Hi,
It was my company that produced that and I was one of the designers...
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
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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