 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Data General/One" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
 | |
| Manufacturer | Data General |
|---|---|
| Type | Laptop |
| Release date | September 20, 1984; 40 years ago (1984-09-20)[1] |
| Introductory price | US$2,895 (equivalent to $8,760 in 2024)[2] |
| Operating system | MS-DOS |
| CPU | CMOS8086 @ 4.0MHz |
| Memory | 128 KBRAM (expandable to 512 KB) |
| Storage | 2 × 3.5" diskettes |
| Display | MonochromeLCD 80×25 characters |
| Graphics | Or fullCGA graphics (640×200) |
| Input | 79-key full-stroke keyboard |
| Weight | 9 lb (4.1 kg) |
| Successor | Data General model 2 |
TheData General/One (DG-1) was alaptop introduced in September 1984 byData General.[3][4] It was the first battery-powered laptop on the market that was fullycompatible with the IBM PC, featuring a full-sizedLCD capable of displaying 80×25 text orCGA graphics (640×200).[5][6][7] Although it sold only modestly, the DG-1 set the template for all PC-based laptops to follow.[7][8] According toeWeek in 2010, it was "the prototype for all that followed ... with its LCD screen, flat keyboard and clam-shell case, this form factor has remained essentially the same for [decades]".[8]
The nine-pound battery-powered 1984 Data General/One ranMS-DOS and had dual 3.5" diskettes, a 79-key full-stroke keyboard, 128 KB to 512 KB of RAM, and a monochromeLCD screen capable of either the standard 80×25 characters or fullCGA graphics (640×200). It was a laptop comparable in capabilities to desktops of the era.
The Data General/One offered several features in comparison with contemporary portable computers. For instance, the popular 1983Radio ShackTRS-80 Model 100, a non-PC-compatible machine, was comparably sized. It was a small battery-operated computer resting in one's lap, but had a 40×8 character (240×64 pixel) screen, a rudimentaryROM-based menu in lieu of a fullOS, and no built-infloppy. IBM's 1984Portable PC was comparable in capability with desktops, but was not battery operable and, being much larger and heavier, was by no means a laptop.
The DG-1 was only a modest success. One problem was its use of 3.5" diskettes. Popular software titles were thus not widely available (5.25" being still the standard), a serious issue since then-common diskettecopy-protection schemes made it difficult for users to copy software into that format. The device achieved moderate success in a largeOEM deal withAllen-Bradley, where it was private labelled as a T-45 "programming terminal" and was resold from 1987 to 1991 with thousands of units sold.
The CPU was aCMOS version of the 8086, compatible with the IBM PC's8088 except it ran slightly slower, at 4.0MHz instead of the standard 4.77 MHz.
Unlike the Portable PC, the DG-1 laptop could not take regularPC/XT expansion cards.
RS-232serial ports were built-in, but the CMOS (low battery consumption)serial I-Ochip available at design time, a CMOS version of theIntel 8251, was register incompatible with the8250 serial IC standard for the IBM PC. As a result, software written for the PC serial ports would not run correctly. This required the use of software written using the relatively slower and less flexibleBIOS interrupt call (014h), or software written exclusively for the DG-1.
Video memory came out of that available for the operating system; for example, if 256KB of RAM was installed, only 204 KB might be available to the operating system and user's programs.
AlthoughCreative Computing termed the price of US$2895 "competitive,"[2] it was a very expensive system,[9] and usually-needed additions such as more RAM and an external 51⁄4" drive drove the price higher yet. The styling of the product, including a bag designed byPierre Cardin, implied a more up-market buyer than many typical PC buyers of the time.
The Data General/One also had a built-indumb terminal emulator, suggesting an attempt to attract as customers those in organisations with large, expensiveminicomputers ormainframes that would access corporate data via terminals such as theADM-3A or Data General's own Dasher terminals (the cost of the laptop would not have seemed excessive in such situations).
The screen was this computer's other great flaw. Although unusually large, the LCD display had very low contrast and narrowviewing angle.InfoWorld stated that "the godawful screen made a better mirror than display",[10] andPC Magazine reported that "The exchange 'Why don't you turn it on?' / 'Itis on' is no joke. It happened in our offices."[9]
An updated version of the DG-1 appeared later with a much improvedelectroluminescent screen. However, the light-producing display could be washed out by bright sunlight. Additionally, the new screen was power hungry and consumed so much power that the battery option was removed, thereby causing the DG-1 to lose its status as a true portable.
| People | | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computers |
| ||||||
| Software |
| ||||||
| Related | |||||||