Interdata, Inc., was a computer company, founded in 1966 by a former Electronic Associates engineer,

Daniel Sinnott Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength ...

, and was based in

Oceanport, New Jersey Oceanport is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,832,32-bit In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in 32- bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform large calcula ...

minicomputer A minicomputer, or colloquially mini, is a class of smaller general purpose computers that developed in the mid-1960s and sold at a much lower price than mainframe and mid-size computers from IBM and its direct competitors. In a 1970 survey, ...

s that were loosely based on the

IBM 360 The IBM System/360 (S/360) is a family of mainframe computer systems that was announced by IBM on April 7, 1964, and delivered between 1965 and 1978. It was the first family of computers designed to cover both commercial and scientific applica ...

instruction set architecture but at a cheaper price. In 1974, it produced one of the first 32-bit minicomputers, the Interdata 7/32. The company then used the parallel processing approach, where multiple tasks were performed at the same time, making real-time computing a reality. Some real-time applications Interdata computers were used for included: Core Protection Calculator, used in some later Combustion Engineering designed nuclear power plants; lottery systems manufactured by GTech; the NexRad weather radar system. Many companies used them for internal high speed laboratory data capture, such as United Technologies Research Center in

East Hartford, Connecticut East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Hartford, Connecticut. It is home to aeros ...

wind tunnel, General Electric R&D in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Yo ...

, and Perkin-Elmer in Connecticut (which later acquired Interdata). The operating system for the 16-bit computers was called OS/16, and for the 32-bit computers OS/32. The assembly language could generate series independent object code. Later, as with Gould, SEL, Modcomp and other real time competitors, they offered a 32-bit time sharing system called MTM (Mutli Terminal Monitor).

Acquisitions

In 1973, it was purchased by Perkin-Elmer Corporation, a Connecticut-based producer of scientific instruments for $63.6 million. Interdata was already making $19 million in annual sales but this merger made Perkin-Elmer's annual sales rise to over $200 million. Interdata then became the basis for Perkin-Elmer's Data Systems Group. In 1985, the computing division of Perkin-Elmer was spun off as

Concurrent Computer Corporation Concurrent Computer Corporation was an American computer company, in existence from 1985 to 2017, that made real-time computing and parallel processing systems. Its products powered a variety of applications including process control, simulators, ...

List of products

Living Computer Museum IMG 0002 (9636198071)

* Interdata Model 1 – 1970 * Interdata Model 3 – 1967 * Interdata 4 (autoload, floating point) * Interdata 5 (list processing, microcoded automatic I/O channel) * Interdata 70 (1971), 74 (1973), 80 (1971), 85 (Writable Control Store, 1973) * Interdata 50, 55 (Communications systems) * Interdata 5/16, 6/16, 7/16 (1974) * Interdata 8/16, 8/16e (double precision floating point, extended memory) * Interdata RD-800 and RD-850 – 1975 * Interdata 7/32 – 1974 * Interdata 8/32 – 1975 * Perkin-Elmer 3205, 3210, 3220, 3230, 3240, 3250, 3280 A simulator is available: http://simh.trailing-edge.com/interdata.html

References

External links

interdata.org.uk
– Site detailing the restoration of an Interdata Model 74 computer
http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/28933/Interdata-Model-70-Users-Manual/
Model-70 User's Manual * Companies based in Monmouth County, New Jersey Minicomputers {{mini-compu-stub