{{Infobox computer , aka = Scandis (Norway, Denmark and Finland) , logo = , image = Telenova Compis.jpg , caption = An example Compis system, showing two 5.25-inch floppy disk drives, keyboard, monitor and external hard disk drive , developer = , manufacturer =

Svenska Datorer Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used ...

, TeleNova , type = , generation = , release date = 1984 , lifespan = , price = , discontinued = 1988 , units sold = , media = , os =

CP/M-86 CP/M-86 was a version of the CP/M operating system that Digital Research (DR) made for the Intel 8086 and Intel 8088. The system commands are the same as in CP/M-80. Executable files used the relocatable .CMD file format. Digital Research als ...

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...

, power = , cpu =

Intel 80186 The Intel 80186, also known as the iAPX 186, or just 186, is a microprocessor and microcontroller introduced in 1982. It was based on the Intel 8086 and, like it, had a 16-bit external data bus multiplexed with a 20-bit address bus. The 801 ...

, memory = , storage = , display = , graphics = , sound = , input = , connectivity = , dimensions = , weight = , related = Compis (''COMPuter I Skolan'', also a pun on the colloquial Swedish word ''kompis'' meaning comrade or buddy) was a computer system intended for the general educational system in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and sold to Swedish schools beginning in 1984 through the distributor

Esselte Esselte is a manufacturer and marketer of office products and business supplies with subsidiaries in 25 countries and sales in over 120 countries. Esselte makes files, binders, folders, covers, staplers, letter trays and computer accessories unde ...

Studium, who also was responsible for the software packages. The computers were also used in Danish, Finnish and Norwegian schools under the name Scandis.

History

In 1980, the

ABC 80 The ABC 80 (Advanced BASIC Computer 80) was a personal computer engineered by the Swedish corporation Dataindustrier AB (DIAB) and manufactured by Luxor in Motala, Sweden in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was introduced on the market in August ...

used in the schools was regarded as becoming obsolete, and Styrelsen för teknisk utveckling (board for technical development) was tasked to find a replacement. In 1981, the procurement ''Tudis (Teknikupphandlingsprojekt Datorn i Skolan) '' was launched, and while the decision was controversial, Svenska Datorer AB was awarded the contract with development beginning in 1982. After Svenska Datorer went bankrupt, production was transferred to TeliDatorer/Telenova under

Televerket (Sweden) Televerket was a Swedish State authority acting as a state-owned corporation (public enterprise), responsible for telecommunications in Sweden from 1853 until 1993. Originally it was named Kongl. Elektriska Telegraf-Werket (literally: Royal Elect ...

The computer was distributed by

and exclusively marketed towards, and sold to, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish schools, mainly high stage (year 7-9) and gymnasium-level. The computer was based on the

CPU A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, and ...

and with

as the operating system in

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * R ...

(although it could also run

from disk). The computer had a wide selection of ports, including one for a

light pen A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. It allows the user to point to displayed objects or draw on the screen in a similar way to a tou ...

. The Compis project was criticized from the start, and as the move to

IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a team ...

compatibility came it was left behind and finally cancelled in 1988 although it was in use well into the 1990s.

Applications

Notable applications being run on the Compis in an educational environment was: *

COMAL COMAL (''Common Algorithmic Language'') is a computer programming language developed in Denmark by Børge R. Christensen and Benedict Løfstedt and originally released in 1975. COMAL was one of the few structured programming languages that was a ...

interpreter * Turbo Pascal 3.0 compiler, under the name Scandis-Pascal *

WordStar WordStar is a word processor application for microcomputers. It was published by MicroPro International and originally written for the CP/M-80 operating system, and later written also for MS-DOS and other 16-bit PC OSes. Rob Barnaby was the sol ...

word processor * ''Harmony'' software: word processing, spreadsheet and database. The name was a pun on Lotus Symphony, the dominant

productivity software Productivity software (also called personal productivity software or office productivity software) is application software used for producing information (such as documents, presentations, worksheets, databases, charts, graphs, digital paintings, ...

at the time. Some schools had simple

local area network A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building. By contrast, a wide area network (WAN) not only covers a larger ...

s of Compis/Scandis computers, in which 10–20 machines shared one

hard disk A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnet ...

with a typical capacity of 10 MB.

External links

Compis Info
A site dedicated to the Compis
Telenova Compis
some documentation available here (page in Swedish).

References

Nationalencyclopedins nätupplaga, "Compis"

Swedish Internet museum
Personal computers Goods manufactured in Sweden

History

Applications

See also

External links

References