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The HP 9800 was a family of what were initially called programmable calculators and later desktop computers made by Hewlett-Packard which replaced their first HP 9100 calculator. A calculator is device for performing mathematical calculations distinguished from a Computer by having a limited problem solving ability and an interface optimized for interactive A desktop computer is a Personal computer (PC in a form intended for regular use at a single location as opposed to a mobile Laptop or portable computer The Hewlett-Packard 9100A is an early computer/calculator first appearing in 1968. The 9830 and its successors were true computers in the modern sense of the term, complete with a powerful BASIC language interpreter.

Contents

Models

Chronologically, the models of the family were:

The success of the HP9830 led to a next generation with faster logic:

HPL description

In HPL instead of variables such as A1 and J2, there were numbered registers r1, r2, up to r199999. This HPL program for the HP 9825 generates a list of prime numbers:

0: fxd 0
1: prt 1
2: prt 2
3: 1->P
4: for C=2 to 1000000
5: P+2->P
6: for N=3 to P/3
7: if int(P/N)*N = P; gto 4
8: next N
9: prt P
10: next C

HP 9830 description

9830s were built with a processor similar in architecture to the HP 1000/2100 series minicomputer with 16-bit memory address, and an AX and BX general processor register. The HP 2100 was a series of Minicomputers produced by Hewlett-Packard from the mid 1960s to early 1990s The HP 2100 was a series of Minicomputers produced by Hewlett-Packard from the mid 1960s to early 1990s A minicomputer (colloquially mini) is a class of multi-user Computers that lies in the middle range of the computing spectrum in between the largest Multi-user In Computer architecture, a processor register is a small amount of storage available on the CPU whose contents can be accessed more quickly than storage They ran at a speed comparable to the first IBM PCs. They could draw a mesh of a 3D SIN(X)/X function with no hidden lines over the course of several minutes, a technological breakthrough for the time.

Because programs were designed to run from ROM (read only memory) the call subroutine instruction had to be changed because in the HP211x the return location was written in the first location of the subroutine. Instead, another register was created to keep track of return locations on a separate stack area, like more modern processors. [1]

It used a 32-character 1 line uppercase LED display, which on the one hand might seem limiting, but on the other hand had the same effect as one-line window into a full screen editor which did not become common until the 1980s, with controls to go up or down a line, and cursor left and right, inserting or deleting characters. They powered on ready to do math in "immediate mode", where you would type in an expression such as PRINT 2 + 3, and you would get an answer when you hit enter, without the complication of logging in, or the overhead of maintaining a big computer room and operator.

A computer controlled cassette drive using audio cassettes with clear leaders was used for storage, with random access to file by number, but a hard drive could also be attached.

The matching line thermal printer was quite fast, printing one horizontal line of dots at once. For the type of printer which uses sparks and aluminised paper (and is sometimes referred to as a "thermal printer" see Spark printer. The speed of a page was faster than later dot matrix printers, and not much worse than modern ink jet printers. HP incorporated thermal printers into many plotting and terminal products later.

Programming

Compared with modern computers which typically require programmers to define calculations by means of complicated programming languages, these were designed for direct algebraic entry, so as to not distract the intended users (scientists and engineers) from the task at hand. Although the processor used was only a slight adaptation from that used on HP minicomputers, the system software would be completely redesigned for a computer with its operating system and language system built into read-only memory. BASIC was similar to FORTRAN used by engineers on the HP 1000 minicomputer, but much simpler to use as an interpreted language. In Computer programming, BASIC (an Acronym for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of High-level programming languages Fortran (previously FORTRAN) is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative Programming language that is especially suited to The HP 2100 was a series of Minicomputers produced by Hewlett-Packard from the mid 1960s to early 1990s Arrow cursor keys were provided which could scroll up and down lines, and interactively insert or delete characters which was unheard of with most CRT or printing terminals until the advent of the screen editor in the late 1970s, and the programmer could single-step or check values of variables.

Two rows of user defined function keys with paper labels were some of the earliest implementation of general function keys. They would be the basis for later screen labeled function keys used in later Hewlett Packard (and IBM) terminals and computers, and now widely adopted in calculators, bank terminals, and gas pumps. Screen-labeled function keys are a special case of Function keys where keys are placed near a screen which provides labels for them

It was programmable in BASIC which could be extended with ROMs to do graphics plotting, matrix math and string variables. The ROM cartridges were designed to extend the BASIC language, and were very similar to the cartridges later used by video game consoles.

