2 10 106 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/d6d85cdd2f23c420a3f0a6cff10a98c5.png c0bd3200d33f1cba19b90c1d680151d6 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 Alias|Wavefront Maya 1.0 Subject The topic of the resource software: 3D animation and visual effects software Description An account of the resource Historical Context Since the 1950s, computer operators had used a variety of cathode ray tube (CRT) terminals for displaying information in a rudimentary graphical form during the execution of data processing tasks. Some computer users went further and, in their spare time, experimented with the use of computers and CRTs for entertainment. In 1958, an American physicist William Higinbotham created Tennis — possibly the first video game. As rudimentary as it was, it attracted much attention during visits to Brookhaven National Lab where Higinbotham was employed as an engineer in charge of instrumentation design. Then came more sophisticated video games such as Spacewar! developed in 1962 at MIT by Steve Russell in collaboration with other MIT students, as well as the first experimentation with computers for the purpose of art creation and animation. By the early 1970s, these experiments resulted in the first generation of commercial-grade computer image editing systems (such as Richard Shoup's SuperPaint, 1973) and animation programs (such as National Research Council Canada's computer animation program, 1971). These developments were possible in large part due to the advancements in computer and semiconductor industries, such as the arrival of affordable minicomputers and the introduction of semiconductor memories. Computer animation in Canada began in 1971 when the National Research Council Canada (NRC) scientists Nestor Burtnyk and Marceli Wein offered their animation software that greatly simplified a traditional and labor-intensive frame-by-frame animation process, requiring animation artists to draw every single frame. Instead, their program required an artist to draw only key frames leaving the generation of frames linking the key ones entirely to the computer. Peter Foldès was the first artist to use NRC's animation software. His 1973 film Hunger won, among other distinctions, a Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival in 1974, the Best Animated Film award at the 1975 British Academy of Film & Television Awards, and an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Academy) nomination in 1974 in the Best Animated Short Film category. In 1996, Burtnyk and Wein were presented with an Academy award for "for their pioneering work in the development of software techniques for Computer Assisted Key Framing for Character Animation." Burtnyk’s and Wein’s work was just the beginning of what would become one of the most innovative and impactful sectors in the Canadian software industry. Toronto-based Alias Systems Corporation founded in 1984, Softimage established in Montreal in 1986, and Side Effects Software incorporated in Toronto in 1987 quickly established themselves at the forefront in the development of tools supporting ever growing needs of digital artists and animators. Maya The work on Maya 3D animation and visual effects software started in 1993 at Alias Systems Corporation — the company founded a decade earlier as Alias Research by Stephen Bingham, Susan McKenna, Nigel McGrath, and David Springer. The company's early objective was to produce a practical software package for the creation of realistic 3D video animations and to support computer-aided design. Alias' first products—the Alias/1 (1985) and Alias/2 (1986) 3D software packages—were acquired by several automotive companies and employed in the production of special effects in blockbuster feature films including The Abyss — a science fiction movie awarded the Academy's Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 1989. Alias' new 3D animation software—the PowerAnimator introduced in 1990—was even more successful. It was used in the production of special effects in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Jurassic Park (1993), earning both movies Oscars in the Best Visual Effects category. In 1994, six blockbuster films employed PowerAnimator-generated special effects: Forrest Gump, The Mask, Speed, The Flintstones, True Lies, and Star Trek: The Next Generation—A Final Unity with the Oscar awarded to Forrest Gump. The growing competition from other 3D companies as well as continuous pressure exerted by the entertainment and gaming industries upon 3D companies to deliver tools for even more realistic and sophisticated animation stimulated Alias to begin evolving its PowerAnimator into the next generation 3D animation software, Maya. In 1995, under the umbrella of Silicon Graphics, Alias merged with Santa Barbara, California-based Wavefront—another successful computer graphics company—to form Alias|Wavefront with headquarters in Toronto. This merger opened the door to an even more sophisticated world of 3D animation. In January 1998, the company released Maya Versio 1.0 — its new 3D animation software package. The software was primarily based on Alias' PowerAnimator and Wavefront's successful Advanced Visualizer. In the subsequent years, Alias|Wavefront was continuously upgrading and expanding Maya beginning with the release of Maya Builder, Maya Complete, and Maya Unlimited in 1999. "Maya Unlimited extends the realm of possibility for digital artists who want to shape the frontier of advanced 3D technology," stated Alias|Wavefront in its corporate history published by the company in 2004. And indeed, it did. Maya quickly became the 3D modelling and animation software of choice for the animation and gaming industries. Since 1999, it has been used for the creation of special effects in numerous popular movies including Matrix (1999, Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category), Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999, Oscar nomination in the Best Visual Effects category), Stuart Little (1999, Oscar nomination in the Best Visual Effects category), Dinosaur (2000, the fifth highest-grossing film of that year), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category), Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001), Shrek (2001, Oscar in the Best Animated Feature category), The Birds (2001, Oscar in the Best Animated Short Film category), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category), Spider-Man (2002, Oscar nomination in the Best Visual Effects category), Ice Age (2002, Oscar in the Animated Feature Film category), The ChubbChubbs! (2002, Oscar in the Animated Short Film category), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002, Oscar nomination in the Best Visual Effects category), The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King (2003, Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category), and many others. In 2002, Alias|Wavefront, was awarded an Oscar in the Technical Achievement category for its development of Maya. While this was Alias|Wavefront's first time to receive an Oscar, several employees had been honoured by the Academy previously for their achievements in the Scientific and Technical Awards categories. These Academy recognitions would continue to be bestowed upon the company's employees in the following years. In July 2003, the company changed its name to Alias. In October 2005, it was acquired by Autodesk of San Rafael, California. Since then, Autodesk has continued to develop Maya and other Alias' popular software packages including StudioTools, ImageStudio, and PortfolioWall  — Alias' key solutions for design and visualization. Maya major releases: Maya version 1.0 (Alias|Wavefront, January 1998) Maya Complete (Alias|Wavefront, 1999) Maya Unlimited (Alias|Wavefront, 1999) Maya 3 (Alias|Wavefront, June 2000) Maya 4.5 (Alias|Wavefront, June 2002) Maya 5 (Alias|Wavefront, April 2003) Maya 6 (Alias, 2004) Maya 6.5 (Alias, January 2005) Maya 7 (Alias, August 2005) Maya 8 (Autodesk, 2006) Maya 8.5 (Autodesk, 2007) Autodesk Maya 2009 (Autodesk, 2008) Autodesk Maya 2010 (Autodesk, 2009) Autodesk Maya 2011 (Autodesk, 2010) ...... Autodesk Maya 2023 (Autodesk, 2022) The museum has: - Maya 1.0, (box set), Alias|Wavefront, January 1998; the box set     includes:    *  Learning Maya Version 1.0, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  Using Maya Modelling, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  Maya 1.0 Release Notes, Alias|Wavefront, February 1998    *  Maya 1.0 Developer's Kit Release Notes, Alias|Wavefront,        February 1998    *  Maya 1.0 Installing & Licensing, Alias|Wavefront, 1998    *  Maya 1.0 F/X, Artisan, and Developer's Kit (DVD-ROM),       Alias|Wavefront, 1998    *  Using Maya Version 1.0, Basics, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  Using Maya Version 1.0, Animation, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  Using Maya Version 1.0, Dynamics, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  Using Maya Version 1.0, HyperGraph, Sets & Expressions,       Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  Using Maya Version 1.0, Rendering, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  VIZPAINT 2D User's Guide 3.3, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  Using MEL, ver. 1.0, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998    *  Discover Maya (DVD-ROM), Alias|Wavefront, 1998    *  Composer 4.5M (DVD-ROM), Alias|Wavefront, 1998    *  several promotional and reference brochures, 1998 - Character Animation in Maya, Alias|Wavefront, January 1999;  the front   cover has a stamp "Property of Lucas Arts Entertainment Company Art   Department" - Learning Maya 5, Foundation, Alias|Wavefront, 2003; includes    DVD-ROM - Learning Autodesk Maya 8, Foundation (DVD-ROM), Autodesk, 2006 - G. Maestri and M. Larkins, Maya 8 at a Glance, Wiley Publishing   Inc., 2006; includes DVD-ROM - Autodesk Maya 8.5, (DVD-ROM), Autodesk, 2007 - Learning Autodesk Maya 2009, The Special Effects Handbook,   Autodesk, 2008 - Eric Keller, Mastering Maya 2009, Wiley Publishing Inc., 2009;   includes DVD-ROM - Silicon Graphics Indigo^2 workstation, model nr. CMNB007BF195, with   PowerAnimator installed. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alias|Wavefront Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1998 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Artifacts donated by Robertson Holt 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, 1998-- https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/614e30ce58c479764671606e4d61404d.jpg 0c8f650cb490ed49bfc82a8f72740ab7 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/6edc06380f69bcfdb70ddb60e9eac6b4.jpg 78dd8748b41f806bc4069219e1cf5a8d https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/ac2ecab14b982a47b7ed2acb87f60d1a.jpg d7776750fc36eca1a817725f793059f4 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/10e69420792b0ccdef4140908c73f3a9.jpg e59c87234814adbada5845480ed33982 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 ATI Collection Description An account of the resource ATI Technologies Inc. was an electronics corporation and a world leader that specialized in the design, development, and manufacture of computer graphics solutions and chipsets for computer desktop and notebook platforms as well as workstation, set-top box, game console and handhold markets. The company was founded in 1985 in Markham, Ontario as Array Technology Inc. (or ATI) by K.Y. Ho, Lee Ka Lau, Benny Lau, and Francis Lau. ATI's first successful line of integrated graphics cards (sold to IBM and Commodore) allowed the company to rapidly grow into one of the leading manufacturers in its sector and to go public in 1993. By 2001, its revenues exceeded US $1 billion. ATI introduced several lines of graphics cards and chipsets including EGA and VGA Wonder in the late 1980s, the Mach8, 32, and 64 in the early 1990s, Rage and All-in-Wonder in the second half of the 1990s, and the Radeon line of graphics products in the early 2000s. In 2006, ATI was acquired by Advanced Micro Devices (or AMD) which continued to use the ATI branding until 2010. Acquisition: The objects in the collection have been donated by: AMD and Zbigniew Stachniak. HARDWARE <ul> <li>ATI VIP graphics card (1988)</li> <li>ATI VGA Wonder-16, rev. 2 (1988)</li> <li>ATI VGA 1024 graphics card, v4-01 (1989)</li> <li>ATI VGA 1024 graphics card, V60M-1.03 (1990)</li> <li>ATI VGA WONDER+ graphics card (1990)</li> <li>ATI 2400etc/e modem (1990)</li> <li>ATI 28300 SA Graphics Adapter (1991)</li> <li>ATI ATi Graphics Vantage card (1991)</li> <li>VGAWonder XL24, ver. 4.1, ATI (1992)</li> <li>ATI 14.4I/R.1.625 board (1993)</li> <li>ATI VGAWONDER GT graphics card (1993)</li> <li>ATI All-in-Wonder prototype, PCI bus, multimedia board (1994?)