Lilith (computer)#Operating system
{{Short description|1980 custom-built workstation computer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name = DISER Lilith
| title =
| aka =
| logo =
| image = Lilith-enter-museum.jpg
| caption =
| developer = ETH Zurich
| manufacturer = Modula Computer Systems
| family = Wirth
| type = workstation
| generation =
| release date = {{Start date and age|1980}}
| retail availability =
| lifespan =
| price = $8000
| discontinued = Yes
| units sold = 120{{Cite AV media |author= |date=15 June 2017 |title=ETH Zurich: Ready |medium=video |language=en |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvbhVPLS2fM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/IvbhVPLS2fM |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube |time=1:25–1:35 |location=Zürich, Switzerland |publisher=ETH Zurich |access-date=21 March 2021}}{{cbignore}}
| units shipped = 120
| media = Floppy disk {{convert|5.25|in|cm|abbr=on}} 140 K
| power =
| soc =
| memory = 256 K (131,072 16-bit words)
| storage = 15 MB hard disk
| memory card =
| display = {{convert|12|in|cm|abbr=on}} monochrome bitmapped
| graphics =
| sound =
| input =
| controllers =
| camera =
| touchpad =
| connectivity =
| currentfw =
| platform =
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| dimensions = {{convert|15.5|x|15|x|14.5|in|cm|abbr=on}}
| weight =
| topgame =
| compatibility =
| predecessor =
| successor = Ceres
| related =
| marketing_target = Research
| website =
}}The DISER Lilith is a custom built workstation computer based on the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) 2901 bit slicing processor, created by a group led by Niklaus Wirth at ETH Zurich.{{Cite magazine |last=Ohran |first=Richard |date=August 1984 |title=Lilith and Modula-2: A case study of high-level-language processor design |magazine=Byte |pages=181–192 |url=https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1984-08/page/n186/mode/1up |access-date=6 March 2021}} Reprint.{{Cite magazine |last=Sand |first=Paul A. |date=September 1984 |title=The Lilith Personal Computer |magazine=Byte |pages=300–311 |url=https://archive.org/details/BYTE_Vol_09-10_1984-09_Computer_Graphics/page/n309/mode/2up |access-date=6 March 2021}} Reprint. The project began in 1977, and by 1984 several hundred workstations were in use. It has a high resolution full page portrait oriented cathode-ray tube display, a mouse, a laser printer interface, and a computer networking interface. Its software is written fully in Modula-2 and includes a relational database program named Lidas.
The Lilith processor architecture is a stack machine. Citing from Sven Erik Knudsen's contribution to "The Art of Simplicity": "Lilith's clock speed was around 7 MHz and enabled Lilith to execute between 1 and 2 million instructions (called M-code) per second. (...) Initially, the main memory was planned to have 65,536 16-bit words memory, but soon after its first version, it was enlarged to twice that capacity. For regular Modula-2 programs however, only the initial 65,536 words were usable for storage of variables."{{Cite book |editor1-last=Böszörményi |editor1-first=László |editor2-last=Gutknecht |editor2-first=Jürg |editor2-link=Jürg Gutknecht |editor3-last=Pomberger |editor3-first=Gustav |date=25 October 2000 |title=The School of Niklaus Wirth: The Art of Simplicity |publisher=Morgan Kaufmann |isbn=978-1558607231}} {{ISBN|1-55860-723-4}} & dpunkt, {{ISBN|3-932588-85-1}}.
History
The development of Lilith was influenced by the Xerox Alto from the Xerox PARC (1973) where Niklaus Wirth spent a sabbatical from 1976 to 1977. Unable to bring back one of the Alto systems to Europe, Wirth decided to build a new system from scratch between 1978 and 1980, selling it under the company name DISER (Data Image Sound Processor and Emitter Receiver System).{{cite journal |last=Wirth |first=Niklaus |author-link=Niklaus Wirth |date=January 1995 |url=http://www.modulaware.com/mdlt52.htm |title=A Brief History of Modula and Lilith |journal=The ModulaTor |volume=0}} In 1985, he had a second sabbatical leave to PARC, which led to the design of the Oberon System. Ceres, the follow-up to Lilith, was released in 1987.
