INM 5120, $17,773, 32k ram, 2 8" floppoes and a gorgeous 5" green screen - it did Star Wars
By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, April 5, 2009 with story from TechyShit suggested by Rob Patterson
Cool article about some of the early, clunky and expensive computers we used back in “the old days.” I used many of them and owned a few, like the IBM 5120 “corporate desktop”. It set me back $24,000 in 1980 with software to do General Ledger accounting. A lot of money but I made it back in about 10 months of hard work.
We were in Montague and the first accounting firm to computerize on PEI. The other accounting firms followed like sheep worrying I was getting the jump on them. That was the whole idea and within months we started Island Computer. What a heady time with our big competition those expensive IBM 34’s out of Halifax.
By 1981, we jumped off that platform to the IBM PCXT with 10 MB hard drive and color monitor. By 1984 Island Computer was the first and largest computer firm on PEI. We out-sold, out-programmed, out-serviced and out-ran our competition. Working at Island Computer was a ticket to a job at the Province or the Feds. Our Friday night parties at the Old Dublin were the stuff of legends. They were followed up with steak and egg breakfasts at the same table for those who worked on weekends.
We were always into the firsts: first network on PEI, first Novell, first with laser printers, first every new box they made, first Windows, first Windows NT, first publicly traded software developer on PEI, and first of my friends to retire at 50. The only one I know that out-firsted us was Jim Hancock who was into the internet from the beginning. Colin Affleck, now at Aliant, was my # 2 and there from the beginning to the end as tech, network sys admin, salesman and general manager. Lynn Travers who supported the accounting clients and kept the books was there at the start and the end. By 1997, computer sales and service was a money loser. We just stopped Island Computer one day on a plan and Aquilium Software took up our time after that.
All from an overpriced and slow IBM box. Did you know the processor was the same one that powered the Apollo Lunar Lander? Used IBM basic and got the job done. I wish I’d kept it for old times sakes. Thanks for the memories and the good times.
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