</li> <li>ATI GR WONDER VLB (1994)</li> <li>ATI PCI MARCH64 video card (1996)</li> <li>ATI PCI MARCH64 GT video card (1997)</li> <li>ATI RageII+ graphics card (1997)</li> <li>ATI 3d cHARGER (1997)</li> <li>ATI Rage 128PRO video card (2000)</li> <li>ATI Radeon 7000 32MB TVO (2001)</li> <li>ATI All-in-Wonder 9800 PRO, AGP 8x, multimedia board (2002)</li> <li>ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0, TV tuner, video capture adapter (2004?)</li> <li>ATI Radeon EAX1800 (2005)</li> <li>ATI HD 2600 PRO, AGP 8x512MB, multimedia board (2005?)</li> <li>ATI Theater tuner capture, PCIExpress 16MB, video capture board (2005?)</li> <li>ATI Radeon HD 3650, PCIExpress 256MB, GPU board (2006?)</li> <li>ATI Radeon HD 3650, AGP 8x512MB 256MB, GPU board (2006?)</li> <li>ATI RV100, PCIExpress 64MB, GPU board (2002?)</li> <li>ATI RV351, AGPx8, GPU board (2006?)</li> <li>ATI M24 dual GPU, PCIExpress, MCM memory, custom DFP display GPU board (200?)</li> <li>ATI RV620 display port, PCIExpress 256MB, GPU board (2008?)</li> <li>AMD ATI Radeon B276 graphics card (2008?)</li> <li>ATI FirePRO MultiView, PCIExpress 256MB, workstation GPU (2008?)</li> <li>AMD ATI B403, PCIExpress 256MB, display GPU board (2010?)</li> <li>AMD ATI B276 109-B27631-00 256MB Low Profile PCI-e DVI S-Video Graphics Card (200?)</li> </ul> SOFTWARE <ul> <li>EGA Wonder, ATI (5.25" diskette, 1986)</li> <li>ATI Graphics Solution (5.25" diskette, 1987)</li> <li>VGA Wonder, rev. 1.01, ATI (two 5.25" diskettes, 1988)</li> <li>VGA 1024, ver. 2.2, ATI (four 5.25" diskettes, 1989)</li> <li>VGAWonder GT, ver. 1.0, ATI (two 5.25" diskettes, 1990-93)</li> <li>VGAWonder GT, ver. 4.1, ATI (two 5.25" diskettes, 1990-93)</li> <li>mach64 NT Installation Disk, ver. 2.01 (two 3.5" diskettes, 1990-95)</li> <li>mach64 NT Driver, ver. 2.00 (two 3.5" diskettes, 1990-95)</li> <li>mach64 Windows 3.1x Driver/MPEG player, ver. 2.01 (two 3.5" diskettes, 1990-95)</li> <li>mach64 Windows 95 Driver/MPEG player, ver. 2.01 and 2.08 (two 3.5" diskettes, 1990-95)</li> <li>mach64 NT Driver/MPEG player, ver. 2.00 (one 3.5" diskette, 1990-95)</li> <li>VGAWonder XL24, ver. 4.0, ATI (two 5.25" diskettes, 1992)</li> <li>VGAWonder XL24, ver. 4.1, ATI (two 5.25" diskettes, 1990-93)</li> <li>Graphics Solution, ATI (one 5.25" diskette, 199?)</li> </ul> MANUALS, TECHNICAL LITERATURE <ul> <li>Graphics Solution, Operation Manual, ATI (April 1987)</li> <li>Graphics Solution, Manual, ATI (June 1988)</li> <li>Graphics Solution, Manual, version 2.0, ATI (September 1989)</li> <li>VGA Wonder, High Performance VGA, User's Guide, version 3.0, ATI (July 1989)</li> <li>2400etc User's Guide, version 1.0, ATI (July 1990)</li> <li>9600ETC-E User's Guide, version 3.0, ATI (December 1991)</li> <li>Stereo-F/X User's Guide, version 1.0, ATI (September 1991)</li> <li>ATI 14400 ETC-Express User's Guide, fax-modem, version 1, ATI (October 1993)</li> <li>VGAWonder GT, User's Guide, version 1.0, ATI (June 1993)</li> <li>VGAWonder XL24, User's Guide, version 3.2, ATI (June 1993)</li> <li>VIDEO BASIC User's Guide, version 1.0, ATI (August 1994)</li> <li>VIDEO-iT! User's Guide, version 1.0, ATI (June 1994)</li> <li>Mach 64, Graphics PRO TURBO 1600, Graphics PRO TURBO, Graphics Expression, WINTURBO, WINBOOST, User's Guide version 2.0, ATI (1994-95)</li> <li>Getting Started... Installing Your ATI Graphics Accelerator Card, version 1.0, ATI (June 1998)</li> <li>Getting Started, Installing Your Graphics Accelerator Card, version 4.0, ATI (June 1998)</li> <li>ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON, ALL-IN-WONDER 128 PRO, ALL-IN-WONDER 128, Installation and Setup User's Guide, version 4.0, ATI (2000)</li> <li>REX VGA Card, R7000L Series, User's Guide, version 1.0, ATI (200?)</li> <li> ATI Multimedia Center User's Guide, version 5.0, ATI (2000)</li> </ul> ATI publications <ul> <li>RED magazine, issues: Spring and Fall (2006)</li> </ul> Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/ati_logo.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="20%" height="20%" border="0" /> A collection of hardware manufactured and software published by ATI. 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 ATI graphics cards Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware: graphics cards Description An account of the resource Graphics cards and GPUs manufactured by ATI of Markham, Ontario. For full listing of ATI hardware, consult ATI Collection. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource ATI Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-2008 Relation A related resource ATI collection https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/94a9748516b1a1742dd1cefa94094621.jpg 84d259a4f3199da594f5ff0d3cc6e885 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 Bell Alex Display Phone Description An account of the resource Bell Canada ALEX tetetext service has its roots in the popularity of teletext systems (such as the French Minitel) and in Bell's Integrated Office Systems strategy, developed in mid 1980s, to integrate office systems with communications. Bell ALEX provided on-line data services through Bell's commercially available packet-switching data network called Datapac. ALEX service required a dedicated  terminal (rented from Bell) to be installed at a customer's location (later, the service could also be accessed using home computers). The ALEX terminal was designed by Norpak Corp. of Kanata, Ontario and manufactured by Northern Telecom. As opposed to text-based teletext  services such as Minitel, the display of ALEX terminal was implemented in compliance with internationally acclaimed NAPLPS standards (North American Presentation Level Protocol Syntax) first developed for the Canadian Telidon system. The ALEX service was officially launched in 1989 in Montreal (following the 1988 trials) and soon after in Toronto. Initially, the services in categories such as communication, entertainment, games, education, government, and shopping were offered. By September 1990, there were over 580 services available in Toronto area. The service was discontinued in 1994. The museum Bell ALEX holdings: <ul> <li>Bell Alex terminal model NT9 G52A1, serial number 140001170</li> <li>ALEX Magazine, Bell, Toronto, May/June and September/October 1990</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bell Canada Type The nature or genre of the resource Hardware Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context H.65 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 Bell display phone https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/12a9946d3c388db96702cc6e60d89ae6.jpg a11c43be4eff1bfae168aab48bcf5943 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/66075ee80fd6521ed29c3cafa920258a.jpg c4d8f18a8eb12436d68b1bf5487e664d https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/0057a9c53a1b1e5679b816786564042a.jpg bc088e6bba0f22baaf592a5bcbbcfd57 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/cc5fde984acde33263af8f4bd3481230.jpg 063b9bf49a605cae3fdd073e4dfbcf7e 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 Northern Electric—Nortel Networks Collection Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/Nortel_Logo.png" alt="Nortel_logo" width="25%" height="25%" border="0" /> The collection is dedicated to the corporate history of  Northern Electric and Manufacturing, Northern Electric, Northern Telecom, Bell-Northern Research, and Nortel Networks. Description An account of the resource Northern Electric and Manufacturing Company was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1895. It's main business was the manufacturing of telephone equipment for Bell Telephone Company of Canada. In 1914, the Northern Electric and Manufacturing Company merged with the Imperial Wire and Cable Company of Montreal to form the Northern Electric Company.  Although the new company's main business continued to be telecommunication equipment, Northern Electric also ventured into consumer electronics market manufacturing radios, television sets, console radio-phonographs, hi-fi amplifiers, and so on. In 1971, Northern Electric and Bell Canada formed Bell-Northern Research (BNR) — an Ottawa-based telecommunications research and development company. Around the same time, Northern Electric introduced its first electronic  PBX (Private Branch Exchange — a private telephone network used within a company or organization) named the SG-1. Four years later, BNR introduced the  SL-1 PBX  which was the world's first all-digital PBX aimed at medium-sized businesses.  In 1976, Northern Electric Company changed its name to Northern Telecom Limited and the company focused its operations exclusively on fully digital telecommunications products.  Northern Telecom was the first company in its industry to deliver a complete line of fully digital telecommunications products. Its SL-1 became the world’s most successful PBX and, by 1991, the company  was the world’s largest PBX supplier offering its Meridian communication systems line. In 1998, the company's name was changed to Nortel Networks to emphasize its focus on networking solutions for telecommunication over the Internet and other communications networks. In 2009, the company filed for bankruptcy protection. Abbreviations: <ul> <li>BNR: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.</li> <li>WC: W. Clipsham</li> <li>NT: Northern Telecom</li> <li>NOR: Nortel Networks</li> <li>WEC: Western Electric Company</li> <li>WB: items donated by Walter Banks</li> <li>KB: items donated by Keith Brickman</li> <li>HB: items donated by Henry Wiebe</li> <li>GR: items donated by Greg Reynolds</li> <li>ZS: items donated by Zbigniew Stachniak</li> <li>JM: items donated by John Morden</li> <li>RR: donated by Robert Roden</li> <li>SC: items donated by Stanley Chow</li> <li>DC: items donated by David Cuddy</li> </ul> HARDWARE <ul> <li>Digital Multiplex Switching System DMS-100 schematic diagram, Northern Telecom, 1979-1980 [SC]</li> <li>BNR XMS (eXtended Multicomputer System) workstation with two built-in 8" floppy drives [SC]</li> <li>BNR XMS workstation (prototype?)</li> <li>Two external 8" floppy diskette drives for the BNR XMS workstation[SC]</li> <li>Northern Telecom/Nortel Passport 50 DS1 MVPE module, [GR]</li> <li>Nortel Networks Passport 50 E3A FP module, [GR]</li> <li>Nortel Networks Passport 50 OC3S FP module, [GR]</li> <li>Nortel Networks Passport 50 CP module, [GR]</li> <li>Nortel's 1 MEG Modem, NTEX35AA, [ZS]</li> <li>Nortel Display Phone</li> <li>Northern Electric paper calculator, 1973 [JM]</li> <li>Dual NAND silicon microcircuit, Northern Electric, 1960s? [RR]</li> <li>Northern Telecom Alex videotex terminal, 1988</li> <li>Northern Telecom Displayphone telephone and data terminal, 1981</li> <li>Northern Telecom Displayphone 220 telephone and data terminal, 1987</li> <li>Nortel Europa smartphone [DC]</li> </ul> Corporate Documents <ul> <li>Northern Electric Company incorporation documents (original), 1914. [Nortel]</li> <li>Northern Telecom worldwide senior management structure, May 1983, [KB]</li> <li>Northern Telecom Inc., Major Business Units, May 1, 1985, [KB]</li> <li>Northern Electric Organization structure, September 1972. [KB]</li> <li>A file of Northern Telecom and BNR Human Resources publications and documents, 1979-1988</li> </ul> NEWSLETTERS and MAGAZINES <ul> <li>Northern Circuit, Northern Electric, Spring 1965. [KB]</li> <li>Northern News, Northern Electric, vol. 44, no. 7 (1969). [JM]</li> <li>The Networks, Northern Electric, September 1973. [JM]</li> <li>telesis, BNR issues: vol. 3, no. 2 (1973) [WB]; vol. 4, no. 3 (1975); vol 4., no. 1 (1976) [WC]; vol. 5, no. 2 (1977) and no. 9 (1978) [WB]; vol. 6, no. 1 (1979) [WB]; vol. 8, no. 4 (1981); vol. 12, no. 1 and 2 (1985) [WC, DC]; issues 92, 93 (1991), 98 (1994). [WC]</li> <li>the, Northern Electric, Ottawa, issue 2 (1969), 4, 5 (1970). [WC]</li> <li>Miscellany, BNR, vol. 2, 3 (1987), 4, 5 (1988), 6, 7 (1989). [WC]</li> <li>Printed Circuit, Northern Telecom at Bramalea vol. 18, no. 7 (1991). [JM]</li> <li>Lachine Journal, Northern Telecom at Lachine, no. 5 (1992). [JM]</li> <li>Network news, Northern Telecom, May 1992. [JM]</li> <li>Between-Us, Northern Telecom at Lachine and Laurentian no. 4 (1993). [JM]</li> <li>Protel Technical Notes, BNR, Language Development Group; issues: vol. 1, nr. 1--7, 1980.