Contents

• PART I: 1979
  • 1. INTRODUCTION
  • 2. BACKGROUND
    • 2.1 Rosenbrock Report and the Interactive Computing Facility
    • 2.2 Distributed Computing Systems
    • 2.3 Interactive Central Facilities
    • 2.4 Summary
  • 3. EARLY DAYS
    • 3.1 PERQ
    • 3.2 ICL
    • 3.3 SIGGRAPH 79
    • 3.4 ICL West Gorton
    • 3.5 Other Possible Customers
    • 3.6 Summary
  • 4. EARLY NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN ICL AND THREE RIVERS
    • 4.1 October 1979
    • 4.2 Letter to Eadie
    • 4.3 ICL Visit to USA
    • 4.4 Strategy
    • 4.5 First Grant Application
    • 4.6 Utica Assessment
    • 4.7 Summary
  • 5. THREE RIVERS
    • 5.1 Early History
    • 5.2 Brian Rosen
    • 5.3 Finance
    • 5.4 Summary
• PART II: 1980
  • 6. OVERVIEW OF 1980
  • 7. PERQ PRODUCTION
    • 7.1 Three Rivers Personalities
    • 7.2 Visit to Three Rivers - January 1980
    • 7.3 Firmware
    • 7.4 Software
    • 7.5 Maintenance
    • 7.6 CMU
    • 7.7 Other Systems
    • 7.8 PERQ Hardware Progress
    • 7.9 Apollo and SUN
    • 7.10 SIGGRAPH 80
    • 7.11 CMU Deliveries
    • 7.12 Apollo Announcement
    • 7.13 November Visit to Three Rivers
    • 7.14 November Visit to CMU
    • 7.15 Arrival of PERQ
    • 7.16 Summary
  • 8. ICL THREE RIVERS NEGOTIATIONS
    • 8.1 Introduction
    • 8.2 Spring 1980
    • 8.3 Summer 1980
    • 8.4 Autumn 1980
    • 8.5 PERQ Business Plan
    • 8.6 Summary
  • 9. SERC COMMITTEES
    • 9.1 Distributed Computing Systems
    • 9.2 Computing and Communications Sub Committee February 1980
    • 9.3 ICFC - March 1980
    • 9.4 ICFC - December 1980
    • 9.5 Roberts Panel - Software Technology Initiative
    • 9.6 Summary
  • 10. OTHER ACTIVITIES - 1980
    • 10.1 Logica
    • 10.2 GEC - DAP
    • 10.3 DoI
    • 10.4 Computer Board
• PART III: 1981
  • 11. OVERVIEW OF FIRST PART OF 1981
  • 12. PERQ PUBLIC RELATIONS
    • 12.1 Plan of Action
    • 12.2 PERQ Arrival - 21 January 1981
    • 12.3 Demonstrations
    • 12.4 Visitors
  • 13. ICL - THREE RIVERS
    • 13.1 Presentation to ICL Directors, 18-29 March
    • 13.2 Government Rescue ICL - 19 March
    • 13.3 Visit of Fredkin - March 1981
    • 13.4 Frame Agreement
    • 13.5 PERQ Purchases
    • 13.6 Department of Industry
  • 14. SERC COMMITTEES
    • 14.1 Introduction
    • 14.2 Oakley Briefing - February 1981
    • 14.3 Strategy for Single User Systems
    • 14.4 Science Board
    • 14.5 Council
    • 14.6 Summary
  • 15. ICL UNDER WILMOT
    • 15.1 Introduction
    • 15.2 PERQ Presentation to Wilmot
    • 15.3 ICL - Three Rivers Announcement
    • 15.4 Visit of Three Rivers
    • 15.5 Apollo
  • 16. DECISION TIME
    • 16.1 Introduction
    • 16.2 USA Visit to Apollo
    • 16.3 Three Rivers
    • 16.4 Carnegie Mellon University
    • 16.5 Apollo Pressure on ICL
    • 16.6 Friday 28 August
    • 16.7 Press Launch
