4 10 106 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/42ea4b399c883f203f814bda946800b7.jpg 8db9bfa528f14ab909529a96b3a2e704 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 Dynalogic Collection Description An account of the resource Dynalogic Corporation was among the first Canadian microcomputer manufacturers. Founded by C. Murray Bell in 1973 in Ottawa, it initially focused on the design of floppy disk systems and interfaces for minicomputers and desk-top calculators. In 1975, Dynalogic embarked on the design of a firmware controlled, microprocessor-based floppy disk system that could be interfaced with a range of minicomputers via the industry standard RS-232C interface. The result of these design and development efforts--the Series 7000 DynaTermDisk--was shown at the 1975 Canadian Computer Show. In 1976, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) -- an advanced microcomputer that employed Motorola's 6800 processor. The DMS was among the earliest microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives. It operated under a sophisticated proprietary DYNAMO operating system (designed by Donald C. Lindsay). The first DMS was delivered to Algonquin College of Technology in Ottawa in fall of 1976. Other DMS systems were sold in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic. In the same year the work had begun on the design of a portable desktop microcomputer--the Hyperion--and continued in a new Bytec subsidiary called Dynalogic Info-Tech. The Hyperion was unveiled at the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City as the "most powerful, portable, business computer in the world'' compatible with the IBM PC. The first Hyperions were manufactured in January of 1983 and retailed at US $4,955. The sales continued throughout 1983 and 1984 in Canada and the U.S. Acquisition: The objects in the collection have been donated by Walter Banks, Murray Bell, Diane Bruce, Dan Cohow, Robert S. Elliot, Terence Gordon, Don C. Lindsay, Brian Mahoney, Dennis Mullin, and Zbigniew Stachniak. HARDWARE <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042B</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042C</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7082</li> <li>Dynalogic disk drive system, model 4002B</li> <li>Hyperion microcomputer</li> <li>Hyperion Ex [Hyperion expansion unit]</li> <li>Acoustic Cups for Hyperion [data communication]</li> <li>HyperRam [Hyperion memory module by Technovation]</li> <li>Hyperaccess (by Technovation)</li> </ul> SOFTWARE <ul> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/DO/32K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/D1/24K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DynaBASIC 2.0/AO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977</li> <li>Forms Entry, Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 January, 1978</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package 2.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1978</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.3, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1978</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E5, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor 1.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 May 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 March 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October 1979</li> <li>DMS Utility Programs, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Diagnostic Programs, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1980</li> <li>IN:SCRIBE [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li> <li>IN:TOUCH [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li> <li>LOTUS 123 [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123, System Backup for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123, utility software for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 PrintGraph for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Tutorial for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>DOS, EDLIN [DOS 1.25 for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion DOS(2.11), ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>BASICA, Assembler [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li> <li>Aladin [for the Hyperion], Bytec Management Corp. and ADI America Inc., 1983</li> <li>Various Hyperion related software</li> <li>Source codes of various Dynalogic software including DYNAMO operating system</li> </ul> MANUALS, GUIDES, REPORTS <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System Manual, release 1.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1976, printed between 12 October and 1 December, 1976</li> <li>MICRO BASIC I, USERS MANUAL, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li> <li>How to use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1977</li> <li>How To Use The EDITOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1977</li> <li>MICRO BASIC I, reference card, Ryan-McFarland Corp. and Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977(?)</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 January, 1978</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July, 1978</li> <li>Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1978</li> <li>How To Use The EDITOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1978</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor, preliminary blurb, version 1J, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaBASIC I, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1979</li> <li>How to Use the Laboratory Microcomputer System (LMS), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March, 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor, preliminary blurb, version 1F, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 5 March, 1979</li> <li>R2.4PAK: Interface from DynaBASIC I to DYNAMO R2.4 addendum to How to Use DynaBASIC I, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSCRIPT, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 May, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaMENU Application Program Shell, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., June 1979</li> <li>How to use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li> <li> Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Model 7042B Documentation Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSCRIPT, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1979</li> <li> Disk Controller PCB, schematic diagrams and board layouts, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 Nov.--4 Dec., 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSORT, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 December, 1979</li> <li>Additional SCRED Features, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 18 December, 1979</li> <li>DMS Memory Tests, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 January, 1980</li> <li>DYNAMO Operating System: Introduction to the Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., March 1980</li> <li>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980</li> <li>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) Product Specification, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 30 June 1980</li> <li>Style Manual for Assembler Programming, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 12 January, 1981</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 February, 1981</li> <li>How to Use DynaBASIC D, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1981</li> <li>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) To Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Interface Specification, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1981</li> <li>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1981</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH, Guide, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1 June, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH, Guide, ver. 00, rev. 01, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, published by Bytec Management Corp., 10 October, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1 June, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide, ver. 00, rev. 01, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1 August, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, Multiplan, Electronic Worksheet, Microsoft Corp. and Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1982</li> <li>Hyperion, Setup Guide, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 8 August, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion User Guide MS-DOS/EDLIN, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 5 September, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Programmer Guide, ver. 00, rev. 03, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li> <li> LOTUS 123 User's Manual for the Hyperion Business Computer, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Quick Reference for the Hyperion Business Computer, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Technical Reference Guide, Bytec Management Corp., ver. 00, rev. 00, 15 November, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Aladin Guide, Bytec Management Corp.(?), 1983</li> <li>Hyperion DOS(2.11) Guide, ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>Acoustic Cup Installation Instructions, 2 pages</li> </ul> CORPORATE DOCUMENTS <ul> <li>Introduction to: word processing software, note by (?) 26 September, 1976, 3 pages</li> <li> D.M.S. Release 2.0 Specifications (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 16 March, 1977, 3 pages</li> <li>Memo on Bubble/CCD Possibilities , Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 24 January, 1978, 3 pages</li> <li>Converting to DYNAMO 2.1 (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1978(?), 1 page</li> <li>Mount/Dismount Questions , note, D. Lindsay(?) 16 January 1979, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 2.4 from 2.3, note by D. Lindsay (?), 13 March, 1979, 3 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>Memory Swapping for DynaBASIC-D note, D. Lindsay(?) 9 August, 1979, 3 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 3.1 from 2.4, note by D. Lindsay (?), 28 September, 1979, 7 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>DYNALOGIC Ethernet , note by (?) 