Omnidata

Last updated
Omnidata Corporation
Company typePrivate
FoundedDecember 1978;45 years ago (1978-12) in Westlake Village, California, United States
FounderPaul Van Alstyne
Defunctc. 1988
FateDissolution
Parent Triumph-Adler (1981–1983)

Omnidata Corporation was an American computer company active from 1978 to the late 1980s. The company was founded in Westlake Village, California, by Paul Van Alstyne in the aftermath of his company Wordplex being acquired by the Canada Development Corporation. Like Wordplex, Omnidata primarily focused on the design and manufacturing of word processing computer systems, whether they were sold by Omnidata themselves or provided to other companies to resell. In 1984, they released the Omni Convertible, a microcomputer system that supports up to three microprocessors, of differing architectures—including x86, m68k, Z80, and TMS9900—running simultaneously.

Contents

History

Omnidata was founded in December 1978 in Westlake Village, California, by Paul Van Alstyne. [1] Van Alstyne had previously co-founded Wordplex, a manufacturer of word processing computer systems also based in Westlake Village, in 1974. At Wordplex, Van Alstyne served as president; he and his team developed word processors that directly competed against IBM's offerings at the time. [2] From 1974 to 1978, Omnidata grew from 20 employees to 200 and was the second-largest manufacturer of word processor computers, behind only IBM. In July 1978, they were acquired in full by the Canada Development Corporation (CDC)—already a principal investor in the company—and merged with AES Data Ltd. of Montreal to become AES Wordplex. [3] (CDC later sold off AES Wordplex to Norsk Data in 1987. [4] )

As a design consultant, Omnidata's first client was Triumph-Adler (TA) of Germany. In April 1979, they released the Bitsy line of word processor systems, designed in part by Omnidata and manufactured by TA's subsidiary Diehl Data Systems. [5] As a result of their partnership, TA invested significant capital in Omnidata, [1] eventually owning a 46-percent stake in the company by early 1981. [6]

In 1980, Omnidata released their first word processing system, the Omni/1, which included two Shugart 5.25-inch floppy drives and a Qume daisy wheel printer. Omnidata manufactured the systems and developed the software entirely from their Westlake Village plant. As their end of the Bitsy deal, however, Diehl Data Systems had a hand in designing some of the Omni/1's hardware. The Omni/1 was powered by Texas Instruments' TMS9900 microprocessor. [1] In July 1980, Omnidata leased a second building in Westlake Village dedicated to the company's direct sales division. [7] After unveiling it at the 1980 Hanover Fair, [1] Omnidata delivered the Omni/2, a general-purpose microcomputer also based on the TMS9900 processor, in December that year. [8]

In April 1981, TA purchased the remaining shares in Omnidata, acquiring the company outright and making it a subsidiary of TA. [9] TA had been purchased by Volkswagen AG earlier in 1980, making Omnidata for a brief period a second-order subsidiary of VW. [10] [11] : 207  As part of the acquisition, Van Alstyne was promoted to manager of TA's word processing division, [10] directing the development of the Royal brand in the United States and the TA brand in Europe. [11] : 206–207  TA under VW later absorbed Omnidata into their Royal Business Machines subsidiary in 1981. [12]

In early January 1983, as part of VW's reorganization of Triumph-Adler, Omnidata was spun off into a separate company once again. [13] Now on their own, Omnidata began developing the Omni Convertible, an ambitious 16-bit microcomputer that featured support for multiple differing microprocessor architectures running simultaneously. [14] A Zilog Z80H located on its motherboard runs the built-in machine code monitor, while co-processors occupy their own dedicated Multibus card, slotting into one of the four available 16-bit Multibus ports on the Convertible's motherboard. [15] Unveiled at the 1983 CES in November and released to the general public in January 1984, [14] [16] the Omni Convertible came stock with one co-processor card containing Texas Instruments' TMS9995. This card was responsible for running Omnidata's propriety word processing software suite, Omnitext—on top of their proprietary disk operating system, Omni-DOS—as well as acting as a controller for the keyboard and serial and parallel ports. Optional co-processor cards included Intel's x86-based 80186 and 80286 and Motorola's 68000. [15] While only up to three cards could be operated at the same time, this allowed users to run a combination of CP/M, Unix, MS-DOS, UCSD Pascal, Xenix, [17] Omni-DOS seamlessly and simultaneously. [15] [18] [19]

Omnidata released no new computer systems after 1984 and let their trademark lapse in 1988. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microcomputer</span> Small computer with a CPU made out of a microprocessor