</li> <li>Data Packet, Data Networks Division, Northern Telecom, vol. 2, issue 3 )198?) [WC]</li> </ul> MANUALS, USER GUIDES, REPORTS, PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL 1940-1949 <ul> <li>No. 1 Crossbar Dial Telephone System, Photographs, Educational Bulletin No. 2.5, WEC, December 1947. [HW]</li> </ul> 1950-1959 <ul> <li>No. 5 Crossbar Dial Telephone System, Completion of a Call, Educational Bulletin No. 2.5 B-1, WEC, April 1954. [HW]</li> <li>The Step-By-Step Dial Telephone System, Telephone System Training, Lesson No. 3, No. 2.5 B-1, WEC, June 1954. [HW]</li> </ul> 1960-1969 <ul> <li>E.H. Lanham, A Brief Story of the Growth, Evolution, and Expansion of Telephone Systems from the Magneto Era to the Present, Technical Memorandum TM 8161-2-64, Northern Electric, December 31st, 1964.</li> <li>Toronto Works, Telephone Directory, Northern Electric Company, Switching Division, 1 November 1966 [WBr] 1 Nov. 1966. [HB] Preliminary Version, IPSA (29 November, 1970) [WK].</li> </ul> 1970-1979 <ul> <li>Time to switch... SP-1 electronic switching systems, Northern Electric, October 1973. [JM]</li> <li>Datapac: Standard Network Access Protocol, Trans-Canada Telephone System, 30 November, 1974. [WC]</li> <li>Datapac: Overview, Trans-Canada Telephone System, 1974? [WC]</li> <li>Datapac: Four papers presented to the Third International Conference on Computer Communications, Toronto, Canada (August 1976). [WC]</li> <li>An Introduction to GRAPPLE Programming, ver. 4.21, BNR 13490, July 1974. [WB]</li> <li>GRAPPLE Console Users Manual, ver. 1.0, BNR(?), 18 June, 1975. [WB]</li> <li>GRAPPLE Language Reference Manual, ver. 5.10, BNR 13500, June 1975. [WB]</li> <li>Datapac: Standard Network Access Protocol Specification, Trans-Canada Telephone System, 1976. [WC]</li> <li>Datapac: Four papers presented to the Third International Conference on Computer Communications, Toronto, August 1976, Trans-Canada Telephone System, 1976. [WC]</li> <li>W. Clipsham, SL10 Data Network Processor: General Description, BNR, Issue 1, September 1976. [WC]</li> <li>D. Drynan, SL10 Data Network Processor: Trunk System, BNR, February 1977. [WC]</li> <li>Integrated Software Engineering System: Cost-Benefit Analysis, BNR, November 1978. [WC]</li> <li>Integrated Software Engineering System: Overview, BNR, November 1979. [WC]</li> <li>Integrated Software Engineering System: System Requirements Specification, BNR, November 1979. [WC]</li> </ul> 1980-1989 <ul> <li>Introducing a major advancement in the evolution of the telephone: Displayphone, promotional brochure, Northern Telecom, April 1981 [DC]</li> <li>Does your telecommunications system give you access to your internal database? Displayphone promotional brochure, Northern Telecom, 198? [DC]</li> <li>SL-1 Displayphone promotional brochure, Northern Telecom, 198? [DC]</li> <li>Displayphone User Guide, Northern Telecom, February 1982 [ZS]</li> <li>Displayphone User Guide, Northern Telecom, issue 3 [ZS]</li> <li>Displayphone 220 User Guide, Northern Telecom, 1987 [ZS]</li> <li>ALEX Installation Guide, Northern Telecom, issue 1 [ZS]</li> <li>DMS-100 System Description, BNR, 1986. [SC]</li> <li>Writing Handbook, BNR, 1987. [WC]</li> <li>DPN: Data Networking System Reference Handbook, Northern Telecom, 1986. [WC]</li> <li>DMS-100/200 NT-40 Instruction Set, BNR, 1987. [SC]</li> <li>H. Johnson, Object-Oriented Programming in PROTEL (draft), BNR, 1988. [SC]</li> <li>H. Johnson, An Object-Oriented Language Based on PROTEL (draft), BNR, 1989. [SC]</li> <li>DPN-100: Data Networking Reference Handbook, Northern Telecom, 1988. [WC]</li> <li>B. Baker, Multiprocessing Core for DMS, BNR, 1989. [SC]</li> <li>Telephony, BNR, Technical Educational Department, 198?</li> <li>Meridian M4020 Integrated Terminal: Bringing integrated data and voice to the desktop, Northern Telecom, 1985. [DC]</li> </ul> 1990- <ul> <li>DPN-100/500: Data Networking General Description, Release 1.0, BNR, February 11, 1990. [WC]</li> <li>DPN: Data Networking System, BNR, October 1990. [WC]</li> <li>Advaced Telephone Terminals Design: Driving the Development of Next-Generation Terminals, Nortel-Northern Telecom, July 1997. [DC]</li> </ul> PAPERS and OTHER PUBLICATIONS <ul> <li>W.A. Depp and W.H.T. Holden, Circuits for Cold Cathode Glow Tubes, Bell Telephone System Technical Publications, Monograph B-1685, compliments of Northern Electric, 1949. Originally published in Electrical Manufacturing, vol. 44, pp. 92-97 (1949).</li> <li>J.H. Felker, Typical block diagram for a digital computer, Bell Telephone System Technical Publications, Monograph 2046, compliments of Northern Electric, 1952. Originally published in Transactions of American Institute of Electrical Engineers, vol. 71, part 1 (1952), pp. 175-182.</li> <li>Datapac and the SL-10 Packet Switching System: Selected Published Papers, 1976-79, BNR.</li> <li>M. Fridrich and W. Older, Helix: The Architecture of the XMS Distributed File System, reprint with the permission from IEEE Software (May 1985). [SC]</li> <li>N. Gammage and L. Casey, XMS: A Rendezvous-Based Distributed System Software Architecture, reprint with the permission from IEEE Software (May 1985). [SC]</li> <li>Northern Telecom: The Anatomy of Transformation, 1985--1995, Nortel/Northern Telecom (November 1996). [WC]</li> <li>H. Johnson, PROTEL A programming Language for Large Real-Time Applications, publisher: ? (1984).</li> <li>SINC Network Description, SINC Technical Document, Bell/BNR SINC Design Team (October 31, 1974). [WC]</li> <li>DPN Technical Papers 1985-1986, BNR. [WC]</li> <li>W.W. Clipsham, F.E. Glave, and M.L. Narraway, Datapac Network Overview, Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Computer Communication, P.K. Verma (ed), Toronto. 3-6 August 1976; the material includes memos and slides prepared for the presentation. [WC]</li> <li>The BNR Network (197?) [WC]</li> <li>I. Cunningham, Host to Network Protocol for the Bell-Northern Research Network, version 1.2, BNR (October 1973). [WC]</li> <li>B. Clipsham et al, First Level Protocol for a Data Switch, version V, August 14, 1972, CASE: R3777. [WC]</li> <li>C.C. Martel, I.M. Cunningham, and M.S. Grushcow, The BNR Network: A Canadian Experience with Packet Switching Technology, BNR. [WC]</li> <li>N. Dam, D. Schenkel, and W.Prater, Micro-SNAP - An X.25 Microcomputer System, MSNAP-BNR (197?) [WC]</li> <li>B. Hobbs, Chrysalis: Transforming The Way We Do Business, Northern Telecom S321 (September 19, 1991). [JM]</li> <li>32 photographs of the Northern Telecom constructions at 8200 Dixie Rd. taken between February 23 and December 8, 1987. [JM]</li> <li>Four photographs of the Northern Electric Calgary Cable Plant, 19?? [JM]</li> <li>Various promotional Nortel Networks brochures, 1995--2003. [ZS]</li> </ul> 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 Nortel Europa smartphone Subject The topic of the resource smartphone Description An account of the resource Nortel Europa (description courtesy of <a href="https://www.mobilephonemuseum.com/phone-detail/one-orbitor">Mobile Phone Museum</a>) The Nortel One (also known as the Europa handset) was an early instance of what’s come to be known as a ‘smartphone’, developed to show off the future that Nortel envisioned as a product family it called the Orbitor. Work on the Orbitor vision started at Bell-Northern Research (Nortel’s R&D subsidiary) in the early 1990s with a series of concept models focusing on what a handheld personal communicator could be like.  Once this proof-of-concept was validated through extensive user and chooser research, the design for Nortel One started apace in early 1995. It used the GSM radio and physical interface module from theNortel 92x/1920 phones with a digital signal processor (DSP) core for speech recognition and added an ARM processor module that interfaced with the touchscreen and powered the screen user interface.  The first working units, of which 80 were made, were delivered at the end of February 1998 in time for the GSM World Congress in Cannes, France. The development of the Nortel One device was primarily a skunk works  project undertaken at Nortel's Bell-Northern Research (BNR). It required the incorporation of many new technologies, overcoming internal corporate process challenges at Nortel, and managing a variety of logistics issues that the team working on the product had to address. The project largely flew under the radar at Nortel but succeeded thanks to a dedicated multi-disciplinary design team drawing on broad expertise at BNR (Ottawa, Canada) and AEG Mobile Communication (Ulm, Germany), then part of Matra-Nortel.   Initially, the prototype devices were going to be manufactured at an AEG factory in Berlin, but the manufacturing was moved to an SCI factory in Bordeaux, France where the final units were built. When it was originally conceived, the Nortel Orbitor was envisaged as being a “highly featured, pocket-sized wireless device” that would use advanced voice-recognition technology and a touch-sensitive screen to deliver voice, messaging and graphical notes in “one convenient, easy-to-use mobile communications devices.” The team working on the device boldly claimed they were “creating a new vision of personal communications for this decade [the 1990s] and into the next century.” They made it clear that the Orbitor was not a telephone, pager or a personal digital assistant (PDA) but that it was “something new, different and unique.” They preferred to describe it as being part of “a new category of personal communications management products that would put the user in control of emerging services and applications.” The original idea for the Orbitor was to be a compact, lightweight personal device, about the size of a wallet, that would be attached to a person’s clothing or easily fit in a pocket or handbag. The early design ideas centred on users being able to “dial” a number by simply speaking a number or a person’s name – a concept, that at the time, seemed like science fiction. Early concept models also included a detachable speaker that was designed to fit over a user’s ear “for handsfree operation and private conversations” – akin to a detachable Bluetooth headset that would come in later years. Nortel also envisaged that the Orbitor would support multimedia capabilities allowing users to communicate in different ways. For example, sending written messages to one person while having a call with another at the same time – yet another example of a use-case that is now taken for granted. Another revolutionary feature of the Orbitor was the use of animation in the user interface rather than plain text and static graphics – a capability that was only just starting to emerge on PCs at that time. The graphics on the Orbitor were animated offering an early example of skeuomorphic design – which mimics real-world experiences in the user interface. For example, when a message was received, an envelope moved onto the Orbitor’s screen and when the user selected it, the envelope unfolded to reveal the message. When the user deleted the message, the paper crumpled up and dropped off the bottom of the screen. The designers believed these “real-world images would make the Orbitor extremely easy to use by attracting user’s attention to the action being performed in a clear, unambiguous and memorable fashion.” A further example, that is also taken for granted these days, was when the Orbitor played a voice message an animated slider on a bar moved across the display. Users could use the touch screen to stop the message and play back portions of it by touching the bar at the appropriate position. Another innovation was offering “canned messages” such as “leave a voice msg.” or “call back to reschedule” so users could respond discreetly to calls when they were in a meeting or otherwise occupied. The early concepts of the Orbitor were validated starting in late 1992, using industrial design models in videos where various users were seen using the Orbitor in real-life situations. This was a smart approach as it avoided the costly and time-consuming process of building working prototypes. Screen simulations were super-imposed onto the devices used in the video which were so realistic at the time that some viewers thought the Orbitor models being used were real products. More details of the Orbitor concepts and underlying research can be found in the article that featured in the BNR in-house magazine, Telesis, Issue 97, December 1993. The first reveal of a functioning Orbitor device occurred in the BNR Futures Room at Nortel’s booth at Telecom’95 in Geneva, Switzerland. It was a fully featured device with a GSM radio, large 320 x 160-pixel eight-shade greyscale touch-sensitive screen and a graphical user interface, combined with advanced voice dialling and personal hands-free capabilities that had been pioneered on the Nortel 922 mobile phone. The prototype was powered by General Magic's MagicCap OS.  