30 Nov
2001
30 Nov
'01
8:40 p.m.
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?
Paxton
Astoria, OR
1 Dec
1 Dec
5:41 a.m.
At 02:40 AM 12/1/2001 -0500, you wrote:
In a message dated 11/30/01 10:55:19 PM Pacific
Standard Time,
celt(a)chisp.net writes:
From "Fire in the Valley, " page 31,32.
Bill Gates got hold of an 8008, and with Paul Allen and Paul
Gilbert, constructed a machine to generate traffic flow statistics using
data collected by a sensor installed in a rubber tube strung across a
highway. Software written by Allen and Gates. It took a year to get it
working, and in 1972 they formed a company called Traf-O-Data.
Unfortunately the device had to compete with a free service
offered by the State of Washington, so was not very well received.
Regards
Charlie Fox
Charles E. Fox Video Production
793 Argyle Rd.
Windsor, Ontario, Canada, N8Y3J8
foxvideo(a)wincom.net
Check out the Camcorder Kindergarten at
http://chasfoxvideo.com
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?
Paxton
Astoria, OR 
7:33 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
5:47 p.m.
Innfogra(a)aol.com wrote:
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?
Paxton
Astoria, OR
More info on Traf-O-Data:
http://bobrich.lexitech.com/gates/gates5.htm
http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Gates.Mirick.html
I guess it should be Micr-O-Soft, as well...
Mike
1:48 p.m.
Michael Maginnis wrote:
More info on Traf-O-Data:
I guess it should be Micr-O-Soft, as well...
Now I know why Micr-O-Soft is buggy,
both
programs ignore the possible effects of a
crash! in the system. :)
--
Ben Franchuk --- Pre-historic Cpu's --
www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html
8269
days inactive
8269
days old
4 comments
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participants (5)
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bfranchuk＠jetnet.ab.ca -
celt＠chisp.net -
foxvideo＠wincom.net -
h.wolter＠sympatico.ca -
Innfogra＠aol.com