Microdata Corporation

Microdata Corporation was an American computer manufacturer that developed minicomputer hardware and helped commercialize the Reality system, an integrated hardware and operating-system platform based on the Pick operating system. The company began as a hardware business and produced a family of microprogrammed computers, including the Microdata 800, 1600, and 3200. These systems were notable for exposing portions of their microcode to users, allowing specialized processor instructions and unusually flexible system configurations for the period. Microdata's best-known contribution came from its work with the Pick operating system. In the mid-1960s, TRW developed a database and information-retrieval system called the Generalized Information Retrieval Language System, or GIRLS, under a United States government inventory-tracking contract. Because the underlying work entered the public domain, programmer Richard Pick used it as the foundation for a subsequent operating-system and database environment. Microdata adapted the resulting technology to its own hardware and introduced the combined product under the Reality name. The first commercial Reality systems were based on the Microdata 1600, while earlier development work had been carried out on the Microdata 800. Reality gave Microdata a position in the emerging market for integrated business minicomputer systems. Its software environment supported database applications and English-like data retrieval and reporting commands, while the company's microprogrammed hardware enabled customized low-level instructions. The approach was sufficiently portable and influential that Pick-derived systems later appeared on hardware from many other manufacturers. Other implementations used different names for related query facilities, including RECALL, ACCESS, and INFO/ACCESS. The company's corporate history was shaped by a series of acquisitions and divestitures. Its international distributor, CMC Leasings, took over Microdata in December 1969. CMC Leasings was subsequently acquired by McDonnell Douglas Corporation in March 1983. The relevant business was later separated from McDonnell Douglas as McDonnell Douglas Information Systems in 1993, becoming part of Northgate Information Solutions in April 2000. Northgate was acquired by NEC in 2018, and the associated United Kingdom software business was rebranded NEC Software Solutions UK in 2021. These later corporate entities represent the succession of parts of the business rather than an indication that the original Microdata Corporation continued as an independent company. Microdata's machines were used in a range of technical and industrial settings. The Microdata 800, an eight-bit microprogrammed computer first produced in 1969, was licensed to French company Intertechnique and sold in Europe as the Multi-8. Reported applications included nuclear-power facilities, research such as crystallography and biology, and process control. The Microdata 1600 was an updated processor family member and was marketed by Intertechnique as the Multi-4. The 16-bit Microdata 3200, developed in 1974, was designed around a higher-level language concept comparable to IBM PL/I while retaining considerable firmware flexibility. The company's former headquarters also received a brief appearance in Godfrey Reggio's 1983 film Koyaanisqatsi. Microdata is principally remembered today through surviving technical documentation, alumni material, the Reality platform, and the broader family of Pick-derived operating systems rather than as a current standalone brand.

Microdata Corporation emerged as a hardware-focused American minicomputer company during the formative period of commercial computer systems. Its machines used microprogramming as a central design technique, and the company's architecture allowed users to access and modify aspects of the microcode. This flexibility made it possible to create specialized assembler-level instructions and to adapt the systems to demanding technical and industrial applications. The Microdata 800 was the first major machine identified in the company's product history. It was an eight-bit microprogrammed computer first manufactured in 1969. The design was licensed to the French company Intertechnique, which sold it in Europe as the Multi-8. Documented applications included nuclear-power installations, scientific research, and process control. The Microdata 1600 followed as an updated processor design and was marketed by Intertechnique as the Multi-4. Development of the Reality system began on the Microdata 800, but the first commercial Reality system used the 1600 platform. The software origins of Reality were separate from Microdata's original hardware development. During the mid-1960s, TRW created the Generalized Information Retrieval Language System, known as GIRLS, to fulfill a United States government contract involving inventory tracking. The system was released as public-domain work. Richard Pick was therefore able to use it as the basis for a later database and operating-system environment. Microdata adopted the resulting technology for its own computers and introduced the combined system as Reality in 1974, with commercial availability associated with the preceding 1600-based systems. The relationship between Microdata and Pick became legally contested. Pick argued that the public-domain origins of the underlying work allowed him to develop versions for other computer systems, while Microdata claimed rights connected with its implementation. The litigation resulted in a ruling under which both Microdata and Pick could regard themselves as owners of the software. Pick subsequently worked to make the system more portable, and Pick-derived operating systems spread across multiple manufacturers' platforms. The ecosystem included a family of database and query environments whose report-generation facilities were often given different names, including English, RECALL, ACCESS, and INFO/ACCESS. Microdata also developed the 3200, a 16-bit microprogrammed system introduced in 1974. It was aimed at implementing a higher-level language comparable in concept to IBM's PL/I, but preserved substantial firmware flexibility. The company's hardware and Reality software thus represented two related strands of its business: configurable computer architecture and an integrated database-oriented operating environment. Corporate ownership changed repeatedly. CMC Leasings, Microdata's international distributor, took over the company in December 1969. McDonnell Douglas acquired CMC Leasings in March 1983. In 1993, the information-systems division was separated as McDonnell Douglas Information Systems. That business later became part of Northgate Information Solutions in April 2000. NEC acquired Northgate in 2018, and the related UK operation was renamed NEC Software Solutions UK in 2021. The sequence indicates the absorption and reorganization of Microdata-related activities rather than the survival of Microdata as an independent modern company. Microdata's historical footprint also appeared outside conventional technology histories. Its headquarters building is briefly visible in Godfrey Reggio's 1983 film Koyaanisqatsi. Today, the company is chiefly significant as an early minicomputer manufacturer and as the original hardware platform associated with the Reality implementation of the Pick operating system.

