Milestones:Eel River High Voltage Direct Current Converter Station, 1972 and Milestones:The CP/M Microcomputer Operating System, 1974: Difference between pages

Revision as of 19:08, 6 January 2015

Title

Citation

Dr. Gary A. Kildall demonstrated the first working prototype of CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) in Pacific Grove in 1974. Together with his invention of the BIOS (Basic Input Output System), Kildall’s operating system allowed a microprocessor-based computer to communicate with a disk drive storage unit and provided an important foundation for the personal computer revolution.

Street address(es) and GPS coordinates of the Milestone Plaque Sites

, 801 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 GPS: 36.623549,-121.923315

Details of the physical location of the plaque

The plaque is mounted at the edge of the public sidewalk adjacent to a retaining wall surrounding the property.

David Laws and Howard Michel unveil the milestone plaque

Milestone Dedication Ceremony 25 April 2014, appreciation presentation to David Laws by IEEE

IEEE members and Naval Postgraduate School Commanders at dedication

Brian Halla and IEEE President-Elect Howard Michel

Gary Kildall

Gary's daughter and son, Kristin and Scott, next to Milestone plaque

How the plaque site is protected/secured

The plaque is available to the public

Historical significance of the work

CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) was the first commercial operating system to allow a microprocessor-based computer to interface to a disk drive storage unit. CP/M played an important role in stimulating the hobbyist personal computer movement of the 1970s. Its ability to support software programs on a wide variety of hardware configurations enabled early use of microcomputer systems from many different manufacturers in business and scientific applications. Microsoft DOS, as licensed to IBM for the original PC, was written to emulate the look and feel of CP/M. Thus, CP/M was the forerunner of the operating systems that now power the majority of the world's computers, and led to the personal computing revolution.

The major challenge that Kildall had to overcome in the development of CP/M was the design and debugging of the “complex electronics ... to make the diskette drive find certain locations and transfer data back and forth”. The following recollections are abstracted from pages 53-55 of "Computer Connections", an unpublished autobiography that he wrote and distributed to friends and family in 1994. "Memorex ... had come up with the new "floppy disk" to replace IBM punched cards. I stared at that damn diskette drive for hours on end ... trying to figure a way to make it fly. I tried to build a diskette controller … but I, being mainly hardware inept … couldn’t get my controller to work. So I built an operting (sic) system program ... I called it CP/M [but] I just couldn't figure out how to make that damn disk drive work. Out of frustration, I called my good friend from the University of Washington, John Torode. He designed a neat little microcontroller and after a few months of testing that microcontroller started to work. We loaded my CP/M program from paper tape to the diskette and "booted" CP/M from the diskette, and up came the prompt *. This may have been one of the most exciting days of my life."

Features that set this work apart from similar achievements

Before Kildall’s development of CP/M, computer manufacturers provided proprietary applications software that worked only on their own hardware. All programs had to be written from the ground up to operate on each unique machine configuration. CP/M was initially designed to work on the Intel 8080 microprocessor and allowed computer systems built by any manufacturer who used that chip to run applications programs written by third-party suppliers. CP/M introduced a new element of competition into the computer marketplace that stimulated rapid growth in the use of low-cost systems in business, industry and academia and eventually in the home. According to Kildall, “CP/M was an instant success. By 1980, DRI had sold millions of copies of CP/M to manufacturers and end-users.”

Significant references

See supporting materials below

Supporting materials

Kildall’s autobiography “Computer Connections” notes on page 55 that he solicited the help of John Torode in 1974. He gives no specific date but recalls that “This was in the late afternoon and … John and I retired to have a Chinese dinner in Pacific Grove”. E-mail correspondence from John, dated June 24, 2013, places the time frame as follows: “My wife and I concur that it was probably after our wedding on June 22 1974, but before we moved to Chicago (she worked for Bell Labs) in the fall”.

Kildall’s own public account of the history of CP/M was published in Dr Dobbs Journal in 1980: THE EVOLUTION OF AN INDUSTRY: ONE PERSON'S VIEWPOINT, "Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics & Orthodontia", Vol.5, No.1, (January 1980) (number 41), page 6-7 [1]

Numerous popular accounts of the history of CP/M have been published in newspaper and magazine articles and in books, as well as online. Most of them focus on the fictitious story that DRI lost out to Microsoft on the IBM PC operating system decision because Kildall had taken the day off to go flying. Kildall refutes this story in “Computer Connections” but it is probably most eloquently recounted in Harold Evans’ book on U.S. pioneers and innovators “They Made America.” Harold Evans, “They Made America: Two Centuries of Innovators from the Steam Engine to the Search Engine” (2004) ISBN 0-316-27766-5 [2]