This demo garnered intense interest and was successful enough to give Nortel the confidence to progress down the road towards a commercial product. The Orbitor concept became the Europa device, which was eventually branded commercially as the Nortel One. By 1997, the design team decided to replace the MagicCap OS with Microware’s OS-9 combined with P-Java (a.k.a. Personal Java). The use of Java pioneered the notion of downloadable applications (today known as “apps”) to further personalize the user experience. The Nortel One worked in conjunction with the “Nortel One Server” which these days would be described as a “cloud platform”, or perhaps even an “app store". This allowed operators to provide customised data and services to users, including personalised menus and home screens, as well as being able to deliver apps in the form of Java applets.  Users could back up their phones to the server. Nortel believed that typical applications that would be offered on the Nortel One could include timetables and schedules, restaurant guides, stock prices, sports results, road and traffic information, ticketing, work scheduling and more. All types of content that are commonplace today. The phone had a range of features including text entry using the stylus either via character recognition or a soft keyboard, a “business card style directory”, a rudimentary browser with virtual buttons (tiles) that allowed users to access content and PIM (personal information manager) capabilities. The handset had a range of features including text entry using the stylus either via character recognition or a soft keyboard, a “business card style directory”, a rudimentary browser with virtual buttons (tiles) that allowed users to access content and PIM (personal information manager) capabilities, integrated speech recognition for voice-activated dialling, and a personal speakerphone.  A novel sliding keypad preserved the familiar 3-by-4 cellphone keypad with SEND and END buttons— when slid open the large touch-sensitive display was revealed. The first 80 pre-production handsets were manufactured in February 1998 to be showcased at the GSM World Congress trade show that month in Cannes, France by members of the Nortel team, including Ken Blakeslee. The Nortel One appeared again at the CeBIT fair in Hannover, Germany in March 1998. Initially, Nortel had planned to showcase the device as a major feature on its exhibition stand. However, the decision was taken to move the prototype devices to a back room away from public view. They were demoed by invitation to a few selected customers and industry personnel (including Nokia's Anssi Vanjoki) who were hugely impressed by the device with its futuristic capabilities such as weather data on a greyscale map with real-time data being transferred over SMS.  Nortel was also secretly working with the UK’s BT Cellnet to deploy the Nortel One offering a complete end-to-end solution combining the handset and a server solution hosting Java applications that could be downloaded onto the device. The team at BT Cellnet comprised several individuals including Simon Robinson, Tony Eales, Brian Greasley and others. The trial was destined to take place following GSM World Congress in 1998 with a goal of launching in the summer of 1998. The device and service portfolio was also shown to a number of retailers including Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone. Sadly, the BT Cellnet trial never came to fruition when John Roth, the then CEO of Nortel, abruptly ended the project. He felt that Nortel lacked the expertise required to be successful in consumer electronics devices and would not be able to hit the price points needed to be successful. Ultimately, this meant the future commercial iteration of the phone never came to market, but it has become a notable (albeit little-known) device in the history of the smartphone. Interestingly the patents and prior art that Nortel created around the Orbitor project have gone on to feature in several court cases concerning intellectual property in mobile phones, reflecting what a ground-breaking device it was for its time. Addendum: Nortel Europa — historical context (by Z. Stachniak) Integration of different, often disparate, functionalities within a single personal device, as exemplified by the smartphone, is not a new concept. In the 16th century, crucifix dials served as instruments to determine the time of day. These were small boxes in the shape of a crucifix typically crafted from brass and engraved with hour numbers and religious scenes. A built-in magnetic compass was used primarily, though not exclusively, to orient the instrument. It also aided in determining directions while traveling. Some of these dials incorporated other functionalities such as the conversion of "Italian hours" (24 hours of a day and night) into "common hours" (1 to 12 day hours) and vice versa carried on using built-in rulers. Thus, the dial addressed temporal and spiritual needs, provided secular guidance and helped to contemplate things eternal. <img src="https://media.britishmuseum.org/media/Repository/Documents/2014_10/8_15/ccd580a6_53f5_4382_9b07_a3be0105c968/mid_00442495_001.jpg" alt="16th century crucifix dial made by Melchior Reichle. The British Museum, museum number 1874,0727.3. " width="40%" height="40%" /> 16th century crucifix dial made by Melchior Reichle. Source: The British Museum, museum number 1874,0727.3. The rapid advancements in microelectronics during the 1970s and 1980s enabled the integration of multiple information management functionalities into single handheld devices, such as electronic organizers and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The Psion Organizer, released in 1984, offered users an electronic diary, searchable address database, flat-file database, calculator, and clock, as well as the execution of application programs and limited programmability. <img src="https://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/images/psion_at_YUCoM.jpg" alt="Nortel Orbitor prototype" width="30%" height="30%" /> The Psion Organizer, 1984. Source: York University Computer Museum. In the same year, Motorola introduced the DynaTAC 8000X phone, recognized as the first commercially available portable handheld cell phone. It offered approximately 30 minutes of talk time on full charge and limited call management features. The immediate social acceptance of PDAs and cell phones contributed to the popularization of the concept of personal, portable communication and information management devices. It was inevitable that sooner or later, a new generation of personal electronic devices combining PDA-like functionality with mobile telephony into a single device would emerge, and several companies began to work on such projects, including IBM (the Simon smartphone launched in 1994), Nokia (the Communicator released in 1996), and Alcatel (the One Touch Com introduced in 1998). Notably, BNR began its work on its vision for such a device (known as the Orbitor) in 1992.  Comprehensive market research was conducted to identify the types of products and services that would address crucial user needs through the use of such devices, as well as key user values for personal communications and data management. The Orbitor project was initiated by the BNR's Corporate Design Group which aimed at defining and implementing a new vision for personal communications. Initially, the device was envisaged as <blockquote>compact, lightweight, personal device—the size of the wallet—that would attach to a person's clothing or fit easily into a packet or purse. Offering voice, messaging, and graphical notes capabilities, Orbitor would be operated via voice-recognition capabilities and a touch-sensitive screen. Users could "dial" a telephone number simply by speaking a number or a person's name (provided that name has been entered in the personal directory) into the Orbitor's microphone. Orbitor would be designed with a detachable speaker that would fit comfortably over a user's ear for hands-free operation and private conversation. Orbitor would also be equipped with a detachable stylus to enable users to write messages, destined for other users, directly on the screen. As envisaged, Orbitor would also incorporate a multimedia capability that would let users communicate in different ways with more than one party at a time -- sending written messages to one person, while carrying on a voice conversation with another, for example. [1] </blockquote> <img src="https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/cc5fde984acde33263af8f4bd3481230.jpg" alt="Nortel Orbitor prototype" width="50%" height="50%" /> One of the Orbitor's concept designs. Source: [1]. The concept was first visualized in 1992 through videos produced by BNR as part of their extensive behavioural research. A variety of potential communication services were demonstrated by simulating them on a non-operational mock-up of the device. During the following three years, the Orbitor's design progressed to a state where its main features could be showcased in a working prototype. “We’ve been talking about and working with this concept for some time now, and we wanted to show our customers that its market implementation is not that far away," explained Arlan Anderson, manager of BNR's Portable Terminals Platform Development, in a press release from 1995 [2].  "We decided the best way to do that was to develop an operational prototype that could be demonstrated on a real switch.” In October 1995, such a technology demo was prepared for the Telecom ’95 trade show held in Geneva, Switzerland. "I was recruited/tasked to create a tiger team to create a working demo that could be put on display at T’95," recollected David Cuddy, former director of Nortel's Advanced Terminals Technologies group [3]. "This wasn’t a prototype of a product. It was a technology demo, or more accurately perhaps, a concept demo. What we built wasn’t based on Java - that design decision came later - but used the Magic Cap platform created by General Magic. [...] Given the positive response from prospective NT customers and trade journalists who saw our T’95 Orbitor demo, a decision was subsequently made to launch a product development program." The Orbitor's demonstration—among four special presentations featured at the BNR Futures Room at Nortel’s Telecom ’95 booth—showcased simultaneous voice and data communications through the DMS GSM system at Nortel's booth. “We demonstrated new audio and acoustic values that we call “Personal Handsfree,” which allow you to conduct a high-quality telephone conversation without having to hold the handset to your head," Arlan added [2]. "We also demonstrated several different types of messaging – handwritten messages, voice mail, and text messaging – accessed through the handset display.” During the 10-day event, the Orbitor demo was shown to over 800 customers and key government officials. According to Arlan, feedback was overwhelmingly positive: <blockquote>There is a lot of excitement around personal communications services in general, and people were very enthusiastic about what they saw and heard. The need for the types of user values exhibited by the Orbitor prototype was clearly acknowledged. In particular, the service providers noted the potential of Orbitor as a new wireless communications format