| Revision as of 02:37, 9 December 2024 editDigitalIceAge (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users32,863 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 02:53, 9 December 2024 edit undoWiiformii (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers30,792 editsm Typo fixing, typo(s) fixed: aformentioned → aforementioned, intially → initially, Sytems → Systems, 1600-1 → 1600–1 (5), the the → theTag: AWBNext edit → | ||
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| The '''Multi-Personal Computer''' ('''MPC'''), better known as the '''MPC 1600''', is a line of ] ]s released by ] (CDP) starting in 1982. The original MPC, released in June 1982, was the first commercially released computer system that was ] with the ] (IBM PC).<ref name=busses>{{cite book | last=Buchanan | first=William | date=2000 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Computer_Busses/KhcEcNRkBHgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22MPC%22+%22the+first%22+%22Columbia+Data+Products%22&pg=PA26&printsec=frontcover | title=Computer Busses | publisher=Elsevier Science | page=26 | isbn=9780340740767 | via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name=bandwagon>{{cite book | last=Rohlfs | first=Jeffrey H. | date=2003 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rmFag8P4CF8C | title=Bandwagon Effects in High-technology Industries | publisher=MIT Press | |
The '''Multi-Personal Computer''' ('''MPC'''), better known as the '''MPC 1600''', is a line of ] ]s released by ] (CDP) starting in 1982. The original MPC, released in June 1982, was the first commercially released computer system that was ] with the ] (IBM PC).<ref name=busses>{{cite book | last=Buchanan | first=William | date=2000 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Computer_Busses/KhcEcNRkBHgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22MPC%22+%22the+first%22+%22Columbia+Data+Products%22&pg=PA26&printsec=frontcover | title=Computer Busses | publisher=Elsevier Science | page=26 | isbn=9780340740767 | via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name=bandwagon>{{cite book | last=Rohlfs | first=Jeffrey H. | date=2003 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rmFag8P4CF8C | title=Bandwagon Effects in High-technology Industries | publisher=MIT Press | pages=120–122 | isbn=9780262681384 | via=Google Books}}</ref>{{rp|122}} | ||
| ==Background and development== | ==Background and development== | ||
| Line 30: | Line 30: | ||
| CDP's IBM PC clone was engineered by a team headed by David Howse, CDP's manager of hardware design; Charlie Montague, the company's director of technical services; Bob Mikkelsen, the company's office manager of programming; Don Rein, the company's manager of software engineering; and Dick Mathews, CDP's ] of planning and development.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|252}} Howse was the principal designer behind the hardware for the computer.<ref name=aboard />{{rp|451}} The company borrowed the design of the IBM PC's motherboard largely wholesale, using the same ISA bus, Intel 8088 microprocessor, ] bus controller, ] ], and other off-the-shelf ]s used by the IBM PC.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|248}} CDP doubled the stock amount of ] of the IBM PC to 128 KB while adding more expansion slots and offering dual ] drives for the base model.<ref>{{cite web | last=((Editors)) | date=August 11, 2006 | url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/535843/greatest_pcs_of_all_time.html | title=The 25 Greatest PCs of All Time | work=PC World | publisher=IDG Publications | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725094041/http://www.techhive.com/article/126692/greatest_pcs_of_all_time.html?page=7 | archivedate=July 25, 2013 | page=7}}</ref> Because of the additional expansion slots, the motherboard for the computer was substantially larger than that of the IBM PC's, measuring at {{convert|10|by|20|in|cm}}.<ref name=aboard />{{rp|450}} CDP sourced a cost-reduced clone of the original ] from ] of ]; while featuring an identical layout, it lacked the tactility provided by the IBM PC keyboard's ] design.<ref name=hctc>{{cite book | last=Newrock | first=Melody | date=1984 | url=https://archive.org/details/philippwaldeckdi0000wald/page/103/ | title=Here Come the Clones!: The Complete Guide to IBM PC Compatible Computers | publisher=McGraw-Hill | pages=27–44 | isbn=9780070464582 | via=the Internet Archive}}</ref>{{rp|29}} | CDP's IBM PC clone was engineered by a team headed by David Howse, CDP's manager of hardware design; Charlie Montague, the company's director of technical services; Bob Mikkelsen, the company's office manager of programming; Don Rein, the company's manager of software engineering; and Dick Mathews, CDP's ] of planning and development.