Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems: Difference between revisions

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Altair computers were only available from the 20 or so authorized Altair computer dealers, but the IMSAI 8080, Processor Technology Sol and many other clones were sold by hundreds of newly opening computer stores.

The S-100 bus was used throughout the 1980s until it was overtaken by the IBM PC [[Industry Standard Architecture|ISA]] bus. [[Seattle Computer Products]] (SCP) was a manufacturer of S-100 memory boards. The company's engineer, [[Tim Paterson]], designed an [[Intel 8086]] [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] system on two S-100 boards in 1979. [[Microsoft]], then in nearby Bellevue, Washington, used the prototype machine to test their 8086 version of BASIC. Digital Research had promised to deliver an 8086 version of their [[CP/M]] operating system by December 1979 but missed that date. SCP needed a disk operating system to sell its 8086 products so Patterson wrote [[86-DOS|QDOS]], a "Quick and Dirty Operating System" in three months. Microsoft would later purchase QDOS from SCP for $50,000 and use it as the basis for the [[IBM PC DOS]].<ref>{{sfnp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |pages=134–136</ref>}}<ref name = "InfoWorld Sep 1981">{{cite magazine | last = Hogan | first = Thom | title = IBM Announces New Microcomputer System |magazine= InfoWorld | volume = 3 | issue = 18 |pages=1, 14 | date = September 14, 1981 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Mj0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14 | issn = 0199-6649 | publisher = InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.}}</ref>

=== Altair BASIC ===

{{Main|Altair BASIC}}

[[File:Altair Computer Ad August 1975.jpg|thumb|right| An Altair 8800 kit with 8 KB of memory and Altair BASIC cost only $995 in August 1975.]]

In December 1974 Bill Gates was a student at [[Harvard University]] and Paul Allen worked for [[Honeywell]] in Boston. They saw the Altair 8800 computer in the January 1975 issue of ''Popular Electronics'' and knew it was powerful enough to support a [[BASIC]] interpreter.<ref>The January 1975 issue of ''Popular Electronics'' was published on November 29, 1974. [[:File:Copyright Popular Electronics 1975.jpg|Copyright record.]]</ref> They wanted to be the first to offer BASIC for the Altair computer, and the software development tools they had previously created for their [[Intel 8008]] microprocessor based [[Traf-O-Data]] computer would give them a head start.<ref>{{sfnp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |pages=68–70.</ref>}} While their friend, Paul Gilbert, was building the computer, Allen wrote a program that ran on a DEC [[PDP-10]] [[time-sharing]] computer that simulated the 8008 system. He also modified DEC's [[Assembly language|macro assembler]] to produce the machine code for the 8008 microprocessor. The Traf-O-Data software could be written and debugged before the computer hardware was complete.<ref>{{sfnp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |pages=50–54.}} Gates and Allen worked at TRW where they had unlimited access to a PDP-10.</ref>

Harvard had a [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[PDP-10]] that was available for student use. They would use it to develop BASIC.<ref name="harddrive PDP-10">{{cite book | last=Wallace | first=James | author2=Jim Erickson | title=Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | year=1992 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/harddrivebillgat00wall_0/page/81 81–83] | isbn=0-471-56886-4 | url=https://archive.org/details/harddrivebillgat00wall_0/page/81 }}"When Harvard officials found out that he (Gates) and Allen had been making extensive use of the university's PDP-10 to develop a commercial product, they were not pleased." The computer was funded by the Department of Defense and was under the control of Professor Thomas Cheatham. "Although DARPA was funding the PDP-10 at Harvard, there was no written policy regarding its use."</ref> While Allen modified their development software for the new 8080 microprocessor, Gates began writing 8080 assembly language by hand on yellow legal pads. They enlisted another Harvard student, [[Monte Davidoff]], to write the math routines.<ref>{{sfnp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |pages=50–54.</ref>}}

By early February the program coding switched from legal pads to the PDP-10 and a preliminary version was completed by March 1975.<ref>{{harvp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |page=71.}} "A much later version of the source code memorializes the date as February 9, 1975, but the project almost certainly began earlier - during Harvard's January 'reading period' …" [[:File:Altair Basic Sign.jpg|Source code display in museum]]</ref> Gates and Allen had been in contact with Roberts and MITS and the older looking Paul Allen would travel to Albuquerque in March. MITS needed more time to get a computer with 7k bytes of memory working, and they needed more time to get the software finished. When Allen arrived at MITS it took a day to get the software running; Allen remembers this being caused by computer memory problems<ref>Manes (1993), 75.</ref> while Roberts remembers the delay was due to software problems.{{sfnp|Young|1998|page=163}}

The April 1975 issue of the Altair Newsletter, Computer Notes, had a banner headline "Altair BASIC - Up and Running". The software was to begin shipping on June 23, 1975.<ref name="CN April 1975">{{cite journal|title=Altair BASIC - Up and Running |journal=Computer Notes |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=1, 3 |publisher=MITS |___location=Albuquerque NM |date=April 1975 |url=http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=75_4&p=00 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323162008/http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=75_4&p=00 |archive-date=March 23, 2012 }} The publication date was April 7, 1975</ref> The software price was $500, but discounted to $75 with the purchase of an Altair computer with 8k bytes of memory and a serial I/O card.