2 January 1980, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.0 from 3.1, note by D. Lindsay (?), 16 February, 1980, 8 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>Engineering Project Codes, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980, 10 pages</li> <li>DYNAMO: Chronology and Statistics , Donald C. Lindsay, three versions dated: February 1981 [included in DYNAMO Source], 2 pages; August 1981, 3 pages; May 1982, 3 pages</li> <li>Proposal to Mitel: Voice Mail, Dynalogic Corporation, 28 August 1981, 5 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.1 from 4.0, note by D. Lindsay (?), 14 August, 1981, 2 pages; another note dated 27 August, 1981, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.2 from 4.1, note by D. Lindsay (?), 18 March, 1982, 1 page</li> <li>A letter to F. Mozer by D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 1 October, 1981, 2 pages</li> <li>A letter from F. Mozer to D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 25 October, 1981, 1 page</li> <li>Technical Evaluation: Context Management Systems, memo by D. Lindsay, file context 3, 29 March, 1982, 1 page</li> <li>Product Definition -- DYNACOM 2000 Series, rev. 1, Dynalogic, January(?) 1982(?), 17 pages</li> <li>Hyperion Editor Key Mapping , memo by P. Matthews to G.K. Holman, 3 September, 1982</li> <li>Status of Hyperion Editor Project, 4 October, 1982 to 23 January, 1983, 5 notes by D. Lindsay (?)</li> <li>A letter from Maurice Jolicoeur, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bytec, to Hyperion owners regarding the change of company name from Dynalogic to BYTEC -- HYPERION Division, July (?) 1983</li> <li>A formal announcement of the merger of Bytec Management Corp. and Comterm Inc. to form Bytec-Comterm Inc., January(?) 1984</li> </ul> PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, System Summary [for series 7032/7042 DMS], brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>DynaBASIC I Compiler, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>Laboratory Microcomputer System System Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I Compiler Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC L Compiler, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC Preprocessor, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Advanced Programming Package (APP), Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Software Licensing Policy, Dynalogic, 1 page, 1979</li> <li>Price List: Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Price List: Dynalogic Licensed Software and manuals, 1 page, 1979</li> <li>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows the final production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages</li> <li>Hyperion, promotional brochure [possibly] distributed during the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City, booth number 1843, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 5 pages</li> <li>Hyperion: Tested Software, July/August 1983, published by Compterm Inc. [list of software available for the Hyperion], 6 pages</li> <li>A letter from Stephen J. McGill, Vice President, Percom Publishing, to Hyperion owners regarding the introduction of the Hyperion PC Magazine, 1983(?)</li> <li>Hyperion price list from Compumart, Ottawa, 2 pp (198?)</li> <li>Hyperion retail price list, Ottawa, 2 pp (May 1983)</li> </ul> ORAL HISTORIES <ul> <li>Interview with Murray Bell, Ottawa, October 2000 (analogue cassette recording)</li> </ul> BOOKS, RESEARCH PAPERS, ARTICLES, NEWS LETTERS <ul> <li>B. Foster and B. Southern, A College Microcomputer Facility, BYTE April 1978, pp. 90--96</li> <li>D.C. Lindsay, DYNALOGIC LOG, 3 volumes, 1976--1983</li> <li>D. Thomas, The Sale of a New Machine, Quest, November 1983, pp. 32d--32n</li> <li>D. Thomas, Knights of the New Technology. The Inside Story of Canada's Computer Elite, Key Porter Books, 1983, pp. 165--183></li> <li>R. Laver, Random Excess: The Wild Ride of Michael Cowpland and Corel, Viking Penguin, 1998, pp. 44--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> THUG TIPS The Official Newsletter of the Toronto Hyperion Users Group (THUG) , Toronto, November 1985</li> <li> HUGO NEWS: Newsletter for the HYPERION USERS GROUP OF OTTAWA, Ottawa, 1985--1988</li> <li>Various newspaper and magazine articles on Dynalogic</li> <li>Hyperion PC magazine, vol. 1, nr. 1 (1984)</li> </ul> OTHER <ul> <li>M6800 Linking Loader Reference Manual, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., October 1976</li> <li>M6800 Programming Reference Manual, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li> <li>M6800 Co-Resident Assembler Reference Manual, M68CRA(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li> <li>M6800 Micro Assembler Reference Manual, M68ASM(D), Motorola Inc., February 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0: Material for Blurb, note by D. Lindsay, 7 September 1977</li> <li>M6800 Resident Assembler Reference Manual, M68CRA(D2), Motorola Inc., May 1979</li> <li>Micro BASIC I Users Manual, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li> <li>Document folder, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd</li> <li>Design drawing of the Hyperion case (by David Kelly?), color photocopy</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Customer Assurance Plan, Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li> <li>Purchase receipt for Hyperion issued by Le magasin Xerox, Montreal, 25 October, 1984</li> <li>Hyperion pin</li> <li>Assorted paper documents related to custom software developed for the DMS system.</li> <li>Various source codes of Dynalogic software for the DMS systems</li> <li>Various Aladin related documents</li> </ul> Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/dynalogic_logo.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="15%" height="15%" border="0" /> The collection documents the microcomputer development activities at Dynalogic Corp. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Zbigniew Stachniak 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 Dynalogic DMS 7042B Microcomputer Subject The topic of the resource hardware: microcomputer Description An account of the resource Historical Context Between November 1971 and April, 1972, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, California, introduced its first two microprocessors -- the 4-bit 4004 and the 8-bit 8008. Soon after, the prototypes of the first general purpose computers powered by microprocessors were already working on site at the French company Réalisations et Études Électroniques located in the suburbs of Paris, at Micro Computer Machines with headquarters situated on the outskirts of Toronto, and at Microsystems International Ltd. headquartered in Montreal. These and other 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 computer hardware. In 1973, C. Murray Bell incorporated Dynalogic Corporation in Ottawa to design, develop, and manufacture floppy disk drive systems that could be interfaced with a range of computers and programmable calculators. The floppy diskette systems shipped up to mid-1975 had hardwired controllers designed to work with specific computers. This solution was costly since different computer models typically required different floppy drive controllers that would have to be designed and assembled. In 1975, the company entered the microprocessor market with its release of a firmware controlled, microprocessor-based floppy disk system that could be interfaced with a range of computers via the industry standard RS-232C interface. The new floppy drive system could be programmed to operate with a specific computer instead of building a dedicated controller to provide such functionality. The system was unveiled at the 1975 Canadian Computer Show & Conference. In the following year, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) -- an advanced microcomputer that employed the Motorola 6800 processor. The DMS was among the earliest microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives. It operated under a sophisticated UNIX-style proprietary DYNAMO operating system designed and implemented by Don Lindsay. The first DMS was delivered to Algonquin College of Technology in Ottawa in fall of 1976. Other DMS systems were sold in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Between 1976 and 1980, several models of the DMS-8 small business systems were offered including the 7032A, 7042A, 7042B, 7042C, and LSM (the Dynalogic Laboratory Microcomputer System) as well as the DynaScript word processing system. The computers could operate with a range of terminals and printers sold separately. In addition, the company introduced several floppy diskette subsystems such as the DynaSTOR and DynaTermDisk models 7001A, 7002A, 7011A, 7012A, 77111 and 7112. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic and renamed it Dynalogic Info-Tech. At the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City the company unveiled its IBM PC-compatible Hyperion as the ``most powerful, portable, business computer in the world''. Dynalogic DMS 7042B technical specifications The DMS 7042B in YUCoM's Dynalogic collection was manufactured in 1980. It includes 5 PCB boards designed between 1977 and 1980 and assembled between 1979 and 1980. The boards are: <ul> <li>MPU board - the microprocessor unit with a Motorola 6800 microprocessor and DMS-8 firmware (3.1K9) stored in three EPROMs (dated 1976) ,</li> <li>32K RAM board (c 1977), assembled in 1979,</li> <li>16K RAM board (c 1977), assembled in 1979,</li> <li>Disk controller board (c 1979) with a Motorola 6800 microprocessor and DMS-8 firmware (FDC 02) stored in two EPROMs (dated 1976),</li> <li>Disk Data board (c 1980).</li> </ul> Dynalogic DMS software at York University Computer Museum <ul> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/DO/32K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/D1/24K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DynaBASIC 2.0/AO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977</li> <li>Forms Entry, Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 January, 1978</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package 2.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1978</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.3, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1978</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E5, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor 1.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 May 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 March 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October 1979</li> <li>DMS Utility Programs, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Diagnostic Programs, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1980</li> <li>Source codes of various Dynalogic software including DYNAMO operating system</li> </ul> The museum has the following Dynalogic DMS-related hardware: <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, model 7042B (1980),</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, model 7042C,</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, model 7082,</li> <li>Dynalogic Dual Drive Unit, model 4002B (1977).