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|252}} Howse was the principal designer behind the hardware for the computer.<ref name=aboard />{{rp|451}} The company borrowed the design of the IBM PC's motherboard largely wholesale, using the same ISA bus, Intel 8088 microprocessor, ] bus controller, ] ], and other off-the-shelf ]s used by the IBM PC.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|248}} CDP doubled the stock amount of ] of the IBM PC to 128 KB while adding more expansion slots and offering dual ] drives for the base model.<ref>{{cite web | last=((Editors)) | date=August 11, 2006 | url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/535843/greatest_pcs_of_all_time.html | title=The 25 Greatest PCs of All Time | work=PC World | publisher=IDG Publications | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725094041/http://www.techhive.com/article/126692/greatest_pcs_of_all_time.html?page=7 | archivedate=July 25, 2013 | page=7}}</ref> Because of the additional expansion slots, the motherboard for the computer was substantially larger than that of the IBM PC's, measuring at {{convert|10|by|20|in|cm}}.<ref name=aboard />{{rp|450}} CDP sourced a cost-reduced clone of the original ] from ] of ]; while featuring an identical layout, it lacked the tactility provided by the IBM PC keyboard's ] design.<ref name=hctc>{{cite book | last=Newrock | first=Melody | date=1984 | url=https://archive.org/details/philippwaldeckdi0000wald/page/103/ | title=Here Come the Clones!: The Complete Guide to IBM PC Compatible Computers | publisher=McGraw-Hill | pages=27–44 | isbn=9780070464582 | via=the Internet Archive}}</ref>{{rp|29}} | ||
| While cloning the IBM PC's hardware was easy for CDP, mimicking the PC's ] ] required planning out a ] to avoid ] IBM's copyright on their BIOS and thus was more complex.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|248–249}}<ref>{{cite book | last=Szalay | first=Michael | date=2023 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Second_Lives/TdmsEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22clean+room%22+%22columbia+data+systems%22&pg=PA171&printsec=frontcover | title=Second Lives: Black-Market Melodramas and the Reinvention of Television | publisher=University of Chicago Press | pages=171–172 | isbn=9780226824802 | via=Google Books}}</ref> CDP had to pay careful attention to how their BIOS initialized its ] and ] in order to ensure functional equivalency with the IBM PC, the source of much trial and error and expense because of the numerous third-party expansion cards and software CDP had to test against.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|249–252}} On the other hand, providing a compatible operating system was significantly easier for CDP because IBM's contract with Microsoft allowed the latter to freely license their ] operating system, which was the basis of IBM PC DOS, to third-party companies.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|249}}<ref name=ibmpcis30>{{cite web | last=Smith | first=Tony | date=August 12, 2011 | url=https://www.theregister.com/Print/2011/08/12/ibm_pc_30_anniversary/ | title=The IBM PC is 30 | work=The Register | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729104714/https://www.theregister.com/Print/2011/08/12/ibm_pc_30_anniversary/ | archivedate=July 29, 2023}}</ref> CDP were able to secure a license to the source code for MS-DOS, incorporating the same ] while modifying it to recognize their computer's ], on which their clone of ] (renamed BASICA) resides, while adding ] to the computer's ] and redirecting textual ] ] data to the |
While cloning the IBM PC's hardware was easy for CDP, mimicking the PC's ] ] required planning out a ] to avoid ] IBM's copyright on their BIOS and thus was more complex.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|248–249}}<ref>{{cite book | last=Szalay | first=Michael | date=2023 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Second_Lives/TdmsEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22clean+room%22+%22columbia+data+systems%22&pg=PA171&printsec=frontcover | title=Second Lives: Black-Market Melodramas and the Reinvention of Television | publisher=University of Chicago Press | pages=171–172 | isbn=9780226824802 | via=Google Books}}</ref> CDP had to pay careful attention to how their BIOS initialized its ] and ] in order to ensure functional equivalency with the IBM PC, the source of much trial and error and expense because of the numerous third-party expansion cards and software CDP had to test against.