The Plotter ROM added commands which made creating a chart much more simply that is possible with C++ or C#, and used user or world coordinates rather than integer plotter units. These commands would later become the basis for the device independent HP AGL graphics language standard implemented on other HP computers such as the HP 1000 minicomputer and HP 2647 intelligent graphics terminal. The HP 2640A and other HP 264X models were block-mode "smart" and intelligent ASCII standard serial terminals produced 

10 REMARK DRAW A PARABOLA
20 SCALE -1. 0, 1. 0, -1. 0, 1. 0
30 FOR X = 1. 0 TO 1. 0 STEP 0. 10
40 PLOT X, X*X
50 NEXT X
60 END

Also available for programming the HP 9800 series was a bootable development environment based on UCSD Pascal, but with a compiler which would generate fast, native Motorola 68000 object code, instead of the slower p-code typical of most UCSD Pascal implementations. This performance was very valuable for scientific and technical programming applications.

Uses

HP 9830s were commonly employed at aerospace companies such as Boeing. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E They were also used by some schools such as Renton, Washington, which used pencil mark-sense cards with card readers to accommodate classroom use. Renton is a city in King County, Washington, United States. A suburb situated 13 miles (21 km southeast of Seattle Washington, Renton The U. S. Coast Guard devised a teletype message-forwarding system based on 9825As which were deployed as a working prototype for a subsequent purpose-built system, and also used them in the coordination of LORAN radionavigation transmitter chains. HP9825s were used in conjunction with Oscor software to score one design yachting regattas in remote locations, such as the 1976 World Fireball championships in Nova Scotia, the World Windsurfing championships in 1976/1977 in Cancún and Bahamas, and also Laser championships. Windsurfing is a surface water sport using a windsurf board also commonly called a sailboard usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail The HP9825 was selected because it was portable - the only alternatives were phone access to time sharing computers which was not reliable from these locations.

Other BASIC computers

The Data Terminals Division also produced a BASIC programmable version of the HP2640 series terminal, the HP 2647a which also featured AGL, which was an HP standardization of the HP 9830 plotter commands. The HP 2640A and other HP 264X models were block-mode "smart" and intelligent ASCII standard serial terminals produced The HP 2647 BASIC was basically Microsoft BASIC with HP 9830-style plotting commands added, and was one of Microsoft's first big contracts with a mainstream major computer company. HP also produced a series of handheld pocket computers with a one-line display such as the HP-75, though such devices were not popular for long. The HP 9835 was also used as the basis for a business computing system, and later the HP 250 which lives on as an application platform. The HP 250 was a multiuser business computer by Hewlett Packard running HP250 BASIC language as its OS with access to HP's IMAGE database management

In 1979 the 85, the first of the 80 series of personal desktop scientific computers, was produced. It had a powerful BASIC interpreter, and was affordable by individuals whose employers might have expensive 9845s.

That division evolved to produce UNIX HP 9000 series workstations, also acquiring the Apollo Computer Company. HP 9000 is the name for a line of Workstation and server Computer systems produced by the Hewlett-Packard (HP company HP Basic would later evolve into Rocky Mountain BASIC for workstations, which is still in use today to support legacy applications. Rocky Mountain BASIC (also RMB or RM-BASIC) is a dialect of the BASIC Programming language created by HP.

An ancestor of modern personal computers

The HP 9800 series were developed by HP's Loveland division, and later Fort Collins division (Desktop Computer Division). The City of Loveland is a Home Rule Municipality that is the second most populous city in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The City of Fort Collins, a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache la Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, is the County seat

They spawned development of HP series 80, namely HP 85 and HP 87, that were smaller BASIC language computers with CRT displays. The Hewlett-Packard series 80 of small scientific desktop computers was introduced in 1979 beginning with the popular model 85 targeted at engineering and control applications The Hewlett-Packard series 80 of small scientific desktop computers was introduced in 1979 beginning with the popular model 85 targeted at engineering and control applications They came from HP's Advanced Products Division based in Corvallis. Corvallis (kɔrˈvælɪs is a City located in central western Oregon, United States.

The HP 9800 series later gave rise to the class of desktop computers, including the Tektronix 4051, IBM 5100 and Wang 2200. The Tektronix 405x series was a series of graphics Microcomputers produced by Tektronix in the late 1970s through the early 1980s. The IBM 5100 Portable Computer was a desktop computer introduced in September 1975, six years before the IBM PC. Wang 's first Minicomputer which could perform data processing in a common computer language was the Wang 2200 which appeared in May 1973 Over time, they would be replaced in the marketplace by personal computers such as the Apple and IBM PC which were inspired by this first generation of desktop computers. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated They would be created from standard microcomputer components and became favored by household and office uses.

By the 21st century, Hewlett Packard would become the largest producer of personal computers. Today, most households and offices have a desktop or portable computers with an integrated keyboard and display attached to high speed printers with communication capabilities.

Notes

  1. ^ [1]The NMOS II Hybrid Microprocessor:

External links

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