8 10 106 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/52a8c7d340dccbfb458b2daadc6fbb46.jpg f4cc414c041f97851aa26ceb98853939 hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Multiflex Z80 Computer Kit Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware: microcomputer Description An account of the resource Historical Context: Multiflex Z80 Computer Kit was a Canadian-made, low-cost computer designed around the Z80 microprocessor by Multiflex Technology Inc. and sold by Exceltronix Components and Computing of Toronto. Its early version, offered in 1980 or earlier, was advertised as a prototyping computer kit for computer hobbyists. In 1983, modified and packaged together with display, keyboard, and disk drives, it was sold as the Multiflex Super System. According to Exceltronix, Multiflex computers were sold across Canada to companies, educational institutions, and computer hobbyists. In its basic configuration, the Multiflex Z80 Computer KIt  consisted of two boards: the mother board and the CPU board. The motherboard featured four sockets  one of which was designated for interfacing with the CPU board. The remaining three sockets were used for expanding the system with a range of expansion cards offered by Multiflex as well as by various manufacturers world-wide. The motherboard also featured a 16-key hexadecimal keypad, 14 monitor function keys, 2 user definable keys, a hexadecimal display, and an EPROM programmer for storing programs and data in EPROM chips. The CPU board was a single-board computer which was inserted into one of the expansion sockets on the motherboard.  The computer was designed to operate under Multiflex monitor (Z.MON, residing in EPROM), and later, under a dialect of CP/M operating system co-developed by National Multiplex/Pegasus and Exceltronix. The monitor software allowed full support for programming the computer in the Z80 assembly language as well as for using all the features available through the motherboard (e.g. programming EPROMs). Under the CP/M operating system, the Multiflex Z80 computer could execute a variety of popular applications software from word processors to data bases and spreadsheets. Multiflex Z80 Computer Kit -- hardware specifications: <ul> <li>bus architecture: IEEE S-100</li> <li>CPU: Z80A, 8-bit, (2-6MHz)</li> <li>RAM: up to 64KB</li> <li>ROM: 4 ROM sockets for BIOS, monitor software, etc</li> <li>disk drives: not included but supported whit an optional Multiflex disk drive controller card</li> <li>expansion sockets: 4 -- one taken by the CPU board and the remaining three were typically designated for a video card, and disk drive controller</li> <li>keypad: 16-key hexadecimal</li> <li>function keys: 14 monitor function keys plus 2 user definable keys</li> <li>display: hexadecimal display on the motherboard</li> <li>external display: not included but supported with an optional display or high-resolution card</li> <li>EPROM programmer: resident on the motherboard, could program a range of EPROMs</li> <li>ports: RS-232 serial port and 24-line parallel port</li> <li>keyboard: not included</li> <li>power supply: not included</li> </ul> Software: <ul> <li>Z.MON monitor program (in EPROM)</li> <li>CP/M operating system</li> <li>a range of applications software written to operate under CP/M including BASIC programming language, WordStar (word processor from MicroPro International,), and SuperCalc (spread sheet from Sorcim)</li> </ul> The museum has a Multiflex Z80 Computer KIt with a manual published in 1980. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Multiflex Technology Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Canada, 1980s https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/684b688bcde589eecf03410a7c7ca298.jpg cae09a850061f69774c3d4eaa77fd55a https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/00dc8319f8736047cd4bf91de36b6a71.jpg c667c03ae102c5bdf288221ceff6272b https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/024af284624ecad7a03dd5b07fbf123c.jpg a4647c290637f8e14d33180087055778 Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Exceltronix catalogs Subject The topic of the resource promotional documents Description An account of the resource Founded in 1979, Exceltronix was one of the largest and popular electronics stores of the 1980s in Toronto. From a retail store specializing in electronic components, Exceltronix had expanded into a group of companies (Exceltronix, Multiflex, Toronto Computing Center, Versa-Digital Technology, Digi Media) covering research and development, manufacturing, retailing, and mail order. Exceltronix offered a vast range of products from electronic components and digital signage to computers and computer peripherals. The company offer its own computers (including the Multiflex Z80, Exceltronix Super 6502, and the Best line of computers) as well as those designed and/or manufactured by other companies (including the University of Toronto M6809 single-board computer, the Osborne 1, the Apple and Macintosh computers, and the IBM PC). Museum Holdings Fall 1982/83, Spring 1983, Fall 1983, Spring 1984, Fall 1984, Spring 1985, Spring 1986, 1987, and Summer 1989. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Exceltronix Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Exceltronix Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-1989 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/da323183cc8c236463005dbf605153be.jpg c8fdf152bb245587c969b32ccf179595 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/786d1f02969dcbff35a5c812c3ecef71.jpg 4077a22201ed9455a755c03bc8461a53 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/1c070baac9d3a18129af52ece174fc34.jpg 3d295dff75c29a56ba7f0713400c4184 Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rapid Data Systems and Equipment Ltd. promotional brochures Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In the early 1970s, the consumer electronics market was going through one of the hottest periods in its history. Advancements in microelectronics, especially in integrated circuit technologies, had made it possible to offer inexpensive desktop and, soon after, hand-held digital electronic calculators. In 1971, the promise of a calculator power at your finger tips (pledged by Bowmar Instrument, Cannon, and, soon after, by scores of other calculator manufacturers) was rapidly gaining social acceptance. It was the idea of a personal, inexpensive, powerful electronic calculating device for your own unrestricted use, always in your pocket, in your briefcase, or on your desk that made the pocket calculator one of the most desired electronic gadgets of the first half of the 1970s. Commodore Business Machines (founded in 1958 in Toronto) and Rapid Data Systems and Equipment Ltd. (incorporated in 1962 in Toronto) were the earliest Canadian companies that offered their own electronic desktop and pocket-sized calculators. Rapid Data's first calculator--the Rapidman 800--was introduced in February 1972 at the time when intense competition put immense pricing pressure to offer hand-held calculators for under $100 and the stores across North America were racing to be the first to sell them. In early 1972, to win the race, Alexander's--New York's iconic department store chain--ordered 20,000 Rapidman 800s to be sold at $99.99. In a short succession, the Rapidman 800 was followed by the 801, 802, 804, 812, and 824 hand-helds as well as 1208, 1212, 1220, 2000, and 2001 desktop calculators. In his 2005 recollections written for York University Computer Museum, Henry Dasko--a former European Sales Manager at Rapid Data--describes the company's corporate history and his involvement with Rapid Data in the following way. "The year was 1971, late Spring. I had been in Canada for just over a year and was looking for a job. Ideally it would be something in exports. But most of Canada's exports were raw materials and commodities and I had no experience and no feel for that. Finally, I found an ad that seemed to give me a chance. An electronics company was looking for someone with languages. I applied and soon got a phone call. "You say you speak Russian," the voice said. "I do." "How many years did you study Russian?" "Fourteen." "OK, come for an interview." I did, to a modern, low building near the Toronto airport. "We make calculators," a well groomed, silver haired man told me. I had no idea what a calculator was. "A Soviet trade delegation is coming to see us. They would like to buy our technology. We are not going to sell it to them, but we will talk to them. Let’s see how well you do." I did well enough. The Russians left and I was told to return the following day. I had a low level job in the International Marketing Department. My boss was to be one Rick Denda, whom I hadn't met - he was travelling in Europe, but his silver Ferrari 330 and his white Mercedes sedan were sitting in the company lot. I liked him already. He returned soon and we got along fine. I familiarized myself with the product line and was told to gather as much information about competitive products as possible. Our most popular model was a pocket calculator named Rapidman 800. It had 8-digit [display] capacity and could perform four basic functions. Hang tab keys were molded into the case. Decimal point was fixed at 2. Individual LEDs were hand inserted into the PCB. It was difficult to align them, and they were almost always crooked. The unit was made on an electronics assembly line in London, Ontario. It sold for $100. Our biggest export market was in the US, where we had our own branch in Detroit. I had nothing to do with it. My responsibility was the secondary markets, where we dealt with export agents and distributors. We communicated via telex, which I learned to use. Selling