</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dynalogic Corporation Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976-1980 Type The nature or genre of the resource computer hardware Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context H.32 Relation A related resource Dynalogic 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 Canada, US, Europe Contribution Form The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form. Online Submission Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form. No DMS-8 Dynalogic https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/ede7dfb79bed4edd3e91248bd669c561.jpg f569a95d6fda1a17c7da7fa69c59e395 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/63b3116410259e7b41ceaad6b8c22440.jpg 8db9bfa528f14ab909529a96b3a2e704 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/4ea4e1f14507e285e150d4f983a1e158.jpg ba88226685ea37b7c3eee2b0220d595d https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/81858bc0ef2a3c581b07ea81e1cbc2b2.jpg c070ffe2b7774e42fcf4d0132ec47d24 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/d4a98e171f53b28983b08d0be8a3d892.jpg afeac60568ddb5cde6e9a8fc8ff87ba7 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/764ec47969abc72f10edceb916c4f31b.jpg 3f3cb6c8b1c008e25021cb67a1287f3e 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 Images of Dynalogic hardware Subject The topic of the resource hardware: photographs and digital images Description An account of the resource Photographs of hardware manufactured by Dynalogic Coproration and scans of images from Dynalogic promotional brochures. The images are of (left to right, top to bottom): Dynalogic Microcomputer System promotional brochure (c. 1976-77), Dynalogic DMS-8 microcomputer (c. 1976-1980), Dynalogic 4002B Dual Drive Unit (c. 1973-1980), Dynalogic Hyperion promotional photograph, 1984, Dynalogic Hyperion promotional brochure (front cover), 1984, Dynalogic Hyperion EX chassis, 1984. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation 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, 1976-1984 Contribution Form The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form. Online Submission Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form. No letters https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/a2e64e06afea4c1d9e03fb7deb893f9b.jpg c070ffe2b7774e42fcf4d0132ec47d24 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/cb8ee02ab575f2e7d59405c498d4c284.jpg cb50ac1cb157173bbbaecc14bda4f04a https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/7eefc0e51a869377a578b54d3ffa6e17.jpg afeac60568ddb5cde6e9a8fc8ff87ba7 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 Dynalogic Collection Description An account of the resource Dynalogic Corporation was among the first Canadian microcomputer manufacturers. Founded by C. Murray Bell in 1973 in Ottawa, it initially focused on the design of floppy disk systems and interfaces for minicomputers and desk-top calculators. In 1975, Dynalogic embarked on the design of a firmware controlled, microprocessor-based floppy disk system that could be interfaced with a range of minicomputers via the industry standard RS-232C interface. The result of these design and development efforts--the Series 7000 DynaTermDisk--was shown at the 1975 Canadian Computer Show. In 1976, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) -- an advanced microcomputer that employed Motorola's 6800 processor. The DMS was among the earliest microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives. It operated under a sophisticated proprietary DYNAMO operating system (designed by Donald C. Lindsay). The first DMS was delivered to Algonquin College of Technology in Ottawa in fall of 1976. Other DMS systems were sold in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic. In the same year the work had begun on the design of a portable desktop microcomputer--the Hyperion--and continued in a new Bytec subsidiary called Dynalogic Info-Tech. The Hyperion was unveiled at the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City as the "most powerful, portable, business computer in the world'' compatible with the IBM PC. The first Hyperions were manufactured in January of 1983 and retailed at US $4,955. The sales continued throughout 1983 and 1984 in Canada and the U.S. Acquisition: The objects in the collection have been donated by Walter Banks, Murray Bell, Diane Bruce, Dan Cohow, Robert S. Elliot, Terence Gordon, Don C. Lindsay, Brian Mahoney, Dennis Mullin, and Zbigniew Stachniak. HARDWARE <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042B</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042C</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7082</li> <li>Dynalogic disk drive system, model 4002B</li> <li>Hyperion microcomputer</li> <li>Hyperion Ex [Hyperion expansion unit]</li> <li>Acoustic Cups for Hyperion [data communication]</li> <li>HyperRam [Hyperion memory module by Technovation]</li> <li>Hyperaccess (by Technovation)</li> </ul> SOFTWARE <ul> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/DO/32K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/D1/24K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DynaBASIC 2.0/AO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977</li> <li>Forms Entry, Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 January, 1978</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package 2.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1978</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.3, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1978</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E5, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor 1.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 May 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 March 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October 1979</li> <li>DMS Utility Programs, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Diagnostic Programs, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1980</li> <li>IN:SCRIBE [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li> <li>IN:TOUCH [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li> <li>LOTUS 123 [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123, System Backup for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123, utility software for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 PrintGraph for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Tutorial for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>DOS, EDLIN [DOS 1.25 for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion DOS(2.11), ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>BASICA, Assembler [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li> <li>Aladin [for the Hyperion], Bytec Management Corp. and ADI America Inc., 1983</li> <li>Various Hyperion related software</li> <li>Source codes of various Dynalogic software including DYNAMO operating system</li> </ul> MANUALS, GUIDES, REPORTS <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System Manual, release 1.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1976, printed between 12 October and 1 December, 1976</li> <li>MICRO BASIC I, USERS MANUAL, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li> <li>How to use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1977</li> <li>How To Use The EDITOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1977</li> <li>MICRO BASIC I, reference card, Ryan-McFarland Corp. and Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977(?)</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 January, 1978</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July, 1978</li> <li>Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1978</li> <li>How To Use The EDITOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1978</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor, preliminary blurb, version 1J, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaBASIC I, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1979</li> <li>How to Use the Laboratory Microcomputer System (LMS), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March, 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor, preliminary blurb, version 1F, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 5 March, 1979</li> <li>R2.4PAK: Interface from DynaBASIC I to DYNAMO R2.4 addendum to How to Use DynaBASIC I, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSCRIPT, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 May, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaMENU Application Program Shell, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., June 1979</li> <li>How to use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li> <li> Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Model 7042B Documentation Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSCRIPT, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1979</li> <li> Disk Controller PCB, schematic diagrams and board layouts, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 Nov.--4 Dec., 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSORT, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 December, 1979</li> <li>Additional SCRED Features, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 18 December, 1979</li> <li>DMS Memory Tests, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 January, 1980</li> <li>DYNAMO Operating System: Introduction to the Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., March 1980</li> <li>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980</li> <li>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) Product Specification, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 30 June 1980</li> <li>Style Manual for Assembler Programming, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 12 January, 1981</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 February, 1981</li> <li>How to Use DynaBASIC D, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1981</li> <li>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) To Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Interface Specification, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1981</li> <li>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1981</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH, Guide, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1 June, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH, Guide, ver. 00, rev. 01, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, published by Bytec Management Corp., 10 October, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1 June, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide, ver. 00, rev. 01, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1 August, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, Multiplan, Electronic Worksheet, Microsoft Corp. and Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1982</li> <li>Hyperion, Setup Guide, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 8 August, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion User Guide MS-DOS/EDLIN, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 5 September, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Programmer Guide, ver. 00, rev. 03, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li> <li> LOTUS 123 User's Manual for the Hyperion Business Computer, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Quick Reference for the Hyperion Business Computer, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Technical Reference Guide, Bytec Management Corp., ver. 00, rev. 00, 15 November, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Aladin Guide, Bytec Management Corp.