website/content/museum/ampere-ws-1.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
AMPERE WS 1	Computers	Portable	Japan	1985	Motorola MC 68000	name image company company_name specs tabs photos adverts hardware links comments oc_id source WS 1 /media/museum/photos/ampere_ws1_1.jpg /companies/ampere AMPERE label value NAME WS 1 label value MANUFACTURER Ampere label value TYPE Portable label value ORIGIN Japan label value YEAR 1985 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE APL label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke QWERTY keyboard, 68 keys with special APL keys\ 8 function keys at the bottom of the LCD screen label value CPU Motorola MC 68000 label value SPEED 8 mHz label value RAM 64 kb of CMOS saved RAM (up to 512 KB) label value ROM 128 kb (APL 68000, Big-DOS, system tools) label value TEXT MODES 80 x 25 label value GRAPHIC MODES 480 x 200 label value COLORS Monochrome LCD display label value SIZE / WEIGHT 330 × 280 × 92 mm / 3,6 Kg label value I/O PORTS Centronics, 2 x RS232c, Ethenet / VME bus, external disk, cartridge slots label value BUILT IN MEDIA Built-in micro-tape recorder (300k) label value OS Big-DOS label value POWER SUPPLY Ni-Cd battery cells label value PERIPHERALS 3.5'' disk-drives (700k), hard-disk, printers, cartridge expansion label value PRICE 5908 (France, april 1985)\ 3383 (France, may 1985)\ 450000 yens (Japan, 1985) photos adverts hardware links title subtitle text image AMPERE WS1 Thanks to [www.bolo.ch](http://www.bolo.ch) for this picture /media/museum/photos/ampere_ws1_bolo_1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR One Centronics port and two RS232c... /media/museum/photos/ampere_ws1_rear_1.jpg title subtitle text image THE AMPERE WS-1 CLOSED The Ampere WS-1 Closed... what a design !! /media/museum/photos/ampere_ws1_closed.jpg title subtitle text image DIFFERENT DESIGN This is quite strange. The design of this model is quite different from the "grey" model. This one is colourful, with an apparently larger LCD display and different function keys... Is it a prototype of the WS-1 ? Anyone have the answer ? /media/museum/photos/ampere_ws1_2.jpg title subtitle text image 2ND MODEL CLOSED Again we can see that the design of this "second" model is different. /media/museum/photos/ampere_ws1_closed_2.jpg title subtitle text image SIDE VIEW It's... amazing... /media/museum/photos/ampere_ws1_profile_1.jpg title subtitle text image US ADVERT, JUL 1985 Byte Magazine /media/museum/pubs/ampere_ws1_pub_s1.jpg title subtitle text image US ADVERT, NOV. 1985 /media/museum/pubs/ampere_ws1_pub_s2.jpg title subtitle text image DOUBLE DISK-DRIVE These are 3.5" disk drives, 700 kb each. A hard disk could also be connected to the Ampere WS-1. /media/museum/hardware/ampere_ws1_disk_1.jpg title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com The guys talking here surely know about the Ampere WS-1, and can teach you stuff about the APL language of course ! author date text Josh Carlson (Usa) Thursday 8th December 2022 David, do you still have the Ampere? I’ve been trying to get my hands on one for years. Can you email me at helforamaATgmailDOTcom? I’m in the USA (Alabama) author date text Fritz (Germany) Tuesday 12th June 2018 Do you still have the machine? author date text David (USA) Saturday 5th November 2016 Oops. Message sent to Yuri. author date text David (USA) Saturday 5th November 2016 I have an Ampere WS-1 I want to sell. I would prefer to do this in the USA, but what are you offering? The unit works on D batteries, or with the included power adapter, and has the two manuals (looseleaf) and the Sharp APL manual (spiral-bound) that came with it. I have not sold anything outside the United States and am not certain what problems might arise. What would be your offer? David author date text Yuri (Russia) Wednesday 6th August 2014 If someone owns the laptop let me know. Laptop needed for the museum of computer technology. I want to buy. leskovezATmail.ru 66 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230322115358/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=66 2023-03-22

This was a very unique system with an extraordinary design. It was conceived by Ampere and produced by Nippon-Shingo in 1985. Sadly, it failed the US FCC certification tests and so was not available on the US market, which helps explain why it is so rare nowadays (along with its high price and narrow-targeted market)...

One of the main characteristics of the Ampere WS-1 was the use of the APL programming language : an interpreted language extremely synthetic and very rich. APL doesn't use English but rather a mathematical syntax which makes the programs legibility quite difficult... The language offers a large number of system functions especially for vector and array. Thus matrix inversions, multi-linear regressions, and sorting functions are language primitives. Moreover, the APL-68000 (the APL version of the WS-1) had very powerful string manipulation functions such as finding and replacing a word by another word. Overall the language was very compact and one line of APL would take for example up to ten lines of Basic depending what you have to code. This is why it was possible to include LPA (Langage Pédagogique Audiovisuel) programs (developed in APL by the Saclay's C.E.A.) into the system. They act as a natural interface between the user and the application. For example it is possible to type "Who am I meeting on the 7th of march ?" or "What is the telephone number of the IBM chairman ?", and to get an answer ! LPA interfaces exist on other systems and were developed for different languages, but only APL made it possible to include LPA into a "micro-computer" like the Ampere WS-1.

The WS-1 was a real portable computer with its 80x25 LCD screen, a power-supply through built-in cells and a micro-tape recorder (300k) to store data or to record sound. The keyboard was compact and had thus no separate numeric keypad. Several keys had special signs used for APL programming. Eight function keys were placed directly at the bottom of the LCD screen. It was an excellent idea as explanations of the function of each key could be displayed directly above them according to the context of the running application.

The WS-1 offered many connection possibilities. It had one Centronics and two RS-232c ports, as well as an expansion port for optional disk-drives (700k each) or a hard-disk. It also had a VME-compatible connector which is an instruments measurement standard. The system was powered by Ni-Cd cell batteries. Thus if the main power were accidently cut, all the memory would be saved and found intact when the main power returns. You may find that feature "normal" nowadays, but it was quite a rare feature back in 1985 !

The WS-1 had 64k RAM, upgradable to 512k through CMOS cartridges, and 128k ROM in which are stored the operating system and the APL interpreter. The system offered a multitasking environment, or rather bi-tasking : two APL programs could run simultaneously, and in this case two windows could be opened on the screen showing the results of each program. The Ampere WS-1 ran under Big-DOS, the Operating System dedicated to the WS 1.

Several programs were supplied with the computer: tools for the system configuration, communication and character redefinition. Optional software included Big Screen (word processor, spreadsheet, editor and painting applications for 2700 FF), APL-Calcand and very expensive specialised applications with LPA interfaces (agenda, travel agency management, Avocatix/lawyer management, etc.)