Durango F-85
{{Short description|Early personal computer by Durango Systems Corporation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Infobox computer
|image = Durango Systems logo.svg
|caption = Logo of Durango Systems
|manufacturer = Durango Systems Corporation
|type = Personal business computer
|connectivity =
|lifespan = 1978-1984
|unitssold =
|media = two 100 tpi high-capacity 5.25-inch diskette drives storing 480 KB on each single-sided or 960 KB on double-sided diskettes using group-coded recording (GCR)
|os = DX-85M (multi-user/multitasking)
|input = keyboard, full stroke, 84 key
|camera =
|power =
|cpu = 5 MHz Intel 8085A
|storage = 40 MB Shugart SA-4006 14-inch winchester, later 5.25" integrated ST506-interface MFM drive
|memory = 65 KB (up to 196 KB)
|display = 9-inch CRT with 64 characters per row by 16 rows or 80 characters per row by 24, based on the Intel 8275 Video display controller
|service =
|dimensions =
|weight =
|touchpad =
|predecessor =
|successor = Durango "Poppy"
|related =
}}
The Durango F-85 was an early personal computer introduced in September 1978 by Durango Systems Corporation, a company started in 1977 by George E. Comstock, John M. Scandalios and Charles L. Waggoner, all formerly of Diablo Systems. The F-85 could run its own multitasking operating system called DX-85M, which included an integral Indexed Sequential (ISAM) file system and per-task file locking, or alternatively CP/M-80. DX-85M utilized a text configuration file named CONFIG.SYS five years before this filename was used for a similar purpose under MS-DOS/PC DOS 2.0 in 1983.
The F-85 used single-sided 5¼-inch 100 tpi diskette drives providing 480 KB utilizing a high-density 4/5 group coded encoding. The machine was using a Western Digital FD1781 floppy-disk controller with 77-track Micropolis drives. In later models this was expanded to a double-sided option for 960 KB (946/947 KB formatted) per diskette.
Durango later dropped the "F-85" model name and adopted a user model system, with 700 being the entry model and 950 being the full-featured model.
Still later, they designed a 80186-/80286-based 16-bit system, the Durango "Poppy"; MS-DOS was selected as the entry operating system.
See also
Notes
{{reflist|group="nb"|refs=
The product flyer for the Durango 800 series documents a formatted "on-line capacity" of 1.892 MB for the diskette drives. The system, however, was equipped with two 5¼-inch Micropolis 100 tpi 77-track floppy drives by default, and 1.892 MB is about twice as large as the physical drive capacity documented in various other sources (480 KB per side), therefore, by "on-line capacity" they must have meant the available storage capacity available to users for the combination of two drives.
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References
{{reflist|refs=
{{cite web |title=Oral History of George Comstock |location=Mountain View, California, USA |author-first=George E. |author-last=Comstock |interviewer-first=Gardner |interviewer-last=Hendrie |date=2003-08-13 |id=CHM X2727.2004 |publisher=Computer History Museum |url=http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Oral_History/Comstock_George/Comstock_George_1.oral_history.102658008.pdf |access-date=2017-03-23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323110042/http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Oral_History/Comstock_George/Comstock_George_1.oral_history.102658008.pdf |archive-date=2017-03-23 |quote=[…] that's how we got Durango Systems started in 1977. And we opened the doors for business I think it was July or August of '77 and began designing a product, one of which is sitting right there. That's the Durango F85 computer […] We were on the startup of Durango, we raised our money and got going and in that case it took us another 15 months to start shipping product […]}}
{{cite web |title=800 Technical Summary - 800 Series Business Computer System |publisher=Durango Systems, Inc. |location=San Jose, CA, USA |url=http://www.sydex.com/durango/durango.pdf |access-date=2017-03-23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323112022/http://www.sydex.com/durango/durango.pdf |archive-date=2017-03-23}}
{{cite journal |title=CI News: Play it again, George? |journal=Computerworld |publisher=Computerworld, Inc. |volume=XI |number=47 |date=1977-11-21 |page=64 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3wLD-4p12toC&pg=PA62 |access-date=2017-06-13 }}
{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QmEH10OiXZkC&pg=PA4 |title=Business Mini Weighs 65 Pound - What is Durango? |author-first=Brad |author-last=Schultz |pages=1, 4 |journal=Computerworld |publisher=CW Communications, Inc. |volume=XII |number=40 |date=1978-10-02 |access-date=2017-06-13 }}
{{cite journal |title=NCC Preview: OEMs at NCC - Micropolis Corp. |journal=Computerworld |publisher=CW Communications, Inc. |volume=XII |number=22 |date=1978-05-28 |page=P/50 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qrjca3MN6nIC&pg=PT66 |access-date=2017-06-12 |quote=[…] Micropolis has extended the capacity of 5.25-in. floppy disk subsystems via double-sided models with formatted file storage of up to nearly 2 million bytes […] The Megafloppy series also features an intelligent controller that facilitates interconnection of four subsystems to a common host interface for a total on-line storage capacity of more than 15M bytes […] Double-sided versions of the product line will be implemented first in two OEM series - Model 1015 and Model 1055 […] The Model 1015 is an unpackaged drive designed for the manufacturer who integrates floppy disk storage into his own system enclosure. A range of storage capacities from 143,000 to 630,000 bytes per drive is available […] Model 1015 customers have the option of using the Micropolis intelligent controller and Group Code Recording (GCR) method to further expand file space up to 946,000 bytes […] Offering GCR and a microprocessor-based controller as standard features, the Model 1055 5.25-in. floppy has four soft-sectored formats for each of its 77 tracks, yielding a maximum capacity of 1,892,000 bytes of file space on its double-sided version […] An add-on module available for the 1055 is {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}} two read/write heads and two drives, sharing a common controller. The subsystem capacity (formatted) with the module is 3,784,000 bytes […] Up to four 1055s, each with an add-on module, can be daisy-chained to a common host for a maximum on-line storage capacity of more than 15M bytes […]}}
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Further reading
- https://books.google.com/books?id=XPDvkYPCkWgC&pg=PA86&lpg=PA86
- https://books.google.com/books?id=Alpvxl7sBqIC&pg=RA1-PA63&lpg=RA1-PA63
- https://books.google.com/books?id=qZiwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA185&lpg=PA185
External links
- {{cite web |title=Durango F85 |publisher=Old Computers |url=http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=939 |access-date=2017-03-23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323113819/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=939 |archive-date=2017-03-23}}
Category:Computer-related introductions in 1978
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