(?), 1983</li> <li>Hyperion DOS(2.11) Guide, ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>Acoustic Cup Installation Instructions, 2 pages</li> </ul> CORPORATE DOCUMENTS <ul> <li>Introduction to: word processing software, note by (?) 26 September, 1976, 3 pages</li> <li> D.M.S. Release 2.0 Specifications (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 16 March, 1977, 3 pages</li> <li>Memo on Bubble/CCD Possibilities , Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 24 January, 1978, 3 pages</li> <li>Converting to DYNAMO 2.1 (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1978(?), 1 page</li> <li>Mount/Dismount Questions , note, D. Lindsay(?) 16 January 1979, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 2.4 from 2.3, note by D. Lindsay (?), 13 March, 1979, 3 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>Memory Swapping for DynaBASIC-D note, D. Lindsay(?) 9 August, 1979, 3 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 3.1 from 2.4, note by D. Lindsay (?), 28 September, 1979, 7 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>DYNALOGIC Ethernet , note by (?) 2 January 1980, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.0 from 3.1, note by D. Lindsay (?), 16 February, 1980, 8 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>Engineering Project Codes, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980, 10 pages</li> <li>DYNAMO: Chronology and Statistics , Donald C. Lindsay, three versions dated: February 1981 [included in DYNAMO Source], 2 pages; August 1981, 3 pages; May 1982, 3 pages</li> <li>Proposal to Mitel: Voice Mail, Dynalogic Corporation, 28 August 1981, 5 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.1 from 4.0, note by D. Lindsay (?), 14 August, 1981, 2 pages; another note dated 27 August, 1981, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.2 from 4.1, note by D. Lindsay (?), 18 March, 1982, 1 page</li> <li>A letter to F. Mozer by D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 1 October, 1981, 2 pages</li> <li>A letter from F. Mozer to D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 25 October, 1981, 1 page</li> <li>Technical Evaluation: Context Management Systems, memo by D. Lindsay, file context 3, 29 March, 1982, 1 page</li> <li>Product Definition -- DYNACOM 2000 Series, rev. 1, Dynalogic, January(?) 1982(?), 17 pages</li> <li>Hyperion Editor Key Mapping , memo by P. Matthews to G.K. Holman, 3 September, 1982</li> <li>Status of Hyperion Editor Project, 4 October, 1982 to 23 January, 1983, 5 notes by D. Lindsay (?)</li> <li>A letter from Maurice Jolicoeur, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bytec, to Hyperion owners regarding the change of company name from Dynalogic to BYTEC -- HYPERION Division, July (?) 1983</li> <li>A formal announcement of the merger of Bytec Management Corp. and Comterm Inc. to form Bytec-Comterm Inc., January(?) 1984</li> </ul> PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, System Summary [for series 7032/7042 DMS], brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>DynaBASIC I Compiler, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>Laboratory Microcomputer System System Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I Compiler Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC L Compiler, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC Preprocessor, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Advanced Programming Package (APP), Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Software Licensing Policy, Dynalogic, 1 page, 1979</li> <li>Price List: Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Price List: Dynalogic Licensed Software and manuals, 1 page, 1979</li> <li>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows the final production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages</li> <li>Hyperion, promotional brochure [possibly] distributed during the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City, booth number 1843, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 5 pages</li> <li>Hyperion: Tested Software, July/August 1983, published by Compterm Inc. [list of software available for the Hyperion], 6 pages</li> <li>A letter from Stephen J. McGill, Vice President, Percom Publishing, to Hyperion owners regarding the introduction of the Hyperion PC Magazine, 1983(?)</li> <li>Hyperion price list from Compumart, Ottawa, 2 pp (198?)</li> <li>Hyperion retail price list, Ottawa, 2 pp (May 1983)</li> </ul> ORAL HISTORIES <ul> <li>Interview with Murray Bell, Ottawa, October 2000 (analogue cassette recording)</li> </ul> BOOKS, RESEARCH PAPERS, ARTICLES, NEWS LETTERS <ul> <li>B. Foster and B. Southern, A College Microcomputer Facility, BYTE April 1978, pp. 90--96</li> <li>D.C. Lindsay, DYNALOGIC LOG, 3 volumes, 1976--1983</li> <li>D. Thomas, The Sale of a New Machine, Quest, November 1983, pp. 32d--32n</li> <li>D. Thomas, Knights of the New Technology. The Inside Story of Canada's Computer Elite, Key Porter Books, 1983, pp. 165--183></li> <li>R. Laver, Random Excess: The Wild Ride of Michael Cowpland and Corel, Viking Penguin, 1998, pp. 44--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> THUG TIPS The Official Newsletter of the Toronto Hyperion Users Group (THUG) , Toronto, November 1985</li> <li> HUGO NEWS: Newsletter for the HYPERION USERS GROUP OF OTTAWA, Ottawa, 1985--1988</li> <li>Various newspaper and magazine articles on Dynalogic</li> <li>Hyperion PC magazine, vol. 1, nr. 1 (1984)</li> </ul> OTHER <ul> <li>M6800 Linking Loader Reference Manual, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., October 1976</li> <li>M6800 Programming Reference Manual, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li> <li>M6800 Co-Resident Assembler Reference Manual, M68CRA(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li> <li>M6800 Micro Assembler Reference Manual, M68ASM(D), Motorola Inc., February 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0: Material for Blurb, note by D. Lindsay, 7 September 1977</li> <li>M6800 Resident Assembler Reference Manual, M68CRA(D2), Motorola Inc., May 1979</li> <li>Micro BASIC I Users Manual, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li> <li>Document folder, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd</li> <li>Design drawing of the Hyperion case (by David Kelly?), color photocopy</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Customer Assurance Plan, Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li> <li>Purchase receipt for Hyperion issued by Le magasin Xerox, Montreal, 25 October, 1984</li> <li>Hyperion pin</li> <li>Assorted paper documents related to custom software developed for the DMS system.</li> <li>Various source codes of Dynalogic software for the DMS systems</li> <li>Various Aladin related documents</li> </ul> Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/dynalogic_logo.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="15%" height="15%" border="0" /> The collection documents the microcomputer development activities at Dynalogic Corp. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Zbigniew Stachniak 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 Hyperion Personal Computer Subject The topic of the resource hardware: personal computer Description An account of the resource Historical Context Between November 1971 and April, 1972, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, California, introduced its first two microprocessors — the 4-bit 4004 and the 8-bit 8008. Soon after, the prototypes of the first general purpose computers powered by microprocessors were already working on site at the French company Réalisations et Études Électroniques located in the suburbs of Paris, at Micro Computer Machines with headquarters situated on the outskirts of Toronto, and at Microsystems International Ltd. headquartered in Montreal. These and other 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 computer hardware. In 1973, C. Murray Bell incorporated Dynalogic Corporation in Ottawa to design, develop, and manufacture floppy disk drive systems that could be interfaced with a range of computers and programmable calculators. The floppy diskette systems shipped up to mid-1975 had hardwired controllers designed to work with specific computers. This solution was costly since different computer models typically required different floppy drive controllers that would have to be designed and assembled. In 1975, the company entered the microprocessor market with its release of a firmware controlled, microprocessor-based floppy disk system that could be interfaced with a range of computers. The new floppy drive system could be programmed to operate with a specific computer instead of building a dedicated controller to provide such functionality. The system was unveiled at the 1975 Canadian Computer Show & Conference. In the following year, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) — an advanced microcomputer that employed the Motorola 6800 processor. The DMS was among the earliest microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives. It operated under a sophisticated UNIX-style proprietary DYNAMO operating system. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic, renamed it Dynalogic Info-Tech, and initiated the work on the design of a portable desktop microcomputert — the Hyperion. The computer was unvailed  at the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City as the ``most powerful, portable, business computer in the world''. In the same year, the computer was shown during the Canadian Computer Show  in Toronto and the fall COMDEX in Las Vegas. The Dynalogic Info-Tech Hyperion was one of the first 'luggable' computers compatible with the imensly popular IBM PC. The computer was hosted in a plastic case and featured a buit-in display and two diskette drives. Detachable keyboard slid inside the case for storage. Optional 300 bit/s modem and an acoustic coupler were available. The first Hyperions were manufactured in January of 1983 and retailed at US $4,955. The sales continued throughout 1983 and 1984 in Canada and the U.S. Several Hyperion user groups were formed across Canada including: <ul> <li>Calgary Hyperion User Group (CHUG), Calgary, AB</li> <li>Hyperion User Group of BC, Richmond, BC</li> <li>Hyperion Users Group of Saskatoon, Saskatoon, SK</li> <li>Hyperion Users Group of Laurentian Uuniversity, Sudbury, ON</li> <li>Hyperion Users Group of Montreal, Montreal, QC</li> <li>Hyperion Users Group of Ottawa (HUGO), Nepean, ON</li> <li>Toronto Hyperion Users Group, Toronto, ON</li> <li>Welland Hyperion User's Group, Welland, ON.