- Email: [email protected]
Supersoft distribution
TI burst bubble
Supersoft distribution
details are available from Micro Peripherals Ltd, 61 New Market
Square, Basingstoke, Hants., UK. Texas Instruments have pulled out of the bubble memory field. In a surprise move they announced that they would cease production of bubble devices, along with several other product lines including digital watches, LCD displays for these watches and plasma panel displays. The bubble memory products will be supported until the end of the year, but only the portable data terminals incorporating bubble memories will continue after then. TI are going to buy in parts for these terminals, two new versions of which were recently introduced.
Texas and Intel lower 64k EPROM prices Both Texas Instruments and Intel have substantially reduced the price of their 64k EPROMs. The TI price is now £38 (down from £100) for quantities of 100. The Intel price is £25 for quantities of 100, though a design-in sample is available at their 1Ok price of £8. Texas are also reducing the price of their 64k dynamic RAM to £19 (from £78.15) for 100-off. This trend in the large memory market is reflected in Hewlett-Packard announcement of a large reduction in the price of their HP1000 L-series microcomputers. The price reduction is because the L-series 512k memory is based on a 64k RAMs - the price reduction is from £6816 to £2705.
Apple meet regulations T~neApple II and Apple II Plus have been certified by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as complying with the commission's standards for electromagnetic interference. To meet the FCC regulations, a nickel acrylic coating was developed for the Apple and a special ground plane added to the cables connecting the Apple to its disc driver.
vol 5 no 6july/august 1981
SuperSoft, the US software house that specializes in writing CP/M compatible programs, have appointed Digital Devices as their exclusive European distributors. SuperSoft's high level languages include BASIC, FORTRAN IV, FORTH, Tiny PASCAL and C.
Program prize Micro Peripherals Ltd are to present an annual trophy to the school submitting the best program to assist industry. The judges will be made up of the chairmen of London Computer Clubs and the presentation of the trophy will be made at the 1982 London Computer Fair (the competition is open now and will close three months prior to the fair). The programs must be original and submitted in writing, showing its capabilities and features etc. Entry forms and full
Tel: (0256) 56468.
Hitachi sample 68000, Mostek to follow The 68000, Motorola's 16-bit microprocessor, is now in mass production in Hitachi's UK plant. Hitachi, one of several second-sources for the 68000, began sampling in December 1980 and can now offer three types of the processor, according to clock rate. Initial monthly production rate will be 5000. Prices range from $169 for the 4 MHz model to $199 for the 8 MHz model. Motorola have announced that Mostek will second-source the 68000. Mostek will also support the range with its own line of products and a full complement of software support packages.
Software houses hold the aces Ultimate successor failure of microcomputer companies will hinge on software, according to an analysis of microcomputer strategies by Creative Strategies International (CSI). A focal point of strong contention is the battle of dominance of the 16-bit operating systems. CP/M, 'the de facto standard for 8-bit microcomputers', has encountered formidable competition from UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems, so Digital Research (the originators of CP/M) must wait with MicroSoft, Bells Labs etc. for 16-bit standards to be determined (expected within the next two years). Trends in the microcomputer industry are towards standardization more than inany other aspect of the data processing industry; at an operating system level, incompatibilities can severely hinder developments. Only those manufacturers with very strong inhouse software development can
afford incompatible proprietary operating systems and since, with few exceptions, manufacturers have not moved to develop software inhouse, standardization becomes even more important. Most of the best software available is from third-party software houses and thus it is important that manufacturers woo these houses as their allegiances can largely determine the success of a computer. CSl's report, 'Microcomputer software strategies' highlights the major software developers and publishers and .third-party software houses active in the microcomputer industry. It examines the features and drawbacks of competing and complementary products, including languages, operating systems, utilities and software packages. It is available at $1200 from Creative Strategies International,
4340 Stevens Creek Blvd, Suite 275, San Jose, CA 95129, USA.
287
Supersoft distribution
details are available from Micro Peripherals Ltd, 61 New Market
Square, Basingstoke, Hants., UK. Texas Instruments have pulled out of the bubble memory field. In a surprise move they announced that they would cease production of bubble devices, along with several other product lines including digital watches, LCD displays for these watches and plasma panel displays. The bubble memory products will be supported until the end of the year, but only the portable data terminals incorporating bubble memories will continue after then. TI are going to buy in parts for these terminals, two new versions of which were recently introduced.
Texas and Intel lower 64k EPROM prices Both Texas Instruments and Intel have substantially reduced the price of their 64k EPROMs. The TI price is now £38 (down from £100) for quantities of 100. The Intel price is £25 for quantities of 100, though a design-in sample is available at their 1Ok price of £8. Texas are also reducing the price of their 64k dynamic RAM to £19 (from £78.15) for 100-off. This trend in the large memory market is reflected in Hewlett-Packard announcement of a large reduction in the price of their HP1000 L-series microcomputers. The price reduction is because the L-series 512k memory is based on a 64k RAMs - the price reduction is from £6816 to £2705.
Apple meet regulations T~neApple II and Apple II Plus have been certified by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as complying with the commission's standards for electromagnetic interference. To meet the FCC regulations, a nickel acrylic coating was developed for the Apple and a special ground plane added to the cables connecting the Apple to its disc driver.
vol 5 no 6july/august 1981
SuperSoft, the US software house that specializes in writing CP/M compatible programs, have appointed Digital Devices as their exclusive European distributors. SuperSoft's high level languages include BASIC, FORTRAN IV, FORTH, Tiny PASCAL and C.
Program prize Micro Peripherals Ltd are to present an annual trophy to the school submitting the best program to assist industry. The judges will be made up of the chairmen of London Computer Clubs and the presentation of the trophy will be made at the 1982 London Computer Fair (the competition is open now and will close three months prior to the fair). The programs must be original and submitted in writing, showing its capabilities and features etc. Entry forms and full
Tel: (0256) 56468.
Hitachi sample 68000, Mostek to follow The 68000, Motorola's 16-bit microprocessor, is now in mass production in Hitachi's UK plant. Hitachi, one of several second-sources for the 68000, began sampling in December 1980 and can now offer three types of the processor, according to clock rate. Initial monthly production rate will be 5000. Prices range from $169 for the 4 MHz model to $199 for the 8 MHz model. Motorola have announced that Mostek will second-source the 68000. Mostek will also support the range with its own line of products and a full complement of software support packages.
Software houses hold the aces Ultimate successor failure of microcomputer companies will hinge on software, according to an analysis of microcomputer strategies by Creative Strategies International (CSI). A focal point of strong contention is the battle of dominance of the 16-bit operating systems. CP/M, 'the de facto standard for 8-bit microcomputers', has encountered formidable competition from UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems, so Digital Research (the originators of CP/M) must wait with MicroSoft, Bells Labs etc. for 16-bit standards to be determined (expected within the next two years). Trends in the microcomputer industry are towards standardization more than inany other aspect of the data processing industry; at an operating system level, incompatibilities can severely hinder developments. Only those manufacturers with very strong inhouse software development can
afford incompatible proprietary operating systems and since, with few exceptions, manufacturers have not moved to develop software inhouse, standardization becomes even more important. Most of the best software available is from third-party software houses and thus it is important that manufacturers woo these houses as their allegiances can largely determine the success of a computer. CSl's report, 'Microcomputer software strategies' highlights the major software developers and publishers and .third-party software houses active in the microcomputer industry. It examines the features and drawbacks of competing and complementary products, including languages, operating systems, utilities and software packages. It is available at $1200 from Creative Strategies International,
4340 Stevens Creek Blvd, Suite 275, San Jose, CA 95129, USA.
287