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.
Micro Computer Machines: photographs and promotional brochures
Photographs of former employees of Micro Computer Machines (MCM) and images of MCM promotional brochures used in the MCM exhibit and in the descriptions of MCM artifacts. From top to bottom, left to right: The photograph taken during the announcement of the MCM/70 in Toronto on 25 September 1973 in Royal York Hotel (photographer unknown). Mers Kutt and Gordon Ramer — the co-founders of MCM, 1973 (photographer unknown). Ted Edwards demonstrating the Executive at the Technical University of Denmark during the APL Congress in Denmark, August 1973 (© Politiken). MCM's hardware engineer José Laraya in front of an MCM/70 and one of its prototypes at York University, 2011 (photograph by Zbigniew Stachniak). Mers Kutt—a co-founder of MCM—speaks at York University in 2001 (photograph by Zbigniew Stachniak). André Arpin discussing the principles of his virtual memory at York University in 2008 (photograph by Zbigniew Stachniak). The Key-Cassette concept. Drawing by Mers Kutt, 1972. A prototype of the MCM/70 used during the announcement of the MCM/70 in Toronto on 25 September 1973 in Royal York Hotel (photographer unknown). The MCM/70 assembly line at the MCM manufacturing facility in Kingston, Ontario, 1975(?) (photographer José Laraya). MCM company logo, 1973. An MCM/70 promotional brochure, 1974. The TEXT/700 word processor ad in MCM NEWS newsletter, 1976. Pension Actuarial Valuations and Plan Administration (PVAS) software promotional brochure, 1976. An MCM System 800 promotional brochure, 1976. An MCM Power promotional brochure, 1980.
brochures published by Micro Computer Machines; photographers as indicated in the descriptions
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) 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 Commodore International Ltd. (or Commodore) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic hand-held calculators as well as home, educational, and business microcomputers. It was best known for its popular personal computers including the PET line of personal desktops as well as the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and the Amiga computers. It was founded on October 10, 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later, the company incorporated its Commodore Business Machines subsidiary in New York. In 1976, Commodore reorganized its corporate structure as Commodore International Ltd. and moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and the operations headquarters to Pennsylvania. The restructured company encompassed several entities world-wide including Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. In 1947, the company's founder—Jack Tramiel—emigrated from Poland to the US. During his US army service (1948-51) he gained considerable experience in repairing office equipment which he turned into business in his civilian life, first in Bronx, New York, and later in Toronto, Canada, where he moved in 1955. His Toronto business was initially focused on repairs and selling licensed typewriters, adding machines, and other office equipment. Initially located at 2 Toronto Street, in the city's downtown core, a short distance from the IBM Toronto Downtown Office, the company relocated several times before establishing its headquarters in Scarborough, Ont. During the 1960s the scope of Commodore's business expanded to office furniture as well as to electric and eventually electronic calculators. The first Commodore-branded adding machine was the model C mechanical calculator manufactured by a Czechoslovakian company Nisa and sold by Commodore around 1960. The first exclusive Commodore adding machine—the 202—was announced in 1967. The following year, the company began to turn its focus toward electronic desktop and, soon after, hand-held calculators. Commodore entered the market of hand-held electronic calculators in late 1970s with its CBM 110 device. Within months, the company introduced what would become a popular series of Minuteman calculators. That series, in turn, was followed by the "SR" and "SF" line of scientific and financial hand-held calculators. By the mid-1970s, Commodore was selling a wide range of electronic calculators, becoming one of the largest American manufacturers of these devices. Commodore's entry into microcomputer market was, to a large degree, the result of fierce price war in the calculator market that started in late 1973, and the decision of Texas Instruments—one of the main suppliers of calculator chips—to enter the calculator market and to compete with its clients. To stay competitive and independent of third parties for the chips and displays that went into its products, Commodore purchased MOS Technology in 1976. With the acquisition came not only MOS integrated circuits (most notably the 6502 microprocessor) but also Chuck Peddle's—the 6502's chief designer's—considerable technical expertise and impeccable sense of changing trends in electronics market. While at MOS, he built the KIM-1 single-board computer that quickly became popular among