A microcomputer is a small, relatively inexpensive computer having a central processing unit (CPU) made out of a microprocessor. The computer also includes memory and input/output (I/O) circuitry together mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). Microcomputers became popular in the 1970s and 1980s with the advent of increasingly powerful microprocessors. The predecessors to these computers, mainframes and minicomputers, were comparatively much larger and more expensive. Many microcomputers are also personal computers. An early use of the term "personal computer" in 1962 predates microprocessor-based designs. (See "Personal Computer: Computers at Companies" reference below). A "microcomputer" used as an embedded control system may have no human-readable input and output devices. "Personal computer" may be used generically or may denote an IBM PC compatible machine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-99/4A</span> Home computer by Texas Instruments

The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments in 1979 and 1981, respectively. The TI-99 series competed against home computers such as the Apple II, TRS-80, Atari 400/800, and VIC-20.

The TMS9900 was one of the first commercially available, single-chip 16-bit microprocessors. Introduced in June 1976, it implemented Texas Instruments' TI-990 minicomputer architecture in a single-chip format, and was initially used for low-end models of that lineup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multibus</span> Computer bus standard

Multibus is a computer bus standard used in industrial systems. It was developed by Intel Corporation and was adopted as the IEEE 796 bus.

Pertec Computer Corporation (PCC), formerly Peripheral Equipment Corporation (PEC), was a computer company based in Chatsworth, California which originally designed and manufactured peripherals such as floppy drives, tape drives, instrumentation control and other hardware for computers.

Micromation Inc. was as an early pioneer (1978–1983) in the design, manufacture and sale of microcomputer systems, circuit boards and peripherals. The company's products were built around early Intel and Zilog microprocessors, the S-100 bus and the CP/M and MP/M Operating System software from Digital Research. Micromation's headquarters and manufacturing plant were both located in San Francisco.

Ohio Scientific, Inc., was a privately owned American computer company based in Ohio that built and marketed computer systems, expansions, and software from 1975 to 1986. Their best-known products were the Challenger series of microcomputers and Superboard single-board computers. The company was the first to market microcomputers with hard disk drives in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callan Data Systems</span>

Callan Data Systems, Inc. was an American computer manufacturer founded by David Callan in Westlake Village, California on January 24, 1980. The company was best known for their Unistar range of Unix workstations, and shut down again in 1985.

Smoke Signal Broadcasting, Inc. (SSB), later known as Smoke Signal, was an American computer company founded in 1976 by Frederic Jerome "Ric" Hammond of Hollywood, California. The company earned its reputation by offering expansions for the Southwest Technical Products (SWTPC) 6800 microcomputer. It later manufactured its own line of computers, called the Chieftain. Though it remains little-known, Smoke Signal was an early and important manufacturer of multi-user computer systems.

Pacific Cyber/Metrix, Inc. was an American computer company based in California. The company was founded in 1975 in San Ramon, California.

Parasitic Engineering, Inc., was an American computer company founded by Howard Fullmer and Gene Nardi in 1974. Named as a tongue-in-cheek reference to a comment by MITS co-founder Ed Roberts, Parasitic's first products were hardware upgrade kits to MITS' Altair 8800 microcomputer kit, improving the latter's power supply rating and susceptibility to noise. The company later released their own microcomputer based on the same bus as the Altair, the S-100, but it was less popular than the company's hardware-improvement kits. By 1979, the company had pivoted to providing upgrades to Tandy's TRS-80. Parasitic went defunct in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action Computer Enterprise</span> Former American computer company (1978–1990)

Action Computer Enterprise, Inc. (ACE), was an American computer company that was active from 1978 to 1990. The company delivered one of the first multi-user-capable microcomputers, the Discovery 1600, in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Research</span> American computer company (1974–1986)

Martin Research Ltd., later Qwint Systems, Inc., was an American computer company founded by Donald Paul Martin in Northbrook, Illinois, United States. The company released their Mike family of modular kit microcomputers starting in 1975. These computers, spanning several models based on the Intel 8008, 8080, and Zilog Z80 microprocessors, proved very popular among hobbyists who wanted an inexpensive trainer computer.

Gnat Computers, Inc. was an American computer company based in San Diego, California, founded in 1976. The company was an early developer of microcomputers and one of the first—if not the first—to license the CP/M operating system from Digital Research. They released various computer hardware, including two microcomputer systems, before they were acquired by business partner Data Technology Industries, Inc., in 1983.