that can help them evolve their business and differentiate themselves from competitors,</blockquote> Des Ryan, senior product design manager, Corporate Design Group, concurred. “The prototype enabled our customers to experience a future of their business where high-value services will be very easy to use, and showed that this future is within reach today.” [2] In the following two years, the Orbitor's design foundations underwent major transformation driven by many factors, most notably the commercialization of the Internet and the introduction of Sun Microsystems' Java. In 1986, NSF created its NSFNET network which soon became the primary Internet backbone. However, the network's mandate limited its usage exclusively to research and educational support endeavors. The "privatization of the Internet" culminating in NSF's retirement of its network in 1995, widely expanded Internet accessibility and paved the way for a wide range of new services from personal and corporate websites to e-commerce platforms. The release of Java 1.0 software in 1996 marked another pivotal factor impacting Orbitor's development. The BNR design team promptly recognized the significance of Sun's platform as an enabler of a vast array of sophisticated communications services. Consequently, in the same year, BNR decided to implement Orbitor as a Java-enabled device  code-named "Europa" — the first personal communications device of this kind. In an article for Talking Business magazine back in 1996, Ken Blakeslee, former head of the Business Development team at Nortel's Wireless Networks UK office, observed, "People understand what they want to do with mobile phones. It's only now that the technology arrived to enable it." The Europa handset, later rebranded as “Nortel One” [5], was officially unveiled during the 1998 GSM World Congress in Cannes in February 1998 and, a month later demonstrated at the CeBIT'98 International Trade Fair that took place in Hanover. The device had evolved into a full Java-enabled smartphone, running Microware OS-9 as the core operating system. It offered an advanced touch-sensitive graphical user interface, speech recognition, personal handsfree, and other advanced features. In addition, thanks to the Java underpinnings, it supported downloadable ‘apps’ as part of a client-server architecture. Sadly, as part of Nortel corporate refocusing, the Orbitor/Europa project was abruptly terminated in 1998. Nortel subsequently withdrew from the telephone handset market, divesting its portfolio of GSM, wireless, enterprise and landline telephones. The Advanced Terminal Technologies group was dismissed in 2000, and the following year, Nortel shut down the entire Corporate Design Group. Several groups within Nortel/BNR and outside companies participated in the Orbitor/Europa project including: <ul> <li>Corporate Design Group, Nortel,</li> <li>Advanced Terminal Technologies Group, Nortel,</li> <li>Nortel Wireless Networks, UK,</li> <li>Marta Communication Cellular Terminals, France,</li> <li>AEG Mobile Communications,  Germany,</li> <li>Sun Microsystems, USA.</li> </ul> In 1997, over 50 contributors from various BNR/Nortel groups and departments involved in the R&D  project signed a commemorative Europa poster. <img src="https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/66075ee80fd6521ed29c3cafa920258a.jpg" alt="Europa poster" width="50%" height="50%" /> Nortel Europa poster, 1997. Source: York University Computer Museum. References [1] Brown, M., Fairless, J., French-St.George, M., Lindsay, M., Roberts, T., and Ryan, D.,"Orbitor: a new personal communications concept," Telesis 97 (1993), pp. 5--13. [2] Orbitor, Nortel press release(?) (1995). [3] David Cuddy, private communication (2024). [4] Talking Business Magazine, Sun Microsystems (1996). [5] Nortel One: Nortel's Multimedia & Service Delivery Solution, promotional brochure, Nortel (1998) . Nortel Europa main features and technical specifications (as of 1998) Main features: <ul> <li>Java-powered cellular handset: Java enabled secure access to data from both the Internet and local Intranets,</li> <li>touch screen graphical user interface with handwriting character recognition and animated graphics (operated via touch, stylus, and keypad)</li> <li>business card style directory,</li> <li>ink notes: set-to-set ink messaging, allowing to send electronic hand written notes, diagrams, etc. from one device to another,</li> <li>text editor,</li> <li>built in help facility,</li> <li>Personal Information Manager (PIM) functions,</li> <li>integrated message center including SMS, voice, fax, e-mail, as well as notification and voice-mail interface,</li> <li>Internet browsing: Inpact browser,</li> <li>voice activated dialing,</li> <li>hands-free operation.</li> </ul> Hardware specifications: <ul> <li>motherboard: based on the Nortel 920 and 922 handsets,</li> <li>daughter card (the Europa Daughter Card, a.k.a. the EDC) containing: CPU, RAM, Intel Flash, and other components,</li> <li>CPU: Digital Equipment Corp. StrongARM SA-1100,</li> <li>RAM: 524,288 x 8-bit, implemented using eight Mitsubishi M5M5408ATP static RAM chips,</li> <li>flash memory: several types including Intel StrataFlash T28F800 and boot sector flash memory AMD AM29LV002B,</li> <li>SIM card: micro SIM,</li> <li>wireless network protocol: GSM, TI Gemini processor(?),</li> <li>keyboard: sliding, 20 keys (12 alphanumeric and 8 direction, phone, and function keys),</li> <li>display: 320x160 pixels touch screen, back-lit, 8-shade grey scale, controlled by the National Semiconductor COP472-3 liquid crystal display controller,</li> <li>audio-analog front end: Philips UCB 1200 (aka Betty),</li> <li>dimensions: 166x64x30,</li> <li>weight: 300g.</li> </ul> Software: <ul> <li>operating system: Microware OS-9,</li> <li>Personal Java platform, compliant with Java Telephony Application Programming Interface (JTAPI) ver. 1.2,</li> <li>GUI written in Java,</li> <li>variety of planned downloadable user applications, including: timetables/schedules, work scheduling, What's-on-Guide, restaurant guides, ticketing, stock prices, e-commerce, sports results, road and traffic information.</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>Nortel Europa 900, SN 004900 01 015129 0,</li> <li>Telesis, Nortel, issues 93, (December 1993) and 103 (July 1997),</li> <li>Nortel One: Nortel's Multimedia & Service Delivery Solution, promotional brochure, Nortel (1998),</li> <li>other Orbitor related holdings can be reviewed in the museum's Nortel archive,</li> <li>A 1997 commemorative Europa poster.</li> </ul> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource unveiled in 1995 at Telecom’95 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bell-Northern Research Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource donated by David Cuddy https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/8ff8bbc2bd37fc29d4dddb04ab1aa961.JPG 4dc66a41865ef52c5ec7942364cb73b1 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/fcafe45aa17bc8ef31e4877f435b1f98.jpg 11b643b60ed0dd368377ff3db2bdfdbe https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/7ec298fb5a63e3d738e9e0a16d0f45ff.png 77cf06486380317fb11d7bbbf7de6865 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/6558cf08f9f469a6f49ac50b29b24420.jpg c6d9c580290d47366a3a1092a390ee06 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/296b05f2fb3c0ded1a2c0a43fa78fa23.png dbc5d94df936d30a4f31b3acdb06e3b3 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/7eb8eb32479ef0ed93e841fe831d7c51.png 506088ef6e9c9493497f84c95a2a791a https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/7eb608c054e99bc11751c1444eda1eab.jpg 01930553f240a044764d14cab8f7370a https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/99248370bed223896e4eee54a31fc538.JPG dc4c109a29f50125cb416a36e917b23f https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/a74be93d4e3c7637d5d5872284b7fb5b.jpg c1a74c9346fdf46f61e8245df2ff670b https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/c7f7d4bed9b04525383affff12a85b0b.png 9f7d1e7d5389d1d21800b178cbce3f5e https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/1e5fb8cf93c4a1aa4062804db962ae1f.png caa7166077aaca029f24c15198b10bba https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/f196cf08f5c31b341faa7518fdafde96.png d34410a7914f2d7c500f2370a489ee7a https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/5e3059a58995b8f335055c873e314adf.png 12f04f0f237bccd11c7931f2aeab0f0e https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/63b777edaeaf0a159483c65b153b5612.jpg d007c9c7109227dd89b989fb04cff52b https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/674f43f57a004e69d135388b2ec1127a.png d62627da1a8b797c96823826bc573587 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 Micro Computer Machines: photographs and promotional brochures Subject The topic of the resource computer literature and photographs Description An account of the resource Photographs of former employees of Micro Computer Machines (MCM) and images of MCM promotional brochures used in the MCM exhibit and in the descriptions of MCM artifacts. From top to bottom, left to right: <ul> <li>The photograph taken during the announcement of the MCM/70 in Toronto on 25 September 1973 in Royal York Hotel (photographer unknown).</li> <li>Mers Kutt and Gordon Ramer  — the co-founders of MCM, 1973 (photographer unknown).</li> <li>Ted Edwards demonstrating the Executive at the Technical University of Denmark during the APL Congress in Denmark, August 1973 (© Politiken).</li> <li>MCM's hardware engineer José Laraya in front of an MCM/70 and one of its prototypes at York University, 2011 (photograph by Zbigniew Stachniak).</li> <li>Mers Kutt—a co-founder of MCM—speaks at York University in 2001 (photograph by Zbigniew Stachniak).</li> <li>André Arpin discussing the principles of his virtual memory at York University in 2008 (photograph by Zbigniew Stachniak).</li> <li>The Key-Cassette concept. Drawing by Mers Kutt, 1972.</li> <li>A prototype of the MCM/70 used during the  announcement of the MCM/70 in Toronto on 25 September 1973 in Royal York Hotel (photographer unknown). </li> <li>The MCM/70 assembly line at the MCM manufacturing facility in Kingston, Ontario, 1975(?) (photographer José Laraya). </li> <li>MCM company logo, 1973. </li> <li>An MCM/70 promotional brochure, 1974. </li> <li>The TEXT/700 word processor ad in MCM NEWS newsletter, 1976. </li> <li>Pension Actuarial Valuations and Plan Administration (PVAS) software promotional brochure, 1976. </li> <li>An MCM System 800 promotional brochure, 1976. </li> <li>An MCM Power promotional brochure, 1980. </li> </ul> Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource brochures published by Micro Computer Machines; photographers as indicated in the descriptions 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, 1972-2011 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 Adtech microcomputers https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/28dd30e28d7cf0ad71142f63b4ef207b.jpg b0b72f7aa9115302c112a316ec01e8d7 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 Burroughs Bookkeeping Machine Subject The topic of the resource hardware: electromechanical calculator Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The industrial revolution of the 19th century brought new manufacturing methods and with them the ability to produce high quality precision instruments and mechanical devices in large quantities. The first typewriters appeared in the early 19th century and the first wave of useful calculators soon after in Europe and a few decades later in America. America entered the age of mechanical calculators in late 19th century, much later than Europe. When major European countries were undergoing extensive industrialization, the United States was still primarily involved in agriculture while Canada was not even on the map as a country. The Civil War of 1861-1865 did not help with the industrialization either, delaying the effects of the industrial revolution on the North American continent for a decade. It was not until after the Civil War when new forms of manufacturing (steam-powered) allowed the American industry to grow and spread across the nation. It was at that time, when a vibrant office equipment industry was created with calculator manufacturing centers