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|249–252}} On the other hand, providing a compatible operating system was significantly easier for CDP because IBM's contract with Microsoft allowed the latter to freely license their ] operating system, which was the basis of IBM PC DOS, to third-party companies.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|249}}<ref name=ibmpcis30>{{cite web | last=Smith | first=Tony | date=August 12, 2011 | url=https://www.theregister.com/Print/2011/08/12/ibm_pc_30_anniversary/ | title=The IBM PC is 30 | work=The Register | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729104714/https://www.theregister.com/Print/2011/08/12/ibm_pc_30_anniversary/ | archivedate=July 29, 2023}}</ref> CDP were able to secure a license to the source code for MS-DOS, incorporating the same ] while modifying it to recognize their computer's ], on which their clone of ] (renamed BASICA) resides, while adding ] to the computer's ] and redirecting textual ] ] data to the aforementioned serial port.<ref name=aspects />{{rp|249–250}} | ||
| While the IBM PC could be used as a ] machine, the vast majority of PCs were purchased by customers intending to use the PC as single-user machines, with IBM devoting the majority of their marketing efforts toward this demographic. CDP meanwhile sought to stress the multi-user capability of their clone and thus gave it the name Multi-Personal Computer (MPC).<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}} To this end, the company offered the MPC with several multi-user operating systems, including ]'s ], Microsoft's ], and Phase One Systems's ], in addition the single-user MS-DOS as well as Digital Research's ] that it shipped with.<ref name=yc>{{cite journal | last=Bell | first=Les | date=September 1982 | url=https://archive.org/details/yc198209/YourComputer198209_0-magazine/page/6/ | title=New IBM Clone | work=Your Computer | publisher=Eastern Suburbs Newspapers | volume=2 | issue=3 | page=6 | via=the Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name=aboard>{{cite journal | last=Machrone | first=Bill | date=June 1983 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=14Kfbrc6cbAC&pg=PA450 | title=Aboard the Columbia | work=PC Magazine | publisher=Ziff-Davis | volume=2 | issue=1 | pages=450–452 | via=Google Books}}</ref>{{rp|450}} | While the IBM PC could be used as a ] machine, the vast majority of PCs were purchased by customers intending to use the PC as single-user machines, with IBM devoting the majority of their marketing efforts toward this demographic. CDP meanwhile sought to stress the multi-user capability of their clone and thus gave it the name Multi-Personal Computer (MPC).<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}} To this end, the company offered the MPC with several multi-user operating systems, including ]'s ], Microsoft's ], and Phase One Systems's ], in addition the single-user MS-DOS as well as Digital Research's ] that it shipped with.<ref name=yc>{{cite journal | last=Bell | first=Les | date=September 1982 | url=https://archive.org/details/yc198209/YourComputer198209_0-magazine/page/6/ | title=New IBM Clone | work=Your Computer | publisher=Eastern Suburbs Newspapers | volume=2 | issue=3 | page=6 | via=the Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name=aboard>{{cite journal | last=Machrone | first=Bill | date=June 1983 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=14Kfbrc6cbAC&pg=PA450 | title=Aboard the Columbia | work=PC Magazine | publisher=Ziff-Davis | volume=2 | issue=1 | pages=450–452 | via=Google Books}}</ref>{{rp|450}} | ||
| ==Specifications and variants== | ==Specifications and variants== | ||
| The Multi-Personal Computer |
The Multi-Personal Computer initially came in three variants: the MPC 1600–1, featuring two 5.25-inch, ] floppy disk drives (FDDs) manufactured by ]; the MPC 1600–2, with one 5.25-inch FDD and one 5-MB ] (HDD); and the MPC 1600–3, with one 5.25-inch FDD and one 10-MB HDD.<ref name=lookalikes /> In 1983, the company introduced the MPC 1600–4, with one 5.25-inch FDD and one 23-MB HDD.<ref name=workalike />{{rp|451}} | ||
