New subject: R: JLS Vidtek Big Board Xerox 820

2 Sep 2018

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