computer hobbyists. Peddle urged Commodore not to underestimate the market potential for mass-manufactured microcomputers and his team got permission to go ahead with a project of designing a desktop computer around the 6502 processor. The all-in-one Commodore PET (or Personal Electronic Transactor) was introduced in 1977. It was successfully marked world-wide, which opened the door into the consumer electronics market for the company's next best sellers: the VIC-20 introduced in 1980, and the Commodore 64 unveiled in 1982. By 1983, in just 25 years, a small downtown Toronto typewriter sales and repair shop was transformed into one of the most revered personal computer companies in the world, shipping more units world-wide than any other computer company. However, the departure of Tramiel from Commodore in 1984 marked the beginning of the company's downfall. Commodore was loosing grounds to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh platforms. The purchase of Amiga and the sales of its aging fleet of 8-bit computers sustained the company for a while but eventually, in 1994, Commodore began its liquidation. Commodore VIC-20 The VIC-20 home computer was one of the most successful Commodore products. Its prototype was previewed at the National Computer Convention in Chicago in June 1980 but, as a product, it was first launched three months later in Japan as VIC-1001. ``You are about to meet a friendly computer! Friendly in price, friendly in size, friendly to use and learn on and experience" proclaimed Commodore introducing its VIC-20 microcomputer. [From Personal Computing on the VIC-20: A Friendly Computer Guide, Commodore Business Machines, 1982, p. II.] Commodore sold 8000,000 VIC-20s world-wide in 1982, reached the one million mark early in 1983 when they were being shipped at the rate of 100,000 units per month, making the VIC-20 one of the best-selling computers of all times. Designed in the `computer-in-keyboard' style, the VIC-20 featured the MOS Technology 6502A processor, a BASIC interpreter in ROM, and easy to use QWERTY-style keyboard. The computer used an ordinary color TV set for the display. The high-resolution color graphics capabilities of the VIC-20 made the computer an attractive family entertainment box to rival the supremacy of gaming consoles. Indeed, in spite of its limitations the addition of an external disk drive, a low cost printer, and of a popular VICModem, made the VIC-20 ``the most user friendly computer on the market...friendly in price, friendly in size, friendly to use and expand.'' [From the back cover of Personal Computing on the VIC-20: a friendly computer guide, Commodore Business Machines, 1982.] From the start, Commodore provided the VIC-20 with the diverse software libraries on easy to use ROM cartridges and cassette tapes. Modems for the VIC-20, such as the VICmodem, allowed users to get on line and try electronic mail for the first time or to browse through the libraries of information available on computer bulletin board systems and commercial computer networks. A number of on-line services such as CompuServe, Delphi, Dow-Jones, Genie or The Source owed their popularity and growth to the low-cost VICmodem. In North America, the VIC-20 was sold for the strategically low price of $299.95 through mass merchandise retail outlets (such as K-Mart, Sears, and Toys-R-Us) as well as computer dealers and selected electronics stores. Some of the VIC-20s were manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. VIC-20 specifications CPU: MOS 6502 at approx. 1 MHz RAM: 5KB expandable to 32KB ROM: 20 KB occupied by BASIC 2.0 *8KB), KERNAL (8KB), and character set (4KB); external ROM cartridges, video processor: MOS 6560/6561 VIC, display: text node: 23 rows and 22 column graphics mode: 176×184 pixels sound: MOS 6560/6561 VIC, keyboard: 62 key QWERTY-style keyboard with additional four function keys, ports: expansion port (for various types of cartridges), Audio/Video port, floppy disk drive/printer port, cassette tape storage port, user port (general purpose serial/parallel port), serial bus IO port, game port (for connecting a joystick, a paddle, or a lightpen), peripherals: modems (e.g. the VICmodem), floppy disk drives (e.g. the VIC-1540), cassette tape drives (e.g. the C2N), printers (e.g. the 1525 printer), Museum holdings Commodore VIC-20, serial nr 662878 manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada, Commodore VIC-20, serial nr P1105919 manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada, Commodore Datassette, serial number S796519, Commodore C2N Cassette, serial nr 1734692, with operating instructions, Commodore VIC 1541 floppy disk drive, serial nr 2092779, with user's manual and guide, Commodore 1520 printer, serial nr 007931, Commodore VICmodem, Model 1600, serial nr. 060749, Pocket Modem for Commodore systems, Commodore VIC 1211A Super Expander, 3KB (with documentation), Xetec Super Graphix Jr printer interface, extensive library of educational, entertainment, and personal software on VIC-20 ROM cartridges and cassette tapes, VIC-20 manuals, guides, books, and promotional literature.