in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, and Philadelphia. Large businesses, agencies, and institutions were expanding fast, putting more and more people into their offices. It quickly became evident that ever increasing number of calculation tasks could not be handled cost-effectively without appropriate calculating aids. While American institutions were looking for efficient ways for conducting their business, inventors and entrepreneurs were determined to supply them with all sorts of office gadgets. Two individuals—Dorr E. Felt and William S. Burroughs—played a key role in establishing the calculator industry. Both were determined to provide businesses with just the right kind of calculators: fast, accurate, easy to operate and, in the case of Burroughs' calulators, with printing capabilities. In the end, they created calculator empires that dominated the American calculator market well into the next century. When William S. Burroughs was working as a bank clerk, he envisioned the process of tedious arithmetic operations mechanized to such a degree that the results would also be automatically printed on paper. In the end, Burroughs not only designed such a machine—the Arithmometer (1884)—but also co-founded American Arithmometer Company in St. Louis to manufacture it. By the end of the 1800s, his company was successfully selling several hundred machines a year. In 1917, Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Detroit (formerly American Arithmometer Company of St. Louis) opened its Canadian subsidiary in Windsor, Ontario. Three years later, the Canadian branch moved to the newly constructed facility in Windsor at the corner of McDougall St. and Elliott St. Over the years, the Canadian subsidiary manufactured several calculators including motor-driven adding and listing Bookkeeping Machine and a range of portable adding machines. Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines The Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines were some of the most impressive adding machines made. Although they were large and heavy, their bevelled glass walls on three sides allowed viewing of their internal mechanical operations during calculations, certainly aimed at creating a "WOW" effect with a machine priced at between $615 to $715. The calculators offered between 6 to 17 columns of keys, a numeric display, and a printing mechanism with a wide carriage featuring a paper length setting and an end of page bell. These calculator could perform addition only. The multiplication could be done by repeated additions. Apart from numeric keys, Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines offered several "function" keys. A column could be cleared by pressing the red key at the top of that column. Other keys were designed to clear the entire keyboard, to perform repeated additions for multiplication, to calculate total and subtotal results as well as other functions depending on the calculator's model. Several options were provided including electric drive that eliminated manual use of a crank handle to perform calculations. This option offered a tabular steel frame with the motor and gearbox mounted underneath. Museum holdings <ul> <li>Burroughs Bookkeeping Machine (17 columns, electric), model/serial number C2-1286030, manufactured by Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada, Windsor, Ontario,</li> <li>Burroughs Portable Adding Machine, model/serial number 03-370060, manufactured by Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada (?)</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920s(?) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource The calculator was donated by Unisys Canada Inc. in 2016 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, the early 1900s calculator https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/e12273373333b2e25db7f84a7b54c248.jpg 65777eb308785aa48c981e38dbb3d5db 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 Cognos PowerHouse Subject The topic of the resource software Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) Cognos Incorporated, formerly known as Quasar Systems Ltd., was a pioneering Ottawa-based software company renowned for its innovative business intelligence and performance management solutions. The company was established in 1969 by Alan Rushforth and Peter Glenister. Michael Potter joined the company in 1972 and, within three years, became the sole owner of Quasar. The company changed its name to Cognos in 1983, opened its new head office in Ottawa in 1985 and, a year later, went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. By the early 1990s, Cognos became the largest independent software company in Canada. By the turn of the century, Cognos served more than 17,000 customers in 120 countries. Potter retired in 1995 and was replaced by Ron Zambonini as the company's CEO. In 2007, Cognos was acquired by IBM for $4.9 billion. Throughout the 1970s, the company primarily focused on information system consulting, predominantly serving the Canadian federal government. Under Potter's leadership, the company's business profile changed. In an interview with the Ottawa Business Journal [1], Potter credited Bob Minns as the catalyst for this transition. <blockquote>Bob was an extraordinarily important guy to the whole Cognos story. [...] Once with Quasar, Bob Minns had the bright idea, which was quite revolutionary at the time, that you could develop a higher-level language which could allow an end user, not an IT specialist, to be more directly involved in actually writing code that would extract data and write the summary reports that he needed. That higher-level language was independent of any particular application, so it could be standardized and packaged as a product. Bob then developed the idea and we released our first software product [Quiz] in the early ’80s. The margin for selling these products was much higher. The geographic constraints of having our people at each customer site were gone, so we could sell it internationally. It just took off.</blockquote> The rapid success of Quiz spearheaded the firm’s transformation from a service-based business to software publishing, shifting the company's emphasis towards business intelligence and performance management tools. Quiz was followed by PowerHouse (1982), PowerPlay (1990), Impromptu(1995?), and PowerPlay Web (1998). As of 2024, UNICOM Systems distributes PowerHouse software (including PowerHouse 4GL and PowerHouse Web), while IBM offers PowerPlay (current version is 11.0). PowerHouse PowerHouse is a fourth-generation programming language (4GL) designed for developing business applications. Introduced in 1982 for the Digital Equipment VAX minicomputers, PowerHouse expanded upon the original Quiz reporting product, providing much broader functionality focused on simplifying and accelerating the development of comprehensive data management applications. In Power House Primer (version 5.04), Cognos explained that <blockquote>Compared to traditional languages like Cobol, PowerHouse dramatically reduces the programming effort required to develop applications. PowerHouse applications can be functionally equivalent to Cobol applications, while development can be up to ten times faster. Simple English statements eliminate many laborious programming tasks, significantly reducing the total number of programming instructions. Fewer instructions, in turn, not only shorten the development process, but equally important, reduce the programming effort required to maintain an application.</blockquote> PowerHouse consists of three main integrated components: <ul> <li>QUICK - screen builder (QDESIGN module) and screen-based transaction processor,</li> <li>QUIZ - report generation software,</li> <li>QTP - volume transaction processor.</li> </ul> The PowerHouse Dictionary serves as the foundational framework for these components, acting as a central repository for defining the basic entities necessary to describe data within a specific system or systems. The dictionary is created and maintained through a system of screens developed in QUICK. PowerHouse was the first Cognos global product set, swiftly attracting international attention and amassing a revenue exceeding $100 million. By the mid-1980s, it became the most widely installed fourth-generation language on minicomputers worldwide. The robust sales of PowerHouse played a pivotal role in Cognos' decision to go public in 1986 and paved the way for the transformation of Cognos into a business intelligence software company. Following IBM's acquisition of Cognos in 2007, support for PowerHouse persisted until 2013, when the entire PowerHouse product line, including PowerHouse 4GL Server, Axiant 4GL and PowerHouse Web, was acquired by UNICOM Systems. Selected PowerHouse versions <table> <tbody> <tr> <th>TITLE</th> <th>COMPANY</th> <th>PLATFORM</th> <th>YEAR</th> </tr> <tr> <th>PowerHouse</th> <th>Quasar Systems</th> <th>Vax minis</th> <th>1982</th> </tr> <tr> <th>PowerHouse for MPE/HL</th> <th>Cognos</th> <th>HP 3000</th> <th>199?</th> </tr> <tr> <th>PowerHouse for MPE/iX</th> <th>Cognos</th> <th>HP 3000</th> <th>199?</th> </tr> <tr> <th>PowerHouse PC</th> <th>Cognos</th> <th>Intel-DOS PCs</th> <th>1998</th> </tr> <tr> <th>PowerHouse Web</th> <th>Cognos</th> <th>Unix-based servers</th> <th>1999</th> </tr> <tr> <th>IBM Cognos PowerHouse 4GL</th> <th>IBM</th> <th>multiple platforms</th> <th>2010-2013</th> </tr> <tr> <th>PowerHouse 4GL</th> <th>UNICOM Systems</th> <th>multiple platforms</th> <th>2013-</th> </tr> </tbody> </table> Further Readings: [1] Lifetime Achievement, Ottawa Business Journal, Nov. 7, 2016, pp. 14--15. [2] Voyer, R. and Patti, R., The New Innovators: How Canadians are shaping the knowledge-based economy, James Lorimer & Comp. Pub., 1994. [3] Cognos Inc., Encyclopedia.com, https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/cognos-inc. Museum holdings PowerHouse library of documents including: <ul> <li>PowerHouse Quiz, Cognos, 1985,</li> <li>PowerHouse Quiz, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987,</li> <li>PowerHouse Dictionary, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987,</li> <li>PowerHouse QTP, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987,</li> <li>PowerHouse Quick, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987,</li> <li>PowerHouse Pocket Guide, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987,</li> <li>PowerHouse Pocket Primer, v. 5.04, Cognos, 1987,</li> <li>E. Schurr, Introducing the PowerHouse for Application ,Development on VAX, Cognos, 198?,</li> <li>How to Use PowerHouse Screens, Cognos, 1987.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cognos Inc. