---
title: Unisys Icon
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- Canada
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- Intel 80186
params:
  name: Icon
  image: /media/museum/photos/unisys_icon_system_s1.jpg
  company: /companies/unisys
  company_name: Unisys
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Icon
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Unisys
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Canada
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1983'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full stroke keyboard with function keys and numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: Intel 80186
  - label: SPEED
    value: Unknown
  - label: RAM
    value: 384 KB - 1 MB in ICON-II second version
  - label: ROM
    value: Unknown
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: Unknown
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: Unknown
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome blue and white or 8 colours (at least) display
  - label: SOUND
    value: Speech synthesis system
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: Unknown
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Parallel printer connector, video port
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: |-
      None in the ICON workstation.\
      5.25'' floppy disk drive + 10 MB hard disk in the file server
  - label: OS
    value: QNX
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: Unknown
  - label: PRICE
    value: About C$2.500 (ICON workstation)
  tabs:
  - links
  forum_thread: 946
  links:
  - title: Complete article from Wikipedia
    url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisys_ICON
    text: ''
  - title: The Burroughs ICON computer
    url: http://www.100megspopup.com/redawa/BIC/BIC3.html
    text: Nice dedicated page. Also information about other Icon systems
  oc_id: 971
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608221149/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=971
    date: '2023-06-08'
---

The **ICON** workstation and **LEXICON** file server were originally designed by **Cemcorp**, the Canadian Educational Microprocessor Corporation, specifically for use in Canadian schools. They were first produced by **Burroughs** then took the name of **Unisys** when Burrough and Sperry merged to form Unisys.

Up to about 20 diskless workstations got everything off of the central file-server. They ran **QNX**, a flavour of Unix operating system with optional GUI shell. The workstations offered a graphical interface including windows, pick-areas, and a tracker/cursor that responded to the user through manipulation of a trackball located onto the keyboard. Two versions of the GUI interface were available, called **Ambience** and **ICONLook**, as well as a file manager called **House**.

The Lexicon were 80186-based servers. They contained 1 or 2 8-inch floppy drives and a 70 MB hard disk. Standard programming languages (Basic, Pascal, Fortran, C) came from Watcom. A word processor and a spreadsheet were also available.

However, the LEXICON-ICON systems were very expensive and suffered from a lack of educational software. They were replaced with IBM PC and AT systems and were quickly forgotten.

There were also Icon II and Icon III computers, see the link section for more information.

---

More information from **John Bridgman**:\
The ICON was originally designed as a courseware authoring and delivery tool intended to let teachers implement their own lessons and share them with other schools and classes, using a hypertext model similar to the (future) WWW but based on NAPLPS (Telidon) graphics rather than HTML and embedded bitmaps.\
The "any teacher can create lessons" model was rejected by the Ontario MOE in favour of courseware they funded and controlled, and the hypertext project was cancelled before the ICON shipped, leaving only the Watcom language interpreters, the native QNX command-line interface, and the Cemcorp-developed text editor.

The fileserver originally had a 10 MB hard disk and a single 5-1/4" floppy. The Ministry requested a 5 MB hard drive but we felt that was too small. As soon as larger drives became available (70 MB unformatted, 64 MB formatted) we switched to the larger drive.

About half way through the original ICON production a floppy option was added to the workstation to meet a "checklist" requirement somewhere (in the US, I think) but very few were actually purchased.

<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>