On July 22, 1975 MITS signed a contract for the Altair BASIC with Bill Gates and Paul Allen. They received $3000 at signing and a royalty for each copy of BASIC sold; $30 for the 4K version, $35 for the 8K version and $60 for the expanded version. The contract had a cap of $180,000. MITS received an exclusive worldwide license to the program for 10 years. They also had exclusive rights to sub-license the program to other companies and agreed to use its "best efforts" to license, promote and commercialize the program. MITS would supply the computer time necessary for development; a PDP-10 owned by the Albuquerque school district.<ref>{{sfnp|Manes (|Andrews||1994), |pages=82–83.</ref>}} Paul Allen left his job at Honeywell and became the Vice President and Director of Software at MITS with a salary of $30,000 per year.{{sfnp|Young|1998|page=164}}<!-- Also Manes, pg 76. Allen left MITS in Nov 1976. Manes, pg 103 --> Bill Gates was still a student at Harvard and just a contractor with MITS. The October 1975 company newsletter gives his title as "Software Specialist".<ref name="Computer Notes Oct 1975">{{cite journal|title=Contributors |journal=Computer Notes |volume=1 |issue=5 |page=13 |publisher=MITS |___location=Albuquerque NM |date=October 1975 |url=http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=75_10&p=13 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323162008/http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=75_10&p=13 |archive-date=March 23, 2012 }}</ref>

The price of Altair BASIC to customers who purchased additional memory and I/O boards from MITS was $75. Users may have gone along with that if the memory board were reliable. Customers bought the computer from MITS, and working memory from companies like Processor Technology. Rather than pay $500 for BASIC, they would acquire bootleg copies of the software. Only about ten percent of the early customers actually purchased BASIC.<ref>{{harvp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |page=90.}} "Roughly 900 copies had been accounted for between July and year's end." "MITS was shipping maybe a thousand machines a month, yet BASIC was selling in the low hundreds."</ref> With a royalty due of $30 per copy, Gates felt that the computer hobbyist were stealing money from him. In February 1976 Bill Gates, "General Partner, Micro-Soft", wrote an "[[Open Letter to Hobbyists]]" that was sent to every computer publication insinuating that the hobbyists were thieves.

[[File:Altair 680.jpg|thumb|Altair 680]]

MITS had announced a new computer based on the [[Motorola 6800]] microprocessor in November 1975, the {{visible anchor|Altair 680}}. The machines were supposed to ship in January 1976, but hardware design problems delayed shipment until May.<ref name="CN Apr 1976">{{cite journal|last=Pollini |first=Steve |title=680-b ready for production |journal=Computer Notes |volume=1 |issue=11 |page=8 |publisher=MITS |date=April 1976 |quote=MITS is now ready to begin full production of the Altair 680b |url=http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=76_4&p=8 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323162008/http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=76_4&p=8 |archive-date=March 23, 2012 }}</ref> Paul Allen rewrote their 8080 simulator to support the 6800 microprocessor. Ric Weiland, a high school friend of Gates and Allen, converted the Altair BASIC's 8080 assembly language to 6800 assembly language. To eliminate the per copy royalty loss issue, the 6800 BASIC was licensed to MITS on a non-exclusive basis for a flat fee of $31,200.<ref>{{sfnp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |page=95.</ref>}} Weiland and Marc McDonald were impressed with the new [[MOS Technology 6502]] microprocessor that was a derivative of the 6800. They modified the 6800 development system to support the 6502 and "cranked out" a 6502 edition of BASIC. This version was later sold to Commodore and Apple.<ref>{{harvp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |pages=99–100.}} "Weiland cranked out a 6502 edition of BASIC."</ref>

The January 1976 issue of MITS's newsletter, Computer Notes, carried an ad for 8080 BASIC. The last paragraph stated: "Licenses for source listing and rights to distribute the binaries are also available to OEM buyers. Write or call Mr. Paul Allen at the MITS plant in Albuquerque for more detailed information."<ref name="CN Jan 1976">{{cite journal|title=8080 BASIC |journal=Computer Notes |volume=1 |issue=7 |page=6 |publisher=MITS |date=January 1976 |url=http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=76_1&p=6 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323162008/http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=76_1&p=6 |archive-date=March 23, 2012 }}</ref> Microsoft found several corporate customers for BASIC and proceeds were evenly split with MITS. Pertec acquired MITS in December 1976 and refused to allow any more OEM deals, even though the agreement required MITS to use their "best efforts" to license the software. The contract required MITS and Microsoft to use binding arbitration to settle disputes. In September 1977, the arbitrator ruled in favor of Microsoft, MITS could continue to use BASIC on their machines but lost the exclusive license. Microsoft could license the software to anyone and keep all of the royalties.<ref>{{sfnp|Manes (|Andrews|1994), |pages=111-113.</ref>}}

There was no longer a business requirement to remain in Albuquerque so Microsoft wanted to relocate to a larger city that would be more attractive to new employees. The San Francisco bay area was considered but Allen and Gates decided to return home to Seattle. Microsoft moved to Bellevue, Washington in January 1979.

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== Works cited ==

*{{cite book | last = Ceruzzi | first = Paul E. | title = A History of Modern Computing | publisher = MIT Press | year = 2003 | ___location = Cambridge, MA | isbn = 0-262-53203-4 | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernc00ceru_0 }}

*{{cite book | lastlast1 = Manes | firstfirst1 = Stephen | author-linklink1 = Stephen Manes |author2first2=Paul |last2=Andrews | title = Gates | publisher = Simon and Schuster | year = 1994 | ___location =New York | isbn = 978-0-671-88074-3}}

*{{cite book | last = Mims | first = Forrest M | author-link = Forrest Mims | title = Siliconnections: Coming of Age in the Electronic Era | publisher = McGraw-Hill | year = 1986 | ___location = New York | isbn = 978-0-07-042411-1 | url = https://archive.org/details/siliconnectionsc00mims }}

*{{cite book | last = Roberts | first = H. Edward | author-link = Ed Roberts (computer engineer) |author2=Forrest Mims | title = Electronic Calculators | publisher = Howard W Sams | year =1974 | ___location = Indianapolis | isbn = 978-0-672-21039-6}}