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6,654 pages: 1,289 machines, 702 software, 460 companies, 64 history, 17 articles, 59 fun.
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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
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---
title: ADDS Mentor 2000
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1986'
cpus:
- Zilog Z8000
params:
name: Mentor 2000
company: /companies/adds
company_name: ADDS
specs:
- label: NAME
value: Mentor 2000
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: ADDS
- label: TYPE
value: Professional Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: U.S.A.
- label: YEAR
value: '1986'
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: Pick BASIC
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Depending of video terminal used
- label: CPU
value: Zilog Z8000
- label: SPEED
value: 5 MHz
- label: RAM
value: 640 KB
- label: ROM
value: Unknown
- label: TEXT MODES
value: 80 chars. x 25 lines
- label: COLORS
value: Monochrome
- label: SOUND
value: Unknown
- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
value: Large and heavy!
- label: I/O PORTS
value: 2 Tape Drive slots, 16 x Serial Ports can be expanded to 32, 2 x Diagnostic Ports, 1 x Parallel Port
- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
value: 1 x 60 MB full size Hard Disk, 1 Tape Drive (large type)
- label: OS
value: Pick
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: Built-in power supply unit
- label: PRICE
value: Unknown
tabs:
- photos
- docs
photos:
- title: LABELS
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: BACK
subtitle: ''
text: Notice the air filter, and the two imposing cooling fans.
image: null
- title: TOP PART
subtitle: ''
text: Hard disc and tape drive housings.
image: null
- title: SYSTEM CARDS
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: SERIAL PORTS
subtitle: ''
text: |-
The M2000 basic version holds 16 serial ports.\
A board can be added to increase it to 32.
(Best give them a dusting before use ;-))
image: null
docs:
- title: MENTOR INSTALLATION GUIDE - 2000/2500 SERIES
url: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm
cover: null
text: |-
[**MENTOR INSTALLATION GUIDE - 2000/2500 SERIES**](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm)written by ADDS
 compiled/archived by Dave Dunfield\
 type of document : PDF\
 source : [Daves Old Computers](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/)
- title: INTRODUCTION TO MENTOR SOFTWARE
url: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm
cover: null
text: |-
[**INTRODUCTION TO MENTOR SOFTWARE**](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm)written by ADDS
 compiled/archived by Dave Dunfield\
 type of document : PDF\
 source : [Daves Old Computers](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/)
- title: OPERATIONS / PROCEDURES MANUAL
url: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm
cover: null
text: |-
[**OPERATIONS / PROCEDURES MANUAL**](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm)written by ADDS
 compiled/archived by Dave Dunfield\
 type of document : PDF\
 source : [Daves Old Computers](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/)
- title: GUIDE TO PICK
url: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vide.gif
text: |-
[**GUIDE TO PICK**](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm)\
 compiled/archived by Dave Dunfield\
 type of document : TXT\
 source : [Daves Old Computers](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/)
- title: PICK FAQ
url: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vide.gif
text: |-
[**PICK FAQ**](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/other/index.htm)\
 compiled/archived by Dave Dunfield\
 type of document : PDF\
 source : [Daves Old Computers](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/)
comments:
- author: Monty Cuthbert (Doncaster UK)
date: Monday 10th February 2020
text: |-
EDP\
I came out of the army after years service at 31 in 1974 with the word COMPUTER going through my head. I talked the Government into starting resettlement courses with CDI in Computer Engineering. After this course I went to work for ICL in Bracknell, but by 1980 ICL’s expansion dealings with Singer made me feel uncomfortable as the word redundancy was being spoken about. I approached an agency saying “I would like a job in the area or in South Yorkshire where I come from.”\
The response was the offer of the Northern Regional Managers position with a company in Sheffield. I said “Hold on a minute, I am only a in house system maintenance engineer.” The Agency said “That is what we told the Managing Director and his response was does he want the job or not” I left ICL and joined Richard Jowitt in Sheffield. I was the only employee in the company with an engineering title.\
The day I arrived Richard told me he was going round the world to look for a computer to ut into small businesses. He came back a week later and told me I was going to ADDS on Long Island, New York for a week to learn about the Mentor Computer.\
Initially until I could recruit more engineers I was living with my parents in Doncaster Tuesday to Thursday handling work in the North and being with my wife and children Friday to Monday handling southern problems.\
The Northern Regional Manager was more like the Northern Hemisphere Manager.\
In 2002 I left the company which by then had ten repair centres.\
I was talking to Richard in 2000 and I told him that I had eight years left before retirement but I could not see computer repair engineering lasting that long. The throwaway society was approaching.\
I was elected as a DMBC Councillor in 1998, I took redundancy from EDP and carried on as a full time Councillor.\
Monty
- author: Oleg Kuznetsov (Russia)
date: Thursday 28th November 2019
text: Great compute and great OS PICK I had been using in post-USSR ministry of Foreign Trade and the experience with MENTOR machine was quite bright and powerful in terms of massive level-up in programming with BASIC for the enormous database of spare parts, invoices, accounting records and entry data forms we used on ASCII RS232 terminals which allow pseudo-graphics to make nice windows and entry screeens. I will remember these magic times for the rest of my life as the most productive in my programmer career. Later I bacame the CFO of RUssia in a multinational company in Mining and I still cherish and respect the Great Effort which MENTOR designers and engineers made for us to be more than happy and successful users of this GEM. Cheers to all the super-team of ADDS guys - who will be forever remembered in our country. I realize that computers of today maybe are much top gear etc. While old stuff like MENTOR and PICK will never be beaten by new HI-Tech. We people of 90s will always
trust in real gear. Cheers to all folks who like MENTOR and PICK!! Br Oleg
- author: Mark (United States)
date: Saturday 1st April 2017
text: |-
I worked at EDP in Sheffield and then Milton Keynes from about 1986 to 1989. I worked for Alan Lees who is mentioned in another post. I repaired all the various ADDS systems supplied and eventually supervised the repair center eventually...
