Micom 2000

From: Lawrence Walker <lwalker_at_mail.interlog.com>
Date: Fri Mar 19 23:29:34 1999

 A chance quote in the Cromemco thread by Sellam led me to some info on the
old Micom 2000 I've had for some time. Seems that historically it was in good
company, with the Atairs, MITS, and the Apple 1 (included for context). I
guess when I did my last search Don Poullsons definitive list wasn't up yet.

FROM TIMELINE OF MICROCOMPUTER HISTORY................Poulsson

March (75)
     Fred Moore and Gordon French hold the first meeting of a new microcomputer
     hobbyist's club in French's garage, in Menlo Park, California. 32 people
     meet, including Bob Albrect, Steve Dompier, Lee Felsenstein, Bob Marsh, Tom
     Pittman, Marty Spergel, Alan Baum, and Steven Wozniak. Bob Albrect shows
     off an Altair, and Steve Dompier reports on MITS, and how they had 4000
     orders for the Altair. [185.110] [266.104] [301.55] [346.18] [353.200]
     [346.257] (April [208.67] 266.39)

     Stephen Dorsey, founder of Automatic Electronic Systems, sells his 25% of
     the company for $135,000. [615.98]
    
     Stephen Dorsey and Louis Miller found
     Micom Data Systems, in Canada. [615.90]

July (75)
     Bill Gates and Paul Allen sign a licensing agreement with MITS, for their
     implementation of the BASIC language. [299.8]
     Bill Gates and Paul Allen ship 4K and 8K version of BASIC v2.0. [123]
     Dick Heiser opens Arrow Head Computer Company, subtitled "The Computer
     Store", in Los Angeles, selling assembled Altairs, boards, peripherals,
     and magazines. This is the first retail computer store in the USA.
     [266.185] [684.41]

    Micom Data Systems ships its first product, the Micom 2000 word processing
    computer. [615.99]

September (75)
     IBM's Entry Level Systems unit unveils "Project Mercury", the IBM 5100
     Portable Computer. It is a briefcase-size minicomputer with BASIC, 16KB
     RAM, tape storage, and built-in 5-inch screen. Price: US$9000. Weight: 55
     pounds. [9] [197.xi] (Price over US$10,000 [203.10])
    The first issue of Byte magazine is published. [9] [266.159]

March (76)
     Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs finish work on a computer circuit board, that
     they call the Apple I computer. [46]
    
     By the end of its first year in business, Micom Data Systems ships
     180 Micom 2000 computers, worth $2 million. [615.99]

May (78)
     Stephen Dorsey signs an agreement with Philips to sell them 80% ownership
     of Micom Data Systems. [615.103]

May (83)
     Philips buys out Stephen Dorsey's remaining 20% ownership of Micom Data
     Systems. [615.103]

           [615] Knights of the New Technology - The Inside Story of Canada's
                    Computer Elite, by David Thomas, 1983.
Received on Fri Mar 19 1999 - 23:29:34 GMT