The National Computer Conference went small this year; not in the number of attendees, over 75,000 computer specialists crowded the Astro hall in Houston; not in the number of exhibits, there were more than 700 computer equipment displays; and certainly not in the inside temperature of the exhibit hail, which hovered around 100 F. Small refers to the supermicros which received a large share of the attention of the perspiring masses. The supermicros are the 16 bit machines that will offer the user of a desk top unit support for a much greater variety of applications than is currently possible with the 8 bit micros of which over 1.5 million are now in use.
The IBM 16 bit Personal Computer was lost in the shuffle as companies such as DEC, North Star, Radio Shack, Sony, Vector and others vied for the attention of the critical audience. Only Apple appeared to be holding back. Representatives would make no comment on the Apple IV which is rumored to be under development.
The greatest impact appears to have been made by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), the leading minicomputer manufacturer. The company introduced an entire family of micros. The smallest is the Rainbow 100, a personal computer running available CP/M software programs. The Rainbow has two processors (a Z-80 and an Intel 8088) so that it can function as either an 8 or 16 bit machine. The computer "senses" the application and engages the appropriate processor. The minimum configuration is 64KB of primary memory and 2.5MB of secondary storage. The machine can be expanded to 256KB of primary memory and 5MB of Winchester type secondary storage. The base system is priced at $3,245. The next level of machines is the DECmate II, a personal computer aimed at the office environment. There is advanced word processing and accounting capability The DECmate II is based on the PDP 8 and sells for $3,740 for a unit comparable to the Rainbow.
The Professional 300 series consists of two machines, the 325 and the 350. It is designed for multiple concurrent applications. The applications can share a common data base. While not compatible with the PDP/ll mini line, the 300 series offers small system users the sophistication of the PDP/ll series. In fact, it uses the same PDP/II chip that forms the heart of the PDP 11/23 computer. Packaged software will be supplied by 22 vendors who have agreed to rewrite 75 programs for the new machines. No decision has yet been made about CP/M, the operating system that is used by much of the available packaged software. The two models are priced at $3,995 and $4,995.
Radio Shack's new offering-which drew equally large crowds-is a dual- processor, multi-user microcomputer system housed in a variation on Radio Shack's traditional Model II microcomputer cabinet. The machine is based on a Motorola MC68000 CPU, paired with the Model II's Z-60 microprocessor. The MC68000 (which is actually a 32- bit processor) is used for 16-bit operations in the machine. This allows it to address up to 512K of primary memory and use much more sophisticated and user friendly software than can be built into 64KB machines like the TRS- 80 Model II. Unfortunately, the software isn't available yet. That's where the Z-80 microprocessor comes in. It allows all of the Model IIs existing software to be used on the Model 16. The dual processor design carries another advantage for existing Model II owners as Tandy is also selling an upgrade package than turns existing Model II microcomputers into Model 16s.
The basic Model 16 microcomputer comes with 128KB of primary memory and a 1.25 MB disk drive. A second disk drive in the same Model II cabinet (2.5 MB total system storage) adds $800 to the cost of the system, bringing the total to $5,000.
The Model 16 is capable of handling multi-user processing. With the addition of two video display terminals (VDTs), 3 users can share software, data and processing on a single TRS1-80 Model 16. Tandy claims that there is no perceptible loss of performance when the Model 16 is used in this way.
Experts making panel presentations at the NCC estimated that only 20,000 of the 16 bit micros will be shipped in 1982, but expect the volume to grow tenfold within five years. It is the super-micro which is expected to dominate the business education market for systems priced under $100,000. A flood of applications software can be expected within the next year or two.