was not a problem. We just could not get enough product. Everyone wanted it. Sometimes the requests were outrageous. "I am calling you from the cabinet of the president of Chile," Leslie Sebastian, a Hungarian expatriate yelled at me. "I want 100,000 calculators and I want them now. Every schoolchild in Chile is going to have his own machine. Chile will be the first in the world." Soon we had several competitors - American companies Texas Instruments and Bowmar, and the Japanese giant Sharp, which offered an elegant brushed aluminum box with large, glowing, diffused LEDs. There was also a Canadian competitor named Commodore. Its president was Jack Tramiel who, like me, was a Polish Jew. In Polish, his real name was Trzmiel, pronounced "Chmiel", which in Polish means "hornet". He was an Auschwitz survivor with a number tattooed on his forearm. A bear of a man. He started a typewriter service shop in the Polish area of Toronto. The president of our company, Clive Raymond, was very different. He was born in India, where his father was a British colonial officer. In Canada he ran an office equipment company named Roneo Vickers, which specialized in spirit duplicator machines. He was a portly, elegant man with commanding presence. I met our design engineers, who were responsible for technology development. Their names were Joe Kelly and Joe Tari and they both came from an academic background. Raymond gave them a long term contract and shares in Rapid Data. Soon our product line expanded. We added model 801 with a floating decimal point and a model 812 with 12-digit capacity and full memory. Rapidman 824 was one of the first to perform complex scientific calculations. We also made desktop calculators, powered by the mains. A 12-digits Rapidman 1212 and even more sophisticated Rapidman 1220, both using orange coloured gas discharge Panaplex displays we bought from Burroughs Corporation in New Jersey. We also made printing calculators, which recorded calculations on a paper ribbon. The printing heads came from Seiko Corporation in Japan. Most of our chips except for the small Rapidman 800 came from an aerospace company in California, named Rockwell International. Financing for our company came from the Eaton's Pension Fund, where Raymond knew people. Even though there weren't enough calculators to fill the orders, prices were plummeting. I understood it to be the rule in electronics. The same phenomenon had happened previously with transistor radios. I was doing well. Soon I was promoted to European Sales Manager and transferred to Shannon, Southern Ireland, where we had a distribution facility in a tax-free economic zone. But the company was not doing well. In printers, which were the most profitable product, we have fallen behind technology curve. Printing heads had a spinning roller, which in the first generation model emitted annoying buzz. Seiko subsequently developed a silent printer, but would only sell it to Japanese calculator makers. I understood then that it wasn't how many products you sold, but how much profit you made - a principle which stayed with me throughout my professional life. Rapid Data was losing money. Soon Rockwell and Eaton's demanded payments which we couldn't make. Even though we all worked very hard and the spirit of the company was fantastic, Rapid Data had to close down in the largest Canadian bankruptcy in Canadian history. We all lost our jobs. For me personally it was a very sad moment, but I have learned a lot and was confident of the future. I wasn't wrong - I had gained experience in electronics, and electronics was the name of the game. Within three months I had another job." Rapid Data folder of promotional materials includes brouchures for: <ul> <li>Rapidman 801</li> <li>Rapidman 804</li> <li>Rapidman 808</li> <li>Rapidman 812. Rapidman 824</li> <li>Rapidman 1212</li> <li>Rapidman 1220</li> <li>Rapid Printer 2000</li> <li>Rapid Printer 2000R</li> <li>Rapid Printer 2001</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rapid Data Systems and Equipment Ltd. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rapid Data Systems and Equipment Ltd. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970s Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant world, 1974- https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/cc6b4ccf5377d0e92176fcfe7cf4bdec.jpg 711f87bf5b6014304ff0b897e183c2ca hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rapid Data Rapidman 802 calculator Subject The topic of the resource hardware: electronic calculator Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In the early 1970s, the consumer electronics market was going through one of the hottest periods in its history. Advancements in microelectronics, especially in integrated circuit technologies, had made it possible to offer inexpensive desktop and, soon after, hand-held digital electronic calculators. In 1971, the promise of a calculator power at your finger tips (pledged by Bowmar Instrument, Cannon, and, soon after, by scores of other calculator manufacturers) was rapidly gaining social acceptance. It was the idea of a personal, inexpensive, powerful electronic calculating device for your own unrestricted use, always in your pocket, in your briefcase, or on your desk that made the pocket calculator one of the most desired electronic gadgets of the first half of the 1970s. Commodore Business Machines (founded in 1958 in Toronto) and Rapid Data Systems and Equipment Ltd. (incorporated in 1962 in Toronto) were the earliest Canadian companies that offered their own electronic desktop and pocket-sized calculators. Rapid Data's first calculator--the Rapidman 800--was introduced in February 1972 at the time when intense competition put immense pricing pressure to offer hand-held calculators for under $100 and the stores across North America were racing to be the first to sell them. In early 1972, to win the race, Alexander's--New York's iconic department store chain--ordered 20,000 Rapidman 800s to be sold at $99.99. In a short succession, the Rapidman 800 was followed by the 801, 802 (introduced in 1973), 804, 812, and 824 hand-helds. In his 2005 recollections written for York University Computer Museum, Henry Dasko--a former European Sales Manager at Rapid Data--describes the company's corporate history and his involvement with Rapid Data in the following way. "The year was 1971, late Spring. I had been in Canada for just over a year and was looking for a job. Ideally it would be something in exports. But most of Canada's exports were raw materials and commodities and I had no experience and no feel for that. Finally, I found an ad that seemed to give me a chance. An electronics company was looking for someone with languages. I applied and soon got a phone call. "You say you speak Russian," the voice said. "I do." "How many years did you study Russian?" "Fourteen." "OK, come for an interview." I did, to a modern, low building near the Toronto airport. "We make calculators," a well groomed, silver haired man told me. I had no idea what a calculator was. "A Soviet trade delegation is coming to see us. They would like to buy our technology. We are not going to sell it to them, but we will talk to them. Let’s see how well you do." I did well enough. The Russians left and I was told to return the following day. I had a low level job in the International Marketing Department. My boss was to be one Rick Denda, whom I hadn't met - he was travelling in Europe, but his silver Ferrari 330 and his white Mercedes sedan were sitting in the company lot. I liked him already. He returned soon and we got along fine. I familiarized myself with the product line and was told to gather as much information about competitive products as possible. Our most popular model was a pocket calculator named Rapidman 800. It had 8-digit [display] capacity and could perform four basic functions. Hang tab keys were molded into the case. Decimal point was fixed at 2. Individual LEDs were hand inserted into the PCB. It was difficult to align them, and they were almost always crooked. The unit was made on an electronics assembly line in London, Ontario. It sold for $100. Our biggest export market was in the US, where we had our own branch in Detroit. I had nothing to do with it. My responsibility was the secondary markets, where we dealt with export agents and distributors. We communicated via telex, which I learned to use. Selling was not a problem. We just could not get enough product. Everyone wanted it. Sometimes the requests were outrageous. "I am calling you from the cabinet of the president of Chile," Leslie Sebastian, a Hungarian expatriate yelled at me. "I want 100,000 calculators and I want them now. Every schoolchild in Chile is going to have his own machine. Chile will be the first in the world." Soon we had several competitors - American companies Texas Instruments and Bowmar, and the Japanese giant Sharp, which offered an elegant brushed aluminum box with large, glowing, diffused LEDs. There was also a Canadian competitor named Commodore. Its president was Jack Tramiel who, like me, was a Polish Jew. In Polish, his real name was Trzmiel, pronounced "Chmiel", which in Polish means "hornet". He was an Auschwitz survivor with a number tattooed on his forearm. A bear of a man. He started a typewriter service shop in the Polish area of Toronto. The president of our company, Clive Raymond, was very different. He was born in India, where his father was a British colonial officer. In Canada he ran an office equipment company named Roneo Vickers, which specialized in spirit duplicator machines. He was a portly, elegant man with commanding presence. I met our design engineers, who were responsible for technology development. Their names were