Terak Corporation

Last updated
Terak Corporation
TypePublic
IndustryComputers
Founded1975;48 years ago (1975) in Scottsdale, Arizona
Founders
  • William Mayberry
  • Dennis Kodimer
  • Brian Benzar
DefunctJuly 1985 (1985-07)
FateAcquired by Sanders Associates
Products Terak 8510/a
Number of employees
100 (1980s, peak)

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.

Contents

History

Terak 8000 family (1977–1984)

Terak was founded by William Mayberry, Dennis Kodimer, and Brian Benzar in 1975. Originally a privately owned corporation, Terak employed 40 in 1979. [1] The company spent over a year developing their first product, the Terak 8510, which was released in late 1976. [2]

The Terak 8510/a with terminal display and keyboard Terak 8510a.jpg
The Terak 8510/a with terminal display and keyboard

The Terak 8510 was a tabletop computer system (alternatively described as a minicomputer and a microcomputer) built from a DEC LSI-11. [2] [3] : 160  The chassis that houses the processor contains one 8-inch floppy disk drive, plugged into a controller that supports writing 3740-formatted disks; three additional external drives could be installed (Terak 8512). The 8510 comes with a minimum of 4 KB of memory stock, expandable to 20 KB. A 12-inch CRT-based terminal (the Terak 8530) and series of line printers (the Terak 8540 family) were available as options. [3] : 161  The computer was aimed at education and small businesses and had an initial software base comprising a line editor, a linker, a batch processor and a macro assembler, as well as compilers for Fortran IV and BASIC. [2] The company followed up with the graphical Terak 8510/a in December 1977. [4] [5] The 8510/a bumped its predecessor's maximum RAM to 56 KB and included the terminal as standard issue. It was capable of displaying monochrome [6] bitmapped graphics at a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels from any contingent area of memory. As well, it could display text; the computer was also capable of display text and graphics simultaneously, contents overlapping, since both modes of display were independently controlled. [5] The Terak 8510/a was succeeded by the Terak 8600, which featured dual 16-bit microprocessors and Q-Bus slots for expansion. It came with a litany of framebuffer boards, allowing the display of eight colors in the new 640-by-480-pixel and 320-by-240-pixel modes. Additional framebuffer boards could be installed to allow the computer to display 64 colors in 640-by-480-pixel mode. [6]

The company achieved sales of $4 million in 1979 and $6 million in 1980, with the company sales in $8 million in 1981. Although Terak was growing, the rate of growth had been straining the company's cash flow in the backdrop of the early 1980s recession, according to Mayberry, who stated that "[l]ike so many dynamic young companies, our success has been one of our worst enemies." [7] In July 1981, a five-member investment consortium infused Terek with $2.5 million in stock to alleviate the company's growing pains. [7] In August 1983 Terak filed its initial public offering with the SEC with a registration statement filed by Ladenburg Thalmann. [8] It had a peak employee count of 100 in 1984. [9]

Bankruptcy and acquisition (1984–1985)

In December 1984, Terak laid off 23 salaried employees, 16 of which had been working on a new 32-bit [10] workstation for the company. Terak cited that the end of the product's research and development rendered their employment no longer necessary. [9] In February 1985 Teraak declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy after it had defaulted on a credit line the company had with the Bank of Boston. The bank required immediate payment of an outstanding balance of $600,000; when Terak could not pay, the bank declared Terak in default and notified that it exercised the right to collect the $225,000 in funds that Terak had deposited within the bank. [11] The company faced crushing cost-reductions if it would not raise sufficient capital by May 1985, and in March Terak was seeking a better-capitalized company to acquire them partially or in whole in order for the 32-bit workstation to come to market. [10] Meanwhile in bankruptcy protection, Terak published Minn-Draft/PC, a 3D trainer program for users seeking to learn common CADD software for the IBM PC and compatibles. The software was originally developed by the University of Minnesota. [12]

In May 1985, Sanders Associates of Nashua, New Hampshire, agreed to acquire Terak for $3.7 million. [13] The terms of the acquisition were later increased to $5.5 million. Sanders Associates finalized the purchase of Terak in July 1985, putting the new Terek subsidiary under their CalComp division. [14] Terak was one of many CAD/CAM companies struggling financially in 1985; [15] the tech sector in Arizona was also hit particularly hard in that year. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Framebuffer</span> Portion of random-access memory containing a bitmap that drives a video display

A framebuffer is a portion of random-access memory (RAM) containing a bitmap that drives a video display. It is a memory buffer containing data representing all the pixels in a complete video frame. Modern video cards contain framebuffer circuitry in their cores. This circuitry converts an in-memory bitmap into a video signal that can be displayed on a computer monitor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DECstation</span> DEC brand of computers

The DECstation was a brand of computers used by DEC, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989. These comprised a range of computer workstations based on the MIPS architecture and a range of PC compatibles. The MIPS-based workstations ran ULTRIX, a DEC-proprietary version of UNIX, and early releases of OSF/1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terak 8510/a</span>

The Terak 8510/a was a graphical desktop workstation developed by the Terak Corporation in 1977. It was among the first desktop personal computers with a bitmap graphics display. It was a desktop workstation with an LSI-11 compatible processor, a graphical framebuffer, and a text mode with downloadable fonts. The combined weight of processor, display, and keyboard was approximately 50lb. Despite the lack of an MMU, it was capable of running a stripped version of UNIX version 6. It was the first personal machine on which the UCSD p-System was widely used. Various universities in the USA used it in the late 1970s through mid-1980s to teach Pascal programming. It provided immediate graphic feedback from simple programs encouraging students to learn.