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Cognos Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1997 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 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/1d20d33f4ca7eb9e4ae0151a6ddf436c.jpg d3e65ff402c7328caa474b72781a50f5 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 Commodore VIC-20 Subject The topic of the resource hardware: home computer Description An account of the resource Historical context Commodore International Ltd. (or Commodore) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic hand-held calculators as well as home, educational, and business microcomputers. It was best known for its popular personal computers including the PET line of personal desktops as well as the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and the Amiga computers. It was founded on October 10, 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later, the company incorporated its Commodore Business Machines subsidiary in New York. In 1976, Commodore reorganized its corporate structure as Commodore International Ltd. and moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and the operations headquarters to Pennsylvania. The restructured company encompassed several entities world-wide including Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. In 1947, the company's founder—Jack Tramiel—emigrated from Poland to the US. During his US army service (1948-51) he gained considerable experience in repairing office equipment which he turned into business in his civilian life, first in Bronx, New York, and later in Toronto, Canada, where he moved in 1955. His Toronto business was initially focused on repairs and selling licensed typewriters, adding machines, and other office equipment. Initially located at 2 Toronto Street, in the city's downtown core, a short distance from the IBM Toronto Downtown Office, the company relocated several times before establishing its headquarters in Scarborough, Ont. During the 1960s the scope of Commodore's business expanded to office furniture as well as to electric and eventually electronic calculators. The first Commodore-branded adding machine was the model C mechanical calculator manufactured by a Czechoslovakian company Nisa and sold by Commodore around 1960. The first exclusive Commodore adding machine—the 202—was announced in 1967. The following year, the company began to turn its focus toward electronic desktop and, soon after, hand-held calculators. Commodore entered the market of hand-held electronic calculators in late 1970s with its CBM 110 device. Within months, the company introduced what would become a popular series of Minuteman calculators. That series, in turn, was followed by the "SR" and "SF" line of scientific and financial hand-held calculators. By the mid-1970s, Commodore was selling a wide range of electronic calculators, becoming one of the largest American manufacturers of these devices. Commodore's entry into microcomputer market was, to a large degree, the result of fierce price war in the calculator market that started in late 1973, and the decision of Texas Instruments—one of the main suppliers of calculator chips—to enter the calculator market and to compete with its clients. To stay competitive and independent of third parties for the chips and displays that went into its products, Commodore purchased MOS Technology in 1976. With the acquisition came not only MOS integrated circuits (most notably the 6502 microprocessor) but also Chuck Peddle's—the 6502's chief designer's—considerable technical expertise and impeccable sense of changing trends in electronics market. While at MOS, he built the KIM-1 single-board computer that quickly became popular among computer hobbyists. Peddle urged Commodore not to underestimate the market potential for mass-manufactured microcomputers and his team got permission to go ahead with a project of designing a desktop computer around the 6502 processor. The all-in-one Commodore PET (or Personal Electronic Transactor) was introduced in 1977. It was successfully marked world-wide, which opened the door into the consumer electronics market for the company's next best sellers: the VIC-20 introduced in 1980, and the Commodore 64 unveiled in 1982. By 1983, in just 25 years, a small downtown Toronto typewriter sales and repair shop was transformed into one of the most revered personal computer companies in the world, shipping more units world-wide than any other computer company. However, the departure of Tramiel from Commodore in 1984 marked the beginning of the company's downfall. Commodore was loosing grounds to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh platforms. The purchase of Amiga and the sales of its aging fleet of 8-bit computers sustained the company for a while but eventually, in 1994, Commodore began its liquidation. Commodore VIC-20 The VIC-20 home computer was one of the most successful Commodore products. Its prototype was previewed at the National Computer Convention in Chicago in June 1980 but, as a product, it was first launched three months later in Japan as VIC-1001. ``You are about to meet a friendly computer! Friendly in price, friendly in size, friendly to use and learn on and experience" proclaimed Commodore introducing its VIC-20 microcomputer. [From Personal Computing on the VIC-20: A Friendly Computer Guide, Commodore Business Machines, 1982, p. II.] Commodore sold 8000,000 VIC-20s world-wide in 1982, reached the one million mark early in 1983 when they were being shipped at the rate of 100,000 units per month, making the VIC-20 one of the best-selling computers of all times. Designed in the `computer-in-keyboard' style, the VIC-20 featured the MOS Technology 6502A processor, a BASIC interpreter in ROM, and easy to use QWERTY-style keyboard. The computer used an ordinary color TV set for the display. The high-resolution color graphics capabilities of the VIC-20 made the computer an attractive family entertainment box to rival the supremacy of gaming consoles. Indeed, in spite of its limitations  the addition of an external disk drive, a low cost printer, and of a popular VICModem, made the VIC-20 ``the most user friendly computer on the market...friendly in price, friendly in size, friendly to use and expand.'' [From the back cover of Personal Computing on the VIC-20: a friendly computer guide, Commodore Business Machines, 1982.] From the start, Commodore provided the VIC-20 with the diverse software libraries on easy to use ROM cartridges and cassette tapes. Modems for the VIC-20, such as the VICmodem, allowed users to get on line and try electronic mail for the first time or to browse through the libraries of information available on computer bulletin board systems and commercial computer networks. A number of on-line services such as CompuServe, Delphi, Dow-Jones, Genie or The Source owed their popularity and growth to the low-cost VICmodem. In North America, the VIC-20 was sold for the strategically low price of $299.95 through mass merchandise retail outlets (such as K-Mart, Sears, and Toys-R-Us) as well as computer dealers and selected electronics stores. Some of the VIC-20s were manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada.  VIC-20  specifications <ul> <li>CPU: MOS 6502 at approx. 1 MHz</li> <li>RAM: 5KB expandable to 32KB</li> <li>ROM: 20 KB occupied by BASIC 2.0 *8KB), KERNAL (8KB), and character set (4KB); external ROM cartridges,</li> <li>video processor: MOS 6560/6561 VIC,</li> <li>display: text node: 23 rows and 22 column</li> <li>graphics mode: 176×184 pixels</li> <li>sound: MOS 6560/6561 VIC,</li> <li>keyboard: 62 key QWERTY-style keyboard with additional four function keys,</li> <li>ports: expansion port (for various types of cartridges), Audio/Video port, floppy disk drive/printer port,</li> <li>cassette tape storage port, user port (general purpose serial/parallel port),</li> <li>serial bus IO port, game port (for connecting a joystick, a paddle, or a lightpen),</li> <li>peripherals: modems (e.g. the VICmodem), floppy disk drives (e.g. the VIC-1540), cassette tape drives (e.g. the C2N), printers (e.g. the 1525 printer),</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>Commodore VIC-20, serial nr 662878 manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada,</li> <li>Commodore VIC-20, serial nr P1105919 manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada,</li> <li>Commodore Datassette, serial number S796519,</li> <li>Commodore C2N Cassette, serial nr 1734692, with operating instructions,</li> <li>Commodore VIC 1541 floppy disk drive, serial nr 2092779, with user's manual and guide,</li> <li>Commodore 1520 printer, serial nr 007931,</li> <li>Commodore VICmodem, Model 1600, serial nr. 060749,</li> <li>Pocket Modem for Commodore systems,</li> <li>Commodore VIC 1211A Super Expander, 3KB (with documentation),</li> <li>Xetec Super Graphix Jr printer interface,</li> <li>extensive library of educational, entertainment, and personal software on VIC-20 ROM cartridges and cassette tapes,</li> <li>VIC-20 manuals, guides, books, and promotional literature. </li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Commodore Business Machines 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, 1980--1985 Commodore home computer microcomputer https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/f9b1a7c59b06c1c94d02bf67d4354402.jpg 663e7f40a889e947dbb176d6dde37317 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 Commodore Plus/4 Subject The topic of the resource hardware: home computer Description An account of the resource Historical context Commodore International Ltd. (or Commodore) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic hand-held calculators as well as home, educational, and business microcomputers. It was best known for its popular personal computers including the PET line of personal desktops as well as the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and the Amiga computers. It was founded on October 10, 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later, the company incorporated its Commodore Business Machines subsidiary in New York. In 1976, Commodore reorganized its corporate structure as Commodore International Ltd. and moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and the operations headquarters to Pennsylvania. The restructured company encompassed several entities world-wide including Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. In 1947, the company's founder—Jack Tramiel—emigrated from Poland to the US. During his US army service (1948-51) he gained considerable experience in repairing office equipment which he turned into business in his civilian life, first in Bronx, New York, and later in Toronto, Canada, where he moved in 1955. His Toronto business was initially focused on repairs and selling licensed typewriters, adding machines, and other office equipment. Initially located at 2 Toronto Street, in the city's downtown core, a short distance from the IBM Toronto Downtown Office, the company relocated several times before establishing its headquarters in Scarborough, Ont. During the 1960s the scope of Commodore's business expanded to office furniture as well as to electric and eventually electronic calculators. The first Commodore-branded adding machine was the model C mechanical calculator manufactured by a Czechoslovakian company Nisa and sold by Commodore around 1960. The first exclusive Commodore adding machine—the 202—was announced in 1967. The following year, the company began to turn its focus toward electronic desktop and, soon after, hand-held calculators. Commodore entered the market of hand-held electronic calculators in late 1970s with its CBM 110 device. Within months, the company introduced what would become a popular series of Minuteman calculators. That series, in turn, was followed by the "SR" and "SF" line of scientific and financial hand-held calculators. By the mid-1970s, Commodore was selling a wide range of electronic calculators, becoming one of the largest American manufacturers of these devices. Commodore's entry into microcomputer market was, to a large degree, the result of fierce price war in the calculator market that started in late 1973, and the decision of Texas Instruments—one of the main suppliers of calculator chips—to enter the calculator market and to compete with its clients. To stay competitive and independent of third parties for the chips and displays that went into its products, Commodore purchased MOS Technology in 1976. With the acquisition came not only MOS integrated circuits (most notably the 6502 microprocessor) but also Chuck Peddle's—the 6502's chief designer's—considerable technical expertise and impeccable sense of changing trends in electronics market. While at MOS, he built the KIM-1 single-board computer that quickly became popular among computer hobbyists. Peddle urged Commodore not to underestimate the market potential for mass-manufactured microcomputers and his team got permission to go ahead with a project of designing a desktop computer around the 6502 processor. The all-in-one Commodore PET (or Personal Electronic Transactor) was introduced in 1977. It was successfully marked world-wide, which opened the door into the consumer electronics market for the company's next best sellers: the VIC-20 introduced in 1980, and the Commodore 64 unveiled in 1982. By 1983, in just 25 years, a small downtown Toronto typewriter sales and repair shop was transformed into one of the most revered personal computer companies in the world, shipping more units world-wide than any other computer company. However, the departure of Tramiel from Commodore in 1984 marked the beginning of the company's downfall. Commodore was loosing grounds to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh platforms. The purchase of Amiga and the sales of its aging fleet of 8-bit computers sustained the company for a while but eventually, in 1994, Commodore began its liquidation. Commodore Plus/4 In 1984, Commodore followed its successful VIC-20 and C64 computers with a series of low cost Commodore 16, 116 and Plus/4 computers designed to compete with the entry-level home computers manufactured by scores of companies around the world. In the end, none of these new Commodore computers could match the success of the VIC-20 or the C64 and their production was soon discontinued. While the Commodore 16 and 116 were rudimentary home computers, the Plus/4 came with ROM-resident office software suite consisting of a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a graphics program. Unfortunately, with the arrival of desktops offering a much richer and advanced applications (such as the Apple Macintosh and the IBM AT), the era of `computers-in-keyboard' was coming to an end. The Pus/4 was discontinued in 1985. Some of the Plus/4 computers were manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. Commodore Plus/4 specifications <ul> <li>CPU: MOS Technology 7501/8501 at approx. 