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Columbia 1600-4 computer with hard drive

arceq

New Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2005
Messages
1
COMPLETE COLUMBIA DATA PRODUCTS COMPUTER SETUP CIRCA 1983

Vintage Columbia Data Products Computer Model 1600-4/110 with 10MB Ampex HD
Includes--Columbia Data Products Keyboard Model 2402-51
Operating manual
TAXAN Amber monitor model KG-12NU-YN
Original "oddball" printer cable
Memory board needs work and is missing one MFM cable
UPS Ground shipping Continental US estimated at $45.00
first reasonable offer, not looking to get rich, just seems a waste to toss it[/img]
 
If anyone is interested in collecting computing "firsts", it should be noted that the Columbia MPC was the first PC-clone to hit the market, beating Compaq by several months.

--T
 
I think the Columbia was the first luggable, but I'm pretty sure the Eagle PC was the first PC clone.

Erik
 
No, the Columbia VP (luggable) came later. The MPC (desktop) models came out several months earlier. (I'll have to look up the dates, I don't have them handy right now).

--T

EDIT: Here's one quick reference:

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=633

...and the VP model, dated 1983:

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=889

...and here's another reference, from Digi-Barn, which places the Eagle between the CDP and the Compaq:

http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/columbia-data-products/

--T
 
Of course, there are those who don't consider the Columbia to be a true IBM-PC clone, because the hardware wasn't exactly the same as the IBM. (Actually it was better). IBM only gave you up to 64K of RAM, the MPC came with 128K standard. IBM only gave you 5 expansion slots, the MPC has 8 (PC-spaced) slots. The MPC came with a video card, serial port and paralell port, IBM charged extra for thiers. Oh yeah, to really use the machine required the use of at least 2 of the five expansion slots in the IBM, one for video and one for a drive controller, leaving 3 available for expansion. The MPC only used one slot for the video card, the floppy controller was built-in on the mainboard, leaving 7 available slots. (The original 1600-4 didn't even need an expansion slot for the hard drive controller, it used a Xebec board that mounted on top of the hdd, with interfacing circuitry on the mainboard). All this, and it cost considerably less than the IBM! OK, well, there's a downside to the MPC also: It didn't include a cassette port, which was standard on the IBM.

--T
 
Here's another (partial) timeline, from the Obsolete Technology Homepage: http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5155.html

1981: September - IBM ships the IBM 5150 PC Personal Computer.
1982: April - Eight months after the introduction of the IBM PC, 50,000 units have been sold.
1982: May - Microsoft releases MS-DOS 1.1 to IBM, for the IBM PC.
1982: June - The first IBM PC clone, the MPC, is released by Columbia Data Products.
1982: August - After one year of production, IBM ships the 200,000th IBM PC.
1982: November - Compaq Computer introduces the Compaq Portable PC, the first 100% IBM compatible. It cost Compaq US$1 million to create an IBM-compatible ROM BIOS that did not violate IBM's copyright.

--T
 
Hmm. You learn something new every day! I always thought the Eagle was the first clone. . .

Thanks for the info!

Erik
 
Well, it depends on how you define "clone". By the strictest definition (exact copy), the Columbia doesn't qualify, but then neither do the Eagle or the Compaq. (I have a friend who subscribes to the "purist" definition, and we've argued this point in the past).

--T
 
An exact copy would've required a non-obtainable license from IBM, right? (or the alternative mentioned, probable copyright infringing law-suit which is a poor choice to take only to become the first one)

I wonder which micro computer/video game system has had the biggest sales figure without any attempt to clone it.
 
The classic test of compatibility used to be the Microsoft Flight Simulator. If that ran, the machine was a PC compatible. :D

Erik
 
Another legend from the time has it that a manufacturer would test-drive the 100 top-selling programs of that week to see if they would run. If 95 of them ran, then they could advertize thier machine as being 95% compatible, etc. (If they weren't satisfied with the results, they could wait another week and then try again with (hopefully) a different set of programs).

--T
 
Terry Yager said:
Another legend from the time has it that a manufacturer would test-drive the 100 top-selling programs of that week to see if they would run. If 95 of them ran, then they could advertize thier machine as being 95% compatible, etc. (If they weren't satisfied with the results, they could wait another week and then try again with (hopefully) a different set of programs).

--T

:tellme: I never knew that. It's intresting how times have changed. It's been forever
since i've seen someone who uses a IBM desktop. I love there laptops :inlove:
It's to bad they sold there name to the chinese. :crazy:
Up untill now i considered IBM an American icon... It's almost like they sold a part of America. :cry:
 
Yeah, the ThinkPads are probably the solidest line of laptops ever built. I swear by them. One of my earliest laptops was a PS/2 L40 SX. That aluminum-cased '386 was pretty rugged too. (I got my eyes open for another one, if I can find any affordable these days).

--T
 
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