I had previously responded to a couple of comments, but now, after 48 unsuccessful tries to establish a slashdot name, I can do so with a real name.
(1) C-A-D was originally intended for internal use only, but since it quickly rebooted the machine back in the DOS command line days, it was used by all the application programs as a way to quickly start them up. Put in the app diskette -- to which you had already copied DOS, hit C-A-D, and the system reboots to your application.
(2) We had previously used a 3-key sequence on the System/23 DataMaster (with an Intel 8085 micro) as an "Easter egg" to invoke a debug monitor. Doing something similar on the PC was obvious. But I doubt that many of you have ever seen a DataMaster.
(3) The video clip that's been referenced is from the 20th anniversary celebration of the PC, August 8, 2001. There was a panel discussion with Dave Bradley (me, IBM), Dan Bricklin (VisiCalc), David Bunnell (PC Magazine), Rod Canion (Compaq), Bill Gates (MS), Andy Grove (Intel), Mitch Kapor (1-2-3) and Ray Ozzie (Notes). I was first -- alphabetically, if not financially -- and was asked about C-A-D. I had captured the clip from CNET.com shortly after the event. I supplied it to TechTV when I was interviewed by them on ScreenSavers, and they cut it in length -- while retaining the Bill Gates reaction shot. Microsoft used to have a transcript of the session on their site, but it's no longer there. There is a funny segment later on in which Bill Gates acknowledges that he's the author of Donkey.
(4) The entire development cycle of the IBM PC was from Sept 1980 to April 1981, when we released to manufacturing. About 7 months at a time when 3 years was the norm. So lots of things happened quickly -- and C-A-D was just one of them. Much of the PC design is inherited from the DataMaster.
(5) The original C-A-D was intended to be a two hand operation -- remember, the key layout for the original PC does not resemble current keyboards. We did provide a DOS Terminate and Stay Resident program that made the shift keys "sticky" so that the physically challenged could activate the keys one at a time.
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(1) C-A-D was originally intended for internal use only, but since it quickly rebooted the machine back in the DOS command line days, it was used by all the application programs as a way to quickly start them up. Put in the app diskette -- to which you had already copied DOS, hit C-A-D, and the system reboots to your application.
(2) We had previously used a 3-key sequence on the System/23 DataMaster (with an Intel 8085 micro) as an "Easter egg" to invoke a debug monitor. Doing something similar on the PC was obvious. But I doubt that many of you have ever seen a DataMaster.
(3) The video clip that's been referenced is from the 20th anniversary celebration of the PC, August 8, 2001. There was a panel discussion with Dave Bradley (me, IBM), Dan Bricklin (VisiCalc), David Bunnell (PC Magazine), Rod Canion (Compaq), Bill Gates (MS), Andy Grove (Intel), Mitch Kapor (1-2-3) and Ray Ozzie (Notes). I was first -- alphabetically, if not financially -- and was asked about C-A-D. I had captured the clip from CNET.com shortly after the event. I supplied it to TechTV when I was interviewed by them on ScreenSavers, and they cut it in length -- while retaining the Bill Gates reaction shot. Microsoft used to have a transcript of the session on their site, but it's no longer there. There is a funny segment later on in which Bill Gates acknowledges that he's the author of Donkey.
(4) The entire development cycle of the IBM PC was from Sept 1980 to April 1981, when we released to manufacturing. About 7 months at a time when 3 years was the norm. So lots of things happened quickly -- and C-A-D was just one of them. Much of the PC design is inherited from the DataMaster.
(5) The original C-A-D was intended to be a two hand operation -- remember, the key layout for the original PC does not resemble current keyboards. We did provide a DOS Terminate and Stay Resident program that made the shift keys "sticky" so that the physically challenged could activate the keys one at a time.
Any other questions?