Joe Kelly and Joe Tari and they both came from an academic background. Raymond gave them a long term contract and shares in Rapid Data. Soon our product line expanded. We added model 801 with a floating decimal point and a model 812 with 12-digit capacity and full memory. Rapidman 824 was one of the first to perform complex scientific calculations. We also made desktop calculators, powered by the mains. A 12-digits Rapidman 1212 and even more sophisticated Rapidman 1220, both using orange coloured gas discharge Panaplex displays we bought from Burroughs Corporation in New Jersey. We also made printing calculators, which recorded calculations on a paper ribbon. The printing heads came from Seiko Corporation in Japan. Most of our chips except for the small Rapidman 800 came from an aerospace company in California, named Rockwell International. Financing for our company came from the Eaton's Pension Fund, where Raymond knew people. Even though there weren't enough calculators to fill the orders, prices were plummeting. I understood it to be the rule in electronics. The same phenomenon had happened previously with transistor radios. I was doing well. Soon I was promoted to European Sales Manager and transferred to Shannon, Southern Ireland, where we had a distribution facility in a tax-free economic zone. But the company was not doing well. In printers, which were the most profitable product, we have fallen behind technology curve. Printing heads had a spinning roller, which in the first generation model emitted annoying buzz. Seiko subsequently developed a silent printer, but would only sell it to Japanese calculator makers. I understood then that it wasn't how many products you sold, but how much profit you made - a principle which stayed with me throughout my professional life. Rapid Data was losing money. Soon Rockwell and Eaton's demanded payments which we couldn't make. Even though we all worked very hard and the spirit of the company was fantastic, Rapid Data had to close down in the largest Canadian bankruptcy in Canadian history. We all lost our jobs. For me personally it was a very sad moment, but I have learned a lot and was confident of the future. I wasn't wrong - I had gained experience in electronics, and electronics was the name of the game. Within three months I had another job." Rapidman 802 features: <ul> <li>four functions (+, -, x, ÷), mixed calculations, chain division and multiplication, constant calculations in all four functions,</li> <li>decimal system: full floating or selectable decimal placement (from 0 to 7 places),</li> <li>automatic constant for repetitive operations,</li> <li>single key entry correction and cleaning,</li> <li>negative sign and overflow indication,</li> <li>power on indication,</li> <li>low battery indication.</li> </ul> Hardware specification: <ul> <li>display: 8-digit display,</li> <li>registers: two (1 numeric and 1 constant),</li> <li>CPU: Rockwell 15332PC,</li> <li>keyboard: 19-key including on/off, select, and clear keys,</li> <li>indicators: negative sign, and overflow,</li> <li>power supply: 9V battery or AC adapter.</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>The museum has: Rapidman 802, serial number 15 134126,</li> <li>Operaing Instructions for your Rapidman 801 Calculator, Rapid Data, 1973. </li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rapid Data Systems & Equipment Ltd. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource released in 1973 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant world, 1873- https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/25b3c3b328793a717472dd7d5316d5f1.jpg 2d5774d0296fde8d574be2062409283e hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rapid Data Rapidman 801 calculator Subject The topic of the resource hardware: electronic calculator Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In the early 1970s, the consumer electronics market was going through one of the hottest periods in its history. Advancements in microelectronics, especially in integrated circuit technologies, had made it possible to offer inexpensive desktop and, soon after, hand-held digital electronic calculators. In 1971, the promise of a calculator power at your finger tips (pledged by Bowmar Instrument, Cannon, and, soon after, by scores of other calculator manufacturers) was rapidly gaining social acceptance. It was the idea of a personal, inexpensive, powerful electronic calculating device for your own unrestricted use, always in your pocket, in your briefcase, or on your desk that made the pocket calculator one of the most desired electronic gadgets of the first half of the 1970s. Commodore Business Machines (founded in 1958 in Toronto) and Rapid Data Systems and Equipment Ltd. (incorporated in 1962 in Toronto) were the earliest Canadian companies that offered their own electronic desktop and pocket-sized calculators. Rapid Data's first calculator--the Rapidman 800--was introduced in February 1972 at the time when intense competition put immense pricing pressure to offer hand-held calculators for under $100 and the stores across North America were racing to be the first to sell them. In early 1972, to win the race, Alexander's--New York's iconic department store chain--ordered 20,000 Rapidman 800s to be sold at $99.99. In a short succession, the Rapidman 800 was followed by the 801 (introduced in 1973), 802, 804, 812, and 824 hand-helds. In his 2005 recollections written for York University Computer Museum, Henry Dasko--a former European Sales Manager at Rapid Data--describes the company's corporate history and his involvement with Rapid Data in the following way. "The year was 1971, late Spring. I had been in Canada for just over a year and was looking for a job. Ideally it would be something in exports. But most of Canada's exports were raw materials and commodities and I had no experience and no feel for that. Finally, I found an ad that seemed to give me a chance. An electronics company was looking for someone with languages. I applied and soon got a phone call. "You say you speak Russian," the voice said. "I do." "How many years did you study Russian?" "Fourteen." "OK, come for an interview." I did, to a modern, low building near the Toronto airport. "We make calculators," a well groomed, silver haired man told me. I had no idea what a calculator was. "A Soviet trade delegation is coming to see us. They would like to buy our technology. We are not going to sell it to them, but we will talk to them. Let’s see how well you do." I did well enough. The Russians left and I was told to return the following day. I had a low level job in the International Marketing Department. My boss was to be one Rick Denda, whom I hadn't met - he was travelling in Europe, but his silver Ferrari 330 and his white Mercedes sedan were sitting in the company lot. I liked him already. He returned soon and we got along fine. I familiarized myself with the product line and was told to gather as much information about competitive products as possible. Our most popular model was a pocket calculator named Rapidman 800. It had 8-digit [display] capacity and could perform four basic functions. Hang tab keys were molded into the case. Decimal point was fixed at 2. Individual LEDs were hand inserted into the PCB. It was difficult to align them, and they were almost always crooked. The unit was made on an electronics assembly line in London, Ontario. It sold for $100. Our biggest export market was in the US, where we had our own branch in Detroit. I had nothing to do with it. My responsibility was the secondary markets, where we dealt with export agents and distributors. We communicated via telex, which I learned to use. Selling was not a problem. We just could not get enough product. Everyone wanted it. Sometimes the requests were outrageous. "I am calling you from the cabinet of the president of Chile," Leslie Sebastian, a Hungarian expatriate yelled at me. "I want 100,000 calculators and I want them now. Every schoolchild in Chile is going to have his own machine. Chile will be the first in the world." Soon we had several competitors - American companies Texas Instruments and Bowmar, and the Japanese giant Sharp, which offered an elegant brushed aluminum box with large, glowing, diffused LEDs. There was also a Canadian competitor named Commodore. Its president was Jack Tramiel who, like me, was a Polish Jew. In Polish, his real name was Trzmiel, pronounced "Chmiel", which in Polish means "hornet". He was an Auschwitz survivor with a number tattooed on his forearm. A bear of a man. He started a typewriter service shop in the Polish area of Toronto. The president of our company, Clive Raymond, was very different. He was born in India, where his father was a British colonial officer. In Canada he ran an office equipment company named Roneo Vickers, which specialized in spirit duplicator machines. He was a portly, elegant man with commanding presence. I met our design engineers, who were responsible for technology development. Their names were Joe Kelly and Joe Tari and they both came from an academic background. Raymond gave them a long term contract and shares in Rapid Data. Soon our product line expanded. We added model 801 with a floating decimal point and a model 812 with 12-digit capacity and full memory. Rapidman 824 was one of the first to perform complex scientific calculations. We also made desktop calculators, powered by the mains. A 12-digits Rapidman 1212 and even more sophisticated Rapidman 1220, both using orange coloured gas discharge Panaplex displays we bought from Burroughs Corporation in New Jersey. We also made printing calculators, which recorded calculations on a paper ribbon. The printing heads came from Seiko Corporation in