Dover - Revision history

Jnc: Better characterize connection between Press and PDF; punctuation

2024-11-18T15:54:32Z

Better characterize connection between Press and PDF; punctuation

Jnc: typo

2024-11-18T12:05:13Z

typo

Jnc: Orbit was held in an optional backplane extension

2024-11-18T01:01:56Z

Orbit was held in an optional backplane extension

Jnc: /* Conversion */ The Orbit is an EIP

2024-11-17T13:17:23Z

‎Conversion: The Orbit is an EIP

Jnc: The Orbit was actually a 4-card set

2024-11-17T13:10:45Z

The Orbit was actually a 4-card set

Jnc: Add details of the conversion from 7000 to Dover

2024-11-17T01:01:22Z

Add details of the conversion from 7000 to Dover

Jnc: /* External links */ Fix URL

2024-11-16T10:58:47Z

‎External links: Fix URL

Jnc: Improve intro

2024-11-16T10:56:59Z

Improve intro

Jnc: An OK start

2024-11-16T00:36:11Z

An OK start

New page

'''Dovers''' were very early [[laser printer]]s, likely the first ones produced in any numbers. They were built out of cannibalized [[Xerox]] 7000 document photo-copiers, and were based on earlier laser printer prototypes built at [[Xerox PARC]].

Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] [[printed circuit board|card]], the Orbit, in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were printed by a [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto. It communicated over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].

Dover production started in 1976, when a small group of researchers at PARC, under John Ellenby, began buying used Xerox 7000 copiers, stripping out the existing document photo-copying optics, and replacing those with laser output heads; the copying optics were turned back in to the copier division, for credit. An early Dover was running in 1976, and many further ones were built, starting in 1977. PARC built three for their own use, and Electro Optical Systems in Pasadena made more (roughly 35 in total), for use elsewhere, in 1977-78.

Among the most important were several that were made part of the package of PARC equipment distributed to several prominent universities as part of a grant; [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], [[Stanford University|Stanford]] and [[CMU]] each received one.

==External links==

* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/xerox/dover/dover.pdf Dover documentation] - a large package of Dover documentation, including material on the Dover, Spruce, Orbit, the 7000 copier, etc
* [https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/story/351 Laser Printers]
* [https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/X750.86 Dover Laser Printer]
* [https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/?s=2022.0073 Xerox Dover in MIT AI Lab] - the caption is erroneous; the Dover was actually shared between the [[MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory|AI Lab]] and [[MIT Laboratory for Computer Science|LCS]]; note also the Alto which drove it, under the table

{{semi-stub}}

[[Category: Printers]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Dovers''' were very early [[laser printer]]s, likely the first ones produced in any numbers, designed at [[Xerox PARC]]. They were more robust successors to an earlier laser printer prototype built at PARC, the EARS. They could produce output on ordinary paper at about one sheet per second.
-Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] the Orbit, composed of a four [[printed circuit board|card]] set held in an optional [[backplane]] extension in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. A [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto, oversaw the printing, which was done by a subsidiary program, Sprint. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were sent to the spooler over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].
+Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]], the Orbit, composed of a four [[printed circuit board|card]] set held in an optional [[backplane]] extension in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. A [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto, oversaw the printing, which was done by a subsidiary program, Sprint. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a distant predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were sent to the spooler over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].
 Dover production started in 1976, when a small group of researchers at PARC, under John Ellenby, began buying used [[Xerox]] 7000 document photo-copiers and converting them to Dover printers. An early Dover was running in 1976, and many further ones were built, starting in 1977. PARC built three for their own use, and Electro Optical Systems in Pasadena made more (roughly 35 in total), for use elsewhere, in 1977-78.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Dovers''' were very early [[laser printer]]s, likely the first ones produced in any numbers, designed at [[Xerox PARC]]. They were more robust successors to an earlier laser printer prototype built at PARC, the EARS. They could produce output on ordinary paper at about one sheet per second.
-Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] the Orbit, composed of a four [[printed circuit board|cards]] set held in an optional [[backplane]] extension in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. A [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto, oversaw the printing, which was done by a subsidiary program, Sprint. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were sent to the spooler over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].
+Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] the Orbit, composed of a four [[printed circuit board|card]] set held in an optional [[backplane]] extension in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. A [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto, oversaw the printing, which was done by a subsidiary program, Sprint. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were sent to the spooler over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].
 Dover production started in 1976, when a small group of researchers at PARC, under John Ellenby, began buying used [[Xerox]] 7000 document photo-copiers and converting them to Dover printers. An early Dover was running in 1976, and many further ones were built, starting in 1977. PARC built three for their own use, and Electro Optical Systems in Pasadena made more (roughly 35 in total), for use elsewhere, in 1977-78.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Dovers''' were very early [[laser printer]]s, likely the first ones produced in any numbers, designed at [[Xerox PARC]]. They were more robust successors to an earlier laser printer prototype built at PARC, the EARS. They could produce output on ordinary paper at about one sheet per second.
-Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] the Orbit, composed of four [[printed circuit board|cards]] in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. A [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto, oversaw the printing, which was done by a subsidiary program, Sprint. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were sent to the spooler over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].
+Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] the Orbit, composed of a four [[printed circuit board|cards]] set held in an optional [[backplane]] extension in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. A [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto, oversaw the printing, which was done by a subsidiary program, Sprint. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were sent to the spooler over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].
 Dover production started in 1976, when a small group of researchers at PARC, under John Ellenby, began buying used [[Xerox]] 7000 document photo-copiers and converting them to Dover printers. An early Dover was running in 1976, and many further ones were built, starting in 1977. PARC built three for their own use, and Electro Optical Systems in Pasadena made more (roughly 35 in total), for use elsewhere, in 1977-78.
-Among the most important of those were several that were made part of the package of PARC equipment distributed to several prominent universities as part of a grant; [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], [[Stanford University|Stanford]] and [[CMU]] each received one.
+Among the most important of those were several that were made part of the package of PARC equipment distributed to several prominent universities in 1978 as part of a grant; [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], [[Stanford University|Stanford]] and [[CMU]] each received one.
 ==Conversion==
@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 ==External links==
 * [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/xerox/dover/dover.pdf Dover documentation] - a large package of Dover documentation, including material on the Dover, Spruce, Orbit, the 7000 copier, etc
 * [https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/story/351 Laser Printers]
 * [https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/X750.86 Dover Laser Printer]