Historical context Commodore International Ltd. (or Commodore) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic hand-held calculators as well as home, educational, and business microcomputers. It was best known for its popular personal computers including the PET line of personal desktops as well as the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and the Amiga computers. It was founded on October 10, 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later, the company incorporated its Commodore Business Machines subsidiary in New York. In 1976, Commodore reorganized its corporate structure as Commodore International Ltd. and moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and the operations headquarters to Pennsylvania. The restructured company encompassed several entities world-wide including Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. In 1947, the company's founder—Jack Tramiel—emigrated from Poland to the US. During his US army service (1948-51) he gained considerable experience in repairing office equipment which he turned into business in his civilian life, first in Bronx, New York, and later in Toronto, Canada, where he moved in 1955. His Toronto business was initially focused on repairs and selling licensed typewriters, adding machines, and other office equipment. Initially located at 2 Toronto Street, in the city's downtown core, a short distance from the IBM Toronto Downtown Office, the company relocated several times before establishing its headquarters in Scarborough, Ont. During the 1960s the scope of Commodore's business expanded to office furniture as well as to electric and eventually electronic calculators. The first Commodore-branded adding machine was the model C mechanical calculator manufactured by a Czechoslovakian company Nisa and sold by Commodore around 1960. The first exclusive Commodore adding machine—the 202—was announced in 1967. The following year, the company began to turn its focus toward electronic desktop and, soon after, hand-held calculators. Commodore entered the market of hand-held electronic calculators in late 1970s with its CBM 110 device. Within months, the company introduced what would become a popular series of Minuteman calculators. That series, in turn, was followed by the "SR" and "SF" line of scientific and financial hand-held calculators. By the mid-1970s, Commodore was selling a wide range of electronic calculators, becoming one of the largest American manufacturers of these devices. Commodore's entry into microcomputer market was, to a large degree, the result of fierce price war in the calculator market that started in late 1973, and the decision of Texas Instruments—one of the main suppliers of calculator chips—to enter the calculator market and to compete with its clients. To stay competitive and independent of third parties for the chips and displays that went into its products, Commodore purchased MOS Technology in 1976. With the acquisition came not only MOS integrated circuits (most notably the 6502 microprocessor) but also Chuck Peddle's—the 6502's chief designer's—considerable technical expertise and impeccable sense of changing trends in electronics market. While at MOS, he built the KIM-1 single-board computer that quickly became popular among computer hobbyists. Peddle urged Commodore not to underestimate the market potential for mass-manufactured microcomputers and his team got permission to go ahead with a project of designing a desktop computer around the 6502 processor. The all-in-one Commodore PET (or Personal Electronic Transactor) was introduced in 1977. It was successfully marked world-wide, which opened the door into the consumer electronics market for the company's next best sellers: the VIC-20 introduced in 1980, and the Commodore 64 unveiled in 1982. By 1983, in just 25 years, a small downtown Toronto typewriter sales and repair shop was transformed into one of the most revered personal computer companies in the world, shipping more units world-wide than any other computer company. However, the departure of Tramiel from Commodore in 1984 marked the beginning of the company's downfall. Commodore was loosing grounds to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh platforms. The purchase of Amiga and the sales of its aging fleet of 8-bit computers sustained the company for a while but eventually, in 1994, Commodore began its liquidation. Commodore Plus/4 In 1984, Commodore followed its successful VIC-20 and C64 computers with a series of low cost Commodore 16, 116 and Plus/4 computers designed to compete with the entry-level home computers manufactured by scores of companies around the world. In the end, none of these new Commodore computers could match the success of the VIC-20 or the C64 and their production was soon discontinued. While the Commodore 16 and 116 were rudimentary home computers, the Plus/4 came with ROM-resident office software suite consisting of a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a graphics program. Unfortunately, with the arrival of desktops offering a much richer and advanced applications (such as the Apple Macintosh and the IBM AT), the era of `computers-in-keyboard' was coming to an end. The Pus/4 was discontinued in 1985. Some of the Plus/4 computers were manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. Commodore Plus/4 specifications CPU: MOS Technology 7501/8501 at approx. 1.8 MHz, RAM: 64 KB, ROM: 64 KB (with built-in Commodore BASIC 3.5, a machine language monitor, a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and graphics program), video processor: MOS Technology TED (TED 7360) display in text mode: 40×25 characters; three text modes: standard, extended color, and multicolor, display graphics mode: 160x200 (multicolor) and 320×200 (hi-resolution) with 121 colors (16 primary colors, 8 luminance levels), sound: two tone sound generators, keyboard: QWERTY-style, simplified, 59-key with additional 4 programmable function keys and four cursor keys, ports: serial bus (IEEE-488, port for a disk drive or printer), cassette tape storage port, user port (RS-232 general purpose serial/parallel port), memory expansion port (for various types of cartridges), two game ports (for use with joysticks), audio/video port (to connect a monitor, peripherals: disk drives (e.g. Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive), cassette drives (e.g. Commodore 1531 Datassette), monitors (Commodore 1801 and 1802), modems (e.g. Commodore Modem 300), printers (e.g. Commodore MPS-802 printer), game controllers, mouse (e.g. Commodore 1351). Museum holdings Commodore Plus/4, serial nr. CA1043221, manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada Commodore Plus/4 basic documentation.