</li> </ul> Hardware: <ul> <li>CPU - Intel 8088,</li> <li>Math co-processor - Intel 8087 (optional),</li> <li>RAM - 256 Kbytes  (expandable to 640 Kbytes) ,</li> <li>ROM - 8 Kbytes,</li> <li>VRAM - 16 Kbytes,</li> <li>diskette drives: double sided double density, 360 Kbytes 5.25",</li> <li>display: 7-inch, amber, with built-in screen blanker;  display resolutions: 320x200, 320x250, 640x200, and 640x250,</li> <li>keyboard: QWERT, detachable,</li> <li>internal 300-baud modem opertaed under IN:TOUCH communication software (optional),</li> <li>hardware expandable using the Hyperion EX Expansion Unit.</li> </ul> Software/Guides: <ul> <li>DOS 1/25, EDLIN,  Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983,</li> <li>Hyperion DOS 2.11, ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>IN:SCRIBE, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982,</li> <li>IN:TOUCH communication software,  Bytec-Comterm Inc., 1982,</li> <li>LOTUS 123, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983,</li> <li>LOTUS 123, System Backup for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983,</li> <li>LOTUS 123, utility software for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983,</li> <li>LOTUS 123 PrintGraph for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983,</li> <li>BASICA Assembler, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983,</li> <li>Aladin, Bytec Management Corp. and ADI America Inc., 1983.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dynalogic Info-Tech, Bytec Management Corp. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-1985 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context H.31, H.44 Relation A related resource Dynalogic 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, 1983-1985 Contribution Form The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form. Online Submission Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form. No Canadian Dynalogic Info-Tech Hyperion IBM PC IBM personal computer microcomputer PC personal computer 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/2fe8b1e04c7eed79b7cfa64f80fe66c1.jpg 9b8f18cec70f2574cc0e0a6dd0e633a2 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 Gandalf SAM 201 modem Subject The topic of the resource hardware: modem Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The rapid development of computer technologies and applications in the 1950s and 1960s created demand for sharing data and resources by connecting computers and computer equipment together over short as well as long distances. A pair of dedicated hardware devices called modems (MOdulator/DEModulators) were used to encode digital information originated at one end of the communications link and to decode such information using the second modem on the other end without degradation in accuracy of transferred data. By the end of the 1960s, there were over 2,000 digital computers installed in Canada and the number of new installations was steadily increasing in the following years. This advancement as well as the trend towards distributed processing and on-line remote access to data processing resources provided an opportunity to supply these new installations with made in Canada modems and other electronic data transmission devices. ESE Ltd. of Toronto and Gandalf Technologies Ltd. of Nepean were among the earliest and best known Canadian manufacturers of such products. Gandalf Technologies In April 1971, Desmond Cunningham and Colin Patterson incorporated Gandalf Data Communications Ltd. (later renamed as Gandalf Technologies, Inc.) with headquarters in Manotick, Ontario (later moved to Nepean). Gandalf's first product was the LDS 100 asynchronous modem (called Local Data Set or LDS). It's competitive price relative to the rental of modems offered by phone companies resulted in lucrative sales to major Canadian corporations and institutions including the federal government's Communication Research Centre, McGill University, Bell Northern Research, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Atomic Energy of Canada. The following year, Gandalf offerd the synchronous version of its modem -- the LDS 200. The success of these products led to the name 'Gandalf box' being adopted as a generic term for these and future Gandalf modems. The PACX data switch (Private Automatic Computer eXchange) introduced in late 1972, was Gandalf's first product that put the company on the international map. The device allowed multiple user terminals to access any one of a number of available computers. Each terminal was connected to a Gandalf LDS 126 data set which, in turn communicated with a PACX switch. The data set had two thumb wheels on the front panel. To access a specific computer connected to a PACX switch, the user rolled the wheels to the two-digit number assigned to the selected computer. The PACX switch quickly found world-wide acceptance and made Gandalf one of the world's most innovative companies in the data communications industry of the 1970s. Throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s, Gandalf offered successive generations of modems (including the SAM 201), multiplexers, and PACX switches with enhanced performance features. These new products were manufactured and distributed through Gandalf manufacturing and sales facilities in Nepean as well as through newly established Gandalf Sales Inc. in Chicago, and Gandalf Digital Communications Ltd. located in Warrington UK. Gandalf's clients included some of the world's largest organizations such as British Steel, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and Shell in the UK alone. Although by 1981 annual revenues had reached $40 million, the company decided to go public in order to stay competitive in the data communications market which by then was already crowded with companies ranging from small enterprises such as Develcom of Saskatoon to large corporations including 3COM, AT&T, Northern Telecom, and British Telecom. By 1985, the company had grown into a multinational corporation with annual sales of approx. $85 million and subsidiaries in the US, UK, France, and the Netherlands. Despite a wide range of innovative hardware and software products introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, including end-to-end network management system--Gandalf Passport--and the StarMaster local and wide area digital networking system (designed to carry a variety of traffic types such as video, data, voice, fax, LAN), the company could not sustain intense competition from companies such as Cisco Systems and Cabletron Systems in the rapidly developing remote access market. Financial losses incurred by the company in the 1990s forced Gandalf into bankruptcy in 1997. Gandalf SAM 201 technical specifications and product information <ul> <li>year of introduction: the early 1980s,</li> <li>price: $1,300-$1,450,</li> <li>data rate: 1200, 2400 bps,</li> <li>modulation method: DPSK,</li> <li>transmission mode: full duplex,</li> <li>synchronization: asynch/synch,</li> <li>calling mode: orig/auto answer,</li> <li>diagnostics: analog, digital loopback,</li> <li>features: Bell 201 C and CCITT compatible; V.26 compatible.</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>Gandalf SAM 201 modem,</li> <li>Gandalf Access Series 24S modem,</li> <li>Gandalf LDM 408 modem,</li> <li>Gandalf TTS 400C, modem,</li> <li>Gandalf 1980-81 Catalogue.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gandalf Technologies, Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980s 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-wide, 1980s Gandalf modem https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/211cb4f044a2c4e7c3a6fd61f909ad4f.jpg c41526d29799ab904cd658671456412e Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. 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 Franklin hobby computer Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware: microcomputer Description An account of the resource The introduction of the first commercial microprocessors to the market in the early 1970s prompted several companies and individuals to design small, inexpensive, general-purpose computers around these novel semiconductor devices. When the first such computers (commonly referred to as microcomputers) began to appear between 1973 and 1975, they caught attention of electronics hobbyists. Their enthusiasm for the ‘computers of their own’ gave birth to a strong microcomputer hobby movement that played a pivotal role in the social acceptance of personal computing. These were the computer hobbyists who challenged the traditional boundaries of computing and its social status, and helped making personal computer use and ownership a reality. Canada was not an exception. Several Canadian electronics hobbyists were members of the first amateur computer club -- the Amateur Computer Society formed by Stephen B. Gray in 1966. In 1974, a Torontonian electronics hobbyist Howard Franklin designed and constructed a fully functional microcomputer using MIL MF8008 8-bit microprocessor. His computer was possibly the earliest example of a Canadian hobby microcomputer and is one of the earliest hobby microcomputers ever designed. <img src="https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/211cb4f044a2c4e7c3a6fd61f909ad4f.jpg" height:="" auto="" width="400" border="0" /> Howard Franklin reconnecting the boards of his MIL MF8008-based hobby microcomputer which he constructed in 1974. Photograph by Zbigniew Stachniak, 2004. Franklin was one of many Canadian electronics enthusiasts reading popular hobby electronics magazines, most notably Radio Electronics and Popular Electronics, and working on construction projects published in them (building radios, amplifiers, etc.) During his high school days he had an opportunity to learn about computers and their programming thanks to educational initiatives such as the University of Waterloo computer days, the Toronto Board of Education summer computer programs, and the North York board of Education special computer clubs. In 1973, Franklin learned about the Intel 8008 microprocessor and decided to build his own computer using its clone--the MF 8008--manufactured by Microsystems International Ltd. (MIL) of Montreal. There was sufficient technical literature on the 8008 which included schematic diagrams of rudimentary microcomputers based on this microprocessor: the Intel SIM8-01 and the MIL MOD-8. The study of published circuitry was the starting point for Franklin's computer