• 2000

  Northgate succession

  [1]Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  McDonnell Douglas Information Systems became part of Northgate Information Solutions in April.

• 1993

  McDonnell Douglas Information Systems established

  [1]Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The relevant division was spun off as McDonnell Douglas Information Systems.

• 1983

  CMC Leasings acquired by McDonnell Douglas

  [1]Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  McDonnell Douglas acquired CMC Leasings in March, bringing Microdata-related operations into its information-systems structure.

• 1974

  Reality introduced

  [1]Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Microdata introduced Reality as an integrated hardware and Pick-derived operating-system environment.

• 1974

  Microdata 3200 developed

  [1]Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company developed a 16-bit microprogrammed system intended to support a PL/I-like higher-level language.

• 1973

  First commercial Reality system

  [1]Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The first commercial Reality system was based on the Microdata 1600 platform.

• 1969

  Microdata 800 enters production

  [1]Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The eight-bit Microdata 800 became the company's foundational minicomputer and was later licensed to Intertechnique for European sale as the Multi-8.

• 1969

  CMC Leasings takes over Microdata

  [1]Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Microdata's international distributor acquired the company in December.

A flexible minicomputer and business-computing supplier whose Reality platform combined proprietary microprogrammed hardware with a Pick-derived database operating environment.

• Minicomputer · 1969

  Microdata 800

  The Microdata 800 was an eight-bit microprogrammed computer first produced in 1969. Its accessible microcode allowed users to create specialized assembler-level instructions. The machine was used in technical and industrial contexts, including nuclear-power facilities, scientific research, and process-control applications. Intertechnique licensed the design and sold it in Europe under the Multi-8 name.

• Minicomputer

  Microdata 1600

  The Microdata 1600 was an updated member of the company's processor family and formed the hardware basis for the first commercial Reality systems. Intertechnique marketed a licensed version in Europe as the Multi-4. Like the earlier 800, it retained the distinctive Microdata emphasis on flexible microprogramming, which supported the implementation of customized instructions and the Reality operating environment.

• Minicomputer · 1974

  Microdata 3200

  The Microdata 3200 was a 16-bit microprogrammed computer developed in 1974. It was designed for a more specialized role involving a higher-level language comparable to IBM's PL/I, while still preserving considerable firmware flexibility. The system illustrates Microdata's attempt to combine programmable processor architecture with higher-level business and technical computing capabilities.

• Database operating system and business-computing platform · 1974

  Reality

  Reality was Microdata's integrated hardware and software platform built around a Pick-derived operating system and database environment. Development began on the Microdata 800, while the first commercial system used the 1600. Reality supported application development, database operations, and English-like reporting and retrieval commands. Its design made extensive use of the programmable features of Microdata's processors.

• 1974

  Introduce the Reality platformProduct launch

  Background

  Microdata had developed minicomputer hardware with unusually flexible microprogramming capabilities and adapted the Pick-derived software environment to that hardware.

  Action taken

  The company brought the combined hardware, database, and operating-system environment to market under the Reality name.

  Aftermath

  Reality became Microdata's defining product line and helped establish the company's place in the history of Pick-based business systems.

  Source

• 1969

  Accept acquisition by CMC LeasingsM&A

  Background

  CMC Leasings served as Microdata's international distributor.

  Action taken

  CMC Leasings took over Microdata in December.

  Aftermath

  Microdata subsequently operated within a succession of larger corporate owners and divisions.

  Source

• 2019.10.07

  Hill+Knowlton Strategies and Happy Finish launch REALITY+[3]Hill+Knowlton Strategies与Happy Finish推出REALITY+odwyerpr.com

  Hill+Knowlton Strategies partnered with production company Happy Finish to launch REALITY+, an initiative offering extended-reality solutions and communications expertise for brands.

Read more

1. 1Microdata Corporationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Microdata Alumni websitemicrodata-alumni.org
3. 3Hill+Knowlton Strategies与Happy Finish推出REALITY+odwyerpr.com