History of Norsk Data

A brief list of some events in the Norsk Data history.

1967

 * In July, Norsk Data-Elektronikk is founded
 * In September, it is made publically traded

1968

 * Three NORD-1 installed
 * The NORD-1 is completed, featuring an unusually rich register set, and floating-point arithmetic as standard equipment, possibly the first minicomputer to do so

1969

 * A virtual memory system for the NORD-1 is created. One of the first minicomputer to do so (the Burroughs B5000 was the first computer)
 * 11 NORD-1 installed

1970

 * 17 NORD-1 installed

1971

 * 28 NORD-1 installed
 * Development is started on the NORDIC system, NORDCOM, and NORD-20
 * The company moves in to new offices in Økern Business Center, using 850 m2.

1972

 * 29 NORD-1 installed, one NORD-5
 * NORDIC completed
 * BASIC compiler developed
 * Terminal systems developed
 * NORD-TSS in development, a multi-user multi-lingual time-sharing operating system
 * Development of the NORD-10 started, estimated finished first half of 1973

1973

 * 36 NORD-1 installed, one NORD-5 (Computas A.S.)
 * 12 NORD-10 installed
 * Market demands increase sharply after CERN contract
 * Contracts signed in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and France
 * 32% of orders from export
 * NORD-TSS completed
 * NORD-PL developed
 * ND starts a licensing agreement with the central institute for industrial research to use and further develop the database system SIBAS
 * Contract signed with ASEA-ATOM for three systems for 6 million NOK, each consisting of a configuration of NORD-10/5s. Systems to be used for surveillance and control of nuclear power plants.

1974

 * 36 NORD-1 installed, one NORD-5
 * 46 NORD-10 installed
 * NORD-12 and NORD-50 in planning and development
 * NORD-42 is completed, with MOS memory using 4Kb chips. First delivery in the summer.
 * The NORDCOM-74 is developed, an updated NORDCOM system
 * Further development of different I/O controllers for the NORD-10, including the NORDCOM graphics system
 * Development of administrative software. Software development team is twice the size of the hardware team
 * Development of SINTRAN III dominates the software division manpower. The first SINTRAN-III systems are installed in late 1974.
 * The company moves in to new offices in Lørenvn. 57 in August, using 5 800 m2. Thought to be sufficient until first quarter 1976.
 * A daughter company is considered in Stockholm, Sweden, to be operative 4th quarter 1975.
 * First contract with Cern, Lab. II is signed, using the NORD-10.

1975

 * Four NORD-1 installed
 * 62 NORD-10 installed, three NORD-50
 * The NORD-50 is completed, a second-generation 32-bit superminicomputer
 * A solid-state memory system for the NORD-10 is developed
 * Large mass storage system for the NORD-10 developed
 * The typesetting system GMS-12, the ancestor of NORTEXT, is developed for NTB
 * NORDFORSK, a Nordic technical research network, is developed using a NORD-12 core system
 * SIBAS, a Codasyl-based, multi-user on-line database management system, is introduced

1976

 * 83 NORD-10 installed, three NORD-50
 * Planning of the building on Furuset is almost completed. Building is planned to be approx. 9 800 m2, and planned cost is approx. 42 mill. NOK.

1977

 * 114 NORD-10/NORD-10/S installed, seven NORD-50
 * NORD-10/S introduced
 * Initial deliveries worth 4.5 million NOK for the first parts of the F-16 airplane simulator. Approximately 18 more simulator systems are expected to be delivered

1978

 * Relocation to the new building takes place medio August
 * Contract with Singer Link for the delivery of 6 more simulators
 * CERN is still an active customer. 120 machines sold this year. There have been suggestions of about 40 more simulators being needed.
 * Development of the NORD-100, originally designated the NORD-10/M, and intended as a lower-cost bitsliced version of the NORD-10. Just happened to end up significantly faster. It seems to have been the first single-board 16-bit minicomputer.

1979

 * With effect from July 3, Norsk Data took over part of the business of the former Tandberg Radiofabrikk A/S. Tandberg is expected to show a profit by 1980.
 * Norsk Data introduces the NORD-100
 * Development of the ND-500 begins
 * Another large order for F-16 simulators is recieved
 * Norsk Data takes over a 16700 m2 industrial building at Skullerud, Oslo. The building is leased to Tandberg.
 * ND-NOTIS, an integrated word processing and administrative data processing system, is introduced.

1980

 * Effective from January 1st, Norsk Data absorbs the four Comtec companies in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and West Germany from Nobø Fabrikker.
 * Tandberg becomes independent of Norsk Data in the autumn of 1980. Profit was well below the anticipations.
 * ACCESS, an on-line query system, allowing user-friendly access to a data-base via interactive terminals.

1981

 * The average price of a delivered computer was NOK 750 000, and had on average 512 Kbyte RAM, 110 Mbyte hard disk storage, and 16 terminals.
 * The ND Satellite range is introduced (see ND-100 Satellite)

1982

 * COSMOS finishes development. COSMOS was a networking system permitting applications and databases to be shared through a data network.
 * ND-SAFE (backronymed to System Architecture For Expansion) is introduced
 * ND-ORBIS (Organization Related Business Information System) is introduced
 * The ND-100/CX is introduced
 * The ND-500 is split into three systems: ND-520, ND-560, and ND-570 (?)

1982

 * The ND-570/CXA is introduced.

1986

 * ND-580/CX model 20, 30 and 40, systems based on two to four ND-570 CPU:s and one ND-110/CX CPU, is introduced.

1987
The ND-5000 family is introduced.

1988

 * First Samsonite shipment at 22 April

Notable installations

 * CERN
 * JET
 * Camtech Electronics Ltd., was established in 1979 by its two founding directors, to work on a contract to develop a sophisticated CAMAC interface for the JET network of Norsk Data computers. CAMAC is a modular data handling system used at almost every nuclear physics research laboratory and many industrial sites all over the world. Its function is to provide a scheme to allow a wide range of modular instruments to be interfaced to a standardised back-plane called a DATAWAY.
 * TSPL, 1987.
 * BMC,
 * BMC:s computer department were established in September 1976 with a budget of 1.35 MSEK. That was enough to create for it's time a powerful computer center with two NORD-10 mini computers and an Alpha LSI-2 from Computer Automation. That was the first large affair for Norsk Datas newly started Swedish office. It was won in competition with among others Digital Equipment AB offering PDP-11/70 and PDP-11/45 computers. The both NORD-10 were finally replaced after 10 years by a VAX-8200 from Digital Equipment Corporation.
 * SCANNET, an early packet switched computer network connecting the five Scandinavian countries. It used five NORD-12, one in each country, and leased phone lines. The project started in 1974 and it became operational in 1976. It gave remote terminal access to library databases. The budget of 1 MSEK was enough to get five NORD-12 computers and they were used until 1983. Protocols used were X.25 and X.75.
 * University of Oslo was a natural place for a number of different ND machines.