Japan. Most of our chips except for the small Rapidman 800 came from an aerospace company in California, named Rockwell International. Financing for our company came from the Eaton's Pension Fund, where Raymond knew people. Even though there weren't enough calculators to fill the orders, prices were plummeting. I understood it to be the rule in electronics. The same phenomenon had happened previously with transistor radios. I was doing well. Soon I was promoted to European Sales Manager and transferred to Shannon, Southern Ireland, where we had a distribution facility in a tax-free economic zone. But the company was not doing well. In printers, which were the most profitable product, we have fallen behind technology curve. Printing heads had a spinning roller, which in the first generation model emitted annoying buzz. Seiko subsequently developed a silent printer, but would only sell it to Japanese calculator makers. I understood then that it wasn't how many products you sold, but how much profit you made - a principle which stayed with me throughout my professional life. Rapid Data was losing money. Soon Rockwell and Eaton's demanded payments which we couldn't make. Even though we all worked very hard and the spirit of the company was fantastic, Rapid Data had to close down in the largest Canadian bankruptcy in Canadian history. We all lost our jobs. For me personally it was a very sad moment, but I have learned a lot and was confident of the future. I wasn't wrong - I had gained experience in electronics, and electronics was the name of the game. Within three months I had another job." Rapidman 801 features: <ul> <li>four functions (+, -, x, ÷), mixed calculations, chain division and multiplication, constant calculations in all four functions,</li> <li>decimal system: full floating or selectable decimal placement (from 0 to 7 places),</li> <li>automatic constant for repetitive operations,</li> <li>single key entry correction and cleaning,</li> <li>negative sign and overflow indication,</li> <li>power on indication,</li> <li>low battery indication.</li> </ul> Hardware specification: <ul> <li>display: 8-digit display,</li> <li>registers: two (1 numeric and 1 constant),</li> <li>CPU: Rockwell 15332PC,</li> <li>keyboard: 19-key including on/off, select, and clear keys,</li> <li>indicators: negative sign, and overflow,</li> <li>power supply: 9V battery or AC adapter.</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>The museum has: Rapidman 801, serial number 15 134126,</li> <li>Operaing Instructions for your Rapidman 801 Calculator, Rapid Data, 1973. </li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rapid Data Systems & Equipment Ltd. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant world, 1970s https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/13536de1554a8b1c81f43cf8eab05871.jpg 38c7ef9960dbd49f92daed0bc7e3cb58 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/5e22250cfc2bf100fd15efecf08aa6c9.png 4e3a20c994c1c00915cd434c91f4b443 hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Research in Motion Inter@ctive Pager 900 Subject The topic of the resource hardware: mobile communications device Description An account of the resource Historical Context The Inter@ctive Pager (models 800 and 900) was the first hand-held communications device designed and built by Research In Motion Limited (RIM, now Blackberry), a Canadian company founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario. The Inter@ctive was announced in September 1996 during the Personal Communications Services conference (PCS'96) in San Francisco. The pager was the forerunner of RIM's successful line of BlackBerry smartphones. In the 1990s, pagers (small, portable, wireless communications devices) were used to display simple messages or alert users to messages and events. The first and, in 1995, the only two-way pager--the Motorola Tango--also allowed users to reply to messages with a limited number of canned responses. Taking advantage of rapidly expanding wireless telecommunications infrastructure, the Inter@ctive represented a new generation of "interactive" pagers by incorporating the benefits of email, paging, fax, and the Internet into one device. As a two-way pager, it was designed to receive and send messages. Furthermore, it offered a calendar, address book, task manager, real time clock, and an alarm function. Nicknamed "Bullfrog" (due to its rather bulky design), the Inter@ctive was a data-only device (no voice support) that run on the Ericsson's Mobitex and DataTAC networks in North America. The device featured a scroll wheel, a small QWERTY-style keyboard, and an LCD display for easier messaging as well as for entry and organization of data. It was provided with enough storage space for saving hundreds of names, e-mail addresses, fax numbers, incoming and outgoing messages in its calendar, address book, and task manager. At the time of its introduction, the Inter@ctive Pager was viewed as delivering the complete wireless communications solution, as an "e-mail on your belt", a device always on and always connected. It was named Top Product for 1997 in the category of "Innovative Devices: Voice and/or Data" by Wireless for Corporate User magazine. By early 1998, the company had signed a contract to supply IBM with Inter@ctive pagers for use by its field service representatives. Other notable customers included Panasonic Corp., Mobile Integrated Technologies, and Telxon Corp. The Inter@ctive Pager was followed by RIM's Inter@ctive 850 (or 950, depending on network) pager announced in July 1999, by the Wireless Handheld 857 (or 957, depending on network) introduced in April 2000, and finally by RIM's first smartphone--the Blackberry 5810--unveiled in March 2002. Technical Specifications: <ul> <li>processor: Intel 80186 EB</li> <li>memory: 650KB Flash ROM, 128KB Static RAM</li> <li>message storage: 100KB received messages, 5KB canned responses</li> <li>ports and connectors: RS-232C-compliant serial port, specialty mobile phone connector, interface adapter for cable</li> <li>display: LCD, monochrome, 4 line by 30 character text</li> <li>controls: keypad with cursor buttons, function buttons, and QWERTY-style keyboard with embedded numeric keypad</li> <li>networks: DataTAC and Mobitex</li> <li>Interface protocol: support for Native Control Language 1.2, MASC, and RIM's Radio Access Protocol</li> <li>power: 2 x AA removable batteries</li> </ul> External Design: <ul> <li>housing: clamshell, ruggedized, plastic housing</li> <li>dimensions: 76mm(L) x 99mm(W) x 35mm(H)</li> <li>weight: 277 grams (without batteries)</li> </ul> Main Features: <ul> <li>sending and receiving Internet e-mails,</li> <li>sending and receiving pager messages</li> <li>sending FAX transmissions from the pager to any FAX machine</li> <li>sending text to speech messages to a telephone</li> <li>data transfer to and from an external computer through data port</li> <li>configurable message notification: audible beeper and mechanical vibrator</li> <li>real time clock</li> </ul> Software: <ul> <li>communication software to enable device configuration and data transfer through serial port</li> <li>third-party custom applications developed using RIM's Software Developer's Kit (SDK)</li> </ul> The museum has Inter@ctive models 800 and 900 as well as Inter@ctive Pager User's Guide, Research in Motion, 1997. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Research in Motion Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996- Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant North America, 2nd half of the 1990s blackberry pager RIM https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/86104c657352c3ac7ce48d0ad1634001.jpg 5f266cb712210e79a6011b9490d56a31 hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RIM Blackberry 5790 Subject The topic of the resource hardware: mobile communication device Description An account of the resource Historical Context: Between 1996 and 2004, Research in Motion (RIM, Waterloo, Ontario) released several generations of wireless communications devices: the Inter@ctive 800, 900, 850, and 950 two-way pagers, the RIM Wireless Handsets 857 and 957 as well as the BlackBerry 5000-, 6000-, and 7000-series smartphones. By 2004, RIM was a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. By the end of that year, the Blackberry wireless platform (the Blackberry Enterprise Solution that featured integrated hardware, software, and service) was adopted by thousands of corporations and the company reported over two million subscribers worldwide.  