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Other Trivia (in no special
order, updated when we remember additional stuff...)
Technical
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The Nova instruction set could be considered the
first real RISC architecture designed when other vendors were creating more
complex systems.
-
Data General's first Disk Operating System (DOS)
was introduced in 1970, was designed as file-independent, ran in 12 KW
memory and used a fixed head disk which had a minimum of 128 KB.
-
Data General introduced another Disk
Operating System in 1975 that was derived from its Real-time Disk Operating
System (RDOS).
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Data General Nova-style systems are still
unknowingly used in many commercial and some military systems today!
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DG created its own semiconductor fabrication
plant in Sunnyvale California.
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Data General introduced the concept of flexible,
multi-tasking programs with its RTOS and RDOS operating systems in 1972.
Today we see this concept rediscovered as "threads" in
"modern" operating systems, and touted as a new way of handling
sophisticated applications. Even Java is now on this bandwagon.
-
Data General introduced the concept of [logical
address] "window mapping" in 1973 in its RDOS operating system.
Today we see this concept rediscovered in the latest Windows 2000 operating
system as a logical address extension method called AWE: Addressing
Windowing Extension. Hmmmmm.
-
Data General received patents
for some of its innovative micro-coding technology. This was the basis
of the last Nova and Eclipse systems. The Nova 4 and Eclipse S/140
were good examples of common microcode architecture used for different
marketing purposes.
-
What was the first Memory Allocation and
Protection unit created for any Nova-line computer? What was the
computer(s) it worked with?
-
What is the primary design
difference between the MP/100 and MP/200 CPUs?
Business
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DG's initial success brought legal problems as
indicated by the lawsuit
brought against Digital Computer Controls (DCC) early in DG's career.
DCC built a company cloning the DEC PDP-8 computers in 1970, and the PDP-11
and the DG Nova 1200 series computer in 1972. The DCC product line was
quietly integrated into the DG product line and eventually died quietly
while DG marched on. All DCC systems were pretty darn good, with one
infamous application being an off-track betting system.
-
There was also an anti-trust
action filed against Data General by several vendors who claimed that
Data General tied the sale of its RDOS operating system with the use of its
CPUs.
-
Data General was also the target of a grand jury
investigation for allegedly burning down the building of one of its
competitors - Keronix
- in 1974, a story whose full truth would compete with a modern political
intrigue novel. But that, as they say, is a different story (the
aftermath is kept in my archives).
(Okay,
here's a hint...)
-
DG even was referenced in the history DOJ
v. Microsoft anti-trust suit proving sometimes you just want to stay out
of the spotlight.
-
Data General developed the "Easy Basic
System" virtual machine during 1975-1977. This product never saw
official introduction due to "political considerations", but was a
flexible, powerful and [yeah] easy-to-use system based on Virtual Machine
design. Sounds familiar to today's technical software panacea, eh?
-
How many times did DG
"reorganize" its VAR division between 1973 and 1991?
Meetings and Conferences
-
The first official national Data General
users' group meeting was held in 1971 at the FJCC (Fall Joint Computer
Conference) in Las Vegas. "8-SIM" software was demonstrated
there that ran PDP-8 software on DG Nova systems. (Mea culpa.)
-
There is an informal, unofficial group called the
"Gray Eagles" that might still get together to "reminisce
about the old days".
-
There are fond memories of BJ's (Brian Johnson's)
"Sleaze Tours" that made all of the Data General conferences
memorable (in the third person in some cases).
-
Wild Hare provided the majority of designer
clothing and "underware" for DG users in the 80s. For those
lucky people who still have them, know that that are a valuable collector's
item. Go ahead, bask in the glory.
Miscellaneous
- Data General is the only company to have a Pulitzer prize winning story
capture the excitement and frenzy of creating an entirely new computer
system. This presents a different perspective of some of the people
you might know. For some of the reviews and a preview:
http://www.forum2.org/eran/shelf/soul-machine.html
http://web.demigod.org/~zak/documents/high-school/review-soul-of-a-new-machine/html
http://www.businessweek.com/chapter/kidder.htm
A retrospective article written 20 years later:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.12/soul.html
The Soul of a New Machine
Tracy Kidder
Bard, ISBN 0-380-7115-X
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