1.8 MHz,</li> <li>RAM: 64 KB,</li> <li>ROM: 64 KB (with built-in Commodore BASIC 3.5, a machine language monitor, a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and graphics program),</li> <li>video processor: MOS Technology TED (TED 7360)</li> <li>display in text mode: 40×25 characters; three text modes: standard, extended color, and multicolor,</li> <li>display graphics mode: 160x200 (multicolor) and 320×200 (hi-resolution) with 121 colors (16 primary colors, 8 luminance levels),</li> <li>sound: two tone sound generators,</li> <li>keyboard: QWERTY-style, simplified, 59-key with additional 4 programmable function keys and four cursor keys,</li> <li>ports: serial bus (IEEE-488, port for a disk drive or printer), cassette tape storage port, user port (RS-232 general purpose serial/parallel port), memory expansion port (for various types of cartridges),  two game ports (for use with joysticks),  audio/video port (to connect a monitor,</li> <li>peripherals: disk drives (e.g. Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive), cassette drives (e.g. Commodore 1531 Datassette), monitors (Commodore 1801 and 1802), modems (e.g. Commodore Modem 300), printers (e.g. Commodore MPS-802 printer), game controllers, mouse (e.g. Commodore 1351).</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>Commodore Plus/4, serial nr. CA1043221, manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada</li> <li>Commodore Plus/4 basic documentation.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Commodore Business Machines Ltd. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context H.19 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, 1984-1985 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 Commodore home computer microcomputer personal computer https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/a802c29121e70fd193d746c48d6dfd31.jpg b6fbc3b7eb61986e5383b2238b48a571 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 Computel Systems Ltd Archive Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/computel_logo.jpg" alt="computel_logo" width="30%" height="30%" border="0" /> An archive of documents recording corporate activities of Computel Systems Ltd. — one of the earliest Canadian computer services companies. Description An account of the resource The first commercially manufactured computers appeared in 1951. By the mid-1960s, the computer industry was well established and the broad benefits of computing to large and medium-sized organizations were  well understood. In the 2nd half of the 1960s,  an organization had two options to satisfy its computational needs.  It could create its own data processing center by purchasing the necessary equipment and hiring a team of computer professionals to operate the center. Alternatively, it could use  computers owned and operated by an outside computer service bureau — a vendor of computer power and skills. While the former option was available to all but a few richest organizations, the latter solution offered even mid-sized companies access to state-of-the-art computing infrastructure. Around that time computer services  became one of the fastest growing computer-based industries (it was growing at the rate of, approximately, 25% annually). Although some computing services were offered in Canada as early as 1950s (the University of Toronto Computation Canter opened in 1952; KCS Data Control of Toronto started its operations in 1955), the real boom in the Canadian computer services industry begun in 1967 with the creation of Computel Services Ltd., later renamed as Computel Systems Ltd.  Computel was co-founded in Ottawa by  Warren Beamish and Robert Horwood. Incorporated in 1967, Computel was the first Canadian company to offer remote computer services using termionals connected to a centralized computer network. Using such terminals located in Computel's branch offices or on clients' premises, users could submit their data processing jobs, access a comprehensive library of applications, or develop and execute their own programs using  programming tools provided by Computel. Later, the company expanded its services by offering technical advice, programming assistance, data and program conversion as well as research and problem solving. Taken together, these offerings reflected Computel's philosophy of total service. Computel inaugurated its services in early February 1968.  Terminals in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto communicated over phone lines with the company's Univac 1108 computer that offered 6  connections with remote terminals. Soon after, another Univac 1108 was installed in Toronto and an IBM 360 model 65 in Ottawa. The list of the first Computel's clients included the  Bank of Canada, Canadian National Railways, Defence Research Board, Departments of Agriculture, Finance, and Transport as well as  Dominion Bureau of Statistics,  National Energy Board, National Research Council,  Ontario Hydro, Unemployment Insurance Commission, and Whirlpool Corp. Computel viewed computing as commodity and purchasing computer power as utility. This was reflected in naming its offices as Computer Utility Centers. By mid 1970s, the company grew into one of Canada's largest and most successful computer-based service companies offering its business throughout North America with its utility centers across Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Victoria) and the United States (Los Angeles, Miami, Mountain View, Santa Clara). The documents in the archive have been donated by Robert Horwood (Computel's co-founder and former president) and Gordon Gow (Computel's former director of marketing). Corporate Documents <ul> <li>Computel Systems, Ltd., board of directors meetings, agendas, minutes, reports (1967-1968) [C13]</li> <li>Computel Systems Ltd., Board  File (January 1973) [C02]; includes: <ul> <li>Minutes of the Meeting held November 27, 1972</li> <li>Minutes of the Meeting held December 6, 1972</li> <li>President's Report</li> <li>Comptroller's Report</li> <li>Quarterly Report</li> <li>Resolution for Insurance of Shares to SAI</li> <li>Westwood Data Center</li> </ul> </li> <li>Computel Systems Ltd., Interim, Quarterly and Annual Reports (1968-1980) [C02]</li> <li>Computel Systems Ltd., Prospectus of Industrial Company (February 5, July 10, and September 3, 1968) [C02]</li> <li>Computel Systems Ltd., A Corporate Profile (June, 1973) [C05]</li> <li>Computel Systems Ltd., minutes of the Directors (February 1, October 19, November 8, December 19 (1967); February 6, March 21 (1968)) [C06]</li> <li>A file of documents on Computel's corporate infrastructure and client base (undated, unsigned) [C10]</li> <li>A file of documents prepared for Computel shareholders including: notices of meetings, financial statements and reports (1968-1972 ) [C14]</li> <li>Computel Systems Ltd., company overview, 8 pages (December 3, 1969) [C10-B]</li> </ul> Promotional Documents <ul> <li>Computel, Computel Systems Ltd. (197?) [C04]</li> <li>Computel Systems Ltd. promotional brochure (includes: Introduction,  Services, Advantages,  Computer Systems, Software, and Terminals sections) (197?) [C04]</li> <li>Computel The Best promotional brochure (197?) [C04]</li> <li>Computel: The computer problem-solvers (English and French versions, 1970?) [C04-B]</li> <li>Computel Computer Systems, promotional brochure (undated) [C04-B]</li> <li>Computel Keyboard Services, promotional brochure (undated) [C04-C]</li> <li>Who says You can't use the IBM 370/165 right now?, promotional brochure (undated) [C04-B]</li> <li>Facts About Computel, promotional brochure (undated) [C04-B]</li> <li>Briefly, Computel Systems Ltd., promotional brochure (undated, c1974) [C04-B]</li> <li>TRASS Heat Transfer Analysis with Fluid Options, software promo (undated) [C04-C]</li> <li>Electronic Circuit Analysis-ECAP, software promo (undated) [C04-C]</li> <li>High Speed Computel Terminals, promotional brochure (undated) [C04-B]</li> <li>Computel Systems Ltd... a service facility selling large scale computer time over telephone lines, promotional brochure (undated, c1968) [C04-B]</li> <li>Computel, Computing by Telephone, promotional brochure (1968) [C04-B]</li> <li>Computel's Utility Network (1page, undated) [C04-B]</li> <li>Computel's St. Laurent Utility Center (1page, undated) [C04-B]</li> <li>Computel's Laurier Utility Center (1page, undated) [C04-B]</li> <li>Computel's Toronto Utility Center (1page, undated) [C04-B]</li> </ul> Computel newsletters <ul> <li>Computalk, vol. 1, no. 1 (March 1970); vol. 1/2 (August 1977); vol. 1/3 (December 1977) [C08]</li> <li>Computel output, C For issues (undated) [C08]</li> </ul> Other Documents and Publications <ul> <li>A new industry's wild ride, Business Week (May 24, 1969) [C03]</li> <li>H.H. Moore and R.G. Murray, Computel as a Service Bureau, A Brief Study on the Present and Future (April 5, 1976) [C03]</li> <li>The Computation Industry and Computel Systems, Ltd., Jones Heward (March 1969) [C03]</li> <li>Computel Users Reference Manual, Computel Systems Ltd. (October, 1967) [C07]</li> <li>Canadian Computer Service Industry, unsigned and undated (1970?)  study [C09]</li> <li>J. Horwood, The First Decade, Computel Systems Ltd. (1978) [C11]</li> <li>A file of documents concerning Access Banking Network Inc., and its involvement in the development of ATM network in Canada (1980s) [C12]</li> <li>J.L. Sorensen, A Solution to the Small Company's EDP Dilemma..., Computel reprint from the Journal of Data Management (April 1969)  [C09]</li> <li>Computer Utility Industry, Mitchell, Hutchins & Co (November 1968) [C09]</li> <li>The Canadian Computer Based Industry, Wisener and Partners (December 1969) [C09]</li> <li>A Fast Talk in Computer Talk, Computel Systems Ltd., 3 pages (undated) [C03-B]</li> <li>Computel Rates; Initial Contract Incentive Plan, 2 pages (undated) [C03-B]</li> <li>Unlimited Opportunity for Women in the Computer Industry,  Computel Systems Ltd., 3 pages (undated) [C03-B]</li> <li>High Speed Remote Terminal; Your Low Cost Answer to Unlimited Computing Power, 7 pages (October 1, 1969) [C03-B]</li> <li>Stock Broker Package Using Computel Systems Ltd. Computer Utility, 7 pages (1968?) [C03-C]</li> <li>Simulation, 2 pages (September 23, 1969) [C03-C]</li> <li>Linear Programming, 1 page (September 23, 1969) [C03-C]</li> <li>Media release (February 14, 1969) [C03-B]</li> <li>Clippings of newspaper and magazine articles (1968-1986) [C1968-C1976, C1980s]</li> <li>A collection of UNIVAC 1108 manuals (1966-68) [UNIVAC Collection]</li> </ul> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Robert Horwood and Gordon Gow Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1967-1982 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 Computel Systems Ltd., scans of images Subject The topic of the resource computer services industry Description An account of the resource An image of the Ottawa office of Computel Systems Ltd. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Computel Systems Ltd. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Computel Systems Ltd. promotional brochure Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970s Relation A related resource Computel Systems Ltd. Archive Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource digital scan 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 Computel