An image of the Ottawa office of Computel Systems Ltd.
Computel Systems Ltd. promotional brochure
The NetWinder was a compact, high-performance, low power computing designed by Corel of Ottawa and released in 1998. It was a RISC-based machine equipped with networking and multimedia capabilities, operated under Linux. Sold with keyboard, mouse, and stand. Hardware: CPU: StrongARM 110 processor, 275MHz, together with the Intel 21285 FootBridge companion chip. RAM: 32, 64, or 128 Mbytes hard drive: 2, 4 or 6 GBytes ,WinBond 553 IDE controller 2 Ethernet connections: one 10BaseT (WinBond 940 Ethernet, NE2000 compatible) - 10/100BaseT (Digital 21143 ("Tulip") Ethernet) EPP/ECP port driven by Winbond '977 SuperIO serial port driven by Windbond '977 SuperIO IrDA port 2 PS2 ports for keyboard and mouse (SuperIO '977) power supply: 12V, 1.5A.. Software: OS: Red Hat-based dialect of Linux The museum has a NetWinder model 275, serial number NW644DM11. NetWinder documentation and other resources are available from netwinder.org site.
computer hardware: display video terminal
Historical Context: In the 1950s, the operators of mainframe computers used dedicated consoles, hardcopy terminals (such as teletypes and modified electric typewriters), and a variety of cathode ray tube (CRT) displays to run and control data processing tasks. Computer consoles typically featured rows of switches and associated lights that allowed operators to run and control the execution of programs, analyze data stored in memory, and to control other hardware interfaced with computers. Hardcopy terminals were used to print on roles of paper information such as operator's commands, computer responses, and other console messages. Finally, CRTs were used to displaying information (e.g. memory contents) in a rudimentary graphical form. The "glass teletype" that appeared in the mid-1960s was the first attempt at providing a single device allowing computer operators to run their systems having all the essential control and data processing information displayed on a screen. However, it was not until the early 1970s, when the first "dumb" video display terminals, featuring limited editing capabilities, were introduced (one of the earliest such terminals was the 7700A Interactive Display Terminal introduced by Lear Siegler Inc. in 1973). All these terminals shared the same basic keyboard-display-interface design: each featured a keyboard, a CRT screen that could display full sets of alphanumeric characters, and each had the capability to send and receive data via communication lines to a remote host computer. By the mid-1970s, video terminals became the most effective human-computer interface devices and they remain so until the mid-1980s, when they were displaced by microcomputers that could be interfaced with mainframes and minicomputers to perform terminal jobs in addition to microcomputing tasks, when PC monitors had become a common occurrence worldwide. In Canada, the design and manufacturing of computer display terminals began in the early 1970s. Comterm Inc. (Montreal), Cybernex Ltd. (Ottawa), Electrohome (Kitchener), Lektromedia (Pointe Claire), NORPAK (Kanata), TIL Systems Ltd (Toronto), and Volker-Craig (Waterloo) were some of the pioneering companies. Cybernex Ltd. was an Ottawa-based manufacturer of video terminals, co-founded in 1974 by James Gadzala, Colin Turner, Bruce Douglas, and David Londry. The company's first product was the D1600 digitizing video terminal for the aero photogrammetry industry. In the following years, the company introduced a broad line of display terminals including the LTL Series (1975), LGR Series (1976), TH Series (1977), MDL-100 Series (1978), XL-80 Series (1980) as well as RB, RG, RH, SA, and XM Series. The terminals offered emulation of several popular terminal models from vendors such as Adds, Basic Four, Burroughs, Data General, Digital Equipment Corp., Hewlett-Packard, Hezeltine, Honeywell, IBM, and Lear Siegler. Initially, the company's main clients were large Canadian corporations (including Bell Canada) and government departments. In 1982, Cybernex entered the US market. In addition to its video display terminals, the company also manufactured the LC3 microcomputer for a range of applications including software development, industrial controllers, and systems for dedicated applications. The computer was built around the Motorola 6809 microprocessor