Steve Ham and Jay Greene, “The Man Who Could Have Been Bill Gates,” Bloomberg Business Week, 24 October 2004. [3]

Online only sources

CP/M and Digital Research Inc. (DRI) Web pages [4]

CP/M [5]

Gary Kildall Special (Video) [6]

A Short History of CP/M [7]

Gordon Eubanks Oral History (Computerworld 2000) [8]

Dedication Ceremony

The dedication of the IEEE Milestone generated some wonderful coverage for IEEE and technical history. The Monterey, California NPR station KAZU-FM posted the following story by Krista Almanzan: "Recognizing the Legacy of Pacific Grove Inventor Gary Kildall." Included with this story is an audio clip that was broadcast three times on 24 April 2014 (the day before the dedication). Almanzan sums up part of Gary Kildall's legacy as: Kildall, who passed away in 1994, has often been referred to "as the man who could have been Bill Gates," if not for one missed opportunity. But those who knew him best hope Friday's dedication will begin to change that legacy. Recognizing the Legacy of Pacific Grove Inventor Gary Kildall http://kazu.org/post/recognizing-legacy-pacific-grove-inventor-gary-kildall

On 2 May 2014 (one week after the dedication) NPR stations throughout California broadcast an audio clip that included comments from the dedication and unveiling ceremonies by IEEE President-Elect Howard Michel and Gary Kildall's daughter Kristin. "Pacific Grove Inventor Finally Honored for Creating First PC Operating System" http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201405020850/a

Map

Loading map...

