History of Norsk Data

A brief list of some events in the Norsk Data history.

1967

• In July, Norsk Data-Elektronikk is founded
• In September, it is made publically traded

1968

• Three NORD-1 installed
• The NORD-1 is completed, featuring an unusually rich register set, and floating-point arithmetic as standard equipment, possibly the first minicomputer to do so

1969

• A virtual memory system for the NORD-1 is created. One of the first minicomputer to do so (the Burroughs B5000 was the first computer)
• 11 NORD-1 installed

1970

• 17 NORD-1 installed

1971

• 28 NORD-1 installed
• Development is started on the NORDIC system, NORDCOM, and NORD-20
• The company moves in to new offices in Økern Business Center, using 850 m².

1972

• 29 NORD-1 installed, one NORD-5
• NORDIC completed
• BASIC compiler developed
• Terminal systems developed
• NORD-TSS in development, a multi-user multi-lingual time-sharing operating system
• Development of the NORD-10 started, estimated finished first half of 1973

1973

• 36 NORD-1 installed, one NORD-5 (Computas A.S.)
• 12 NORD-10 installed
• Market demands increase sharply after CERN contract
• Contracts signed in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and France
• 32% of orders from export
• NORD-TSS completed
• NORD-PL developed
• ND starts a licensing agreement with the central institute for industrial research to use and further develop the database system SIBAS
• Contract signed with ASEA-ATOM for three systems for 6 million NOK, each consisting of a configuration of NORD-10/5s. Systems to be used for surveillance and control of nuclear power plants.

1974

• 36 NORD-1 installed, one NORD-5
• 46 NORD-10 installed
• NORD-12 and NORD-50 in planning and development
• NORD-42 is completed, with MOS memory using 4Kb chips. First delivery in the summer.
• The NORDCOM-74 is developed, an updated NORDCOM system
• Further development of different I/O controllers for the NORD-10, including the NORDCOM graphics system
• Development of administrative software. Software development team is twice the size of the hardware team
• Development of SINTRAN III dominates the software division manpower. The first SINTRAN-III systems are installed in late 1974.
• The company moves in to new offices in Lørenvn. 57 in August, using 5 800 m². Thought to be sufficient until first quarter 1976.
• A daughter company is considered in Stockholm, Sweden, to be operative 4th quarter 1975.
• First contract with Cern, Lab. II is signed, using the NORD-10.

1975

• Four NORD-1 installed
• 62 NORD-10 installed, three NORD-50
• The NORD-50 is completed, a second-generation 32-bit superminicomputer
• A solid-state memory system for the NORD-10 is developed
• Large mass storage system for the NORD-10 developed
• The typesetting system GMS-12, the ancestor of NORTEXT, is developed for NTB
• NORDFORSK, a Nordic technical research network, is developed using a NORD-12 core system
• SIBAS, a Codasyl-based, multi-user on-line database management system, is introduced

1976

• 83 NORD-10 installed, three NORD-50
• Planning of the building on Furuset is almost completed. Building is planned to be approx. 9 800 m², and planned cost is approx. 42 mill. NOK.

1977

• 114 NORD-10/NORD-10/S installed, seven NORD-50
• NORD-10/S introduced
• Initial deliveries worth 4.5 million NOK for the first parts of the F-16 airplane simulator. Approximately 18 more simulator systems are expected to be delivered

1978

• Relocation to the new building takes place medio August
• Contract with Singer Link for the delivery of 6 more simulators
• CERN is still an active customer. 120 machines sold this year. There have been suggestions of about 40 more simulators being needed.
• Development of the NORD-100, originally designated the NORD-10/M, and intended as a lower-cost bitsliced version of the NORD-10. Just happened to end up significantly faster. It seems to have been the first single-board 16-bit minicomputer.

1979

• With effect from July 3, Norsk Data took over part of the business of the former Tandberg Radiofabrikk A/S. Tandberg is expected to show a profit by 1980.
• Norsk Data introduces the NORD-100
• Development of the ND-500 begins
• Another large order for F-16 simulators is recieved
• Norsk Data takes over a 16700 m² industrial building at Skullerud, Oslo. The building is leased to Tandberg.
• ND-NOTIS, an integrated word processing and administrative data processing system, is introduced.

1980

• Effective from January 1st, Norsk Data absorbs the four Comtec companies in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and West Germany from Nobø Fabrikker.
• Tandberg becomes independent of Norsk Data in the autumn of 1980. Profit was well below the anticipations.
• ACCESS, an on-line query system, allowing user-friendly access to a data-base via interactive terminals.

1981

• The average price of a delivered computer was NOK 750 000, and had on average 512 Kbyte RAM, 110 Mbyte hard disk storage, and 16 terminals.
• The ND Satellite range is introduced (see ND-100 Satellite)

1982

• COSMOS finishes development. COSMOS was a networking system permitting applications and databases to be shared through a data network.
• ND-SAFE (backronymed to System Architecture For Expansion) is introduced
• ND-ORBIS (Organization Related Business Information System) is introduced
• The ND-100/CX is introduced
• The ND-500 is split into three systems: ND-520, ND-560, and ND-570 (?)

1982

• The ND-570/CXA is introduced.

1988

• First Samsonite shipment at 22 April

Notable installations

• CERN
• JET
  • Camtech Electronics Ltd., was established in 1979 by its two founding directors, to work on a contract to develop a sophisticated CAMAC interface for the JET network of Norsk Data computers. CAMAC is a modular data handling system used at almost every nuclear physics research laboratory and many industrial sites all over the world. Its function is to provide a scheme to allow a wide range of modular instruments to be interfaced to a standardised back-plane called a DATAWAY.
• TSPL, 1987.
• BMC,
  • BMC:s computer department were established in September 1976 with a budget of 1.35 MSEK. That was enough to create for it's time a powerful computer center with two NORD-10 mini computers and an Alpha LSI-2 from Computer Automation. That was the first large affair for Norsk Datas newly started Swedish office. It was won in competition with among others Digital Equipment AB offering PDP-11/70 and PDP-11/45 computers. The both NORD-10 were finally replaced after 10 years by a VAX-8200 from Digital Equipment Corporation.
• SCANNET, an early packet switched computer network connecting the five Scandinavian countries. It used five NORD-12, one in each country, and leased phone lines. The project started in 1974 and it became operational in 1976. It gave remote terminal access to library databases. The budget of 1 MSEK was enough to get five NORD-12 computers and they were used until 1983. Protocols used were X.25 and X.75.

Sources

• This article was originally a copy of the NODAF wiki article The_History_of_Norsk_Data in 10th February 2009.