Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Research Institute, contracted
R
2
E
to develop an inexpensive,
mobile, and programmable process control system that could
reliably handle a large number of peripherals. The solution pro-
posed by
R
2
E
was an 8008-based computer that the company
called the Micral. The detailed architecture of the computer
was the work of François Gernelle. In his work on the Micral,
Gernelle was assisted by a number of people including B. Chet-
rite, M. Benchetrit, M. Joubert, G. Lledo, and A. Rainaud.
The
INRA
project moved
R
2
E
up to the front line of pioneer-
ing work on microprocessor-based computers. In contrast to
the
MCM
/70,
R
2
E
's computer was designed not as a personal
computer but as a microprocessor-based digital control system.
Although the Micral's hardware architecture was well designed
and allowed for easy upgrades of the computer in the future,
its basic configuration was not impressive. The computer, soon
renamed the Micral N (for “Normal”), initially came with only
256 bytes of
RAM
and could only be programmed using ma-
chine language instructions composed of zeros and ones. To
enter a program into the computer, the user had to laboriously
set the toggle switches located on the front panel of the com-
puter. Every byte of information required setting eight switches,
one per bit.
The Micral N was not a personal computer and was clearly
unable to do any of the tasks the
MCM
/70 was designed for.
But the production of the
MCM
/70 would not commence until
1974, whereas by the end of 1973,
R
2
E
had already sold five
hundred of its microcomputers, making
R
2
E
the first manu-
facturer of volume-produced, fully assembled microcomputers,
and giving the Micral the title of the earliest commercially sold,
fully assembled and supported microcomputer.
The Micral made its debut on the American scene in May
of 1974 during the National Computer Conference in Chi-
cago.
R
2
E
showed the prototype of its advanced version of the