The Commodore 900 was a prototype microcomputer originally intended for business computing and, later, as an affordable UNIX workstation. It was to replace the aging PET/CBM families of personal computers that had found success in Europe as business machines. The project was initiated in 1983 by Commodore systems engineers Frank Hughes, Robert Russell, and Shiraz Shivji.

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.

Realistic Controls Corporation (NCC), later Nylac Computer Corporation and Archives, Inc., was an American computer company based in Davenport, Iowa, founded in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp PC-7000</span> Luggable portable computer

The Sharp PC-7000 is a luggable portable computer released by Sharp Electronics in 1985. The PC-7000 was Sharp's second entry into the IBM PC-compatible portable computer market, their first being the PC-5000.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Chip Electronics</span> Former American computer company

Blue Chip Electronics, Inc., later Blue Chip International was an American computer company founded by John Rossi in 1982. Founded to develop peripherals for Commodore home computers, the company in 1986 began selling low-cost IBM PC compatibles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Computer and Peripheral</span> American computer company

American Computer & Peripheral, Inc. (AC&P), also written as American Computer and Peripheral, was an American computer company based in Santa Ana, California. The company was founded in 1985 by Alan Lue and released several expansion boards for the IBM PC as well as a few PC clones before going bankrupt in December 1989. Obscure in its own time, the company's 386 Translator was the first plug-in board for Intel's newly released 80386 processor and the first mass-market computing device to offer consumers a means of using the 386 in July 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parallax Graphics</span> American computer hardware manufacturer

Parallax Graphics, Inc., was an American developer and manufacturer of high-specification computer graphics cards for various platforms, and of supporting software. The company was founded in 1982 as Parallax Systems by two Cornell University graduates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panasonic Executive Partner</span> 1985 IBM-compatible portable computer

The Executive Partner is an IBM PC-compatible portable computer that was introduced by the Panasonic Corporation in 1985. The portable computer is AC-powered exclusively, weighs between 28 and 30 pounds (14 kg), and features a built-in printer. The Executive Partner was one of the first affordable portable computers with a plasma display.

Intelligent Systems Corporation (ISC) was an American technology company that sold portable computers, video terminals, expansion cards, and other peripherals through a variety of manufacturing subsidiaries. Founded in 1973, the company restructured as a master limited partnership in 1987, becoming Intelligent Systems Master Limited Partnership.

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.

Quasar Data Products Inc. (QDP), later QDP Computer Systems Inc., was an American computer company based in 1979 in North Olmsted, Ohio, United States. The company was founded by Brian A. Catalucci and Dave L. Kelley, the former a trained engineer who had previously worked as an airline pilot.

<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 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 in 1983.

Pronto Computers, Inc., was an American computer company based in Torrance, California, active from 1983 to 1987. During its brief existence, the company released a duo of IBM PC compatible computer systems and a family of high-spec graphics cards. Pronto's first product, the System 16, was widely lauded for its graphical prowess and industrial design; in 1983, I.D. magazine named it the best-designed product in the field of instrumentation and equipment. The System 16 was followed up with the Pronto Transportable Solution, a portable computer. Both it and the Pronto 16 ran the Intel 80186, a microprocessor seldom used in IBM PC compatibles. Pronto Computers went bankrupt shortly after the Black Monday financial crisis of 1987.

3R Computers, Inc., or RRR Computers, Inc., later Avatar Technologies, was an American computer company based in Westborough, Massachusetts, known for their Avatar series of dumb terminal-to-workstation devices.

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.

References

  1. ↑ 1979 American Electronics Association Directory. American Electronics Association. 1979. p. 168 – via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 3 Staff writer (October 1976). "Tabletop Computer System". Computer Design. 15 (10): 163 – via the Internet Archive.
  3. 1 2 Staff writer (March 3, 1977). "Processor module includes LSI-11 microcomputer". Electronics. McGraw-Hill. 50 (5): 160–161 – via the Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Staff writer (December 18, 1977). "Terak Corp. is producing table-top computer system". The Arizona Republic: F21 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Staff writer (January 9, 1978). "Graphics Unit Built on Micro". Computerworld. CW Communications. XIII (2): 63 – via the Internet Archive.
  6. 1 2 Shoor, Rita (August 18, 1980). "Terak Raster-Scan Display System Shown at Graphics Conference". Computerworld. CW Communications. XIV (33): 65 – via the Internet Archive.
  7. 1 2 Staff writer (July 6, 1981). "Financial Checklist". Computer Business News. CW Communications. 4 (27): 20 – via the Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ Staff writer (August 1983). "Terak Corp. to make public stock offering". The Arizona Republic: C4 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 Staff writer (December 1, 1984). "Computer-graphics firm announces layoffs". The Arizona Republic: E4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Staff writer (March 5, 1985). "Valley firm must get capital or 'reduce costs'". The Arizona Republic: A15 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Staff writer (February 26, 1985). "Color-graphics firm files for reorganization". The Arizona Republic: A12 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Staff writer (April 15, 1985). "Microcomputers". Computerworld. CW Communications. XIX (15): 71 – via the Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ Staff writer (May 4, 1985). "Terak Corp. agrees to buy-out by New Hampshire company". The Arizona Republic: E6 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Staff writer (July 31, 1985). "Sanders Buys Terak". The Boston Globe: 29 – via ProQuest.
  15. ↑ Dooley, Bill (December 18, 1985). "CAD/CAM/CAE Hit Hard in High-Tech Slump". MIS Week. Fairchild Business. 6 (50): 16 – via the Internet Archive.
  16. ↑ Price, Kathie (January 2, 1986). "High-tech slowdown short-circuited plans in variety of fields last year". The Arizona Republic: C6 – via Newspapers.com.
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.