Go to Antique Computer home page


Your information, comments, corrections, etc. are eagerly requested.
Send e-mail to Ed Thelen. Please include the URL under discussion. Thank you ***

The demise of computer operations :-((
What ever happened to _ _ _ ?
(enter some computer company in the blanks ;-))

Goal of this page
Attempt to identify the downfall or demise of several hundred companies that produced digital computer hardware. (Analog computers were another world - eaten up by digital emulation.)

Unfortunately this list is mostly U.S.A. centric - primarily from my ignorance (not arrogance) of the world outside :-((
Also somewhat biased towards older (pre-1980) manufacturers.

Remember SnowWhite (IBM) and the seven dwarfs?
Can you name three of the seven (more or less) dwarfs?

  1. I worked for General Electric Computer "Department",
  2. a friend worked for RCA,
  3. lots worked for DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation),
  4. and CDC (Control Data Corporation),
  5. SDS (Scientific Data Systems) - soon became XDS (Xerox Data Systems),
  6. - help ? - Data General ? Bendix ?
  7. - more help ?
There was even Lockheed (Sue), General Mills (?)

http://bitsavers.org/pdf/charlesRiverAssoc/ has a legal brief with an interesting history of computing in the U.S. for a trial against IBM.

Note: I have stolen the initial list of companies from wwww.bitsavers.org , the .PDF list of companies and organizations, with enhancements from Ballistic Research Labs publications, and other documents.
- You are invited to add to the list and/or comment on downfalls/sales/withdraws etc.
- The start of computer companies/divisions/... is for others to happily tell.

sorted by Manufacturer
Numeric, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z,

Numeric


3Com - communications

3M (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing) - storage media

A


Able - interface boards

AC_Delco - miniatureairborne digital computers

Acorn - IP computer design/architecture

Adaptec - interface boards

aeg_telefunken (see telefunken) -

Alliant -

alphaMicrosystems - AM-100

altos - ALTOS 580-10

AMD - computer processor chips - K6

Amdahl - 470

AMI - computer chips

Ampex - magnetic tape transports, TM-2, SDSTM-4, video terminal

AnalogDevices - ADSP-2100

Analogic - AP400 Array Processor

AndersonJacobson - AD342 Acoustic Coupler

Apollo Computer, Inc. - Domain

Apple Computer, Inc - Apple II

Applied Computer Techniques - Apricot computer

Applied Microsystems - ES1800 Emulation (Intel 80286)

ASI (Advanced Scientific Instruments) - 6020

AT&T - 6300 Personal Computer

AUSPEX - network file server

Autonetics Division, North American Aviation - Recomp

B


BallBrothers - monitor BASF - mini_disk Basic/Four- model 1200 CPU BBN - BP1000 BCC - 500 microprocessor, data concentrator Beehive - terminals Bendix - G-20 BIT - Bit 483 Bryant - large disk systems CDC BTI - BTI 32 bit multiprocessor system Bull Machine Company - Gamma 60 Burroughs Corporation - B6500, Electrodata

C


CADO - disk systems Caelus - single platter disk drives California Data Processors - CDP-XI/00 CalComp - plotters California Computer Systems - memories CDC (see Control Data Corp.) - Central Data Corporation - Z8000 CPU Board Centronics - printers Century Data (General Automation) - disk drives CGC (Color Graphics Computer) - CGC 7900 Cogar - System 4 Collins - C-System Commodore - PET Compaq CompuPro (A Godbout Company) - CPU-68K Computer Automation - 816 Computer Control Company Control Data Corporation - 1604, 6600 Convergent - B20 Convex Computer, Corp. Corvus Cray Research, Inc - CRAY-1 Cray Computer Cromemco, Inc - ZPU

D


Data General Corporation (DG) - Nova800 Data Products - magnetic storage Daystrom - 636 Decision Data - key punch Diablo - disk storage, daisy wheel printer (DC drive ;-)) Digital Computer Controls Inc - D-112 Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) - PDP-1 Digital Scientific - Meta16 Digitek - wrote compiliers Digitronics - paper tape readers

E


Electronic Associates Inc. - analog & hybrid computing Engineering Research Associates - Atlas, 1103 English Electric Company - Deuce ETA Systems, Inc. ETH - Lilith Evans and Sutherland - LDS-1 vector graphics

F


Fabri-tek - add-on core memory Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation Ferranti - Pegasus vacuum tube (valve) computer

G


H


Heath Company Honeywell, Inc. Hewlett-Packard (HP) Hollerith

I


IMSAI Intel Corporation Intel Supercomputing International Business Machines (IBM)

J


K


Kenbak Kendall Square Research

L


Librascope

M


Massachusetts Institute of Technology MITS Meiko Limited MOSTEK, Inc. Motorola

N


Nippon Electric Corporation (NEC)

O


Osborne Associates

P


Pennsylvania School of Engineering Philco Corporation - S-2000 Pixar

Q


R


Radio Shack RAND Corporation Remington Rand (see UNIVAC) Royal Precision Electronic Computer Company

S


South West Technical Products Sperry Univac Corporation (see UNIVAC) Symbolics, Inc.

T


Tandy Radio Shack (see Radio Shack) aeg-telefunken - tr440 Teletype Corporation Thinking Machines Corporation Three Rivers Computer Company

U


UNIVAC University of Illinois

V


W


X


Xerox Corporation

Y


Z


Zuse