and was offered with the Cymon operating system and Cybol programming language also developed by Cybernex. Cybernex introduced its second generation of microprocessor-based highly successful video display terminals--the XL Series--in 1980. In their basic configuration, the XL terminals offered 12 inch green screens which could display 24 lines of 80 characters, and 82-key QWERTY-style detachable keyboard featuring a numeric keypad. The displays' hardware was controlled by the Motorola 6800 8-bit microprocessor. Options included white or amber screen with the 25th status line as well as an advanced keyboard featuring 107 keys including two rows of function keys. The museum has an XL-8025 terminal, serial number 81024539, with an 82-key keyboard. Note: the label attached to the bottom of the terminal has a handwritten model number XLGR-1 while the terminal's printed circuit board has XL-8025 etched on it.
Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) Early microprocessor-based computers (microcomputers) presented a cost-effective and low-maintenance alternative to high-performance minicomputers that dominated the computer scene of the 1970s. Initially, their utilization was confined largely to applications that did not require the full processing power of the minis. Microcomputers also presented a unique opportunity to expand and enrich academic computing programs and infrastructure. A 1979 study conducted at the University of Waterloo (UW) on possible use of microcomputers for academic teaching and research concluded that "many of the jobs run on computers at Waterloo could be done using the computational capacity possessed by microcomputers." (See [1.) At that time, UW's mainframe computer served approximately 25,000 student jobs each day. However, "none of the inexpensive, mass-manufactured microcomputers had the appropriate hardware to operate our planned software," stated the authors of Waterloo Micro Computer Systems for the 1980s [1] "mainly because the memory was not large enough, and because there was insufficient flexibility, particularly with respect to input/output." The study set in motion two microcomputer development projects at the Computer Systems Group of UW -- the microWAT and the SuperPET. In the opinion of Wesley Graham, director, Computer Systems Group at UW expressed in [2], "microcomputers offered many advantages such as economy, reliability and flexibility. But the software available was not suitable for our use. In addition, the addressable memory of micro systems was too small to house the software and leave a meaningful work area. [...] Waterloo liked the advantages of micros and set out to bridge the gap. With software systems written to meet our needs, the software problem was solved. Then we introduced a virtual memory concept with hardware and resolve the addressable memory size problem. By using a RS232 interface, the micro could communicate with a shared data base. And by duplicating the software system onto a mainframe, the same program could be run using large memories at high speed.Thus a student could begin to solve his problem on the micro and, if necessary, complete it on the mainframe. Commodore adopted these ideas and created the SuperPET. We installed 35 such systems at Waterloo in July, 1981 and they have proven as effective as expected." The Commodore SuperPET was a dual processor personal computer created by the Computer Systems Group at UV primarily for the educational market. It's hardware design expanded the Commodore CBM 8032 (PET) architecture by an additional 64KB of bank switched RAM, a Motorola 6809 microprocessor and an RS232 interface. The computer could execute all the PET software using its MOS 6502 processor. The 6809 CPU and the bank-switching RAM architecture adopted by the SuperPET design allowed the execution of sophisticated 6809-based software including several programming language interpreters, editors and assemblers. Several of these software products were written at the UW's Computer Systems Group using the WSL systems development language. An OSW-9 MMU (Memory Management Unit) board developed primarily by Avygdor Moise from York University, Toronto, allowed the operation of the SuperPET under the sophisticated OS-9 Operating System from Microware Systems Corp. The SuperPET's design was brought to the production stage by BMB CompuScience of Milton, Ontario. The