| All models in the line came with 128 KB of RAM stock, expandable to 1 MB.<ref name=microbuyersguide>{{cite book | last=Webster | first=Tony | date=1983 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Microcomputer_Buyer_s_Guide/PAz0AAAAMAAJ | title=Microcomputer's Buyers Guide | publisher=McGraw-Hill | page=112 | isbn=9780070689596 | via=Google Books}}</ref> In addition, all models in the line feature eight ISA expansion slots, each one supporting up to full-sized 8-bit ISA cards.<ref name=workalike />{{rp|451}} Although it made the chassis of the MPC several inches wider than the IBM PC,<ref name=popular>{{cite journal | last=Exner | first=Ron | date=April 1984 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610379/GPS?u=wikipedia | title=Columbia: Multi-Personal Computer | work=Popular Computing | publisher= McGraw-Hill | volume=3 | issue=6 | page=134 | via=Gale}}</ref> the addition of three more ISA slots was a major selling point for CDP, as the original IBM PC had only five expansion slots on its motherboard. These slots on the IBM PC were quickly taken up by serial, parallel, and floppy, and graphics controller that most purchasers bought along with their computer, leaving only or two spare slots on the board.<ref name=workalike />{{rp|451}}{{efn|Even after IBM introduced the successor ] in 1983 with eight expansion slots, two of the slots on the XT were only half-height.<ref name=aboard />{{rp|451}}}} While the MPC 1600-1 did not ship with a hard drive, CDP included the same combination floppy–] card with the machine as the higher-end models, for users who wanted to add an aftermarket HDD.<ref name=workalike>{{cite journal | last=Sandler | first=Corey | date=June 1983 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=14Kfbrc6cbAC&pg=PA447 | title=Columbia: Call It a 'Work-Alike' | work=PC Magazine | publisher=Ziff-Davis | volume=2 | issue=1 | pages=447–451 | via=Google Books}}</ref>{{rp|451}} By combining the hard disk controller and the floppy controller on the same card, this freed up an additional ISA slot; on both the original IBM PC and the PC XT, the floppy controller is housed on a separate card. Just as well, the MPC integrates two RS-232 serial ports and the parallel port (and associated circuitry) on the motherboard, freeing up yet more slots compared to IBM's implementation. Unlike the IBM PC, however, the MPC 1600 series does not offer sockets on the motherboards for expanding the RAM of the systems. Instead, the user must purchase an aftermarket RAM expansion card, which takes up one of the eight ISA slots.<ref name=hctc />{{rp|29}} | All models in the line came with 128 KB of RAM stock, expandable to 1 MB.<ref name=microbuyersguide>{{cite book | last=Webster | first=Tony | date=1983 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Microcomputer_Buyer_s_Guide/PAz0AAAAMAAJ | title=Microcomputer's Buyers Guide | publisher=McGraw-Hill | page=112 | isbn=9780070689596 | via=Google Books}}</ref> In addition, all models in the line feature eight ISA expansion slots, each one supporting up to full-sized 8-bit ISA cards.<ref name=workalike />{{rp|451}} Although it made the chassis of the MPC several inches wider than the IBM PC,<ref name=popular>{{cite journal | last=Exner | first=Ron | date=April 1984 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610379/GPS?u=wikipedia | title=Columbia: Multi-Personal Computer | work=Popular Computing | publisher= McGraw-Hill | volume=3 | issue=6 | page=134 | via=Gale}}</ref> the addition of three more ISA slots was a major selling point for CDP, as the original IBM PC had only five expansion slots on its motherboard. These slots on the IBM PC were quickly taken up by serial, parallel, and floppy, and graphics controller that most purchasers bought along with their computer, leaving only or two spare slots on the board.<ref name=workalike />{{rp|451}}{{efn|Even after IBM introduced the successor ] in 1983 with eight expansion slots, two of the slots on the XT were only half-height.<ref name=aboard />{{rp|451}}}} While the MPC 1600-1 did not ship with a hard drive, CDP included the same combination floppy–] card with the machine as the higher-end models, for users who wanted to add an aftermarket HDD.<ref name=workalike>{{cite journal | last=Sandler | first=Corey | date=June 1983 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=14Kfbrc6cbAC&pg=PA447 | title=Columbia: Call It a 'Work-Alike' | work=PC Magazine | publisher=Ziff-Davis | volume=2 | issue=1 | pages=447–451 | via=Google Books}}</ref>{{rp|451}} By combining the hard disk controller and the floppy controller on the same card, this freed up an additional ISA slot; on both the original IBM PC and the PC XT, the floppy controller is housed on a separate card. Just as well, the MPC integrates two RS-232 serial ports and the parallel port (and associated circuitry) on the motherboard, freeing up yet more slots compared to IBM's implementation. Unlike the IBM PC, however, the MPC 1600 series does not offer sockets on the motherboards for expanding the RAM of the systems. Instead, the user must purchase an aftermarket RAM expansion card, which takes up one of the eight ISA slots.<ref name=hctc />{{rp|29}} | ||
