Inpact browser, voice activated dialing, hands-free operation. Hardware specifications: motherboard: based on the Nortel 920 and 922 handsets, daughter card (the Europa Daughter Card, a.k.a. the EDC) containing: CPU, RAM, Intel Flash, and other components, CPU: Digital Equipment Corp. StrongARM SA-1100, RAM: 524,288 x 8-bit, implemented using eight Mitsubishi M5M5408ATP static RAM chips, flash memory: several types including Intel StrataFlash T28F800 and boot sector flash memory AMD AM29LV002B, SIM card: micro SIM, wireless network protocol: GSM, TI Gemini processor(?), keyboard: sliding, 20 keys (12 alphanumeric and 8 direction, phone, and function keys), display: 320x160 pixels touch screen, back-lit, 8-shade grey scale, controlled by the National Semiconductor COP472-3 liquid crystal display controller, audio-analog front end: Philips UCB 1200 (aka Betty), dimensions: 166x64x30, weight: 300g. Software: operating system: Microware OS-9, Personal Java platform, compliant with Java Telephony Application Programming Interface (JTAPI) ver. 1.2, GUI written in Java, variety of planned downloadable user applications, including: timetables/schedules, work scheduling, What's-on-Guide, restaurant guides, ticketing, stock prices, e-commerce, sports results, road and traffic information. Museum holdings Nortel Europa 900, SN 004900 01 015129 0, Telesis, Nortel, issues 93, (December 1993) and 103 (July 1997), Nortel One: Nortel's Multimedia & Service Delivery Solution, promotional brochure, Nortel (1998), other Orbitor related holdings can be reviewed in the museum's Nortel archive, A 1997 commemorative Europa poster.
Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The industrial revolution of the 19th century brought new manufacturing methods and with them the ability to produce high quality precision instruments and mechanical devices in large quantities. The first typewriters appeared in the early 19th century and the first wave of useful calculators soon after in Europe and a few decades later in America. America entered the age of mechanical calculators in late 19th century, much later than Europe. When major European countries were undergoing extensive industrialization, the United States was still primarily involved in agriculture while Canada was not even on the map as a country. The Civil War of 1861-1865 did not help with the industrialization either, delaying the effects of the industrial revolution on the North American continent for a decade. It was not until after the Civil War when new forms of manufacturing (steam-powered) allowed the American industry to grow and spread across the nation. It was at that time, when a vibrant office equipment industry was created with calculator manufacturing centers in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, and Philadelphia. Large businesses, agencies, and institutions were expanding fast, putting more and more people into their offices. It quickly became evident that ever increasing number of calculation tasks could not be handled cost-effectively without appropriate calculating aids. While American institutions were looking for efficient ways for conducting their business, inventors and entrepreneurs were determined to supply them with all sorts of office gadgets. Two individuals—Dorr E. Felt and William S. Burroughs—played a key role in establishing the calculator industry. Both were determined to provide businesses with just the right kind of calculators: fast, accurate, easy to operate and, in the case of Burroughs' calulators, with printing capabilities. In the end, they created calculator empires that dominated the American calculator market well into the next century. When William S. Burroughs was working as a bank clerk, he envisioned the process of tedious arithmetic operations mechanized to such a degree that the results would also be automatically printed on paper. In the end, Burroughs not only designed such a machine—the Arithmometer (1884)—but also co-founded American Arithmometer Company in St. Louis to manufacture it. By the end of the 1800s, his company was successfully selling several hundred machines a year. In 1917, Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Detroit (formerly American Arithmometer Company of St. Louis) opened its Canadian subsidiary in Windsor, Ontario. Three years later, the Canadian branch moved to the newly constructed facility in Windsor at the corner of McDougall St. and Elliott St. Over the years, the Canadian subsidiary manufactured several calculators including motor-driven adding and listing Bookkeeping Machine and a range of portable adding machines. Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines The Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines were some of the most impressive adding machines made. Although they were large and heavy, their bevelled glass walls on three sides allowed viewing of their internal mechanical operations during calculations, certainly aimed at creating a "WOW" effect with a machine priced at between $615 to $715. The calculators offered between 6 to 17 columns of keys, a numeric display, and a printing mechanism with a wide carriage featuring a paper length setting and an end of page bell. These calculator could perform addition only. The multiplication could be done by repeated additions. Apart from numeric keys, Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines offered several "function" keys. A column could be cleared by pressing the red key at the top of that column. Other keys were designed to clear the entire keyboard, to perform repeated additions for multiplication, to calculate total and subtotal results as well as other functions depending on the calculator's model. Several options were provided including electric drive that eliminated manual use of a crank handle to perform calculations. This option offered a tabular steel frame with the motor and gearbox mounted underneath. Museum holdings Burroughs Bookkeeping Machine (17 columns, electric), model/serial number C2-1286030, manufactured by Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada, Windsor, Ontario, Burroughs Portable Adding Machine, model/serial number 03-370060, manufactured by Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada (?)
Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada
The calculator was donated by Unisys Canada Inc. in 2016
Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The rapid development of computer technologies and applications in the 1950s and 1960s created demand for sharing data and resources by connecting computers and computer equipment together over short as well as long distances. A pair of dedicated hardware devices called modems (MOdulator/DEModulators) were used to encode digital information originated at one end of the communications link and to decode such information using the second modem on the other end without degradation in accuracy of transferred data. By the end of the 1960s, there were over 2,000 digital computers installed in Canada and the number of new installations was steadily increasing in the following years. This advancement as well as the trend towards distributed processing and on-line remote access to data processing resources provided an opportunity to supply these new installations with made in Canada modems and other electronic data transmission devices. ESE Ltd. of Toronto and Gandalf Technologies Ltd. of Nepean were among the earliest and best known Canadian manufacturers of such products. Gandalf Technologies In April 1971, Desmond Cunningham and Colin Patterson incorporated Gandalf Data Communications Ltd. (later renamed as Gandalf Technologies, Inc.) with headquarters in Manotick, Ontario (later moved to Nepean). Gandalf's first product was the LDS 100 asynchronous modem (called Local Data Set or LDS). It's competitive price relative to the rental of modems offered by phone companies resulted in lucrative sales to major Canadian corporations and institutions including the federal government's Communication Research Centre, McGill University, Bell Northern Research, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Atomic Energy of Canada. The following year, Gandalf offerd the synchronous version of its modem -- the LDS 200. The success of these products led to the name 'Gandalf box' being adopted as a generic term for these and future Gandalf modems. The PACX data switch (Private Automatic Computer eXchange) introduced in late 1972, was Gandalf's first product that put the company on the international map. The device allowed multiple user terminals to access any one of a number of available computers. Each terminal was connected to a Gandalf LDS 126 data set which, in turn communicated with a PACX switch. The data set had two thumb wheels on the front panel. To access a specific computer connected to a PACX switch, the user rolled the wheels to the two-digit number assigned to the selected computer. The PACX switch quickly found world-wide acceptance and made Gandalf one of the world's most innovative companies in the data communications industry of the 1970s. Throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s, Gandalf offered successive generations of modems (including the SAM 201), multiplexers, and PACX switches with enhanced performance features. These new products were manufactured and distributed through Gandalf manufacturing and sales facilities in Nepean as well as through newly established Gandalf Sales Inc. in Chicago, and Gandalf Digital Communications Ltd. located in Warrington UK. Gandalf's clients included some of the world's largest organizations such as British Steel, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and Shell in the UK alone. Although by 1981 annual revenues had reached $40 million, the company decided to go public in order to stay competitive in the data communications market which by then was already crowded with companies ranging from small enterprises such as Develcom of Saskatoon to large corporations including 3COM, AT&T, Northern Telecom, and British Telecom. By 1985, the company had grown into a multinational corporation with annual sales of approx. $85 million and subsidiaries in the US, UK, France, and the Netherlands. Despite a wide range of innovative hardware and software products introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, including end-to-end network management system--Gandalf Passport--and the StarMaster local and wide area digital networking system (designed to carry a variety of traffic types such as video, data, voice, fax, LAN), the company could not sustain intense competition from companies such as Cisco Systems and Cabletron Systems in the rapidly developing remote access market. Financial losses incurred by the company in the 1990s forced Gandalf into bankruptcy in 1997. Gandalf SAM 201 technical specifications and product information year of introduction: the early 1980s, price: $1,300-$1,450, data rate: 1200, 2400 bps, modulation method: DPSK, transmission mode: full duplex, synchronization: asynch/synch, calling mode: orig/auto answer, diagnostics: analog, digital loopback, features: Bell 201 C and CCITT compatible; V.26 compatible. Museum holdings Gandalf SAM 201 modem, Gandalf Access Series 24S modem, Gandalf LDM 408 modem, Gandalf TTS 400C, modem, Gandalf 1980-81 Catalogue.
