The Smaky is a line of mostly 8-bit

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tech ...

s and accompanying operating system developed by Professor

Jean-Daniel Nicoud Jean-Daniel Nicoud (born 31 August 1938), is a Swiss computer scientist, noted for inventing of a computer mouse with an optical encoder and the CALM (Common Assembly Language for microprocessors). He obtained a degree in physics at the Éco ...

and others at the

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern Franc ...

(EPFL) in Switzerland beginning in 1974. The computers were used at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and in Swiss schools. The names derives from SMArt KeYboard, reflecting the form factor that contained a compact

motherboard A motherboard (also called mainboard, main circuit board, mb, mboard, backplane board, base board, system board, logic board (only in Apple computers) or mobo) is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in general-purpose computers and other expand ...

which fit within the same housing as the keyboard. The first three models, Smaky 1, Smaky 2, and Smaky 4, were based on the

Intel 8080 The Intel 8080 (''"eighty-eighty"'') is the second 8-bit microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel. It first appeared in April 1974 and is an extended and enhanced variant of the earlier 8008 design, although without binary compati ...

microprocessor (Smaky 3 was a prototype that was never completed). In 1978, the Smaky switched to using the 8-bit

Zilog Z80 The Z80 is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit microprocessor introduced by Zilog as the startup company's first product. The Z80 was conceived by Federico Faggin in late 1974 and developed by him and his 11 employees starting in early 1975. The first wor ...

processor. A portable Smaky was made during this period, which resembled Osborne portable computers. In 1981, the platform again changed to the 32-bit

Motorola 68000 The Motorola 68000 (sometimes shortened to Motorola 68k or m68k and usually pronounced "sixty-eight-thousand") is a 16/32-bit complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, introduced in 1979 by Motorola Semiconductor Products Sect ...

processor. A new operating system was written, called Psos, which was developed specifically for the Smaky, and used on all subsequent models. Development work on the Smaky hardware ended with the Smaky 400 in 1997. The Smaky 400 was a PCI board hosting a

Motorola 68040 The Motorola 68040 ("''sixty-eight-oh-forty''") is a 32-bit microprocessor in the Motorola 68000 series, released in 1990. It is the successor to the 68030 and is followed by the 68060, skipping the 68050. In keeping with general Motorola ...

processor, designed to work together with a terminal emulation software running under

Windows NT Windows NT is a proprietary graphical operating system produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released on July 27, 1993. It is a processor-independent, multiprocessing and multi-user operating system. The first version of Wi ...

. It helped Smaky users switch from their desktop Smaky to an Intel PC, while preserving access to applications and documents. A Smaky emulator for Microsoft Windows was developed in 1998, replacing the need for the Smaky 400 hardware. Aptly named Smaky Infini (French for ''infinite''), since its performance and lifespan were no longer being limited by hardware, it was based on the UAE emulator, merged into the Smaky 400 terminal emulation software. File:Smaky-4.jpg, Smaky 4 (prototype) File:SmakyMouseAG.jpeg, A Smaky

mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

, as invented by

and

André Guignard André Guignard is a Swiss engineer initially educated as a watchmaker. He is the creator of the mechanic of the Khepera, the S-bot and several other mobile robots. Working at the LAMI of the EPFL with Professor Jean-Daniel Nicoud, he designed ...

. File:Epsitec Smaky 6-IMG 0431.jpg, Smaky 6 File:Smaky 100 IMG 4149.jpg, Smaky 100

External links

Smaky history from ''A History of Computing in Switzerland'' Fosfat
(FOS library and FUSE extension for Linux)
Smaky Infini
(Official Smaky Infini site) Personal computers Swiss inventions {{microcompu-stub

See also

External links