Although smartphones represented the main line of RIM's wireless handsets, wireless data-only devices, such as the 957 Wireless Handset, were still being sold to government and large  enterprise customers to support secure data-only communications (such as emails and messages). For those customers, RIM upgraded its 957 handset  and released it as the Blackberry 5790 in the mid 2004. According to RIM's October 26, 2004 press release, the Blackberry 5790 "integrates email and data access to allow users to manage all of their information and data communications with a single device. It is specifically designed for business and government customers that require a specialized data-only handheld with secure communications. The BlackBerry 5790 includes fully validated FIPS 140-2 embedded encryption technology to meet government security requirements." The 5790 was housed in the same enclosure as the 957 handset but was packed with updated hardware and Java-based software. The 5790 operated, for instance, on Velocita Wireless' Mobitex network and was offered in both the United States and Canada. Technical Specifications: <ul> <li>processor: 32-bit</li> <li>memory: 16 MB flash and 2 MB SRAM</li> <li>display: full-graphic LCD (grey/monochrome, backlit), 160x160 pixel viewing area, 16 or 20 line display (user-selectable)</li> <li>keyboard and controls: 34-key QWERTY-style (backlit), mouse-type scroll wheel</li> <li>ports: RS-232C-compliant serial port</li> <li>modem: embedded RIM modem</li> <li>networks: 900MHz Mobitex</li> <li>battery: internal lithium-ion rechargeable</li> </ul> External Design: <ul> <li>housing: palm-held, ruggedized, plastic</li> <li>size: 11.7cm(L) x 7.85cm(W) x 1.8cm(H)</li> <li>weight: 138g</li> </ul> Main Features: <ul> <li>email: integration with an existing enterprise email account or up to 10 personal/business email accounts (including Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes, MSN, Hotmail, AOL as well as POP3/Internet Service Provider email accounts)</li> <li>attachment service</li> <li>Web services: a variety of optional Web services that allowed mobile access to information including news, travel,  business, and entertainment updates</li> <li>designed to work with BlackBerry Enterprise Server supported by:</li> </ul>              v. 2.1 or higher for Microsoft Exchange              v. 2.0 with Service Pack 2 or higher from IBM Lotus  Domino              v. 4.0 or higher for Novell GroupWise <ul> <li>icon and menu driven interface</li> <li>wireless calendar</li> <li>address book</li> <li>task list</li> <li>memo pad</li> <li>calculator</li> <li>alarm</li> <li>notifications: tone, vibrate, on-screen, or LED indicator</li> <li>configurable options</li> <li>password protected device lock</li> </ul> Software: <ul> <li>BlackBerry OS, v. 3.x</li> <li>Blackberry Desktop Software v. 1.6 or higher</li> <li>The BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE)</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Research in Motion (RIM) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004 blackberry RIM https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/681cab0d05371a32e65a5aaee93d8cde.jpg 22f3d9cd028426acc53e84cd832ef1c1 hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Blackberry 7200-series smartphones Subject The topic of the resource hardware: smartphone Description An account of the resource Between 1996 and 2004, Research in Motion (RIM, Waterloo, Ontario) released several generations of wireless communications devices: the Inter@ctive 800, 900, 850, and 950 two-way pagers, the RIM Wireless Handsets 857 and 957 as well as the BlackBerry 5000- and 6000-series smartphones. By 2004, RIM was a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. By the end of that year, the Blackberry wireless platform (the Blackberry Enterprise Solution that featured integrated hardware, software, and service) was adopted by thousands of corporations and the company reported over two million subscribers worldwide. The continuously intensifying competition in the smartphone market (from companies such as HP, Nokia, Palm, Samsung, and Sony-Ericcson) resulted in RIM's new lines of smartphones that incorporated more technically sophisticated solutions and offered more attractive industrial designs. Within a short period of time, starting from the mild-2003, RIM introduced the 7200-series and the 7100-series of smartphones, the latter featuring new sleek and stylish designs matching the ones offered by RIM's competitors. The 7200-series of smartphones was initiated by the introduction of the Blackberry 7210 in the mid-2003. It delivered the same popular communications experience as the previous 6200 models with the added benefit of a high resolution color display. The 7210 was followed by the 7230, 7280, and 7290 smartphones. From the hardware and software point of view, they were mostly identical, but supported different connectivity bands (see Supported GSM/GPRS Networks and Coverage table below). While the 7210 was supporting only two frequencies and single markets, the 7230 and 7280 were tri-band handhelds, and the 7290 was a quad-band phone designed for business customers who want to stay connected while travelling internationally enabling both domestic and international roaming in the majority of GSM markets worldwide. Finally, in 2005, the 7200 family was further expanded with the introduction of the Blackberry 7250 for dual-band 800/1900 MHz CDMA2000 1X and cdmaOne networks, and the Blackberry 7270 for secure enterprise communication over a wireless local area network (WLAN). Technical Specifications for the Blackberry 7210, 7230, 7280, and 7290: <ul> <li>processor: ARM 9EJ-S Core, 32 bit</li> <li>memory: 16 MB flash and 2MB SRAM (32MB flash and 4MB SRAM in model 7290)</li> <li>display: high-resolution full-color display, 240x160 pixels, 65,000 colors</li> <li>keyboard and controls: 33-key QWERTY-style (backlit), mouse-type scroll wheel</li> <li>ports: USB</li> <li>SIM interface: support for 3V SIM cards</li> <li>modem: embedded RIM modem</li> <li>networks: see table below</li> <li>battery: lithium ion, removable, rechargeable</li> </ul> External Design: <ul> <li>housing: palm-held, plastic</li> <li>size: 11.3cm(L)x7.4cm(W)x2cm(D)</li> <li>weight: 136g (139g for the 7290 model)</li> </ul> Main Features: <ul> <li>phone, email, SMS, browser, attachment viewer, and organizer applications</li> <li>email account compatibility: integration with existing enterprise email account or up to 10 personal/business email accounts</li> <li>designed to work with BlackBerry Enterprise Server supported by: v. 2.1 or higher for Microsoft Exchange, and  v. 2.0 with Service Pack 2 or higher from IBM Lotus Domino</li> <li>user interface: icon and menu driven</li> <li>notifications: tone, vibrate, on-screen, or LED indicator (user-configured)</li> <li>configurable options</li> <li>handheld security: password protection and keyboard lock</li> </ul> Software: <ul> <li>RIM BlackBerry OS, v. 4.0</li> <li>RIM Blackberry Desktop Software 3.6 or higher</li> <li>The BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE)</li> </ul> Supported GSM/GPRS Networks and Coverage: <table> <tbody> <tr> <th></th> <th>7210</th> <th>7230</th> <th>7280</th> <th>7290</th> </tr> <tr> <td>850 MHz, Canada and US</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td>X</td> <td>X</td> </tr> <tr> <td>900 MHz, Europe\Asia Pacific</td> <td>X</td> <td>X</td> <td></td> <td>X</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1800 MHz, Europe\Asia Pacific</td> <td></td> <td>X</td> <td>X</td> <td>X</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1900 MHz, Canada and US</td> <td>X</td> <td>X</td> <td>X</td> <td>X</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> The museum has a Blackberry 7230 and 7290 with manuals and Desktop Software. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Research in Motion Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2003--2005 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant world, 2003- blackberry RIM smartphone https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/c7e69656462c7347909fb57b4286579e.jpg 87500b34baef215765ef4efd8c42de56 hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gravis Analog Joystick Subject The topic of the resource hardware: game controller Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In the final two decades of the twentieth century, the personal computer industry experienced rapid technological advances that included, among other innovations, the development of high-performance input devices (such as game controllers) as well as sound and video cards. Array Technology Inc. (ATI, founded in 1985), Creative Technology (1981), Logitech International (1981), Matrox Graphics (1976), and NVIDIA (1993) are examples of leading manufacturers of such products. In Canada, several companies—besides ATI and Matrox—successfully designed and manufactured input devices and add-on cards for personal computers. One such company was Gravis Computer Peripherals Inc. (Gravis), founded in 1982 in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1985, the company was renamed International Gravis Computer Technology Inc., and following its amalgamation with Abaton Resources Ltd. in 1987, it adopted the name Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd. In 1997, Gravis was acquired by Kensington Computer Products Group, which incorporated the Gravis brand of entertainment gamepads and joysticks into its product line. The "Company Background" published on Gravis' ftp site in 1997, described the company's origins this way Gravis originated in 1979 from the passion for computer games shared by two childhood friends, Grant Russell and Dennis Scott-Jackson. They soon found that joysticks and paddles on the market did not provide a real arcade feel or precision, and they typically broke down within weeks of intensive game use. This started them on the quest to build a better joystick. Between 1985 and 1997, Gravis designed and manufactured several award-winning joysticks and gamepads for desktop computers produced by companies such as Amiga, Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy. Its first product, the Gravis Analog Joystick, introduced in 1985, quickly became a popular choice among computer gamers. The Gravis PC GamePad, released in 1991, was equally successful and was adopted by numerous electronic entertainment companies, including Nintendo and Sega. Similar success followed with the Firebird programmable game controller, introduced in 1996. By 1996, the number of retail outlets carrying Gravis products exceeded 11,000 worldwide, making the company one of the world’s largest suppliers of computer joysticks and gamepads, according to reports such as those published by PC Data. Gravis Analog Joystick The Gravis Analog Joystick was introduced in 1985 for a range of personal computers including the IBM and compatibles as well as the Tandy and the Apple II lines of computers. It was equipped with a handle tension adjustment wheel and three buttons, each with an individual "Button Function Selector" allowing each button to be configured as Button 1, Button 2, or turned off. In the 1990s, the joystick was sold with Game Utilities software that included a free copy of Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons, Episode One "Marooned on Mars," a highly successful game published by Apogee Software Productions. Museum holdings <ul> <li>Gravis Analog Joystick (manufactured in 1990),</li> <li>Gravis Utilities software, and documentation.