Wang 320SE calculator at York University
Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The commercialization of the transistor in the first half of the 1950s had a dramatic impact on the decade-old computer industry. The all-transistor computers were offered as early as 1953 and, by the end of the 1950s, all major computer manufacturers were building transistorized machines. Similar shift to solid-state technology was made across consumer electronics industry (for example, in the mid-1950s, all-transistor radios quickly began to replace large and bulky vacuum tubes-based radio sets). Despite clear advantages that solid-state electronics had to offer to calculator manufacturers (if built, transistor-based calculators would be smaller, quieter, more versatile, and virtually maintenance free when compared with the traditional desktop electro-mechanical calculators), the calculator industry was much slower in adopting the new technology. Calculator manufacturers were quite reluctant to venture into electronics when no competitors, even those with electronics divisions (such as Olivetti, Burroughs, Sony, and Canon), were putting any electronic calculators on the market. They were simply unwilling to go against their main core products that still delivered corporate wealth and prestige, they had no desire to invest substantial resources into concurrent divisions of electronic calculators that would internally compete with their best-performing divisions of electro-mechanical calculators. It was not until the early 1960s that the first solid-state calculators appeared on the consumer market and almost instantly gained consumer acceptance. While most of the early electronic calculators supported only rudimentary arithmetic operations with, in some cases, one or two memory registers for storing intermediate results, several firms introduced calculators with functionality that went far beyond that. The execution of short sequences of instructions (programs) was the most notable of these new features. Programs for such calculators could be keyed-in by an operator or read from an external storage media (such as punch cards) and, then executed as many times as desired by a single press of a key. In 1964, Massachusetts-based companies Mathatronics Inc. and Wang Laboratories Inc. introduced their first programmable calculators: the Mathatron and the LOCI-2, respectively. The following year, an Italian manufacturer of office equipment Olivetti introduced its Programma 101. All these programmable calculators were positioned to bridge the gap between ordinary desk-top calculators that offered instantaneous, personal, and easy to use operations but no substantial information processing capabilities, and the large and complex mainframe computers that required high-degree of training and long waiting times to perform users' computational tasks. Some of these calculators could be interfaced with a range of peripherals including printers, plotters, and external storage. Libraries of ready to run programs were also offered. Wang announced its new 300 Series programmable calculator in 1967. The calculator's more advanced models in the 300 series were offered in 1968. In their basic configuration, all these systems consisted of the central processing unit (CPU, referred to as "electronic package" in Wang's literature) and of up to four keyboard consoles remotely connected to the CPU. Using a standard keyboard console (model "K") a user could execute programs composed in terms of rudimentary arithmetic operations as well as square root, logarithmic and exponential functions. Programs of up to 80 steps were stored on dedicated punch cards and could be executed by reading them using an optional CP-1 Card Programmer interfaced with the calculator. Using a trigonometric keyboard unit (model "KT") a user could include trigonometric functions in programs. The calculator also offered random access storage (in up to four random access registers) and automatic summation of products, multipliers, and/or entries. Wang published a library of applications programs in areas ranging from engineering to finance. Wang 320SE at York University In the mid-1960s, York was rapidly growing and establishing new key departments. In 1965, Ralph W. Nicholls joined York University from the University of Western Ontario to form a new Department of Physics. In the same year, he became founding director of York's Centre for Research in Experimental Space Science (CRESS, later renamed the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science) that quickly gained prominence in North America. Unfortunately, York's first computer--the IBM System/360 Model 30--was only installed in November 1966 and, until then, CRESS members had to rely on calculators and computer resources offered by the University of Toronto. In 1968, the Department of Physics moved into a newly constructed Petrie Science Building by which time a new IBM System/360 Model 40 was operational. In order to reduce the access to the new shared computer in cases that did not require full computational power of a mainframe computer, CRESS installed a Wong 320SE system in Petrie building. The 320SE system simulatneously supported four keyboard terminals. The calculator's CPU was located in one of the utility rooms. Each of the four terminal keyboards was placed in the hall of each floor. The calculator was decommissioned in the early 1990s. Museum's holdings Hardware: Wang 320SE central processing unit, Wang 320K conventional keyboard terminals (3 units), Wang 320KT trigonometric keyboard terminal. Manuals and promotional literature: 300 Series WANG Electronic Calculators -- Instruction Manual, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1967, 300 Series Program Library, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1967, 300 Series electronic calculator -- instruction manual, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968, 370 Series Programmable Calculating System, promotional brochure, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968, 370 System Reference Manual, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968, 370 Calculating System Program Library, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968.