project. The most innovative contribution to the design was the front panel circuitry that allowed data and short programs to be keyed-in directly into his computer using the switches of the front panel. Franklin began the design of his computer in early 1974. His first set of schematic diagrams was ready on March 14th but it was revised on May 6th. The computer was operational by the end of that year and modified further through 1975. In 2004, Franklin recollected that the design and construction process was a great learning experience. He found debugging of the design time consuming but not frustrating: I would sit there and patiently debug wire by wire the design -- oh this is interesting because you have never done anything of that scale before. So debugging took a while. Although Franklin designed his computer completely by himself, he built it with the assistance of some of his colleagues. "Here is the design, would you like to help building it, programming it?" recollected Franklin in a 2004 interview. Acquiring all the components for Franklin's project wasn't an easy task. They were expensive not only for him but for many electronics hobbyists. According to Franklin, two companies that (indirectly) contributed to "solving" the computer components supply problem and inevitably supported the growth of the Canadian computer hobby movement were MIL and Consolidated Computer Inc. (CCI) of Ottawa. Components that were out of specs were finding their way into the hobbyists' hands through the backdoor. Some of the circuit boards used by Franklin came from CCI, the MF8008 CPU and memory from MIL. Franklin suspected that The management most likely knew about this, did not worry about things that were going on at the backdoor; they knew who the chips were going to, they were not going onto the grey commercial market, they were going out to students who were building things as hobbyists. Franklin's computer was assembled using wire wrap technique. Electronic components mounted on printed circuit boards were interconnected by wires, with the connections made by wrapping several turns of uninsulated sections of the wire around a component lead or a socket pin. Wire wrap tools and chip sockets were available via mail order or from numerous electronics stores that offered inexpensive wire wrap equipment to the hobbyists. This made the completion of Franklin's project feasible as soldering of all the connections would require the production of PCBs and would make debugging much more complicated. The primary I/O device interfaced to Franklin's computer was the Teletype Model 15 made by the Teletype Corporation (introduced by the company in 1930). In the 1960s, computer industry was switching from early teletype models, such as the 15, to newer models including the Teletype Models 33 and 35. Franklin recalled that in the early 1970s, The junkyards were full of the 15s and were happily given away rather than accumulated in storage. The hobbyists became quite skilled in making the 15s operational and quickly learned how to interface them with their hobby computers. Howard Franklin graduated from the Electrical Engineering program at the University of Toronto. One of his most successful projects was a microcomputer-based voting system for the Borough of North York completed in 1977 and in operation for several years. (The museum has full documentation of the system.) Franklin was also an active member of the Toronto Region Association of Computer Enthusiasts  (TRACE)-- arguably the earliest Canadian computer hobby organization. He was writing a column for the TRACE Newsletter on computer hardware. Franklin's computer specification: <ul> <li>CPU - MIL MF8008, 8-bit,</li> <li>RAM - 16 KB (8 x MIL MF2102),</li> <li>Interface - Teletype Model 15,</li> <li>Software - monitor (including teletype I/O).</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Howard Franklin Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974-1975 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource York University Computer Museum https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/a40b08e81c9a8f7cdfdb6bafe5efab87.jpeg ecea5522bb20a5fbe612e639fc02d7ca https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/8a7ec97609b89e20375474ffd88b17bf.jpg 54715fe2b28fdebcdf4f059eaef4e1e2 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/b60cb593634e1d98d5486cf0d48de1ef.jpg 1bb923319f8dcde745f9a33e6869a4bc https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/8b024921daba38f0abc304a1819fb6cd.jpg dc21dfbe9400f93480f68df3065c7f66 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 J.L.S. Computers Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The North American personal and home computer market of the late 1970s and early 1980s, witnessed a proliferation of manufacturers and rapid growth in computer sales. In 1980, Apple Computer sold 130,000 Apple ][s while Tandy sold 175,000 of its TRS-80 computers. By the end of 1982, there were over 800,000 Commodore VIC-20s world-wide. The sales reached the one million mark in early 1983. These numbers were particularly noteworthy when juxtaposed with the global sales of mini and mainframe computers during the same period. On August 12, 1981, IBM entered the personal computer market with its announcement of the Personal Computer (PC). Much to IBM's surprise, the business community, traditionally hesitant to adopt microcomputers, responded with overwhelming enthusiasm. By the close of 1981, IBM had sold tens of thousands of its PCs, facing challenges in keeping up with the escalating demand. The momentum persisted as IBM sold 538,000 PCs in 1983, a figure that more than doubled in the following year with sales climbing to 1,375,000 units (see [1]). The success of the IBM PC in the marketplace, coupled with its informal adoption as the de facto industry standard for business desktop computers, had a positive impact on software and hardware compatibility. Numerous software and hardware companies promptly capitalized on the PC's surging popularity and IBM's disclosure of the machine's design. IBM PC-compatible systems began cropping up everywhere, offering compatible functionality and performance at a lower price. However, the introduction of the IBM PC also had a detrimental effect on the diverse microcomputing landscape. Many computer manufacturers, opting to resist IBM's entry into the PC market and defend the unique hardware platforms of their computers, were forced out of the personal computer market or closed their doors altogether. By the mid-1980s, the vast and lucrative PC market became saturated with IBM PC-compatible computers and IBM PC clones — affordable microcomputers that were both hardware and software compatible with IBM PC (and later, IBM XT and AT) products. Possibly the earliest IBM PC compatible computers were manufactured by Compaq Computer Corp. in the U.S. (the Compaq Portable) and Dynalogic Info-Tech. in Canada (the Hyperion). These two companies were soon followed by a fast growing group of other manufacturers who were cloning not only the IBM PC hardware but also its case and documentation. In many cases, the only visual distinction between these IBM PC clones and the IBM PC was the absence of the `IBM PC' logo on the computer's case. Notably, even the documentation and packaging for these clones mimicked the style and packaging of the original IBM PC documentation. The Canadian PC cloning industry was particularly strong in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Compiling a comprehensive list of Canadian manufacturers of IBM clones proves challenging due to the clandestine nature of the industry. Many clones were offered with unauthorized copies of the Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) program compelling the "cloners" to conceal any traces that could reveal their identity. Nevertheless, the list of reputable cloners adhering to industry regulations is long and includes, among other manufacturers, Microelectronics (Richmond, BC), Aftek (North York, ON), Computech Micro Designs (Mississauga, ON), Dynalogic (Ottawa, ON), ECS Computers (Mississauga, ON), IDM Research Industries (Etobicoke, ON), COR BIT Computer Industries Ltd. (Toronto, ON), Dynasty (Mississauga, ON), Exceltronics Components and Computing (Toronto), HAL Computer Company (Toronto, ON), J.L.S. (Toronto, ON), Lanpar (Toronto, ON), Soltech Industries Inc. (Surrey, BC), Solare (Quebec, QC), and Universal Computer Systems (Montreal, QC). In 1983, Joe Loren Sutherland founded J.L.S. Research (later renamed as J.L.S. Computers) in Toronto while he was working at Exceltronix—a prominent electronic store in 1980s Toronto—repairing computer hardware. Sutherland began his professional carrier as an electrical designer and detailer working at Ontario Electric on lightning and power installations. Then came his involvement with film industry and photo-electric art during his studies at Toronto's Ontario College of Art. However, the rapid development of desktop and home computing industry turned Sutherland attention to computer hardware design. His first single-board computer was the result of the major redesign of the popular Big Board II single-board computer designed by Jim Ferguson. Operating under the CP/M operating system, Sutherland's computer seamlessly ran "classic" CP/M software, including the Wordstar word processor from MicroPro International Corp., the Supercalc spreadsheet from Sorcim Corp., and MBASIC from Microsoft. When it was offered in 1983, the J.L.S. board was arguably one of the most advanced and cost-effective Z80-based computers in the Canadian market. In a 1983 article titled "The Legend of J.L.S." published in Computing Now!, Steve Rimmer characterized Sutherland's company as follows: "J.L.S. Computers has the distinction of being the world's most unknown computer company. This, and possibly the distinction of making the world's best value in powerful, low cost computers." (see [2]) By the end of 1983, Sutherland had designed yet another comouter, this time producing an IBM PC compatible hardware — the J.L.S. OBM-100. The computer's design differed from that of the IBM, opting for readily available components, ultimately resulting in a more cost-effective desktop solution. The J.L.S. PC was functionally identical to the IBM PC, could be interfaced with PC-compatible peripherals and run all of the software developed for the IBM computer. Sutherland's  IBM PC-compatible motherboards, packed in IBM-look-alike cases, began appearing not only in Ontario but also beyond, with diverse model and company name stickers affixed to the cases. Manufacturers such as Aftek and HAL Computer were among those which built their products around Sutherland's clones of the IBM PC motherboard. In 1984, J.L.S. introduced a clone of the IBM XT — the second generation of IBM's PCs. It was the first made-in-Canada desktop compatible with the XT. The final product released by J.L.S. was the clone of the IBM AT motherboard offered by Sutherland in 1985. Museum Holdings: <ul> <li>J.L.S. OBM100 (IBM PC compatible motherboard), 1983,</li> <li>Aftek XT (J.L.S. IBM XT compatible motherboard designed for Aftek),</li> <li>64-256KB System Board (J.L.S. IBM XT compatible motherboard),</li> <li>J.L.S. AT board (IBM AT compatible unpopulated motherboard),</li> <li>HAL Computer memory/serial card,</li> <li>The JLS Single Board Computer: Assembly Instructions and User's Manual, JLS Research, March 1983,</li> <li>BIG BOARD II Assembly Manual, preliminary draft, Cal-Tex Computers, 198?