| Line 41: | Line 41: | ||
| CDP offered a graphics card as an option for the MPC. A clone of IBM's ] (CGA), CDP's card is capable of displaying 1-bit monochrome graphics at a resolution of 640 by 200 pixels; 1-bit monochrome or 4-color graphics at a resolution of 320 by 200 pixels; and 40- and 80-column text at 25 lines from a palette of 16 colors. Unlike IBM, CDP did not sell monitors alongside their computer systems, although their manuals recommended monochrome monitors manufactured by ] and color monitors by ].<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}} As an alternative to a graphics card, users can plug a ] into one of the MPC's spare serial ports, with the MPC's BIOS providing an interactive ] to the terminal.<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}}<ref name=aboard />{{rp|450}} With aftermarket serial expansion cards (contemporaneously sold by CDP), up to eight simultaneous users can interact with the MPC using dumb terminals.<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}}<ref name=yc /> | CDP offered a graphics card as an option for the MPC. A clone of IBM's ] (CGA), CDP's card is capable of displaying 1-bit monochrome graphics at a resolution of 640 by 200 pixels; 1-bit monochrome or 4-color graphics at a resolution of 320 by 200 pixels; and 40- and 80-column text at 25 lines from a palette of 16 colors. Unlike IBM, CDP did not sell monitors alongside their computer systems, although their manuals recommended monochrome monitors manufactured by ] and color monitors by ].<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}} As an alternative to a graphics card, users can plug a ] into one of the MPC's spare serial ports, with the MPC's BIOS providing an interactive ] to the terminal.<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}}<ref name=aboard />{{rp|450}} With aftermarket serial expansion cards (contemporaneously sold by CDP), up to eight simultaneous users can interact with the MPC using dumb terminals.<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}}<ref name=yc /> | ||
| By 1984, CDP had reduced the line to four computers: the MPC |
By 1984, CDP had reduced the line to four computers: the MPC 1600–1; the MPC 1600-4 (revised to featuring only a 10-MB HDD instead of the 23-MB HDD it originally had); the MPC 1600-1V; and the MPC 1600-4V.<ref name=hctc />{{rp|28, 30}} The latter two included the aforementioned CGA-compatible graphics adapter designed by CDP.<ref name=hctc />{{rp|30}} | ||
| ==Release and reception== | ==Release and reception== | ||
| Columbia Data |
Columbia Data Systems unveiled the MPC at their booth at the ] (NCC) in ], in June 1982.<ref name=piggybacks /> CDP's booth drew a massive crowd at the convention, attracting the interest of interested buyers and IBM employees alike.<ref name=piggybacks /><ref name=lookalikes /> By the end of CDP's presence at the NCC, the company had secured international orders for the MPC worth $10 million across 200 dealers in Europe and South America.<ref name=lookalikes /> By the end of the summer of 1982, the first several thousand units of the MPC had shipped.<ref name=workalike />{{rp|447}} | ||
| ==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
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 Columbia Data Products' MPC 1600, the first commercially released IBM PC clone, with an Amdek monitor and a Key Tronic keyboard | |
| Also known as | Multi Personal Computer |
|---|---|
| Developer | Columbia Data Products |
| Manufacturer | Columbia Data Products |
| Type | Personal computer (desktop) |
| Release date | June 1982; 42 years ago (1982-06) |
| Lifespan | 1982–1985 |
| Introductory price | US$2,995 |
| Discontinued | May 1985; 39 years ago (1985-05) |
| Operating system | MS-DOS, CP/M-86, MP/M-86, OASIS, Xenix |
| CPU | Intel 8088 at 4.77 MHz |
| Memory | 128 KB (1 MB max.) |
| Storage | Two 5.25-inch FDDs |
| Graphics | Color Graphics Adapter |
| Sound | PC speaker 1-channel square-wave/1-bit digital (PWM-capable) |
| Connectivity | RS-232, parallel, monitor, keyboard |
| Backward compatibility | IBM Personal Computer |
The Multi-Personal Computer (MPC), better known as the MPC 1600, is a line of desktop personal computers released by Columbia Data Products (CDP) starting in 1982. The original MPC, released in June 1982, was the first commercially released computer system that was fully compatible with the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC).
