website/content/museum/polymorphic-system-8813.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Polymorphic System 8813	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1977	Intel 8080A	name company company_name specs tabs photos adverts emulators links comments related oc_id source System 8813 /companies/polymorphic Polymorphic label value NAME System 8813 label value MANUFACTURER Polymorphic label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1977 label value END OF PRODUCTION Unknown label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard label value CPU Intel 8080A label value SPEED 2 MHz 8080A, running at 1.8432 MHz (so that it could be easily divided to produce standard baud rate clocks) label value RAM 48.5 KB (512 bytes for CPU + 48KB for S100 bus) label value ROM 3 KB (monitor) label value TEXT MODES 64 characters x 16 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 128 x 48 using block-graphics label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND Unknown label value SIZE / WEIGHT About 6 kg (main unit) label value I/O PORTS S100 Bus label value BUILT IN MEDIA 5.25'' disk-drives label value OS Polymorphic OS label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS S100 bus cards label value PRICE Unknown photos adverts emulators links title subtitle text image 8810 MODEL The 8810 seems to be a cut down version of the 8813 offering only one built-in floppy disk drive. More information needed! Thanks to **John Woodall** for the 8810 pictures null title subtitle text image INSIDE THE 8810 **(1)** Power supply unit\ **(2)** 5.25" floppy disk drive\ **(3)** Electronic cards slotted into a vertical backplane. null title subtitle text image PSU CLOSE-UP null title subtitle text image 8810 ELECTRONIC CARDS null title subtitle text image 8810 PLATE null title subtitle text image U.S. ADVERT (1978) The advert said : The 8813 was built with you, the professional, in mind... Using the 8813, one person can process what would normally require many secretaries, several bookkeepers and a great deal of time... The 8813 slashes the professional's overhead. It's a powerful time and money-saving ally. Prices for complete system including printer start at less than $8,000. null title subtitle text image U.S. ADVERT (1979) null title url platform text Bob Bybee's PolyMorphic Emulator program http://www.bybeeweb.com/pm.htm MS DOS Polymorphic systems emulator ! title url text Polymorphic documentation http://www.hartetechnologies.com/manuals/PolyMorphic/ title url text www.retrotechnology.com http://www.retrotechnology.com/restore/poly_restore.html A page dedicated to the restoration of a Poly 88 author date text Chris Cordes ( USA) Wednesday 17th September 2014 Back in 1979/80 I wrote a surveyor''s package on one to do closures and property descriptions. Nice machine for the time. author date text Tom Towle (United States) Friday 11th July 2014 Hi, Great website! I was the Quality Control Computer Technician for Polymorphic Systems when they ‘folded’. I was responsible for troubleshooting and repairing all units when I worked there. Poly was a good company with a great product at the time. We just had a lot of competition. Tom author date text Graham K. Mullins (US) Sunday 20th June 2010 I currently have two of the Polymorphic System 8813 computers. One was purchased in 1978 at a cost of $5000.00 with only the operating system and Basic language. I developed my on systems for accounting and payroll which I used to process data for several companies. I later purchased a used system as a backup because of the lack of repair service (which I had to do mostly myself). Used both systems until about 1984 and retired them. Since I have not used either system for several years, I do not know if either would operate. I used a TI printer (160 cps) that cost 2000.00. The editor was far better than what was used in the DOS operating system. /museum/polymorphic-poly-88 51 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230608092941/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=51 2023-06-08

The Polymorphic System 8813 was the larger brother of the Poly 88.

William Davis reports :
This unit could connected to an add-on unit (MS 88) that consisted of two 8" Shugart DSDD disk drives. Near the end Polymorphic System also featured a 10 MB hard disk and a unit called the "Twin Systems" which allowed two simultaneous users on a shared bus.

I had all the above, buying the first of three 8813 in 1978 and continuing to use it until 1987 when I switched to a series of Kaypro machines. As a last attempt to stay alive Poly tried to market a CP/M based version. I also had one of these which was an unmitigated disaster.

The software sold by Polymorphic Systems consisted of a Word Processor (very much like the early WordStar), a data base program and their OS.

Kyle York reports us :
It doesn't use a specific operating system. It could add/extend, delete files but the filesystem was a linked-list. To recover disk space you had to run a utility. Best use was a business-basic package that was incredible.

Charles A Thompson reports:
with respect to memory, the Poly was capable of handling 64K -- of which about 8K was for the operating system roms. I have (still have!) several 8813s. One of them has a 48K memory board and an 8K memory board, which placed the upper end of memory at about 56K.

It took some time for the IBM PC-type of machine to catch up to the capabilities Poly already had when the PC was first introduced (such as subdirectories). Poly could have lengthy file names (up to 32 characters, as I recall, which included any subdirectory names), plus a two-character extension.

I still run several Poly programs, which I significantly wrote, such as General Ledger and Payroll (that is, I got some very crude programs, and rewrote them extensively).

In addition to their Word Master word processing program, PolyMorphic Systems also sold programs entitled Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory Control, Mailist, Plan (Polymorphic Language for ANalysis), Universal Plotter, and Loan and Investment Analysis. There were probably others -- those are just the ones I have in my collection. Poly also made available a Field Service manual, which contained a significant amount of technical data (I have one of these, also).

Most of the programs were dated 1978, and it's my understanding that these were spruced-up versions of programs originally written for internal purposes by Interactive Products Corporation (aka PolyMorphic Systems).

Nick Taylor reports:
I bought a used Poly 8813 from my friend Stuart Woods, who is now a famous writer, in about 1979. It came with an IBM Selectric typewriter that had been converted to a printer and sat atop a massive cabinet full of wires. Its WordMaster word processor was the best around at the time, but the only tech support came from other PolyMorphic users. One of these was Mark Sutherland, Atlanta's resident PolyMorphic genius, whom I bothered on an almost daily basis. I was still using the Poly when I moved to New York in 1984, and found a fanatic Poly user on Long Island whose name I don't recall, but who was kind enough to answer my usually dense questions. He was using Polys and WordMaster to produce newsletters including one for Poly users, and continued to do so into the late 1980s. I produced my first book, Bass Wars, on the Poly but the support problems became too much for me to overcome. I sold my Poly for parts to the fellow on Long Island and switched to PCs, but I remember it fondly, kind of like a difficult love relationship.

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.