I loved programming in PICK. Nothing else like it. Taught me about data structures and objects long before that was even a thing, it just made sense.
- author: Francis Palacios (Valencia, SPAIN)
date: Wednesday 18th December 2013
text: |-
I was the Technical Director of the Spain reseller for ADDS Computers since 1985 to 1992. In summer of 1986 I meet with an Engineer from EDP U.K called Alan Lees at Lisboa (Portugal) for the M2500 training course.This M2500 system was an excellent computer, very noble and powerful. I can say that M2500 was the best system for Pick O.S. in 80´s decade at Spain. Around 1990 were substituted by NCR/AT$T Tower 200,400 y 600 series with the name Mentor 6000 series. Same hardware but different O.S. Unix for Tower an Pick for mentor.\
M2500 brings back good memories, unfortunately disappeared, however I keep an old M6000 that I´m sure that will startup. Regards.
- author: Ronald Loui (Springfield, IL)
date: Saturday 25th May 2013
text: ADDS Mentor was a joy to work with $ Pick OS was revised and was fast. The late, great Eugene Nathan Johnson was a fan. Prime took the fun away too soon thereafter, but the Mentor was always the sweet one. Standing next to the "fridge" with terminal on top was a happy working height. I remember this was a good looking box in black matte. I''d love to have one to play with again.
- author: Jeff Nisler (Long Island,NY / USA)
date: Wednesday 22nd December 2010
text: In 1980, I was the principle software engineer at ADDS responsible for the porting project that became MENTOR - the prototypes were called Epsilon, I have 1 of 6 that were made with all the original engineering documents and source code (hasn''t seen power for about 20 years) - the Mentor was soon numbered the 4000 as smaller and larger configurations were offered (3000, 5000, 6000). I had left for Altos before they did the later Mentors. Sorry to hear Neil''s has died (and what a way to go).
- author: Daniel
date: Sunday 15th August 2010
text: I found lots of these computers in an abandoned house basment, it was really weired to see! I took one home plugged it in and the powersuppliy blow lol, still kept it though.
- author: Neil Boulton (Lichfield, United Kingdom)
date: Tuesday 1st June 2010
text: |-
Just found this site again, forgot I had sent these pictures in a while ago!
Well the M2000 has finally gone to heaven. About a year ago there was a significant fire in the garage where it lived (it didnt cause it though!) and everything including the garage was gutted.
It had stopped working a while beforehand, but I couldnt permit myself to throw it out because it couldnt have been fixed.
Glad to see its still alive on here though.\
Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Kind Regards,\
Neil Boulton.
oc_id: 882
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230605035745/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=882
date: '2023-06-05'
---
There is almost no information available about this M2000 minicomputer.\
ADDS (Applied Digital Data Systems) was a subsidiary of NCR Corp.
The ADDS Mentor 2000 is a serious multi-user business machine the size of a small refrigerator. This system runs the "PICK" operating system. If you ask knowlegable people what "PICK" is, some will say "Operating System" (OS), and the others will say "Database Management System" (DBMS). Both are correct, the PICK operating system is designed around a powerful database file structure.
The Mentor M2000 was one of the rare Z8000 based-system, and was able to manage 16 or 32 video terminals simultaneously.
About the pictured system, **Neil Boulton**, its current owner says:\
Believe me, there is nothing mini about this computer! Sometime when you turn it on after long periods because of the fans and the tape drive you can feel the floor shaking...
Thanks to **Dave Dunfield** for some info
---
Further information from **Richard Jowitt**:\
EDP was the European Distributor & service maintainer for and of the ADDS Mentor products.\
EDP shipped over 5,000 Mentor units. We have all the Mentor manuals in our library together with masses of Mentors and Mentor parts, going back to 1981/2.\
When NCR sold ADDS, EDP brought to market its own C++ Object based UniVision Multi Value DBMS in 1994, ported to all flavours of Unix. 5.6 million lines of Pick assembler code re-implemented from scratch in just 120K lines of optimised C++. (Object delivers all that was promised!)\
UniVision permits any Mentor user to take a FILE-SAVE of its Mentor system, perform an ADD- ACCOUNTS on a UniVision system, re-compile the application, logon and execute the application. That simple.\
However, instead of running at a tiny 16x, as the first Mentor 3000's did, UniVision 9.0.1 runs at a massive 5,000x on a Dell 1900 with Linux ES 4.0, or if you run the 64 bit UniVision implementation, which we have not released, an even more massive 8,400x.
<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>