Timeline of Norsk Data

This is a brief working page on my part - it is certainly a work in progress. There should be more pictures, and some more summaries of the products introduced. Also, the later history is - stated mildly - anemic.

1967

• In July, Norsk Data-Elektronikk is founded.
• In September, it is made publically traded. Rolf Skår counts this as the "beginning of the company in earnest". An anniversary is planned for September 2007.

1968

• 3 NORD-1 installed
• The NORD-1 is completed, featuring an unusually rich register set, and floating-point arithmetic as standard equipment, possibly the first minicomputer to do so.

1969

• A virtual memory system for the NORD-1 is created. Seemingly the first minicomputer to do so. (IIRC, the Burroughs B5000 was the first computer.)
• 11 NORD-1 installed

1970

• 17 NORD-1 installed

1971

• 28 NORD-1 installed
• Development is started on the NORDIC system, NORDCOM, and NORD-20.
• New offices are moved in to: 850 square meters in Økern Forretningssenter.
• Bo Lewendal developed a time-sharing system for the NORD-1 during the summer holidays, the first rudimentary iteration of NORD TSS

1972

• 29 NORD-1 installed, 1 NORD-5
• NORDIC completed
• BASIC compiler developed
• Terminal systems developed
• NORD TSS in development
• Development of the NORD-10 started, estimated finished first half of 1973.

1973

• 36 NORD-1 installed, 1 NORD-5 (Computas A.S.)
• 12 NORD-10 installed
• Market demands increase sharply after CERN contract
• Contracts signed in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and France.
• 32% of orders from export.
• NORD TSS completed, a multi-user multi-lingual time-sharing operating system.
• NORD-PL developed
• ND starts a licensing agreement with the central institute for industrial research to use and further develop the database system SIBAS.
• Contract signed with ASEA-ATOM for three systems for 6 million NOK, each consisting of a configuration of NORD-10/5s. Systems to be used for surveillance and control of nuclear power plants.

1974

• 36 NORD-1 installed, 1 NORD-5
• 46 NORD-10 installed
• NORD-12 and NORD-50 in planning and development.
• NORD-42 is completed, with MOS memory using 4Kb chips. First delivery in the summer.
• The NORDCOM-74 is developed, an updated NORDCOM system.
• Further development of different I/O controllers for the NORD-10, including the NORDCOM graphics system
• Development of administrative software. Software development team is twice the size of the hardware team!
• Development of SINTRAN III dominates the software division manpower. The first SINTRAN-III systems are installed in late 1974.
• The company moves in to new offices in Lørenvn. 57 in August, using 5800m2. Thought to be sufficient until first quarter 1976.
• A daughter company is considered in Stockholm, Sweden, to be operative 4th quarter 1975.
• First contract with Cern, Lab. II is signed, using the NORD-10.

1975

• 4 NORD-1 installed
• 62 NORD-10 installed, 3 NORD-50
• The NORD-50 is completed, a second-generation 32-bit superminicomputer.
• A solid-state memory system for the NORD-10 is developed.
• Large mass storage system for the NORD-10 developed.
• The typesetting system GMS-12, the ancestor of NORTEXT, is developed for NTB.
• NORDFORSK, a Nordic technical research network, is developed using a NORD-12 core system.
• SIBAS, a Codasyl-based, multi-user on-line database management system, is introduced.

1976

• The company changes name from "NORDATA Norsk Data-Elektronikk" to "Norsk Data A/S"
• 83 NORD-10 installed, 3 NORD-50
• Planning of the building on Furuset is almost completed. Building is planned to be approx. 9 800 m2, and planned cost is approx. 42 mill. NOK.

1977

• 114 NORD-10/NORD-10/S installed, 7 NORD-50
• NORD-10/S introduced
• Initial deliveries worth 4.5 million NOK for the first parts of the F-16 airplane simulator. Approximately 18 more simulator systems are expected to be delivered.

1978

• Relocation to the new building takes place medio August.
• Contract with Singer Link for the delivery of 6 more simulators.
• CERN is still an active customer. 120 machines sold this year. There have been suggestions of about 40 more simulators being needed.
• Development of the NORD-100, originally designated the NORD-10/M, and intended as a lower-cost bitsliced version of the NORD-10. Just happened to end up significantly faster. It seems to have been the first single-board 16-bit minicomputer.

1979

• With effect from July 3, Norsk Data took over part of the business of the former Tandberg Radiofabrikk A/S. Tandberg is expected to show a profit by 1980.
• Norsk Data introduces the NORD-100, which has now changed name to ND-100.
• Development of the ND-500 begins.
• Another large order for F-16 simulators is received.
• Norsk Data takes over a 16700 m2 industrial building at Skullerud, Oslo. The building is leased to Tandberg.
• ND-NOTIS, an integrated word processing and administrative data processing system, is introduced.

1980

• Effective from January 1st, Norsk Data absorbs the four Comtec companies in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and West Germany from Nobø Fabrikker.
• Tandberg becomes independent of Norsk Data in the autumn of 1980. Profit was well below the anticipations.
• ACCESS, an on-line query system, allowing user-friendly access to a data-base via interactive terminals.

1981

• The average price of a delivered computer was NOK 750 000, and had on average 512 Kbyte RAM, 110 Mbyte hard disk storage, and 16 terminals.
• The ND Satellite range is introduced.

1982

• COSMOS finishes development. COSMOS was a networking system permitting applications and databases to be shared through a data network.
• ND-SAFE (backronymed to System Architecture For Expansion) is introduced.
• ND-ORBIS (Organization Related Business Information System) is introduced.
• The ND-100/CX is introduced.
• The ND-500 is split into three systems: ND-520, ND-560, and ND-570 (?)

1982

• The ND-570/CXA is introduced.

1987

• The ND-5000 is introduced.

1989

• The ND-5850 is introduced, the final generation in the ND-5000 series. This ends the line of 32-bit ND minicomputers which started with the NORD-5, continued through the NORD-50, then the ND-500 series, to the ND-5000 variants (5200, 5400, 5500, 5700, 5800), ending with the last generation: ND-5850

1992

• The company Norsk Data is dissolved.

2000

• Despite the non-existence of Norsk Data, a new ND-5850 Satellite model is delivered to a customer.

2006

• Tore takes a break.

2007

• Tore realizes he STILL hasn't finished this page, and promises to do that any moment now.