</li> <li>Assembly and Instruction Manual for the HAL Computer and HAL Computer Memory, preliminary edition, HAL Computer, 1983.</li> </ul> References: [1] Cringely, R. X., Accidental Empires, Harper Business, 1996. [2] Rimmer, S., The Legend of J.L.S., Computing Now!, August 1983. [3] Rimmer, S., The Further Legend of J.L.S., Computing Now!, December 1983. [4] Rimmer, S., Fables of Three Blue Clones, Computing Now!, June  1984. [5] Campbell, S. and Stachniak, Z., Computing in Canada: Building a Digital Future, Canada Science and Technology Museum Transformation Series 17, 2009. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource J.L.S. Computers 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, 1983-1985 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/338bd9988382dc02f8ce5bddab52cde6.png 0fe7cc6f703bca479f40628e53da15a4 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 Kobo eReader Subject The topic of the resource hardware: e-reader Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) Possibly the earliest attempt to create a publicly accessible digital library of books was Project Gutenberg, initiated by Michael S. Hart in 1971. Initially, its Electronic Public Library texts were stored in plain ASCII format on a Xerox Sigma V mainframe computer at the Materials Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois.    The Project Gutenberg Philosophy is to make information, books and other materials available to the general public in     forms [such as ASCII] a vast majority of the computers, programs and people can easily read, use, quote, and search.     [M. Hart, The History and Philosophy of Project Gutenberg, 1992.] Project Gutenberg reached its 1,000th e-book in 1996, and by 2025 the collection had grown to more than 75,000 titles. The privatization of the Internet and the creation of the World Wide Web in the mid-1990s offered an opportunity to sell e-books online. Bibliobytes, one of the earliest online e-book distribution sites, was founded in 1993 and offered both free and commercial e-books over the Internet. In Canada, Bookshelf.ca—the country’s first online bookstore—opened in 1995 in Guelph, Ontario. The e-book reading era had begun. The popularization of personal digital gadgets in the consumer electronics market—beginning with handheld calculators and pagers, and later including mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and handheld and tablet computers—made the creation of dedicated portable e-reading devices, known as e-readers, the next logical step in the development of e-book services. The first e-readers appeared in the late 1990s. The NuvoMedia Rocket eBook and the SoftBook Reader were introduced in 1998. Sony released the Librie in 2004, the first commercial e-reader to use an electronic paper display (E Ink) developed by E Ink Corporation. In 2007, Amazon launched the original Kindle, inaugurating a highly successful line of e-readers. By 2010, more than 200 mainstream and niche companies were offering e-reading devices, including Toronto-based Kobo Inc., which introduced its Kobo eReader that year. In 2025, the e-reader market was dominated by Amazon Kindle, with Rakuten Kobo maintaining a strong presence in Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific regions. The market was estimated at around USD 8.5 billion, with forecasts predicting steady growth throughout the decade, driven by continued consumer demand for digital reading formats and portable, eye-friendly screens. Emerging trends—such as larger color E Ink displays and a range of AI features that expand the use of these devices beyond traditional reading—further blurred the lines between e-readers and digital notebooks and tablets. Kobo Inc. The Kobo eReader was launched by Kobo Inc. on March 24, 2010, with first deliveries scheduled for May of that year. However, the origins of the device date back to 2006, when Canadian entrepreneur Michael Serbinis joined Indigo Books and Music, Canada’s largest bookstore chain. Since joining Indigo, Serbinis had been developing the idea of a mobile web-based e-reading service that would allow authors and publishers to offer their texts as e-books, while enabling consumers to access and read their selections in a “device-neutral” way anytime, anywhere, on any device. In the end, such a platform—Shortcovers—was launched by Indigo in 2009. Michael Tamblyn, who was hired by Serbinis that year, played a key role in the Shortcovers venture, bringing a wealth of experience as a co-founder of Bookshelf.ca, Canada’s first online bookstore (acquired by Indigo in 1998). Less than a year after going live, Shortcovers was providing e-content in Adobe EPUB format to customers in over 200 countries. It offered e-reading applications for a wide range of devices, including Apple iPhone, RIM BlackBerry, Palm Pre, Google Android smartphones, as well as Apple and PC desktops, and any e-reader compatible with EPUB format, such as the Barnes & Noble Nook or Sony Reader. On December 15, 2009, with funding from Indigo, Borders Group, Inc. (U.S.), Cheung Kong Holdings (Hong Kong), and REDGroup Retail (Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore), Shortcovers formally spun out from Indigo to operate under the name Kobo, Inc., with Michael Serbinis as CEO. The rebranded company continued its cross-platform e-book service approach, expanding its platform with additional smartphone, desktop, and tablet reading software, and introducing its own dedicated e-reader devices. It built a strong consortium of investors, publishers, retailers, and device manufacturers worldwide, establishing a global e-reading service with a distribution network covering the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and other regions.    We believe consumers want choice, and the freedom to read on any device. Building great eReading applications and     partnering with leading device manufacturers is a recipe for success in this quickly growing market. [Michael Serbinis, 2010] The first Kobo e-reader was launched on March 24, 2010, with initial deliveries in May of that year. An upgraded version, the Kobo WiFi, was released in October. Sales of Kobo's e-readers through retail outlets such as Indigo, Future Shop, and Borders were strong, generating close to $100 million in revenue during the first year alone . In 2011, Kobo was acquired by Rakuten Group, Inc., a Japanese technology conglomerate based in Tokyo, while Kobo’s headquarters remained in Toronto. With Rakuten’s network of over 50 million customers worldwide, Kobo was able to expand internationally more quickly. Three years later, Michael Serbinis stepped down as Kobo’s CEO and was succeeded by Takahito Aiki, with Michael Tamblyn becoming president. In 2016, Tamblyn replaced Aiki as Kobo’s CEO. Over the years, Kobo has continually enhanced its e-readers through software and hardware improvements, releasing a wide variety of devices listed below. Kobo eReader The Kobo eReader was a black-and-white device featuring a 6-inch, 8-tone grayscale E Ink screen. It was designed without Wi-Fi connectivity; instead, titles in EPUB or PDF formats had to be downloaded to a desktop using an appropriate Kobo desktop application and then transferred to the e-reader using a USB cable. Kobo e-books could also be loaded over Bluetooth from a compatible PC or smartphone. The device offered 1 GB of storage, less than other e-readers such as Kindle (2 GB). It could store up to 1,000 e-books and came preloaded with 100 public domain titles. Storage could be expanded by up to 4 GB using an SD card. Although the Kobo eReader lacked some of the features found in other e-readers, it was inexpensive ($150 at launch) and praised for its responsive and intuitive e-reading interface, as well as several unique design choices. Most buttons were positioned on the side to reduce accidental presses, while a large blue four-way navigation button on the front allowed for easy page navigation. The device featured a quilted rubber backing to improve grip and prevent it from sliding off surfaces. The Kobo eReader was designed by  Ian Barlow, Pamela Hilborn, Jeff Howard, and Tai Toh with engineering support from  Fred Atangan Robert Beghian, Lee Chew, Louis-Philippe Gagnon, Sameer Hasan, Nazuk Jain, Dan Leibu, Jean-Philippe Lemieux, David Lifshitz, and Sergey Perunov. Kobo e-readers 2010-2024 (after: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobo_eReader) <table> <tbody> <tr style="background-color: lightblue;"> <th>NAME</th> <th>MODEL</th> <th>DATE of release</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo eReade</th> <th>N416</th> <th>May 2010</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo WiFi</th> <th>N289</th> <th>October 2010</th> </tr> <tr> <th>obo Touch</th> <th>N905</th> <th>May 2011</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Glo</th> <th>B613</th> <th>September 2012</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Mini</th> <th>N705</th> <th>September 2012</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Aura HD</th> <th>N204B</th> <th>April 2013</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Aura</th> <th>N514</th> <th>August 2013</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Aura H2O</th> <th>N250</th> <th>October 2014</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Glo HD</th> <th>N437</th> <th>May 2015</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Touch 2.0</th> <th>N587</th> <th>September 2015</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Aura Edition 2</th> <th>N236</th> <th>September 2016</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Aura One</th> <th>N709</th> <th>September 2016</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2</th> <th>N867</th> <th>May 2017</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Clara HD</th> <th>N249</th> <th>June 2018</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Forma</th> <th>N782</th> <th>October 2018</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Libra H2O</th> <th>N873</th> <th>September 2019</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Nia</th> <th>N306</th> <th>July 2020</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Elipsa</th> <th>N604</th> <th>June 2021</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Libra 2</th> <th>N418</th> <th>October 2021</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Sage</th> <th>N778</th> <th>October 2021</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Clara</th> <th>N506</th> <th>September 2022</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Elipsa 2E</th> <th>N605</th> <th>Mid 2023</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Libra Colour</th> <th>N428</th> <th>April 2024</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Clara BW</th> <th>N365</th> <th>April 2024</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Kobo Clara Colour</th> <th>N367</th> <th>April 2024</th> </tr> </tbody> </table> Kobo eReader, technical specifications <ul> <li>display: 6-inch E Ink display with 8 level grayscale; 600x800 resolution</li> <li>display formats:  ePub and PDF</li> <li>fonts: 5 font sizes and two types: Georgia (serif) and Trebuchet (sans-serif)</li> <li>processor: Freescale Semiconductor (?)