    • 16.8 Memorandum of Understanding
• PART IV: Audit of Establishment
  • 17. AUDIT OF ESTABLISHMENT OF SERC COMMON BASE POLICY
• PART V: 1982
  • 18. GETTING STARTED
    • 18.1 Introduction
    • 18.2 SERC Staffing
    • 18.3 Common Base Team
    • 18.4 Computing Division Complement
    • 18.5 ICL Staffing
    • 18.6 Summary
  • 19. SRC ORDERS FOR PERQ
    • 19.1 Initial Orders
    • 19.2 PERQ Upgrades and Further Purchases
  • 20. ICL MANUFACTURING
    • 20.1 Introduction
    • 20.2 Kristmas
    • 20.3 TKUP
    • 20.4 PERQ Production
    • 20.5 Software
    • 20.6 Summary
  • 21. UNIX STRATEGY
    • 21.1 Introduction
    • 21.2 Work Required
    • 21.3 Options
      • 21.3.1 HCR
      • 21.3.2 Microcode UNIX
      • 21.3.3 Accent UNIX
      • 21.3.4 Conventional UNIX Port
    • 21.4 Timescales
    • 21.5 CMU Visit - November/December 1981
    • 21.6 SERC/ICL Management Meeting, 15 January 1982
    • 21.7 Summary
  • 22. ACCENT UNIX
  • 23. MICROCODE UNIX
  • 24. UNIX DEVELOPMENTS, FIRST QUARTER 1982
    • 24.1 January 1982
    • 24.2 February 1982
    • 24.3 ICL Move to Da1keith
    • 24.4 March 1982
    • 24.5 Decision to Drop Microcode UNIX
    • 24.6 April 1982
    • 24.7 May/June 1982
    • 24.8 Completion of Accent UNIX
    • 24.9 Manpower
    • 24.10 Abandonment of Accent UNIX
    • 24.11 Microcode UNIX Completion
    • 24.12 Summary
  • 25. PERQ-DAP
    • 25.1 Introduction
    • 25.2 Initial Discussions
    • 25.3 Grant Proposals
    • 25.4 SERC/ICL Proposal
    • 25.5 Industrial Representation on SERC Committees
    • 25.6 Further Grant Applications
    • 25.7 PERQ-DAP Progress
    • 25.8 Science Board Grants
    • 25.9 Continuing Problems
    • 25.10 Abandonment of Colour Display
  • 26. PUBLIC RELATIONS
    • 26.1 Presentations
    • 26.2 Publicity
    • 26.3 Press
  • 27. SINGLE USER SYSTEM STEERING GROUP
    • 27.1 Introduction
    • 27.2 June 1982 Meeting
      • 27.2.1 Terms of Reference
      • 27.2.2 Progress Report
      • 27.2.3 Collaborative Proposals
      • 27.2.4 Manpower and Finances
      • 27.2.5 Science Board Applications
    • 27.3 October 1982 Meeting
    • 27.4 December 1982 Meeting
  • 28. PERQ COMPETITORS
    • 28.1 Introduction
    • 28.2 SUN
    • 28.3 Apollo
    • 28.4 Other Systems
  • 29. COMMUNICATIONS
    • 29.1 Introduction
    • 29.2 Cambridge Ring
    • 29.3 PERQ Cambridge Ring Connection
    • 29.4 Asynchronous Communications
    • 29.5 X25 Communications
    • 29.6 Ethernet
  • 30. DOI OFFICE PILOTS
    • 30.1 Introduction
    • 30.2 Data Recall Office Pilot
    • 30.3 ICL PERQ Office Pilot
  • 31. GKS
• PART VI: Audit of Provision of SERC COMMON BASE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE 1982
  • 32 AUDIT OF PROVISION OF SERC COMMON BASE
    • 32.1 Common Base
    • 32.2 Memorandum of Understanding
    • 32.3 PERQ Hardware
    • 32.4 Cambridge Ring
