14 Dec
2008
14 Dec
'08
7:10 p.m.
NonLinear Systems was an electronics test tool builder in Solana Beach, CA ('bout half
an hour north of San Diego). I don't recall when it was formed by Andrew Kay (probably
the 50's or even earlier), but it created the first digital voltmeter in the early
60's. It was a very inventive company.
But the company is now better known for the Kaypro computer. The first Kaypro II actually
was called NonLinear Systems Kaypro. It was the second portable (the Ozzy was the first)
personal computer, running CP/M with a couple of floppies, a screen, and the keyboard in a
cover. The whole thing is the size of a suitcase and was a terribly heavy item. I know; I
have one with the TurboRom and a 10 meg hard drive.
Kaypro went on to making IBM clones.
Both NLS and Kaypro (separate companies now, after computer success and then failure)
still are in existence, I believe.
--- On Sun, 12/14/08, George Wiegand <ics65 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
From: George Wiegand <ics65 at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: My return to Classic Cmp - San Diego, software archive, etc.
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only" <cctech at classiccmp.org>
Date: Sunday, December 14, 2008, 1:05 PM
What are you refering to when you say Non-Linear systems,
are you talking
about Non-Linear Video systems?
,George Wiegand
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vernon Wright"
<vern4wright at yahoo.com>
To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 1:48 PM
Subject: My return to Classic Cmp - San Diego, software
archive, etc.
Over the past four years I've been taking the
digests, pulling down the
archives and saving them, in the hope that I'd find
time to read and perhaps
participate. Never found time.
Gotta get this out of the way first: some of you may
recall that I was Don
Maslin's friend, that I promised to rescue the software
archive, and that
his widow made that impossible. A mutual friend queried me
about this
recently, and I have to say that so far as I know,
Don's archive rests in
his garage, untouched. SAD!!!
This year I lost another computer addict friend who
participated in the
early days of the Z80 (and before that as one of the
Non-Linear Systems
bright lights) - Bill Bailey. Our Old Farts group is
getting smaller.
I wonder - are there any warm bodies here in San Diego
still interested in
the old computers we created over 30 years ago? If so,
I'd sure like to talk
with them. Perhaps reconstitute the Dina-SIG I founded some
20+ years ago as
a local activity for celebration of the early personal
computer, idea and
information exchange, and good fellowship over good beer!
Anyway, I intend to try to drop in here daily and join
in the daily
conversations.
>
> Regards,
> Vern Wright
> San Diego, CA
>
>
>