Terak Corporation was an American computer company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company was among the first to market graphical workstations, with their most successful being the Terak 8510/a in 1977. After going public in 1983, the company was acquired by Sanders Associates, who placed it under their CalComp division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billings Computer</span>

Billings Computer Corporation was a publicly traded computer company and fully owned subsidiary of Billings Energy Corporation, a defunct American energy company based in Provo, Utah, that specialized in hydrogen fuel. Billings Computer was active between 1977 and 1985 and released several minicomputers and microcomputer systems.

The E'Lite is a small-form-factor microcomputer based on the Zilog Z80B microprocessor released by Barrington International Corporation in 1982. It served as the market introduction of Irwin Magnetic Systems's long-awaited 510 Winchester tape drives.

Northwest Microcomputer Systems, Inc. (NMS), was a short-lived, privately owned American computer company active from 1977 to the early 1980s and based out of Oregon. The company was co-founded by several computer engineers and investors, including Randy Bush.

TA Triumph-Adler GmbH is a German office equipment manufacturer based in Nuremberg and founded in 1896. The company currently manufactures computer printers and other document management systems. The company is now part of the Japanese conglomerate Kyocera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonos</span> Defunct American computer systems company

Jonos International, Inc., originally Jonos, Ltd. (JL), later Netcom Research, Inc., was an American computer company active from 1980 to 1992. The company sold a variety of computer hardware products and systems, including STD Bus peripherals, smart terminals, microcomputers, and portable computers. The company's Courier portable computer was the first microcomputer sold with Sony's then-new 3.5-inch floppy disk drives on its release in June 1982. Jonos' systems were widely used in the fields of construction, roadworks, machining, and military.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Trifari, John (February 1980). "Omnidata Would Gain from Purchase of Pertec". Mini-Micro Systems. Cahners Publishing. XIII (2): 62 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "Wordplex moves to larger Westlake Village quarters". Thousand Oaks Star: 23. June 11, 1978 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "CDC tackles IBM game". The Province: 25. July 26, 1978 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Benefit from Wordplex Acquisition". Computer Business Review. New Statesman Media Group. February 7, 1988. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Outstanding offerings on the WP scene". Computer Weekly. Reed Business Information (650): 25. April 28, 1979 – via the Internet Archive.
  6. ↑ Johnston, Rory (March 19, 1981). "200 screens will link to joint WP and DP system". Computer Weekly. Reed Business Information (749): 8 – via the Internet Archive.
  7. ↑ "Expansions". Computerworld. CW Communications. XIX (29): 62. July 21, 1980 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Small Business Computer Specifications Addendum. Datapro Research Corporation. 1981. p. M11-050–380 – via the Internet Archive.
  9. ↑ "Triumph Adler übernimmt Omnidata" [Triumph Adler takes over Omnidata]. Computerwoche (in German). IDG Publications. 14 (4). April 16, 1981. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Johnson, Rory (April 23, 1981). "Adler buys Omnidata". Computer Weekly. Reed Business Information (754): 2 – via the Internet Archive.
  11. 1 2 "Word Processing". Datamation. Technical Publishing. 27 (11): 206–207. October 1981 – via the Internet Archive.
  12. ↑ "Poppa Quits Pertec to Pursue Outside Interests". Computerworld. CW Communications. XV (46): 105. November 16, 1981 – via the Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ 1982 Annual Report (PDF). Volkswagen AG. 1983. p. 52 – via Volkswagen Group.
  14. 1 2 "Omnidata to Show System". Computerworld. CW Communications. XVII (48): 19. November 28, 1983 – via the Internet Archive.
  15. 1 2 3 "System operates with three microprocessors". Mini-Micro Systems. Cahners Publishing. XVII (6): 288. May 1984 – via the Internet Archive.
  16. ↑ Personal/Microcomputer Survey. Data Decisions. 1984. p. 50 – via the Internet Archive.
  17. ↑ Nadeau, Michael (2002). Collectible Microcomputers. Schiffer Book for Collectors (Illustrated ed.). Schiffer Publishing. p. 102. ISBN   9780764316005 – via Google Books.
  18. ↑ "Multiple micro system". Computer Design. PennWell Publishing. 23 (3): 238. March 1984.
  19. ↑ "Convertible". Datamation. Technical Publishing. 30 (2): 199. February 1984 – via the Internet Archive.
  20. ↑ "Omnidata Trademark Registration (Application #73292733)". United States Patent and Trademark Office. n.d. – via USPTO.report.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.