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985s-1990s game pad joystick https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/4f671953e4def3456518a3e008988dbc.jpg 3539fe0433e83683bf057e872efcd949 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/6678ded899f4ed3284c4a8b278a06d8c.jpg 3b78b5920163e35db01ef552de13cb52 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Micro Computer Machines Collection Description An account of the resource <div>In April, 1972, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, California, announced its first 8-bit microprocessor — the 8008. In just a few months, the prototypes of the first general purpose computers powered by the 8008 chip were already working on site at the French company Réalisations et Études Électroniques located in the suburbs of Paris and at Micro Computer Machines (MCM) with headquarters situated on the outskirts of Toronto. These firms fully recognized, articulated, and acted upon the immense potential of the budding microprocessor technology for the development of a new generation of cost effective computing systems. However, it was MCM which built and, later, manufactured the first microprocessor-based computer designed specifically for personal use — the first PC. MCM's first computer—the MCM/70—was designed in the period between 1972 and 73 and announced on September 25, 1973, in Toronto. The computer was unveiled in New York on September 27th and, the following day, in Boston. One of its early prototypes was demonstrated in May of 1973 during the Fifth International APL Users' Conference in Toronto. The MCM/70 computers were purchased in North America and Europe by acedemic institutions as well as large organizations and companies including Chevron Oil Research Company, Firestone, Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, Ontario Hydro-Electric Power Commission, NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, and U.S. Army. The MCM/70 was followed by the MCM/700 (1975), /800 (1976), /900 (1977), the Power (1980) computers.</div> <div> Acquisition: The objects in the collection have been donated by E.M. Edwards Estate, A. Arpen, R. Bernecky, R. Elliott, L. Gladstone, M. Kutt, J. Laraya, G. Ramer, R. Rea, G. Seeds, M. Smyth, Z. Stachniak, and J. Woods. HARDWARE <ul> <li>Early MCM/70 prototype (based on Intel SIM8-01) (1972)</li> <li>Memory board from the rack-mounted MCM/70 prototype (1972)</li> <li>MCM/70 Executive (1973)</li> <li>early MCM/70 ROM board (1973?)</li> <li>MCM/70 Model 708 computer (1974)</li> <li>MCM/70 power supply (1974?)</li> <li>MCM printer, Model MCP 132 N (1975)</li> <li>DDS-1000 Diskette Subsystem (1975)</li> <li>MPD-1000 Diskette Subsystem (1975)</li> <li>A prototype of an MCM/700 variant designed by E.E. Edwards (1975?)</li> <li>MCM/800 Model 808 computer (1976)</li> <li>A prototype of an MCM/800 variant designed by E.E. Edwards (1977?)</li> <li>MCM/900 Model 924 computer (1978)</li> <li>MCM Micro Power Model 524 computer (1981)</li> </ul>  SOFTWARE  <ul> <li>MCM/70 Mathematics Library, May 7, 1974</li> <li>MCM/70 Statistics Library, May 7, 1974</li> <li>MCM/70 Finance Library, May 7, 1974</li> <li>MCM/70 Electricity and Electrical Engineering Library, May 7, 1974</li> <li>MCM/70 Fun and Games Library, May 7, 1974</li> <li>APL A* code listings, June 4, 1980</li> </ul>  MANUALS and GUIDES   <ul> <li>MCM/70 Introductory Manual, Micro Computer Machines (1973)</li> <li>J. Morgan Smyth, MCM/70 User's Guide, Micro Computer Machines (1974) (spiral bounded preprint)</li> <li>J. Morgan Smyth, MCM/70 User's Guide , Micro Computer Machines, Toronto and Kingston (1974)</li> <li>MCM/70 Installation Guide, MCM (1974?)</li> <li>MCM/70 Desk Top Computer, Distributor Service Manual, Preliminary issue, Micro Computer Machines (September 1974)</li> <li>MCP-132 (HyType) Printer Operating Guide, MCM (July 1975)</li> <li>MCM/APL Reference Cards, MCM (1976 and May 1981)</li> <li>SCI-1200 Communications Sub-System, Installation Instructions and Reference Manual, MCM (1976?)</li> <li>MCP-132 Printer User's Guide, rev. 1 (June 1, 1977)</li> <li>DDS-500 Dual Disk System User Guide [preliminary], Micro Computer Machines (June 8, 1977)</li> <li>MCM System/800 Utilities Manual, rev. AA, MCM (August 1977)</li> <li>MCM Computers System 800: Using The MCM Computer as a Terminal and Transferring Data to and from APL Plus, manual nr. 018 033, rev. AA, MCM (January 1978)</li> <li>VDU-9620 Reference Manual, MCM (August 1978)</li> <li>DDS-1000 Diskette Drive User's Manual, MCM Computers Ltd., rev. AA (October 1978)</li> <li>TEXT/900 Word Processing System, MCM Computers Ltd., rev. AC (November 1978)</li> <li>MCM/900 User's Manual, rev. AB, MCM (December 1978)</li> <li>MCM LIB/8 System Documentation [describes a collection of APL functions which facilitate the creation and maintenance of a library of user application packages for the MCM/800], Micro Computer Machines (197?)</li> <li>FAS: Financial Accounting System User's Manual, MCM Computers Ltd. (197?)</li> <li>Fast Functions on the MCM/900, MCM Computers Ltd. (197?)</li> <li>FAS: Financial MCM System/900 Utilities Manual, MCM Computers Ltd., rev. AA (February 1979)</li> <li>MCM System/900 Utilities Manual, rev. AA, MCM (February 1979)</li> <li>Communications Subsystem Reference Manual, rev. AB, MCM Computers Ltd. (March 1979)</li> <li>MCM/900 User's Manual, MCM Computers Ltd., rev. AC (May 1979)</li> <li>TEXT/900 With Data Files, Supplementary Documentation, MCM Computers Ltd., rev. AA (July 1979)</li> <li>CAS-900 Client Accounting System, MCM Computers Ltd. (September 19, 1979)</li> <li>DCS: Data Communication System User's Guide, version 3, MCM Computers Ltd. (April 1980)</li> <li>Small Business System: Programmer's Reference Manual, version 1, MCM Computers Ltd. (August 1980)</li> <li>MCM/APL User's Guide, preliminary release, MCM Computers Ltd. (September 1980)</li> <li>Client Accounting System, General Ledger, Accounting Reports, MCM Computers Ltd. (February 1981)</li> <li>Client Accounting System, Time and Charges, MCM Computers Ltd. (February 1981)</li> <li>924/1024 System Technical Manual [preliminary], MCM (February 27, 1981)</li> <li>[]ZZ System Functions User's Guide, preliminary release, MCM Computers Ltd. (March 31, 1981)</li> <li>A Fast []FNT Type Numeric Formatter, MCM Computers Ltd., 7 pages (1 May, 1981)</li> <li>Power Mail: Message Processing Facility, MCM (May 1981)</li> <li>POWER Utilities User's Guide, preliminary release, MCM Computers Ltd. (June 1981)</li> <li>Distributor Announcement, No. 44, MCM (May 11, 1982)</li> </ul>  CORPORATE DOCUMENTS      1971  <ul> <li>Hypothecation of Shares and Purchase of Shares Agreements Between Gordon Ramer and Merslau Kutt (December 28, 1971)</li> <li>Kutt Systems, Inc., Micro Computer Machines Inc., and MCM Computers Ltd. corporate data, Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations, Toronto, file number 251340 (copy on micro-fish)</li> <li>Intel's Invoice for: SIM4-01, MP7-01, and MCS-4 chip set to be sent to Mers Kutt, December 28, 1971</li> <li>Intel's Form of Invoice for: SIM4-01, MP7-01, and MCS-4 chip set to be sent to Mers Kutt, signed by Hank Smith, December 28, 1971</li> </ul>       1972 <ul> <li>Intel, Shipping Request for SIM4-01, SIM8-01, MP7-02, to be delivered to Mers Kutt, May 12, 1972</li> <li>Intel, Packing Slip for SIM4-01, SIM8-01, MP7-02, to be delivered to Mers Kutt, May 12, 1972</li> <li>Intel's Form of Invoice for: SIM4-01, SIM8-01, MP7-02, to be sent to Kutt Systems Inc., May 12, 1972</li> <li>Intel's Form of Invoice for: SIM8-01 to be sent to Kutt Systems Inc., May 23, 1972</li> <li>Minutes of the Special General Meeting of the Shareholders of KUTT SYSTEMS INC., Saturday, November 11, 1972, 1 page</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., 1972 Financial Statements (draft), 7 pages</li> <li>Letter from Hal Fenney (Intel) to Mers Kutt, October 4, 1972 [re SIM8-01 board], 1 page</li> <li>Note from Hank Smith (Intel) to Mers Kutt, October 4, 1972 [re SIM8-01 board], 1 page</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., 1972 Financial Statements, 7 pages</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines Company Certificate from the Registry Office for the Registry Division of Toronto (April 17, 1972)</l i></li> </ul>        1973 <ul> <li>Collection of design documents of two MCM/70 prototypes (April-July, 1973)</li> <li>Agreement to Purchase and Transfer Stock (March 7, 1973?)</li> <li>Receipt for MCM shares purchase (April 5, 1973)</li> <li>Portfolio of MCM Shareholder Documents (May 7 and May 14, 1973)</li> <li>Agreement between G. Ramer and M. Kutt, 4 pages (May 16, 1973) Letter to MCM shareholders, signed Mers Kutt, President, 2 pages (August 24, 1973)</li> <li>Letter from Micro Computer Machines to Canadian Consulates, signed Mers Kutt, President, 2 pages (November 1, 1973)</li> <li>Letter to MCM shareholders, signed Mers Kutt, President, 1 page (November 1973)</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., 1973 Interim Financial Statements (unedited), 6 pages</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., 1973 Financial Statements, 6 pages</li> <li>Collection of MCM corporate information documents (1973)</li> <li>Collection of Kutt Systems Inc. and MCM Inc. Corporate Documents (1973)</li> </ul>        1974 <ul> <li>MCM corporate information, 31 pages, 1974</li> <li>Letter to potential users of MCM products, February 1974, signed by Peter J. Wolfe, Manager, Business Systems, 1 page.