Operating system
{{Infobox OS
| name = Medos-2
| logo =
| logo size =
| logo caption =
| logo alt =
| screenshot =
| caption =
| screenshot_alt =
| developer = Svend Erik Knudsen
| family = Wirth
| working state = Discontinued
| source model =
| released = {{Start date and age|1983}}
| discontinued = Yes
| latest release version =
| latest release date =
| marketing target = Research
| programmed in = Modula-2
| language = English
| update model = Compile from source code
| package manager = Modula-2 modules
| supported platforms = Lilith (AMD 2901)
| kernel type = Modular, object-oriented
| userland =
| ui =
| license =
| succeeded by = Oberon
| website =
| other articles =
}}
The Lilith operating system (OS), named Medos-2, was developed at ETH Zurich, by Svend Erik Knudsen with advice from Wirth. It is a single user, object-oriented operating system built from modules of Modula-2.
{{cite thesis |last=Knudsen |first=Svend Erik |date=1983 |title=Medos-2: A Modula-2 Oriented Operating System for the Personal Computer Lilith |type=PhD |publisher=ETH Zurich |doi=10.3929/ethz-a-000300091}}
{{Cite book |last=Knudsen |first=Svend Erik |date=25 October 2000 |chapter=Medos in Retrospect |editor1-last=Böszörményi |editor1-first=László |editor2-last=Gutknecht |editor2-first=Jürg |editor2-link=Jürg Gutknecht |editor3-last=Pomberger |editor3-first=Gustav |title=The School of Niklaus Wirth: The Art of Simplicity |pages=69–86 |publisher=Morgan Kaufmann |isbn=978-1558607231}} {{ISBN|1-55860-723-4}} & dpunkt, {{ISBN|3-932588-85-1}}.
Its design influenced the design of the OS Excelsior, developed for the Soviet Kronos workstation (see below), by the Kronos Research Group (KRG).{{Cite web |last1=Kuznetsov |first1=D.N. |last2=Nedorya |first2=A.E. |last3=Tarasov |first3=E.V. |last4=Filippov |first4=V.E. |date= |title=Kronos: a family of processors for high-level languages |url=http://www.kronos.ru/literature/processors |website=Kronos: History of a Project |publisher=xTech |language=ru |access-date=13 April 2021}}
Soviet variants
From 1986 into the early 1990s, Soviet Union technologists created and produced a line of printed circuit board systems, and workstations based on them, all named Kronos. The workstations were based on Lilith, and made in small numbers.{{Cite web |title=Kronos: History of a Project |url=http://www.kronos.ru/ |date= |publisher=xTech |language=ru |access-date=8 April 2021}}
Mouse
The computer mouse of the Lilith was custom-designed, and later used with the Smaky computers. It then inspired the first mice produced by Logitech.
Gallery
File:Diser Lilith-IMG 1729.jpg|The vertical screen, keyboard and mouse of the Diser Lilith
File:Lilith-IMG 7326.jpg|Vertical tower central unit
File:Lilith-Internal-View.jpg|Internal view of the Lilith, showcasing the CPU boards
File:Lilith-Front-View.jpg|Front view of the Lilith workstation
{{Gallery}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Diser Lilith}}
- [http://bitsavers.org/pdf/eth/lilith/ Documentation on BitSavers]
- [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/eth/lilith/LilithHandbook_Aug82.pdf Geissman, L et al. (August 1982) Lilith Handbook]
- [http://www.cfbsoftware.com/modula2/Lilith.pdf Wirth, N (1981) The Personal Computer Lilith]
- [ftp://ftp.dreesen.ch/Emulith Emulith emulator for the Lilith], [http://pascal.hansotten.com/niklaus-wirth/lilith/emulith/ homepage] and [ftp://ftp.dreesen.ch/Emulith/Emulith_Manual.pdf documentation]
- [http://cfbsoftware.com/modula2 Lilith and Modula-2]
- {{cite web
|title=ETHistory - Lilith Workstation
|url=https://www.ethistory.ethz.ch/rueckblicke/departemente/dinfk/forschung/weitere_seiten/lilith/index_DE/popupfriendly/
|access-date=26 April 2025
}}
- [http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/2901/AMD-AM2901DC.html AMD AM2901DC entry on CPU World]
{{Modula, Oberon}}
{{Wirth}}
Category:Computer workstations