Philips Data Systems

Philips Data Systems
Source: Internet

Philips Computer Industry (PCI) is the original name with which Philips established in 1963 an industrial group with intent to manufacture computers. Later changed its name to Philips Data Systems (PDS), a group that excelled in the computing world and which had its headquarters in Apeldoorn , Netherlands . Philips Data Systems (PDS) started marketing its products in Spain through the company Gispert, sa in the late sixties. The history of computers manufactured by Philips Data Systems (PDS) and ends when all its European subsidiaries were purchased by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)

History

During and after World War II developed some electronic equipment consisting mainly of large vacuum tubes. While it took some time before such machines were important to commercial arithmetic, especially in the automation of business administration, Philips already involved in internal developments in computer and Research Laboratory in 1958 there was a computer called PETER. Later, in 1960, ending the production, also in its laboratories, a computer called PASCAL, much faster and reliable than its predecessors.

The Board of Directors of Philips decides, based on this knowledge, to begin the manufacture of computers and in 1963 created the group Philips Computer Industry in Apeldoorn with twenty-five people who came from the Physics Laboratory. In 1964 came the question of technological disadvantage, especially with IBM, which determined that, in future, many of the strategies that presided over the research and technological innovations within the Philips Data Systems (PDS) are inspired by previous advances from IBM.

Minicomputers

With the advance of computer manufacturers of the United States as IBM , Univac , Burroughs , etc.., European industry in 1972 created a consortium of Germany's Siemens , France's IIC and Dutch Philips Data Systems (PDS). In 1975, with the bureaucratization of the consortium, it is broken. CII joins Honeywell and later evolved into Honeywell-Bull . In the joint work emerged minicomputer Unidata , which quickly evolved into Philips P300 family.

Philips Data Systems began a successful career with the P350, a team implemented throughout Europe. Agreements were also Arenco Sweden, which specializes in bank computers, and created the P800. After this milestone, the Philips Data Systems (PDS) expanded its market big banks, so far limited to general office environments.

In the seventies and early eighties the success of Philips Data Systems (PDS) is completed minicomputers P450 series, P3500 and P4000 or large storage systems such as Megadoc . Operating systems implemented in the Philips minicomputers were all owners but had a great acceptance and implementation across Europe and prominently in Spain through Gispert, sa With the commercialization of Apeldoorn minicomputers reaches the factory employs 2500 people and Philips Data Systems (PDS) international expansion. In Spain, in 1983, Philips Data Systems (PDS) acquires the entire share capital of Gispert, sa and in January 1985 changed its name to Philips Computing and Communications , sa. (PICS).

Philips minicomputer series ends with the marketing of equipment P9000 Series with Unix-based operating system called MPX.

P-7000

The P7000 system installed 32 terminals stand alone online. He had the ability to operate simultaneously with different programs in languages ​​such as DATA V4 , COBOL , EDITOR ... But mostly highlighted its communication capacity, both in interactive mode as batch .

This power coupled with a specific software, MAESTRO, Softlab company allowed its entry into large firms, mainly the banking sector, to download the big computers around the work of writing programs, check them, maintaining versions and achievement of results as you work in real mode. At a lower level, was sold in hotels, bingo halls, and several companies that required storage capacity and processing speed.

Printer

Teller

In 1969 Philips acquired the Swedish company BANQIT [ 1 2 3 ] and start sharing ATMs. Years later, in 1982 there was a global agreement between Philips Data Systems (PDS), Diebold and DeLaRue. Diebold brought his experience of being the world's leading manufacturing ATMs ticket vending dollars-one format. DeLaRue contributed by manufacturing world leadership ticket dispensers Philips formats and the system integrator. This alliance Philips Data Systems (PDS) positioned as the world's number one distributed automated teller machines (ATM) and ticket dispensers.

BANQIT finally sold to Digital Equipment Corporation in 1991, then in 1998 was acquired by Compaq Computer Corporation. In 1999, after thirty years, reverted to BANQIT Swedish capital.

Personal computers

The appearance of the IBM PC (1982) together with the failure to adapt the Unix operating system to high-end products manufactured by Philips Data Systems (PDS) forces in 1986 to start manufacturing personal computers (PC). Philips PC starts production in factories outside the Netherlands and as a result in a short time 2000 people lost their jobs in Apeldoorn.

On the other hand, due to the increasing integration of computer technologies with the technologies of communications, Philips Data Systems (PDS) was decided to merge with Philips Telecommunication Systems (PTS), based in Hilversum . The result of this merger came as systems Sophonet , which incorporated all the basic operating philosophy of the Internet , but quickly saw the impossibility of these developments. In 1989 the two divisions are separated again.

The Philips PC was successful even in the Netherlands , where the existence of PC Tulip was a very important competition for all manufacturers of personal computers. But then came the inevitable, the company Digital Equipment Corporation with high availability of money in 1992 Philips Data Systems (PDS) purchased with the intention of acquiring Philips customers. Since then Apeldoorn plant is limited to assembling printed circuit boards and reduces its workforce to 73 employees.

Finally, the Belgian IPTE group, based in Genk and specialize in providing material for the electronics industry, opts to purchase the plant in Apeldoorn where the workforce was reduced to 26 employees. However, when you reach that figure thwarts the plant sale and Apeldoorn in 2003 is closed for good after forty years of activity.