</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Purchase Order no 10199 [for Intel's MCS8s], March 1, 1974, 1 page</li> <li>Data Device Corporation price list for MCM products, May 13, 1974, 1 page</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, May 17, 1974, signed ?, Secretary</li> <li>Data Device Corporation quotation for an MCM/70 system, May 21, 1974, signed Ted Berg, Vice President, 1 page</li> <li>Letter to shareholders of Micro Computer Machines Inc,. May 28, 1974, signed Mers Kutt, President, 2 pages</li> <li>"To the members of the Board of Directors of Micro Computer Machines Inc.", a memorandum signed by 21 MCM empolyees, August 1, 1974, 3 pages</li> <li>Letter from Micro Computer Machines Inc. to APL'ers, 1974(?), signed Ted Berg, President, 1 page</li> </ul>        1975 <ul> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Jun 13, 1975</li> <li>Letter to potential users of MCM products, 1975(?) [re the announcement of the IBM 5100], signed Ted Berg, President, 1 page</li> <li>Letter from Ted Berg to Sales Representatives "Notice of Upcoming Product Features", November 27, 1975, signed T.M. Berg, 1 page</li> <li>MCM employment documents for E. Edwards</li> </ul>        1976 <ul> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Jun 21, 1976</li> <li>Letter from Borden and Elliot to Gordon Ramer, November 26, 1976, 2 pages</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Common Shares, issued in 1976</li> <li>MCM/700 Configuration, technical specification, May 7, 1976</li> </ul>        1977 <ul> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Jun 24, 1977</li> <li>Letter from Borden and Elliot to Gordon Ramer, March 9, 1977, 2 pages</li> <li>Agreement to Purchase and Transfer Ownership of Stock, October 29, 1977</li> </ul>        1978 <ul> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Jun 8, 1978</li> <li>Powerful New Business Computer System Introduced by MCM, MCM Computers Ltd. press release, 1978, 1 page</li> <li>MCM Computers Ltd., 1978 Auditors' Report. 8 pages</li> <li>Distributor Price List, September 27, 1978, 1 page</li> <li>Interactive Computer Systems, Inc., Price List, November 1, 1978, 2 pages</li> <li>System 800/900 Actuarial/Insurance Users, November 1978, 1 page</li> <li>Distributorship Agreement, 1978, 12 pages</li> </ul>        1979 <ul> <li>1978 Auditors' Report, February 13, 1979, 8 pages</li> <li>Canadian Price List, MCM, March 1, 1979, 2 pages</li> <li>Distributor Price List, MCM, March 1, 1979, 1 page</li> <li>Letter to shareholders of MCM Computers Ltd, May 24, 1979, 2 pages, signed C.M. Williams, President</li> <li>Notice of Correction, letter to shareholders of MCM Computers Ltd, June 4, 1979, signed B.C. Wallace, Chairman, 1 page</li> <li>MCM Computers Ltd., Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, May 25, 1979, signed by W.S. Robertson, Secretary, 1 page</li> <li>MCM Computers Ltd., Proxy, May 1979, 1 page</li> <li>Representative System 800/900 Installations, May 1979, 3 pages</li> <li>Canadian Price List, MCM, July 1, 1979, 2 pages</li> <li>Distributor Price List, MCM, July 1, 1979, 2 pages</li> <li>TAS-900 Pricing, November 26, 1979, 1 page</li> <li>Cost Justification for the DMS/FAS on the System 900, MCM, 1979(?), 2 pages</li> </ul>        1980 <ul> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Jun 11, 1980</li> </ul>        1982 <ul> <li>Micro Computer Machines Inc., Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, May 25, 1982, 1980</li> </ul>   MARKETING MATERIALS        1973 <ul> <li>Media/Press Release, September 28, 1973, 4 pages [the announcement of the MCM/70]</li> <li>MCM/70 Desk Top Computer, Preannouncement, Confidential Information [promotional brochure with an MCM/70 prototype on the first page], 2 double-sided pages, August 1973</li> <li>MCM/70 Desk Top Computer [promotional brochure with an MCM/70 prototype on the first page], 1 double-sided page, 1973</li> <li>The MCM/70T Intelligent Terminal [promotional brochure], 1 page, November(?) 1973</li> <li>A Sample of Quotations from Letters Received, November 1973, 2 pages [quotations from letters received by MCM re the MCM/70]</li> <li>Collage of articles on the MCM/70 prepared by MCM for shareholders, 1973, 6 pages</li> <li>Inquiries & Responses Received After Trip [to Europe with the MCM/70 prototype], 2 pages</li> </ul>        1974 <ul> <li>MCM/70 Desk Top Computer [promotional brochure with the production model of the MCM/70 on the front page], 4 double-sided pages [includes information on the MCM/70 hardware, preliminary specifications of the MCM/APL interpreter, information on the MCM/70 in science, business, and education], February 1974</li> <li>The MCM/70 in education [promotional brochure], 2 double-sided pages, 1974?</li> <li>MCM/70 Desk Top Computer [promotional brochure with the production model of the MCM/70 on the front page], 5 double-sided pages [includes information on the MCM/70 hardware, preliminary specifications of the MCM/APL interpreter, information on MCM as well as on the MCM/70 in science, business, and education], 1974</li> <li>MCM/70 Desk Top Computer, MCM/APL [promotional brochure with the production model of the MCM/70 on the front page], 5 double-sided pages [includes information on the MCM/70 hardware, preliminary specifications of the MCM/APL interpreter, information on MCM as well as on the MCM/70 in science, business, and education], 1974</li> </ul>        1975 <ul> <li>Introducing The Smallest, Least Expensive, Stand-Alone APL Desktop Computer MCM/700 [promotional brochure], 6 pages</li> <li>MCM Sales Reference, 21 pages, 1975?</li> <li>SDS-250/DDS-500 Diskette Subsystems [promotional brochure], 2 pages, 1975?</li> <li>PMR-400 Card Reader [promotional brochure], 2 pages, 1975?</li> <li>MCP-132 Printer/Plotter [promotional brochure], 2 pages, 1975?</li> <li>Application Libraries [list of software for the /700 system], 4 pages</li> <li>Promotional letter from Peter J. Wolfe, Marketing Manager, to potential MCM clients, 2 pages.</li> <li>MCM price list, 1 page.</li> </ul>       1976 <ul> <li>MCM News, Newsletter, vol 1(?) [most likely published in the early 1976], 8 pages</li> <li>Micro Computer Machines, Inc., Distributor Information Kit, Micro Computer Machines, 1976</li> <li>System 800, [MCM Computers promotional brochure for the MCM/800 system], 6 pages</li> <li>System Software" [information on software for the MCM/800], 2 pages</li> <li>Applications Library Summary [information on software libraries for the] MCM/800, 4 pages</li> <li>PVAS A new concept for Performing Pension Actuarial Valuations and Pension Plan Administration [promotional brochure for the /800 system], 6 pages</li> <li>TEXT 800, Word Processing with System 800 [promotional brochure for the /800 system], 3 pages</li> <li>TEXT 800, Word Processing with System 800 [promotional brochure for the /800 system], 2 pages</li> <li>VDU-9620 Video Display For System 800 [promotional brochure], 5 pages</li> <li>< VDU-9620 Video Display For System 800 [promotional brochure], 2 pages</li> <li>MCP-132 Printer/Plotter [promotional brochure], 2 pages</li> <li>DDS-500 Diskette System [promotional brochure], 2 pages</li> <li>Here's what other Actuaries say about the MCM/800 system [promotional brochure], 6 pages</li> <li>MCM's System 800: the combination of data processing and word processing [promotional brochure], 1 page</li> <li>The MCM/800 System Software, 2 pages</li> </ul> 1977 <ul> <li>MCM FI-PLAN [the MCM/800 promotional brochure], 2 pages</li> <li>System 800 Demonstration Package, Rev. AA, October 1977, 9 pages</li> <li>O. Zimmerman, MCM/800 and APL Gain Acceptance in Insurance Applications at Crown Life, 9 pages</li> </ul> 1978 <ul> <li>MCM FI-PLAN: Sample Projection , 6 pages</li> <li>MCM 800 vs Timesharing , 6 pages</li> <li>If you spend more[...] [the MCM/900 promotional brochure], 2 pages</li> <li>APL and Virtual Memory [...] [the MCM/900 promotional brochure], 2 pages</li> <li>MCM 800 vs IBM 5110, 2 pages</li> <li>Introducing.... [the MCM/900 promotional brochure], 4 pages</li> <li>MCM Computers: System 900 [the MCM/900 promotional brochure], 4 pages</li> <li>Businesses today are faced with a maze of problems [the MCM/900 promotional brochure], 2 pages, 1978?</li> <li>APL and Virtual Memory -- two main reasons why... [the MCM/900 promotional brochure], 2 pages, 1978?</li> </ul> 1979 <ul> <li>DCS/900 Data Communications with System/900 [promotional brochure], 1 page, 1979?</li> <li>AID/900 Utilities and Libraries for System/900 [promotional brochure], 1 page, 1979?</li> <li>LIB/900 Program Development with System/900 [promotional brochure], 1 page, 1979?</li> <li>PLOT/900 Plotting Software for System/900 [promotional brochure], 2 pages, 1979?</li> <li>MCM Computers System/900 [promotional brochure], 4 pages, 1979?</li> <li>System 900: The Affordable Solution [promotional brochure], 2 pages, 1979?</li> <li> CAS-900 Client Accounting System [promotional brochure], 4 pages, 1979?</li> <li>TEXT/900 Word Processing with System/900 [promotional brochure for the /800 system], 3 pages, 1979?</li> <li>TEXT/900 Word Processing with System/900 [promotional brochure for the /800 system], 1 page, 1979?</li> <li>MCM Price Lists, 1975-79.</li> </ul>       1980 <ul> <li>Power [MCM Power promotional brochure], 4 pages, 1980?</li> <li>Product Data Sheet and Hardware Tech Spec[brochures for the MCM Power], 2 pages, 1980?