Cromemco landmarks

From: Fred Cisin <cisin_at_xenosoft.com>
Date: Thu Nov 8 11:38:39 2001

In order to get many of those "firsts", Cromemco sometimes got quite
creative with definitions and boundaries. For example, "first 16M <$50K"
is probably setting the line to rule out somebody else that had a 15M.
"First micro with integrated floppy drives" probably has an interesting
definition of "micro" to exclude some, and definition of "integrated"?

For example, they probably exclude from "micro" S-100 systems that used
third party Z-80 boards, etc.


On Thu, 8 Nov 2001, Michael Nadeau wrote:

> Alpha Microsystems, which apparently has recently become Optimal Systems
> Services, claimed the first multi-user micro, but it's not clear what date
> it was introduced.
>
> Stan Veit in his book says that Technical Design Labs and The Digital Group
> had Z80 systems before Cromemco, and I've seen other references to support
> that. I can't speak to the other claims. Cromemco definitely had the first
> *successful* Z80 micro.
>
> --Mike
>
> Michael Nadeau
> Editorial Services
> 603-893-2379
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "M H Stein" <mhstein_at_usa.net>
> To: "'ClassicComputers'" <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2001 6:43 AM
> Subject: Cromemco landmarks
>
>
> > Speaking of Cromemco, did you know (according to their literature) that
> > aside from naming the S-100 bus, they also developed:
> >
> > -The first Z-80 micro
> > -The first multi-user micro
> > -The first Unix-like OS for a micro (Cromix)
> > -The first micro with a Winchester HD
> > -The first complete system with 16M/50MHD for <$50,000
> > -The first micro color graphics system
> > -The first micro addressing memory >64K
> > -The first micro with IBM RJE communication
> > -The first intelligent micro I/O interfaces with a CPU on I/O card
> > -The first micro implementation of I/O channel processors
> > -The first micro to boot from ROM without front panel switches
> > -The first self-programming EPROM card
> > -The first micro with error-correcting memory
> > -The first graphics system with hardware stenciling (whatever that is)
> > -The first micro graphics system capable of sync'ing to a TV broadcast
> > -The first micro with integrated floppy disks
> >
> > And that in 1987 an XXU equipped system was almost twice as fast as a
> > VAX 11/780, which cost over four times as much as the largest Cromemco
> > system at the time.
Received on Thu Nov 08 2001 - 11:38:39 GMT

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