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Eel River High Voltage Direct Current Converter Station, 1972 ==
+{{MilestoneLayout|citation=Dr. Gary A. Kildall demonstrated the first working prototype of CP/M
+(Control Program for Microcomputers) in Pacific Grove in 1974.
+Together with his invention of the BIOS (Basic Input Output System),
+Kildall’s operating system allowed a microprocessor-based computer to
+communicate with a disk drive storage unit and provided an important foundation for the personal computer revolution.|secured=The plaque is available to the public|gps=801 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
+GPS: 36.623549,-121.923315|plaque=The plaque is mounted at the edge of the public sidewalk adjacent to a retaining wall surrounding the property.
-''Operating since 1972, Eel River, New Brunswick is home to the world's first commercial solid state High Voltage Direct Current converter station. This 320 MW interconnection facility, built by Canadian General Electric and NB Power, incorporates high current silicon solid state thyristors to convert alternating current from Hydro Quebec to direct current and back to alternating, allowing asynchronous, stable power transfers to serve New Brunswick's Power's customers.''
+[[File:CPM milestone unveiling.jpg|200px|thumb|right|David Laws and Howard Michel unveil the milestone plaque]]
-'''The plaque may be viewed in the main lobby of the Eel River Dalhousie Generating Station in North Shannonvale, New Brunswick, where it can be viewed by employees and visitors.'''
+[[File:AppreciationPresentationToDavidLawsByIEEE.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Milestone Dedication Ceremony 25 April 2014, appreciation presentation to David Laws by IEEE]]
-This converter station was historically significant because it was the first that was designed and built from solid state high voltage, high current thyristors. Previously the medium was a plasma in a glass envelope using mercury vapor. These had more losses and were prone to re-strikes during transient fault events. Additionally, the mercury is considered a dangerous pollutant. Nelson River HVDC had used thyristors in a portion of the bridge to mitigate re-strikes but these were retrofits. The knowledge gained there served as a proving ground to give confidence for a full scale project at Eel River.
+[[File:CPM milestone dedication.jpg|200px|thumb|right|IEEE members and Naval Postgraduate School Commanders at dedication]]
-With this project, the march of solid state systems to higher current and voltage ratings was advanced another major step. In fact, the Eel River Station performance was such that the station ran at 10% overload for the first 15 years without difficulty. The project allowed surplus Hydro Quebec energy to flow into New Brunswick which is synchronized with the Eastern Interconnection, without the risk of loss of transmission if disturbances happened in either New Brunswick or Hydro Quebec. Indeed Eel River served to govern and stabilize both systems with its External Control System, a benefit to either system in case of disturbances. This economically advantageous energy imported to the benefit of New Brunswick customers, allowed more expensive NB Power generation to be exported to New England where energy costs were higher, an economic advantage to the parties on both side of the US border.
+[[File:BrianHallaAndIEEE-President-Elect-HowardMichel.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Brian Halla and IEEE President-Elect Howard Michel]]
-The electronic external control system enhancing governing and stability as a response to weighted system frequency and weighted system acceleration was a new feature which allowed both Hydro Quebec and NB Power to use the other system as a crutch during power system disturbances in either system. This feature has had a major beneficial impact on dynamic system performance. This is where a difference in frequency modulates the power transfer in a manner to assist the deficient system being governed back to safety. In the event of a difference in acceleration, the system slowing down is assisted by the other system while mitigating any power swings as quickly as possible to regain stability.
+[[File:GaryKildall.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Gary Kildall]]
-The triggering for the thyristors was achieved by using fibre optics to communicate the isolated trigger pulse to the thyristors at various voltage levels. This was an early application of another new technology, now ubiquitous.
+[[File:Gary'sChildrenKristinAndScottKildall.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Gary's daughter and son, Kristin and Scott, next to Milestone plaque]]
-== References and Further Reading ==
+|significance=CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) was the first commercial operating system to allow a microprocessor-based computer to interface to a disk drive storage unit. CP/M played an important role in stimulating the hobbyist personal computer movement of the 1970s. Its ability to support software programs on a wide variety of hardware configurations enabled early use of microcomputer systems from many different manufacturers in business and scientific applications. Microsoft DOS, as licensed to IBM for the original PC, was written to emulate the look and feel of CP/M. Thus, CP/M was the forerunner of the operating systems that now power the majority of the world's computers, and led to the personal computing revolution.
-In the EPRI project where Prabha Kundur wrote a comprehensive textbook on Power System Stability and Control, a reference to Eel River.
+The major challenge that Kildall had to overcome in the development of CP/M was the design and debugging of the “complex electronics ... to make the diskette drive find certain locations and transfer data back and forth”. The following recollections are abstracted from pages 53-55 of "Computer Connections", an unpublished autobiography that he wrote and distributed to friends and family in 1994. "Memorex ... had come up with the new "floppy disk" to replace IBM punched cards. I stared at that damn diskette drive for hours on end ... trying to figure a way to make it fly. I tried to build a diskette controller … but I, being mainly hardware inept … couldn’t get my controller to work. So I built an operting (sic) system program ... I called it CP/M [but] I just couldn't figure out how to make that damn disk drive work. Out of frustration, I called my good friend from the University of Washington, John Torode. He designed a neat little microcontroller and after a few months of testing that microcontroller started to work. We loaded my CP/M program from paper tape to the diskette and "booted" CP/M from the diskette, and up came the prompt *. This may have been one of the most exciting days of my life."