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Conversion==
-Dovers were built out of cannibalized Xerox 7000 copiers; the existing document photo-copying optics were stripped out, and replaced with laser output units, the Raster Output Scanner (ROS). (The Electronic Image Processor (EIP) for the Dover is the interface between the Alto and the ROS.) The entire paper-handling path mechanical hardware of the 7000 was retained, un-changed. After conversion, the copying optics were turned back in to the copier division, for credit.
+Dovers were built out of cannibalized Xerox 7000 copiers; the existing document photo-copying optics were stripped out, and replaced with laser output units, the Raster Output Scanner (ROS). (The Electronic Image Processor (EIP) for the Dover is the interface between the Alto and the ROS; the Orbit.) The entire paper-handling path mechanical hardware of the 7000 was retained, un-changed. After conversion, the copying optics were turned back in to the copier division, for credit.
 Components removed included:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Dovers''' were very early [[laser printer]]s, likely the first ones produced in any numbers, designed at [[Xerox PARC]]. They were more robust successors to an earlier laser printer prototype built at PARC, the EARS. They could produce output on ordinary paper at about one sheet per second.
-Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] [[printed circuit board|card]], the Orbit, in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. A [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto, oversaw the printing, which was done by a subsidiary program, Sprint. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were sent to the spooler over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].
+Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] the Orbit, composed of four [[printed circuit board|cards]] in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. A [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto, oversaw the printing, which was done by a subsidiary program, Sprint. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were sent to the spooler over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].
 Dover production started in 1976, when a small group of researchers at PARC, under John Ellenby, began buying used [[Xerox]] 7000 document photo-copiers and converting them to Dover printers. An early Dover was running in 1976, and many further ones were built, starting in 1977. PARC built three for their own use, and Electro Optical Systems in Pasadena made more (roughly 35 in total), for use elsewhere, in 1977-78.
@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 ==External links==
 * [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/xerox/dover/dover.pdf Dover documentation] - a large package of Dover documentation, including material on the Dover, Spruce, Orbit, the 7000 copier, etc
 * [https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/story/351 Laser Printers]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 * [https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/story/351 Laser Printers]
 * [https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/X750.86 Dover Laser Printer]
-* [https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/?s=2022.0073 Xerox Dover in MIT AI Lab] - the caption is erroneous; the Dover was actually shared between the [[MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory|AI Lab]] and [[MIT Laboratory for Computer Science|LCS]]; note also the Alto which drove it, under the table
+* [https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102803906 Xerox Dover in MIT AI Lab] - the caption is erroneous; the Dover was actually shared between the [[MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory|AI Lab]] and [[MIT Laboratory for Computer Science|LCS]]; note also the Alto which drove it, under the table
 {{semi-stub}}
 [[Category: Printers]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:56, 16 November 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	'''Dovers''' were very early [[laser printer]]s, likely the first ones produced in any numbers. They were built out of cannibalized [[Xerox]] 7000 document photo-copiers~~, and were based on earlier laser printer prototypes built at [[Xerox PARC]]~~.	+	'''Dovers''' were very early [[laser printer]]s, likely the first ones produced in any numbers. They were successors to an earlier laser printer prototype built at [[Xerox PARC]], the EARS; they were built out of cannibalized [[Xerox]] 7000 document photo-copiers.

	Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] [[printed circuit board\|card]], the Orbit, in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were printed by a [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto. It communicated over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet\|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].		Dovers were driven by a special [[device controller]] [[printed circuit board\|card]], the Orbit, in a dedicated [[Xerox Alto]]. [[File]]s in [[Press]] format (a predecessor to [[PostScript]]) were printed by a [[spooler]], Spruce, which ran on the Alto. It communicated over the [[Ethernet]], using the [[PARC Universal Packet\|PUP]] [[EFTP]] [[protocol]].