    • 32.5 UNIX
    • 32.6 FORTRAN and PASCAL
    • 32.7 Wide Area Network Communications
    • 32.8 NAG and GKS
• PART VII: 1983
  • 33. POSITION AT START OF 1983
    • 33.1 Staffing
    • 33.2 PERQs
    • 33.3 Maintenance
    • 33.4 Challenge for 1983
  • 34. HARDWARE
    • 34.1 Introduction
    • 34.2 PERQ2
    • 34.3 Colour
    • 34.4 16K WCS
    • 34.5 PERQ3
    • 34.6 Summary
  • 35. COMMUNICATIONS
    • 35.1 Introduction
    • 35.2 File Dumping
    • 35.3 Wide Area Network Access
    • 35.4 Local Area Network Connections
    • 35.5 Ethernet
    • 35.6 Distributed Interactive Computing
    • 35.7 Summary
  • 36. UNIX
    • 36.1 Introduction
    • 36.2 PNX
    • 36.3 SERC Activities
    • 36.4 PNX Progress
    • 36.5 PNX 2.0
    • 36.6 Summary
  • 37. ACCENT UNIX
    • Evaluation
  • 38. DALKEITH CLOSURE
  • 39. USER SUPPORT
    • 39.1 Introduction
    • 39.2 SERC User Forums
    • 39.3 European PERQ User Group
    • 39.4 SERC/CB Support
    • 39.5 Publicity
  • 40. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTS
    • 40.1 Introduction
    • 40.2 PASCAL
    • 40.3 GKS
    • 40.4 Window Manager
    • 40.5 Spy
    • 40.6 AI Languages
    • 40.7 Print Server
    • 40.8 Summary
  • 41. ASSESSMENT
    • 41.1 Introduction
    • 41.2 Survey
    • 41.3 Assessment
    • 41.4 Conclusions
  • 42. SUSSG
    • 42.1 Introduction
    • 42.2 Finance
    • 42.3 User Support
    • 42.4 Computer Board
  • 43. PERQ - DAP
    • 43.1 Introduction
    • 43.2 Timescale
  • 44. PERQ ORDERS
    • 44.1 Introduction
    • 44.2 Spring 1983
    • 44.3 Summer 1983
    • 44.4 Autumn 1983
  • 45. AUDIT OF 1983
• PART VIII: Conclusion of the Common Base Policy 1984-1985
  • 46. POSITION AT START OF 1984
    • 46.1 Staffing
    • 46.2 PERQs
  • 47. HARDWARE
    • 47.1 Introduction
    • 47.2 PNX2.0 Hardware Upgrade
    • 47.3 The 16K WCS Upgrade
    • 47.4 Maintenance
    • 47.5 PERQ3
  • 48. PNX
    • 48.1 Introduction
    • 48.2 Virtual Memory
    • 48.3 Future PNX Releases
  • 49. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTS
    • 49.1 Introduction
    • 49.2 ERCC Optimised FORTRAN
    • 49.3 GKS
    • 49.4 NAG
    • 49.5 WW
  • 50. ASSESSMENT
    • 50.1 Introduction
    • 50.2 Interim Report
    • 50.3 Assessment
  • 51. USER SUPPORT
    • 51.1 Support Office
    • 51.2 PERQ News
    • 51.3 European PERQ User Group Meeting - July 1984
    • 51.4 User Forum - September 1984
    • 51.5 European PERQ User Group Meeting - July 1985
  • 52. SUSSG
    • 52.1 Introduction
    • 52.2 Submission to the Computing Review Working Party
  • 53. AUDIT OF 1984/5
• PART IX: Cost of Common Base Project
  • 54. COST OF COMMON BASE PROJECT
    • 54.1 Introduction
    • 54.2 Breakdown
    • 54.3 Science Board PERQs
    • 54.4 Total Cost
    • 54.5 Conclusion
    • 54.6 Science Board Options
• PART X: Conclusion
  • 55. FINALE
• References