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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ

content/museum/r2e-micral-n.md

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+---
+title: R2E MICRAL-N
+categories:
+- Computers
+types:
+- Home Computer
+origins:
+- France
+years:
+- '1973'
+cpus:
+- Intel 8008
+params:
+  name: MICRAL-N
+  company: /companies/r2e
+  company_name: R2E
+  specs:
+  - label: NAME
+    value: MICRAL-N
+  - label: MANUFACTURER
+    value: R2E
+  - label: TYPE
+    value: Home Computer
+  - label: ORIGIN
+    value: France
+  - label: YEAR
+    value: '1973'
+  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
+    value: None
+  - label: CPU
+    value: Intel 8008
+  - label: SPEED
+    value: 500 KHz
+  - label: RAM
+    value: Unknown
+  - label: ROM
+    value: Unknown
+  - label: TEXT MODES
+    value: Depends on the connected video terminal
+  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
+    value: None
+  - label: COLORS
+    value: None
+  - label: I/O PORTS
+    value: Parallel, Serial
+  - label: POWER SUPPLY
+    value: Built-in power supply unit
+  - label: PRICE
+    value: 8,500 French Francs (about $1300)
+  tabs:
+  - photos
+  photos:
+  - title: FIRST VERSION?
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: ''
+    image: null
+  - title: AN OTHER PHOTO OF THE R2E MICRAL.
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: It doesn't look to the first model, perhaps it is an enhanced model.
+    image: null
+  comments:
+  - author: Achim (Germany)
+    date: Thursday 24th June 2021
+    text: If I had only one wish regarding a computer system for my collection, it would be the Micral. Unfortunately, I missed the auction in France where Paul Allen purchased a Micral. There are more in France and I am grateful for any tip / offer. I can be reached through my website.
+  - author: technology history junky
+    date: Friday 16th August 2019
+    text: |-
+      nitpick: it is not fair description to call the 8008 "8-bit 4004".\
+      the 4004 was very limited intel in-house design, and not much was left from this - i think the 4040 and there the dynasty ends/
+
+      the 8008 was built to CTC instruction set, same as datapoint 2200, which was a reasonably capable processor. (interesting tidbit is that CTC also asked TI to build one, not just intel. they came up with a chip, and had samples, but very few people ever saw one, let alone a working circuit with one).\
+      its weaknesses were the straight jacket of 18-pin package, and only 14 address bits, so only 16K.\
+      the 8080 added a lot more than just the 40-pin package and 16 address lines, but it''s hard to argue that those were the main difference.
+
+      it is fair to say that the 8008 was closer to the 8080 which started the revolution than to the 4004/ i believe the instruction set of the 8008 is the foundation of the 8080, which was the foundation of the 8086, and all the way to the intel engine which still runs the world to this day.
+  - author: Ed Sharpe (az)
+    date: Tuesday 7th November 2017
+    text: |-
+      Later in life when Bull owned them there was a z-80 with either just floppy or floppy and hard drive... I have a catalog of an outfit surplussing a group of them in USA called DEALIN'' ELECTRONICS in Palo Alto. Date?\
+      Ed Sharpe archivist for SMECC
+  - author: David Lowry
+    date: Monday 22nd August 2016
+    text: I am a teenager and i like old computers!
+  - author: Dr. Darrel VanDyke (U.S.A.)
+    date: Tuesday 20th January 2015
+    text: I am writing a book about the 1970''s computer era, and find Mr. Beckmann''s information quite helpful. I have some questions about the company finally went out of business - could he describe what happened to things like support of the system, how it was programmed, and how Bull got in the picture?
+  - author: beckmann (Plouhinec (29) France)
+    date: Thursday 24th August 2006
+    text: 35 years later am happy to read this page of history on Micral, an important event in my life which I'll never forget. Thanks to François Gernelle, an ignored genius. To precise things, Truong Trong Ti already was the R2E's president when story began in 72's but, as stated, never brought anything to the Micral. Only François and his team did it. I was'nt in charge of mechanical as written but developed all I/O boards and magnetic storage peripherals controllers. Lacombe designed memories, I/O high speed channel, power supply and the key front panel. Other technicians then participated to other Micral versions, like the S, G and M (multi-processor). Unfortunately, when Bull acquired the company under Truong's benediction, better than developing it and make Micral THE microcomputer of the world, prefering to abdicate to Microsoft, they killed R2E and the golden eggs chicken. That's the french way to develop computer technology... All Bull's acquisitions died years after. In France,
+      there's no longer companies involved into computer technology, thanks to Bull. Jean-Claude Beckmann
+  oc_id: 352
+  source:
+    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230616135647/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=352
+    date: '2023-06-16'
+---
+
+The Micral-N, introduced in 1973 and powered by Intel's 8008 chip, was the first commercial non-kit computer based on a microprocessor. It was conceived in France by François Gernelle and commercialised by a company called **R2E** in 1973. The term *"microcomputer"* first appeared in print in reference to the Micral-N.
+
+The Micral-N was initially developed for the **I.N.R.A**. (French National Institute for Agronomic Research) which didn't had sufficient budget to buy the lowest "mini" at the time (Digital Equipment PDP-8).
+
+The development began in July 1972, in a hut in Chatenay-Malabry (Paris suburbs), with **F. Gernelle** and 3 of his collaborators: Mr. **Benchetrit** (soft ingineer), **Alain Lacombe** (electrical technician) and **Jean-Claude Beckmann** (in charge of the mechanical). The first prototype was delivered January, 15th 1973!\
+Mr. **Tuong-Tong-Ti** arrived later to manage the company, but never influenced anything in the design (not enough knowledge).
+
+The 8008 that powered the Micral was essentially an 8-bit 4004. It was originally intended to be a custom chip for Computer Terminals Corp. of Texas (later known as Datapoint). CTC rejected the 8008 because it was too slow and required too many supporting chips, but when Intel offered it to the open market, it was quite successful.
+
+The Micral-N was working at 500 KHz, running approximately 50,000 instructions per second. It was set on a bus, did have a MOS memory, parallel and serial I/O cards, a real-time system. In one word, it had all the characteristics of nowadays computers. First systems were manufactured and sold at the amazing price (at the time) of 8,500 French Francs (about $1300)
+
+Supposedly it was the first personal computer programmed by **Philippe Kahn**, founder of Borland.
+
+R2E, which got under way the Micral-N, developed a whole series of computers based on the most powerful processors of the time: 8080, Z80, 8088, constantly adding improvements like monitor-keyboard in 1974, hard disk in 1975, etc. Every machine was managed by the **SYSMIC** monitor, which became **PROLOGUE** in 1978, a multitask system created in France too. The last of this system was the Micral 20. After that, Bull, who had became the owner of R2E, joined MSDOS standard...
+
+Picture and text parts, courtesy of [Federation des Equipes Bull](http://perso.club-internet.fr/febcm/febhista.htm) (Federation of Bull teams)