JLS Computers (aka Vidtek). produced in Toronto similar to SBC BB1

Enrico Lazzerini enrico.lazzerini at email.it
Mon Feb 9 16:30:06 CST 2015


Hi, I'm a bit curious on this old historical motherboard derived from
original Ferguson Bigboard 1. Is there anybody who have it and he can send a
pic of it? Or Is there anybody who can describe it? I not found anything on
internet, just all I report below:

Micro/Access
              | Toronto, Ontario      (1983-1993)
        SYSOP | Max Southall 
     SOFTWARE | Custom by Bob Kamins and Max Southall 
     COMMENTS | "The Micro/Access BBS system grew out of the need to
              | service the product line of the JLS/Vidtek Big Board
              | project. The JLS Big Board was a reincarnation with
              | hardware and software enhancements of the original
              | Ferguson Big Board Z80 single board computer system sold
              | to hobbyists. Redesigned by Joe L. Sutherland, with input
              | from Bob Kamins, with later hardware, firmware and
              | software fixes by Max Southall, it was a solid CP/M-80
              | based system which also was the basis for the Xerox 820
              | series. Customers (or any others) of the Big Board were
              | charged $50 a year for access, which eventually included
              | email access to the then research-oriented internet.
              | There were hundreds of paying customers.  The BBS
              | software based on Bob Kamins' work was written in
              | Microsoft's BASIC, and compilation was with Microsoft's
              | M80 compiler. <p> "Eventually Max Southall completely
              | rewrote Stuart Lynne's (yes, the later ICANN chairman)
              | UUPC program and incorporated an email program interface,
              | all in assembler, which connected the Micro/Access BBS
              | users via UUCP to Unix-based internet-based
              | communications. <p> "Prior to 1985, the system was known
              | online as the Vidtek system, which grew out of
              | manufacturing video and CP/M boards for the Apple ][
              | clone systems. SCSI hard disk subsystems were
              | manufactured and sold for the Big Board and sold all over
              | the world, and the BBS used the same hardware as was sold
              | to customers." - Max Southall

Regards
Enrico



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