|features=Before Kildall’s development of CP/M, computer manufacturers provided proprietary applications software that worked only on their own hardware. All programs had to be written from the ground up to operate on each unique machine configuration.  CP/M was initially designed to work on the Intel 8080 microprocessor and allowed computer systems built by any manufacturer who used that chip to run applications programs written by third-party suppliers.  CP/M introduced a new element of competition into the computer marketplace that stimulated rapid growth in the use of low-cost systems in business, industry and academia and eventually in the home.  According to Kildall, “CP/M was an instant success. By 1980, DRI had sold millions of copies of CP/M to manufacturers and end-users.”|references=See supporting materials below|support=Kildall’s autobiography “Computer Connections” notes on page 55 that he solicited the help of John Torode in 1974. He gives no specific date but recalls that “This was in the late afternoon and … John and I retired to have a Chinese dinner in Pacific Grove”.  E-mail correspondence from John, dated June 24, 2013, places the time frame as follows: “My wife and I concur that it was probably after our wedding on June 22 1974, but before we moved to Chicago (she worked for Bell Labs) in the fall”.
-[http://nb.ieee.ca/events/MilestoneER/Chapter%2010%20Prabha%20Kundur.pdf].
-What Wikipedia has to say about ER HVDC
+Kildall’s own public account of the history of CP/M was published in Dr Dobbs Journal in 1980:
-[http://nb.ieee.ca/events/MilestoneER/From%20Wikipedia%20encyclopedia.pdf]
+THE EVOLUTION OF AN INDUSTRY: ONE PERSON'S VIEWPOINT, "Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics & Orthodontia", Vol.5, No.1, (January 1980) (number 41), page 6-7
+[http://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/CPM_history_kildall.txt]
-A public relations document about Eel River Converter station written by GE and NB Power
+Numerous popular accounts of the history of CP/M have been published in newspaper and magazine articles and in books, as well as online.  Most of them focus on the fictitious story that DRI lost out to Microsoft on the IBM PC operating system decision because Kildall had taken the day off to go flying. Kildall refutes this story in “Computer Connections” but it is probably most eloquently recounted in Harold Evans’ book on U.S. pioneers and innovators “They Made America.”
-[http://nb.ieee.ca/events/MilestoneER/20100401143715222.pdf].
+Harold Evans, “They Made America: Two Centuries of Innovators from the Steam Engine to the Search Engine” (2004) ISBN 0-316-27766-5 [http://www.sirharoldevans.com/library_madeamerica.html]
-Collection of bits of documents by Frank Ryder [http://nb.ieee.ca/events/MilestoneER/Eelriver.pdf].
+Steve Ham and Jay Greene, “The Man Who Could Have Been Bill Gates,” Bloomberg Business Week, 24 October 2004. [http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2004-10-24/the-man-who-could-have-been-bill-gates]
-== Letter in English from the site owner giving permission to place IEEE milestone plaque on the property ==
+Online only sources
-[[Media:IEEEMilestoneletter.pdf|Eel River Milestone Support Letter]]
+CP/M and Digital Research Inc. (DRI) Web pages [http://retrotechnology.com/dri/]
+CP/M [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CP/M]
+Gary Kildall Special (Video) [http://archive.org/details/GaryKild]
+A Short History of CP/M [http://web.archive.org/web/20011011083003/http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/5711/history.html]
+Gordon Eubanks Oral History (Computerworld 2000) [http://www.cwhonors.org/archives/histories/Eubanks.pdf]}}
+== Dedication Ceremony ==
+<youtube>HO6IPpL0y8g</youtube>
+The dedication of the IEEE Milestone generated some wonderful coverage for IEEE and technical history. The Monterey, California NPR station KAZU-FM posted the following story by Krista Almanzan: "Recognizing the Legacy of Pacific Grove Inventor Gary Kildall." Included with this story is an audio clip that was broadcast three times on 24 April 2014 (the day before the dedication). Almanzan sums up part of Gary Kildall's legacy as: ''Kildall, who passed away in 1994, has often been referred to "as the man who could have been Bill Gates," if not for one missed opportunity. But those who knew him best hope Friday's dedication will begin to change that legacy.''  Recognizing the Legacy of Pacific Grove Inventor Gary Kildall http://kazu.org/post/recognizing-legacy-pacific-grove-inventor-gary-kildall
+On 2 May 2014 (one week after the dedication) NPR stations throughout California broadcast an audio clip that included comments from the dedication and unveiling ceremonies by IEEE President-Elect Howard Michel and Gary Kildall's daughter Kristin. "Pacific Grove Inventor Finally Honored for Creating First PC Operating System" http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201405020850/a
+See also http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/ieee-recognizes-gary-kildall-for-pioneering-computer-operating-system
+== Further Reading ==
+[http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/gary-kildall-40th-anniversary-of-the-birth-of-the-pc-operating-system/ Gary Kildall and the 40th Anniversary of the Birth of the PC Operating System" by David Laws, Computer History Museum Semiconductor Curator]
+[https://www.facebook.com/KildallLegacy Legacy of Gary Kildall Facebook page]
+[http://ithistory.org/blog/?p=2071 "Gary Kildall Legacy": IT History Society Blog by Alan Weissberger]
+[http://www.ece.umd.edu/courses/enee759m/papers/wharton1994-kildall.pdf Gary Kildall Obituary by John Wharton]
+[http://theinstitute.ieee.org/technology-focus/technology-history/groundbreaking-operating-system-is-named-an-ieee-milestone IEEE The Institute: Groundbreaking Operating System Is Named an IEEE Milestone]
+[http://www.ieee.org/about/history_center/newsletter/ieee_history_center_newsletter_95.pdf IEEE History Center newsletter coverage of CP/M Milestone (p. 3)]
 == Map ==
-{{#display_map:48.017875, -66.443918~ ~ ~ ~ ~North Shannonvale, New Brunswick, Canada|height=250|zoom=10|static=yes|center=48.017875, -66.443918}}
+{{#display_map:36.623549, -121.923315~ ~ ~ ~ ~The CP/M Microcomputer Operating System, 1974|height=250|zoom=10|static=yes|center=36.623549, -121.923315}}
-[[Category:Energy|{{PAGENAME}}]]
-[[Category:Power_electronics|{{PAGENAME}}]]
-[[Category:Converters|{{PAGENAME}}]]
-[[Category:Power_generation|{{PAGENAME}}]]