</li> <li>memory: 1 GB; SD card slot up to 4 GB</li> <li>storage capacity: up to 1000 eBooks</li> <li>connectivity: USB and Bluetooth (with selected smartphones and tablets)</li> <li>battery life: up to 8,000 page turns (approx. 2 weeks)</li> <li>dimensions: 120mm x 184mm x 10mm.</li> <li>weight: 221g</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>Kobo eReader, model N416 and its documentation,</li> <li>Kobo Desktop Application, Mac OS Setup, Kobo Inc., 2010,</li> <li>Kobo Desktop Application, Windows Setup, Kobo Inc., 2010,</li> <li>Kobo eReader User Guide,  Kobo Inc., 2010,</li> <li>Kobo eReader Quick Start Guide,  Kobo Inc., 2010.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kobo Inc., 364 Richmond Street West, Suite 300, Toronto, Canada. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2010 -- e-reader https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/1abbdd30e9b8181b49c4cae3e6ef30a2.jpg 947a979f62deb7779b887378d567a97e 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 LANPAR Personal Computer Description An account of the resource Historical context: LANPAR Technologies Inc. (also known as Les Technologies LANPAR Inc.), was a company founded in 1970 (as LANPAR Ltd.) by Rene Pardo in Markham, Ontario. Six years later, the company changed its name to LANPAR Technologies Inc. Prior to LANPAR's incorporation, Pardo and Remy Landau developed the first commercial electronic spreadsheet and named it LANPAR (LANguage for Programming Arrays at Random). Until the early 1980s, LANPAR was Canada's largest independent distributor of computer terminals. Its main line of business was the sale, rental, and service of computer terminals (mostly the products of Digital Equipment Corporation) and printers. Between 1982 and 1988, the company was involved in the distribution and manufacturing of personal computers. In 1982 and 1983, the company was selling the Osborne 1 computer (developed by California-based Osborne Computer Corp.) through Osborne Canada owned by LANPAR. Before the introduction of its own IBM XT-compatible computer--the LANPAR PC--in 1986, the company was also distributing IBM PC and -XT compatible computers from the American AT&T and Eagle Computer manufacturers. As a service-oriented company, LANPAR offered their services in most major Canadian cities (it had 15 service centers in 1986). The highly competitive PC market of the 1980s eventually forced the company to shift its corporate focus to sales and service of PC networking products. The company was dissolved in January 2003. LANPAR PC technical specifications: <ul> <li>CPU: NEC D8088D, 16-bit, 5MHz</li> <li>ROM: BIOS by Phoenix Technologies Ltd.</li> <li>RAM: up to 640KB</li> <li>hard-drive: 20 MB (optional)</li> <li>keyboard - IBM-style</li> <li>display: choice of 12" monochrome or composite monitor</li> <li>external storage: one or two 5.25" floppy disk drives</li> <li>ports: serial and parallel</li> <li>expansion slots: 8</li> </ul> Upgrade options: <ul> <li>8087 coprocessor</li> <li>IBM XT-style keyboard</li> <li>integrated tape back-up unit</li> <li>13" full-color monitor</li> <li>communication board</li> </ul> Software: <ul> <li>operating system: MS-DOS 3.2</li> <li>optional software: the computer's IBM XT compatibility allowed to use a large library of software written for the IBM XT platform.</li> </ul> The museum has a LANPAR Personal Computer model LPC, serial number L610206, with a keyboard.  It is equipped with two floppy disk drives,  a parallel port card, a monochrome graphic and printer card,  and a floppy disk controller card. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource LANPAR Technologies Inc. Subject The topic of the resource hardware: personal computer Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986 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, 1986-88 Lanpar personal computer https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/21ae2475976da116694342f8e8dab444.png e29677600e3ea1c4398fc7affc069f47 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 Mathatron calculator at York University Description An account of the resource Historical context (Z. Stachniak) The commercialization of the transistor in the first half of the 1950s had a dramatic impact on the decade-old computer industry. The all-transistor computers were offered as early as 1953 and, by the end of the 1950s, all major computer manufacturers were building transistorized machines. Similar shift to solid-state technology was made across consumer electronics industry (for example, in the mid-1950s, all-transistor radios quickly began to replace large and bulky vacuum tubes-based radio sets). Despite clear advantages that solid-state electronics had to offer to calculator manufacturers (if built, transistor-based calculators would be smaller, quieter, more versatile, and virtually maintenance free when compared with the traditional desktop electro-mechanical calculators), the calculator industry was much slower in adopting the new technology. Calculator manufacturers were quite reluctant to venture into electronics when no competitors, even those with electronics divisions (such as Olivetti, Burroughs, Sony, and Canon), were putting any electronic calculators on the market. They were simply unwilling to go against their main core products that still delivered corporate wealth and prestige, they had no desire to invest substantial resources into concurrent divisions of electronic calculators that would internally compete with their best-performing divisions of electro-mechanical calculators. It was not until the early 1960s that the first solid-state calculators appeared on the consumer market and almost instantly gained consumer acceptance. While most of the early electronic calculators supported only rudimentary arithmetic operations with, in some cases, one or two memory registers for storing intermediate results, several firms introduced calculators with functionality that went far beyond that. The execution of short sequences of instructions (programs) was the most notable of these new features. Programs for such calculators could be keyed-in by an operator or read from an external storage media (such as punch cards) and, then executed as many times as desired by a single press of a key. Mathatronics Mathatron Massachusetts-based company Mathatronics Inc. introduced its programmable calculator Mathatron in 1964. In comparison with ordinary calculators of the era, the Mathatron offered programming of complex mathematical formulas. The calculator was equipped with a printer that recorded entered programs as well as outputs of their execution. A special learn-repeat feature of the Mathatron allowed to store a program and reuse it as many time as required during a calculation session. In March 1964, Computers and Automation reviewed the Mathatron referring to it as a "unique desk-top size electronic digital computer." Mathatronics sold several models of its calculator: <ul> <li>Model 4-24 with 4 memory registers and program length of up to 24 steps,</li> <li>Model 8-48 with 8 memory registers and program length of up to 48 steps,</li> <li>Model 8-48S (Statistical Model) with 8 memory registers and program length of up to 48 steps,</li> <li>Model 8-48E (Civil Engineering Model) with 8 memory registers and program length of up to 48 steps,</li> <li>Model 8-48M (Mathematician' Model) with 8 memory registers and program length of up to 48 steps.</li> </ul> Models 8-48 offered several built-in scientific routines that could be selected using a built-in dial and pressing the "ENTER" switch located next to the dial. These routines could be executed separately or incorporated into programs. Mathatron at York University In the mid-1960s, York was rapidly growing and establishing new key departments. In 1965, Ralph W. Nicholls joined York University from the University of Western Ontario to form a new Department of Physics. In the same year, he became founding director of York's Centre for Research in Experimental Space Science (CRESS, later renamed the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science) that quickly gained prominence in North America. Unfortunately, York's first computer--the IBM System/360 Model 30--was only installed in November 1966 and, until then, CRESS members had to rely on calculators and computer resources offered by the University of Toronto. It was Nicholls who brought a Mathatron to CRESS. The calculator served calculating needs of both faculty and graduate students throughout the 1960s and 70s. It's use was under strict control. The instructions attached to CRESS' Mathatron read: <ol> <li>The use of this machine is restricted to CRESS staff members.</li> <li>CRESS Graduate Students must get permission from Dr. G.R. Hebert to use machine until they have indicated some proficiency in its use.</li> <li>Others must have the explicit permission from Dr. G.R. Hebert each time the Mathatron is to be used.</li> <li>Please fill in log book every time the Mathatron is used.</li> <li>Do not remove manuals from this location.</li> <li>In case of doubt regarding the operation of the Mathatron consult a) manuals b) G.R. Hebert, Room 205."</li> </ol> Museum's holdings <ul> <li>Mathatron 8-48, serial nr. 385,</li> <li>Mathatron calculator desk,</li> <li>Mathatron auxiliary program storage control unit.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mathatronics Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource introduced in 1964 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context H9 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant This calculator was in use at York University, Toronto, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Subject The topic of the resource hardware: programmable calculator Contribution Form The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form. Online Submission Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form. No