Micral
是历史上最早的个人电脑，是夫朗索瓦·热尔内尔（Francois Gernelle）及其合作者在1973年发明的。 这种计算机是在法国国家农业研究院的推动之下而制造的，因为这个研究院当时没有足够的资金来购买大型计算机。
第一款型号Micral-N的价格对那个时代来说相当低（8500法郎=1250欧左右）。后来随着微处理器的发展和硬盘的发明，出现了许多其它型号。在Apple II之前很多年，这是世界上最早的完整成套计算机。开发这种计算机的公司是R2E，后来被Bull公司所收购。 据说是Borland软件公司成立者菲利普·康（Philippe Kahn）使用的第一台计算机。
Francois Gernelle
简介编辑本段回目录
According to the Computer History Museum, the Micral N was the earliest commercial, non-kit personal computer based on a microprocessor, the Intel 8008.
André Truong Trong Thi (EFREI degree, Paris), a French immigrant from Vietnam and François Gernelle developed the Micral N computer for the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), starting in June 1972. Alain Perrier of INRA was looking for a computer for process control in his hygrometric measurements. The software was developed by Benchetrit, with Alain Lacombe and Jean-Claude Beckmann working on the electrical and mechanical aspects.
The computer was to be delivered in December 1972, and Gernelle, Lacombe, Benchetrit and Beckmann had to work in a cellar in Chatenay-Malabry for 18 hours a day in order to deliver the computer in time. The software was written on an Intertechnique Multi-8 minicomputer using a cross-assembler. The computer was based on an Intel 8008 microprocessor clocked at 500 kHz. It had a back-panel bus, the Pluribus with 74-pin connector. 14 boards could be plugged in a Pluribus. With two Pluribus, the Micral N could support up to 24 boards. The computer used MOS memory instead of core. The Micral N could support parallel and serial input-output. It had 8 levels of interrupt and a stack. The computer was programmed with perforated cards, and used a teletype as output. It was delivered to the INRA in January 1973, and commercialized in February 1973 for FF 8,500 (about $1,750) making it a cost-effective replacement for minicomputers which augured the era of the PC.
Lee Felsenstein (prototype VDM-1) and Thi T. Truqng (Micral).
Indeed, INRA was originally planning to use PDP-8 computers for process control, but the Micral N could do the same for a fifth of the cost. Philippe Kahn was involved with developing software for the Micral. An 8-inch floppy disk reader was added to the Micral in December 1973, following a command of the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique. This was made possible by the pile-canal, a buffer than could accept one megabyte per second. In 1974, a keyboard and screen were fitted to the Micral computers. A hard disk (first made by CAELUS then by Diablo) became available in 1975. In 1979, the Micral 8031 D was equipped with a 5" 1/4 inches hard disk of 5 Megabytes made by Seagate.
The following Micral computers successively used the Intel 8080 at 1 MHz (Micral G and Micral S), Zilog Z80 (Micral CZ) and Intel 8088 as microprocessors. The Micral M was a multiprocessor. The original SYSMIC operating system was renamed Prologue in 1978. Interestingly, Prologue was able to perform real-time multitasking, and was a multi-user system. The last Micral designed by François Gernelle was the 9020.[1] In 1981, R2E was bought by Groupe Bull. Starting with the Bull Micral 30, which could use both Prologue and MS-DOS, Groupe Bull transformed the Micral computers into a line of PC compatibles. François Gernelle left Bull in 1983.
Truong's R2E sold about 90,000 units of the Micral that were mostly used in vertical applications such as highway toll booths and process control.
Litigation happened after Truong started claiming that he alone invented the first personal computer. The courts did not judge in favor of Truong, who was declared "the businessman, but not the inventor", giving in 1998 the sole claim as inventor of the first personal computer to Gernelle and the R2E engineering team. In all circumstances Philippe Kahn had nothing but praise for Truong and his whole team, saying that his personal involvement was mostly due to being in the right place at the right time
主要机器介绍编辑本段回目录
Micral-N采用Intel的8008处理器，是第一台基于微处理器的商用计算机。
 |  |
| NAME | MICRAL-N |
| MANUFACTURER | R2E |
| TYPE | Home Computer |
| ORIGIN | France |
| YEAR | 1973 |
| BUILT IN LANGUAGE | None |
| CPU | Intel 8008 |
| SPEED | 500 KHz |
| RAM | Unknown |
| ROM | Unknown |
| TEXT MODES | Depends on the connected video terminal |
| GRAPHIC MODES | None |
| COLORS | None |
| I/O PORTS | Parallel, Serial |
| POWER SUPPLY | Built-in power supply unit |
| PRICE | 8,500 French Francs (about $1300) |
R2E Micral 8030 series
| |
| NAME | Micral 8030 series |
| MANUFACTURER | R2E |
| TYPE | Professional Computer |
| ORIGIN | France |
| YEAR | 1979 |
| BUILT IN LANGUAGE | None |
| KEYBOARD | Full stroke 78 key with numeric keypad |
| CPU | Z80 |
| SPEED | Unknown |
| CO-PROCESSOR | 2nd Z80 for keyboard management |
| RAM | 32 KB |
| ROM | Unknown |
| TEXT MODES | 64 or 96 characters x 20 lines |
| GRAPHIC MODES | Unknown |
| COLORS | Monochrome green |
| SOUND | No sound |
| SIZE / WEIGHT | 56.5 (W) x 50 (D) x 21 (H) cm |
| I/O PORTS | Video, 2 x Serial ports |
| BUILT IN MEDIA | 2 x 5.25 floppy disk drives |
| OS | BAL |
| POWER SUPPLY | Built-in switching power supply unit |
| PERIPHERALS | Numerous boards were made by R2E |
| PRICE | Unknown |
相关链接编辑本段回目录
- Philippe Kahn NPR interview on the camera phone and mobile phone
- R2E Micral 1972-1985
- A picture of the Front panel of Micral-N
- Le Micral N, a page in French
- François Gernelle LA NAISSANCE DU PREMIER MICRO-ORDINATEUR : LE MICRAL N Proceedings of the second symposium on the history of computing (CNAM, Paris, 1990)
- François Gernelle Communication sur les choix architecturaux et technologiques qui ont présidé à la conception du « Micral » Premier micro-ordinateur au monde Proceedings of the fifth symposium on the history of computing (Toulouse, 1998)
- A web page on the experiment of Alain Perrier at INRA, which started the development of the Micral
- French patent FR2216883 (number INPI: 73 03 553), German patent DE2404886, Dutch Patent NL7401328, Japanese patent JP50117333 (inventor François Gernelle) RECHNER, INSBESONDERE FUER REALZEIT-ANWENDUNG (August 8, 1974)
- French patent FR2216884(number INPI: 7303552) , German patent DE2404887, Dutch patent NL7401271, Japanese patent JP50117327 (inventor François Gernelle) KANAL FUER DEN INFORMATIONSAUSTAUSCH ZWISCHEN EINEM RECHNER UND SCHNELLEN PERIPHEREN EINHEITEN (August 8, 1974)
- U.S. Patent 3,974,480: Data processing system, specially for real-time applications
- U.S. Patent 4,040,026: Channel for exchanging information between a computer and rapid peripheral units (pile-canal)
- MICRAL documentation at bitsavers.org
参考文献编辑本段回目录
http://www.avandor.net/micral.htm
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micral
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micral
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micral
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micral
