Computers & Business Machines

Imagine the loss, 100 years from now, if museums hadn't begun preserving the artifacts of the computer age. The last few decades offer proof positive of why museums must collect continuously—to document technological and social transformations already underway.
The museum's collections contain mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and handheld devices. Computers range from the pioneering ENIAC to microcomputers like the Altair and the Apple I. A Cray2 supercomputer is part of the collections, along with one of the towers of IBM's Deep Blue, the computer that defeated reigning champion Garry Kasparov in a chess match in 1997. Computer components and peripherals, games, software, manuals, and other documents are part of the collections. Some of the instruments of business include adding machines, calculators, typewriters, dictating machines, fax machines, cash registers, and photocopiers


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Software, DSMBLR III by Misosys
- Description
- This software was developed by Roy Soltoff and published by Misosys of Virginia. DSMBLR III (disk disassembler) was most likely for the TRS-80. The package included a 5.25" floppy disk and registration card.
- References:
- An interview with Roy Soltoff conducted by Smithsonian curator Dr. Jon Eklund, is in the NMAH Archives Center.
- http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
- [Last accessed 6/12/2019]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1982
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.038
- serial number
- 530507
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.038
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Software and Documentation, LC C Compiler and EDAS by Misosys
- Description
- This software and documentation for the TRS-80 was published by Misosys of Virginia. The LC C Compiler, used to compile c-language programs, was developed by Jim Frimmel in 1982. EDAS (Editor/Assembler), a text editor that loaded into RAM for quick access and response, was developed by Roy Soltoff in 1980. The binder contains an instruction manual and 5.25” disk for each software title as well as pages for errata, compilation problems, and a reference card for the Z80 CPU Microprocessor.
- An interview with Roy Soltoff conducted by Smithsonian curator Dr. Jon Eklund, is in the NMAH Archives Center.
- Reference:
- http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
- [Last accessed 6/12/2019]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1980-1982
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.035
- serial number
- 920286
- 820451
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.035
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Software and Documentation, PRO-CESS/CMDFILE by Misosys
- Description
- This software and documentation for the TRS-80 was published by Misosys of Virginia from 1979/1983. PRO-CESS/CMDFILE, developed by Roy Soltoff, was a file maintenance tool. According to the documentation, the software “gives capabilities to load module maintenance never before possible. PRO-CESS/CMDFILE does it all: rapidly, totally, and economically!”
- References:
- An interview with Roy Soltoff conducted by Smithsonian curator Dr. Jon Eklund, is in the NMAH Archives Center.
- http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
- [Last accessed 6/12/2019]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1979-1983
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.040
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.040
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- serial number
- 520034
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Software and Documentation, PRO-GENY by Misosys
- Description
- This software and documentation for the TRS-80 was published by Misosys of Virginia from 1982/1983. PRO-GENY, developed by Roy Soltoff, was a collection of four utility programs to further enhance the use of LDOS. (LDOS was an 8-bit operating system for Z80 based computers.) The utilities were DOCONFIG, MEMDIR, PARMDIR, and SWAP.
- See also 2012.3098.039
- References:
- An interview with Roy Soltoff conducted by Smithsonian curator Dr. Jon Eklund, is in the NMAH Archives Center.
- http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
- [Last accessed 6/12/2019]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1982-1983
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.041
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.041
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Software and Documentation, MSP-01 by Misosys
- Description
- This software and documentation for the TRS-80 was published by Misosys of Virginia in 1982. MSP-01 (Misosys Support Package 01), developed by Roy Soltoff and Scott A. Loomer, was a collection of four utility programs to enhance the use of LDOS. (LDOS was an 8-bit operating system for Z80 based computers.) The utilities were DOAUTO, DOCONFIG, MEMDIR, and PARMDIR.
- References:
- An interview with Roy Soltoff conducted by Smithsonian curator Dr. Jon Eklund, is in the NMAH Archives Center.
- http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
- [Last accessed 6/12/2019]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1982
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.039
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.039
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- serial number
- 230125
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Software and Documentation, ZSHELL by Misosys
- Description
- This software and documentation for the TRS-80 was published by Misosys of Virginia in 1983. ZSHELL was developed by Karl A. Hessinger to provide an easy way to redirect the input and output from an executed program to a file or other device. The instruction manual gives the example of redirecting the output from a program, which would normally appear on the screen, to a printer.
- References:
- http://oldcomputers.net/trs80iii.html
- http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
- [Last accessed 6/12/2019]
- Instruction manual states that the software diskette is readable on a Model I or Model III. The oldcomputers.net website was used to confirm that these were models of the TRS-80.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1983
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.036
- serial number
- 430072
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.036
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Software and Documentation, PRO-PaDS by Misosys
- Description
- This software and documentation was published by Misosys of Virginia in 1982. PRO-PaDS, developed by Roy Soltoff, was a partitioned data set utility program for LDOS/TRSDOS version 6.
- References:
- An interview with Roy Soltoff conducted by Smithsonian curator Dr. Jon Eklund, is in the NMAH Archives Center.
- http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
- [Last accessed 6/12/2019]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1982
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.042
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.042
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- serial number
- 220045
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Software and Documentation, MLIB by Misosys
- Description
- This software and documentation for the TRS-80 was developed by Richard Deglin of Riclin Computer Products. It was published by Misosys of Virginia in 1983 for models I and III. MLIB (module librarian) was a software tool to aid in constructing relocatable object file libraries compatible with Microsoft’s MACRO-80 assembler language.
- Reference:
- http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
- [Last accessed 6/12/2019]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1983
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.037
- serial number
- 610032
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.037
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History