Background and development
Columbia Data Products (CDP) was a small computer systems manufacturer founded by William Diaz in the mid-1970s in Columbia, Maryland. The company had been marketing microcomputers for over five years before releasing the MPC in 1982. Examples of the company's early systems included the Commander line of Z80-based microcomputers.
In August 1981, the computing giant IBM released the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC), their first mass-market microcomputer, to intense commercial interest and industry speculation. It was notable for being an open standard unlike anything IBM had released previously: it used off-the-shelf hardware such as the Intel 8088 microprocessor; ran an operating system (IBM PC DOS) developed by a third-party company, Microsoft; and had a computer bus (later dubbed Industry Standard Architecture, or ISA) whose specification IBM made open to third-party hardware vendors who wanted to release expansion cards and other hardware. Recognizing that this culture of openness might allow them to engineer a fully compatible clone of the IBM PC, Columbia Data Products set out to manufacture such a system "almost immediately" after the PC's August 1981 introduction. CDP were deep into developing a competing microcomputer based on a different architecture but decided to cancel it in favor of developing a clone of the IBM PC.
CDP's IBM PC clone was engineered by a team headed by David Howse, CDP's manager of hardware design; Charlie Montague, the company's director of technical services; Bob Mikkelsen, the company's office manager of programming; Don Rein, the company's manager of software engineering; and Dick Mathews, CDP's VP of planning and development. Howse was the principal designer behind the hardware for the computer. The company borrowed the design of the IBM PC's motherboard largely wholesale, using the same ISA bus, Intel 8088 microprocessor, Intel 8288 bus controller, NEC μPD765 floppy controller, and other off-the-shelf integrated circuits used by the IBM PC. CDP doubled the stock amount of RAM of the IBM PC to 128 KB while adding more expansion slots and offering dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives for the base model. Because of the additional expansion slots, the motherboard for the computer was substantially larger than that of the IBM PC's, measuring at 10 by 20 inches (25 by 51 cm). CDP sourced a cost-reduced clone of the original 83-key IBM PC keyboard from Key Tronic of Spokane, Washington; while featuring an identical layout, it lacked the tactility provided by the IBM PC keyboard's buckling spring design.
While cloning the IBM PC's hardware was easy for CDP, mimicking the PC's BIOS ROM required planning out a clean-room design to avoid infringing IBM's copyright on their BIOS and thus was more complex. CDP had to pay careful attention to how their BIOS initialized its memory map and interrupt table in order to ensure functional equivalency with the IBM PC, the source of much trial and error and expense because of the numerous third-party expansion cards and software CDP had to test against. On the other hand, providing a compatible operating system was significantly easier for CDP because IBM's contract with Microsoft allowed the latter to freely license their MS-DOS operating system, which was the basis of IBM PC DOS, to third-party companies. CDP were able to secure a license to the source code for MS-DOS, incorporating the same API while modifying it to recognize their computer's RAM disk, on which their clone of GW-BASIC (renamed BASICA) resides, while adding software flow control to the computer's number-0 RS-232 serial port and redirecting textual parallel printer data to the aforementioned serial port.
While the IBM PC could be used as a multi-user machine, the vast majority of PCs were purchased by customers intending to use the PC as single-user machines, with IBM devoting the majority of their marketing efforts toward this demographic. CDP meanwhile sought to stress the multi-user capability of their clone and thus gave it the name Multi-Personal Computer (MPC). To this end, the company offered the MPC with several multi-user operating systems, including Digital Research's MP/M-86, Microsoft's Xenix, and Phase One Systems's OASIS, in addition the single-user MS-DOS as well as Digital Research's CP/M-86 that it shipped with.
Specifications and variants
The Multi-Personal Computer initially came in three variants: the MPC 1600–1, featuring two 5.25-inch, double-density floppy disk drives (FDDs) manufactured by Tandon; the MPC 1600–2, with one 5.25-inch FDD and one 5-MB hard disk drive (HDD); and the MPC 1600–3, with one 5.25-inch FDD and one 10-MB HDD. In 1983, the company introduced the MPC 1600–4, with one 5.25-inch FDD and one 23-MB HDD.
