1 Dec
2001
1 Dec
'01
4:33 a.m.
Subject: Re: Traf-o-data
In a message dated 11/30/01 10:55:19 PM Pacific Standard Time,
celt(a)chisp.net writes:
Traf-O-Data automatic traffic measuring device - Microsoft's first piece
of hardware
I would like to know more about this? What, When, Why, What happened to it?
Mentioned in several of Bill Gates' biographies,
the Traf-O-Data
was a hand built, single purpose computer controlled traffic counter.
Details are sketchy - but I think I remember reading that it was
based on an Intel 8008 "single chip micro" which is something in itself
since it need a lot of support chips, strange voltages, clocks, memory
etc.
Gate's intent was to sell it to municipal depts.
to monitor and log
traffic,
to/from roadside paper tape. Other accounts detail
that it was only an
interface
to read roadside punched paper tapes and process
reports . The actual
hardware was rumoured to have been designed and built by a Boeing
engineer,
on contract, and not by Bill as some sources state.
From the accounts I read, they were never successful in selling many
units,
but they managed to make 20K$ on the work.
Gates himself wrote the software to run on a simulator Allen had written
to run on a PDP-10. The only significance of Traf-O-Data was that
the 8008 simulator was modified (greatly) to emulate an 8080 (on Harvard's
PDP-10s) and used to cobble together a small (<4K) BASIC interpreter from
public domain sources. The was demonstrated and sold to MITS for the
first Altair. That interpreter became the basis for most of Micro-soft's
(two words in those days) BASIC ROMS sold to many first generation
home microcomputer hardware companies such as Radio Shack, Commodore..
timeframe - Traf-O-Data company founded 1972, became
Micro Soft 1975
why: Gates and Allen wanted their own software company
what happened to it? who know?I've not heard of any hardware that
survived..
cheers - heinz - Any additional info, corrections -
please post!
ms-religious-fanatic arguments, Bill worhshippers -->> /dev/null :O