</li> <li>MCM User Support Notes, May 15, 1980 -- March 20, 1981.</li> </ul>   1982 <ul> <li>CAS Price List, The Intergroup Partnership (May 1, 1982)</li> <li>Distributor Announcement No. 44, MCM Computers (May 11, 1982)</li> </ul>   PHOTOGRAPHS <ul> <li>Photograph of the MCM/70 wide-case prototype, b/w original (1973)</li> <li>Photograph of E.E. Edwards with the MCM/70 Executive, b/w original. Photograph for Politiken (1973)</li> <li>Photograph of the MCM/70, b/w original, (1973?)</li> <li>The announcement of the MCM/70, Toronto, Sep. 25, 1973 -- b/w original (Sep. 25, 1973)</li> <li>Photograph of the MCM/800 with CRT -- b/w original (1976?)</li> <li>Photograph of the MCM/900 business system -- b/w original (1978?)</li> <li>Photograph of the MCM/900 computer -- b/w original (1978?).</li> <li>The MCM/700 production line, MCM's manufacturing facility in Kingston. Photograph by Jose Laraya(?) (1975?)</li> <li>DDS-500, photograph by Jose Laraya(?) (1975?)</li> <li>3 photographs of the MCM/800 by Jose Laraya(?) (1976?)</li> <li>6 photographs of MCM team at York University (photographs of Andre Arpin, Don Genner, Mers Kutt, Morgan Smyth, Gord Ramer). Photograph by Z. Stachniak (November 2001)</li> </ul> MCM DIGITAL LIBRARY <ul> <li>Andre Arpin speaking at York University, Toronto, March 28, 2003 (audio)</li> <li>Andre Arpin, MCM/70 -- The First Portable Microcomputer presentation, York University, Toronto, March 28, 2003 (PowerPoint)</li> <li>interview with Andre Arpin, Kingston, April 10, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>interview with Don Genner, Guelph, August 31, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>interview with Mers Kutt, Toronto, March 1, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>interview with Mers Kutt, Toronto, March 6, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>Mers Kutt speaking at York University, Toronto, October 24, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>interview with Mers Kutt, Toronto, November 11, 2002 (audio)</li> <li>interview with Jose Laraya, Toronto, September 13, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>interview with Jose Laraya, Toronto, September 28, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>interview with Gordon Ramer, Toronto, March 27, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>nterview with Reg Rea, Stoney Creek, October 20, 2005 (audio)</li> <li>interview with Morgan Smyth, Toronto, July 25, 2001 (audio)</li> <li>interview with John Woods, Milton, October 22, 2008 (audio)</li> <li>e-mail communications with former users of MCM hardware</li> </ul> BOOKS, RESEARCH PAPERS, ARTICLES <ul> <li>A. Arpin, External Allocation System (EASY) / A Virtual System (AVS). In Proc. of the APL 75 Congress, Pisa, Italy (1975)</li> <li>R.F. Bauer, Implementation of APL on Small Computers. In Proc. of the APL 79 Conference, Rochester N.Y. (1979)</li> <li>B.J. Bleackley and J. LaPrairie, Entering the Computer Age. The Computer Industry in Canada: The First Thirty Years, The Book Society of Canada Ltd, 1982</li> <li>J. Chevreau, The Third Coming of Mers Kutt, Report on Business Magazine, November 1985, pp. 111--118</li> <li>M. Kutt, microcomputer development notes, (1972), 36 pages</li> <li>J. Morgan Smyth, York APL, Ryerson Polytechnic Institute, Toronto (1972)</li> <li>J. Morgan Smyth, EASY and AVS: The Two Auxiliary Storage Subsystems of the MCM/70. In Proc. of the APL 75 Congress, Pisa, Italy (1975), pp. 313--319</li> <li>G. Ramer(?) York APL Users Guide, APL Systems, November 15, 1971</li> <li>Stachniak, Z. Learning from Prototypes, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 42, no. 2 (2020), pp. 63-71.</li> <li>Stachniak, Z. Software Recovery and Beyond: The MCM/70 Case, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing vol. 41, nr. 4 (2019), pp. 110-118.</li> <li>Stachniak, Z. MCM on Personal Software, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 39, no. 1 (2017), pp. 29--51.</li> <li>Z. Stachniak, The Making of the MCM/70 Microcomputer, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 25, issue 2 (April-June 2003), pp. 62--75.</li> <li>Z. Stachniak, The MCM/70 Microcomputer, Core 4.1, The Computer History Museum (September 2003), pp. 6--12</li> <li>A. Wahl, Kutt's last stand, Canadian Business (October 11--24, 2006), pp. 56--64.</li> <li>Kutt takes wraps off new minicomputer, Canadian Datasystems, October 1973, p. 49.</li> <li>A file with various articles related to MCM, 1973-2003.</li> </ul>   OTHER <ul> <li>M. Kutt Archive, 1973-74</li> <li>G. Ramer Archive, 1972-75</li> <li>R. Elliott Archive, 1975-1982</li> <li>Collection of documents concerning EE.Edwards' participation in the 1973 International APL Conference in Denmark. The collection includes an invitation from the Danish Computing Society (Jun 8, 19073), an English translation of the "Computer in a briefcase" article that appeared in Politiken on August 23, 1973, and a photograph of E.E. Edwards with the MCM/70 Executive.</li> <li>Several MCM digital cassettes</li> <li>I love APL, MCM sticker</li> <li>Pavement Management System, manual, MCM/POWER, 83 pages (198?)</li> <li>Lecture notes from an MCM seminar taken by Russell Elliott on June 9--10, 1977</li> <li>Seven files of various software printouts</li> <li>Intel 4004 uComputer; the first single board computer received by MCM from Intel in 1972</li> <li>MCM's ten-th anniversary coffee mug.</li> <li>Letter from the Chancellery of Honours Directorate, Government of Canada, concerning possible appointment of Mers Kutt to the Order of Canada, January 12, 2004.</li> </ul> </div> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Zbigniew Stachniak Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2003-2021 Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/MCM_logo.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="5%" height="5%" border="0" /> The MCM Collection documents computer development activities at Micro Computer Machines (MCM). hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource MCM System 900 (MCM/900) Subject The topic of the resource hardware: desktop computer Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z, Stachniak) In April, 1972, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, California, announced its first 8-bit microprocessor — the 8008. In just a few months, the prototypes of the first general purpose computers powered by the 8008 chip were already working on site at the French company Réalisations et Études Électroniques located in the suburbs of Paris and at Micro Computer Machines (MCM) with headquarters situated on the outskirts of Toronto. These firms fully recognized, articulated, and acted upon the immense potential of the budding microprocessor technology for the development of a new generation of cost effective computing systems. However, it was MCM which built the first microprocessor-based computer designed specifically for personal use — the MCM/70, the first PC. The MCM/900 (or the MCM System 900) was MCM's third generation computer. As its MCM/70 and MCM/800 predecessors, the /900 was an APL computer with the MCM/APL interpreter stored in ROM. It also functioned under the same (but updated) AVS/EASY operating system. The computer's main architect was Andre Arpin. The computer was announced in September 1978 as an affordable, complete, stand alone computer system for interactive applications in science, business, and education: "If you spent more than $500 for a month for APL time-share [...] you should own an MCM System 900." In 1978, the computer was sold for between $9,300 and $25,000, depending on configuration. The MCM/900 was a popular and reliable computer provided with software libraries developed by third-part publishers. The MCM/900 hardware specification: <ul> <li>CPU - bitslice technology using AMD 2901 bitslice processors,</li> <li>RAM - 8KB expandable to 24KB,</li> <li>ROM - 168KB (containing the MCM/APL and OS)</li> <li>external storage - DDS-500 and DDS-1000 dual diskette systems (512KB per disk storage capacity),</li> <li>display - 12 inch monochrome, 21 lines of 96 characters, built-in, APL as well as alternate user-programmable character sets,</li> <li>keyboard - IBM 2741-style, 48 APL keys, 19-key numeric keypad,</li> <li>peripherals: DDS-500 and DDS-1000 dual diskette systems, HDS-10 hard drive (10MB storage capacity), HDS-55 cartridge storage (5MB storage capacity), printers/plotters (MCM MCP-132, MCP-300, MCP-709, MCP-712, MCP-713),</li> <li>ports - Omniport IO interface (8-bit parallel), RS-232C serial port,</li> <li>power supply - with power-fail protection.</li> </ul> Software: <ul> <li>operating system - EASY (External Allocation System) and AVS (A Virtual System) in ROM,</li> <li>MCM/APL - APL interpreter in ROM,</li> <li>DCS/900 - data communications software for the MCM/900 ,</li> <li>LIB/900 - APL program development and management system,</li> <li>PVAS -- Pension Actuarial Valuations and Pension Plan Administration,</li> <li>DBMS - database management system,</li> <li>DMS/FAS - a complete business management package from order entry through financial statements,</li> <li>CMS-101 - data processing for travel agencies,</li> <li>CAS - Client Accounting System.</li> </ul> Museum holdings: <ul> <li>MCM/900 model 924, serial number... (with a set of manuals),</li> <li>MCP-132 printer/plotter,</li> <li>DDS-1000 and MPD-1000 diskette systems.</li> </ul> Recommended readings: <ul> <li>Z. Stachniak. Inventing the PC: the MCM/70 Story , McGill-Queen's University Press (2011).</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Micro Computer Machines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978 Relation A related resource MCM Collection Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant North America, 1978-1981