All models in the line came with 128 KB of RAM stock, expandable to 1 MB. In addition, all models in the line feature eight ISA expansion slots, each one supporting up to full-sized 8-bit ISA cards. Although it made the chassis of the MPC several inches wider than the IBM PC, the addition of three more ISA slots was a major selling point for CDP, as the original IBM PC had only five expansion slots on its motherboard. These slots on the IBM PC were quickly taken up by serial, parallel, and floppy, and graphics controller that most purchasers bought along with their computer, leaving only or two spare slots on the board. While the MPC 1600-1 did not ship with a hard drive, CDP included the same combination floppy–hard disk controller card with the machine as the higher-end models, for users who wanted to add an aftermarket HDD. By combining the hard disk controller and the floppy controller on the same card, this freed up an additional ISA slot; on both the original IBM PC and the PC XT, the floppy controller is housed on a separate card. Just as well, the MPC integrates two RS-232 serial ports and the parallel port (and associated circuitry) on the motherboard, freeing up yet more slots compared to IBM's implementation. Unlike the IBM PC, however, the MPC 1600 series does not offer sockets on the motherboards for expanding the RAM of the systems. Instead, the user must purchase an aftermarket RAM expansion card, which takes up one of the eight ISA slots.
CDP offered a graphics card as an option for the MPC. A clone of IBM's Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), CDP's card is capable of displaying 1-bit monochrome graphics at a resolution of 640 by 200 pixels; 1-bit monochrome or 4-color graphics at a resolution of 320 by 200 pixels; and 40- and 80-column text at 25 lines from a palette of 16 colors. Unlike IBM, CDP did not sell monitors alongside their computer systems, although their manuals recommended monochrome monitors manufactured by Amdek and color monitors by Princeton Graphics Systems. As an alternative to a graphics card, users can plug a dumb terminal into one of the MPC's spare serial ports, with the MPC's BIOS providing an interactive serial console to the terminal. With aftermarket serial expansion cards (contemporaneously sold by CDP), up to eight simultaneous users can interact with the MPC using dumb terminals.
By 1984, CDP had reduced the line to four computers: the MPC 1600–1; the MPC 1600-4 (revised to featuring only a 10-MB HDD instead of the 23-MB HDD it originally had); the MPC 1600-1V; and the MPC 1600-4V. The latter two included the aforementioned CGA-compatible graphics adapter designed by CDP.
Release and reception
Columbia Data Systems unveiled the MPC at their booth at the National Computer Conference (NCC) in Houston, Texas, in June 1982. CDP's booth drew a massive crowd at the convention, attracting the interest of interested buyers and IBM employees alike. By the end of CDP's presence at the NCC, the company had secured international orders for the MPC worth $10 million across 200 dealers in Europe and South America. By the end of the summer of 1982, the first several thousand units of the MPC had shipped.
Legacy
Notes
- Even after IBM introduced the successor IBM Personal Computer/XT in 1983 with eight expansion slots, two of the slots on the XT were only half-height.
References
- Buchanan, William (2000). Computer Busses. Elsevier Science. p. 26. ISBN 9780340740767 – via Google Books.
- ^ Rohlfs, Jeffrey H. (2003). Bandwagon Effects in High-technology Industries. MIT Press. pp. 120–122. ISBN 9780262681384 – via Google Books.
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- Bowker's Complete Sourcebook of Personal Computing (1985 ed.). R. R. Booker Company. 1984. p. 10. ISBN 0835219313 – via the Internet Archive.
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- ^ Montague, Charlie; David Howse; Bob Mikkelsen; Don Rein; Dick Mathews (November 1983). "Technical Aspects of IBM PC Compatibility" (PDF). Byte. 8 (11). McGraw-Hill: 247–252 – via World Radio History.
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- ^ Newrock, Melody (1984). Here Come the Clones!: The Complete Guide to IBM PC Compatible Computers. McGraw-Hill. pp. 27–44. ISBN 9780070464582 – via the Internet Archive.
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- ^ Bell, Les (September 1982). "New IBM Clone". Your Computer. 2 (3). Eastern Suburbs Newspapers: 6 – via the Internet Archive.
- ^ Sandler, Corey (June 1983). "Columbia: Call It a 'Work-Alike'". PC Magazine. 2 (1). Ziff-Davis: 447–451 – via Google Books.
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