Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
109 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
109 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Cromemco C10
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categories:
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- Computers
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types:
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- Professional Computer
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origins:
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- U.S.A.
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years:
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- '1982'
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cpus:
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- Z80-A
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params:
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name: C10
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image: /media/museum/photos/cromemco_c10_system_1.jpg
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company: /companies/cromemco
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company_name: Cromemco
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specs:
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- label: NAME
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value: C10
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- label: MANUFACTURER
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value: Cromemco
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- label: TYPE
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value: Professional Computer
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- label: ORIGIN
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value: U.S.A.
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- label: YEAR
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value: September 1982
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- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
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value: None
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- label: KEYBOARD
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value: Full-stroke 61 keys
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- label: CPU
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value: Z80-A
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- label: SPEED
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value: 4 Mhz
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- label: RAM
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value: 64 KB
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- label: ROM
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value: 24 KB
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- label: TEXT MODES
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value: 80 chars. x 25 lines
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- label: GRAPHIC MODES
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value: None
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- label: COLORS
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value: Monochrome. 12'' green CRT
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- label: SOUND
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value: Beeper
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- label: I/O PORTS
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value: Second F.D. unit, Parallel and Serial ports
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- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
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value: External 390 KB 5.25'' F.D. unit
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- label: OS
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value: CDOS - CP/M
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- label: POWER SUPPLY
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value: Built-in Power supply unit
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- label: PERIPHERALS
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value: No extensions capabilities
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- label: PRICE
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value: $1785
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tabs:
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- adverts
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adverts:
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- title: FIRST C-10 AD
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subtitle: ''
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text: February 1983
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image: /media/museum/pubs/cromemco_c10_pub_1.jpg
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comments:
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- author: Jerry Lopez (Alabama/USA)
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date: Saturday 10th December 2011
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text: |-
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I worked for Cromemco just before the\
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C10 was introduced. I ourchased one\
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and used it for a few years.\
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It had one Z80 cpu to run both the\
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video and the computer part.\
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It was shipped to run CDOS,\
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Cromemco''s version of C/PM.\
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Of course it could also run C/PM.
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It was used as a smart standalone\
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terminal and used with the larger\
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S-100 bus machines that ran CROMIX\
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the Unix look a like by Cromemco.
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- author: CRAIG
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date: Wednesday 20th July 2011
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text: At the time they were banking on a contract to sell the c-10 to the us post office.
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- author: Pete Fenelon (UK)
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date: Monday 29th December 2003
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text: |-
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It was very difficult to tell what Cromemco were trying to achieve with the C10. They'd made their name as a vendor of beautifully-engineered S-100 "crate" systems with excellent graphics boards available, and then came out with this stunted little terminal-lookalike with no graphical abilities at all - just at the point that CP/M was dying.
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The good point was that the build quality was, by the standards of the day, superb - it was much nicer to use than (say) a Superbrain. It really seemed to be in competition with the Xerox 820, although its relatively low-profile looks probably made it a slightly easier sell into executive/professional environments than the horrible boxy 820...
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But what it was missing was Cromemco's wonderful colour graphics....
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oc_id: 638
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source:
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url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604043552/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=638
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date: '2023-06-04'
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---
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The C-10 is Cromemco's only attempt to step in the market of personal and family oriented computers.
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The goal was to compete with [Apple II](/museum/apple-ii/)'s and [IBM PC](/museum/ibm-pc-model-5150/)'s in small businesses as they started getting equipped with computer systems.
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This standard CP/M based system featured a 12'' screen housing a single motherboard, without extension capabilities (no S-100 bus), a keyboard and floppy drive.
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The CDOS operating system (a CP/M variant) came with several business software tools (spreadsheet, word processor, BASIC language).
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