computer (also known as Micro-Mainframe or MMF9000) was announced in April, 1981 at Hanover Computer Fair, manufactured by Commodore and distributed in North America, Europe and Australia. However, the introduction of the IBM PC in August 1981 and the subsequent rapid growth of IBM PC-compatible computer market put an end to the microWAT and SuperPET programs. Technical specifications CPU: MOS Technology 6502 and Motorola 6809 at 1MHz, RAM: 96KB (64KB on an bank switched RAM board), ROM: 48KB (containing Waterloo KERNAL and CBM Basic 4.0), video: MOS Technology 6545, 12" monochrome display, 25 rows of 80 characters, three character sets, keyboard: QWERTY-style, 62 keys, and 11-key numeric keypad, ports: IEEE-488 port, two Commodore Datasette ports, Expansion port, RS232 port, CBM parallel programmable User port Memory and Processor selection switches, options: OSW-9 MMU (Memory Management Unit) board allowing the use of popular OS-9 Operating System, other features: memory and processor selection switches. Key software Waterloo KERNAL (in ROM), CBM Basic 4.0 (in ROM), microBASIC, microPascal, microFORTRAN, microCOBOL and microAPL from University of Waterloo Computer Systems Ltd., microEditor from University of Waterloo Computer Systems Ltd., 6809 microprocessor assembler from University of Waterloo Computer Systems Ltd., OS-9 Operating System from Microware Systems Corp. (using the MMU board). Museum holdings Commodore SuperPET Model 9000, serial nr. SP0002320, Commodore CBM 8050 Dual Drive Floppy Disk, Commodore Super-Pet SP9000 Technical Manual, Commodore Computer, 198? Waterloo 6809 Assembler, Waterloo microSystems SuperPET Specifics, draft copy, J.B. Schueler and B.J. Stecher, Waterloo microPIP File Utility Program for the Commodore SuperPET, J.C. Wilson and T.A. Wilkinson, Commodore SuperPET computer: Waterloo microAPL, Tutorial and Reference Manual, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, P.H. Dirksen and J.W. Welch, Commodore SuperPET computer: Waterloo microAPL, Tutorial and Reference Manual, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, J.W. Graham and K.I. McPhee, Commodore SuperPET computer: Waterloo microBASIC, Tutorial and Reference Manual, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, D.D. Cowan, J.W. Graham, J.W. Welch, and T.A. Wilkinson, Waterloo BASIC for Commodore Microcomputers, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, D.D. Cowan, J.W. Graham, J.W. Welch, and T.A. Wilkinson, Waterloo BASIC for Commodore PET, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, P.H. Dirksen and J.W. Welch, Commodore SuperPET computer: Waterloo microCOBOL, Tutorial and Reference Manual, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, F.D. Boswell, T.R. Grove, and J.W. Welch, Commodore SuperPET computer: Waterloo microPascal, Tutorial and Reference Manual, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, P.H. Dirksen and J.W. Welch, Commodore SuperPET computer: Waterloo microFORTRAN, Tutorial and Reference Manual, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, D.D. Cowan and M.J. Shaw, Commodore SuperPET computer: Waterloo 6809 Assembler, Tutorial and Reference Manual, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, F.D. Boswell, T.R. Grove, K.I. McPhee, J.B. Schueler, and J.W. Welch, Commodore SuperPET computer: System Overview, Tutorial and Reference Manual, Waterloo Computing Systems Ltd., 1981, Disk System User Reference Guide, Commodore Electronics Ltd., 1982, User's Manual for CBM 5 1/4-inch Dual Floppy Disk Drives, Commodore Business Machines, 1983, M.P. McFarlane and D.R. McNeil, An Explanatory Data Analysis Package for the Commodore SuperPET, SPUG/APL, May 1983, D. Barnes, The SuperPET STARTER-PAK, 198? SuperPET Bulletin Board System, printout, Paul Matzke Sysop, Several documents distributed by the International SuperPET Users Group, 1984--85, M. Avygdor, MMU Version 2.0 Installation Procedure for 2 Boards SuperPETs, York University/Toronto PET Users Group 1985(?) References [1] D.D. Cowan and J.W. Graham, Waterloo Microcomputer Systems for the 1980's, Proceedings of the ACM '82, pp. 13–17 (1982). [2] Introducing the Remarkable Commodore SuperPET. The First Microcomputer with 5 High-Level Languages for only $2795, Commodore SuperPET promotional brochure, 198?
Designed by Computer Systems Group at the University of Waterloo, and BMB CompuScience, manufactured by Commodore