Alfaskop
Encyclopedia
Alfaskop was a brand, developed in Sweden
by Standard Radio & Telefon AB
(SRT) and applied to data terminals and later IBM-compatible PC
s. The term was also used to name Alfaskop AB, a listed Swedish IT services company., that filed for bankruptcy in 2001.
during the 1960s, specialised in Air Traffic Control systems and military radar systems. In 1971, SRT provided the core technology for Stansaab
AS, a joint venture with Saab and the state-owned Swedish Development Company. The company’s primary focus was systems for real-time data applied to commercial and aviation applications. To this was added the data terminal operations of Facit
in 1972.
The Alfaskop terminals quickly gained a foothold in the market for airline reservations with 1,000 in use at Scandinavian Airlines alone.
In 1978, Stansaab was merged with the Data Saab division of Saab to form Datasaab
. In 1981, Ericsson
, believing that growth in telecoms would be lower than that in IT
, purchased Datasaab and integrated it with two of its own divisions to form Ericsson Information Systems (EIS). Accurately predicting convergence between telephony and data technologies, EIS instructed the Alfaskop group to begin working on a design for Ericsson's first PC – the EPC, which was released 16 months later in 1984.
Following market difficulties in the USA, particularly with a disappointing launch of its PC, Ericsson decided to abandon its "paperless office
" strategy. In 1988, the division was sold to Nokia and later to ICL in 1990. The final act was its sale by ICL to Wyse Technology who eventually wound down manufacturing. Wyse Technology AB was closed in 1997.
images. It was this expertise that led to the development of the Alfaskop terminal, which was inspired by the launch of IBM
's range of display terminals. These terminals made interaction with computers much easier than with earlier punched card
or paper tape interfaces. The alphanumeric
, 80 character, 24 line terminal quickly became a standard. The Alfaskop terminals were designed to be pin compatible with the IBM equipment. The Alfaskop 3100, the first model, was designed to compete with the IBM 2260
, while the later 3500 was developed in response to the IBM 3270
. There followed a refreshed 3500 called System 37 followed by a System 41 – a new design.
The first Ericsson PC - the EPC, was released at the CeBit
fair in Hanover
in 1984. The Ericsson Portable PC
followed a year later. In subsequent years, with the growth in demand for IBM-compatible PCs, several Alfaskop PC models were released.
While Ericsson had tried to build its own brand in the PC business, Nokia was willing to trade on the Alfaskop name. By 1989, they were showing the “Alfaskop Workgroup System” comprising 80386-based servers
, 80286-based desktops
and ethernet
or token ring networking. Office software included the X400-compatible Alfaskop Mail, WordPerfect
and Lotus Freelance. The systems were offered with either MS-DOS
or OS/2
.
. Customers included airlines, newspapers, police, councils and telecommunications companies.
A key benefit of the terminals was that they were IBM compatible but cost less. This meant discounts for volume customers made the terminals attractive. Reflecting the profit contribution made by Alfaskop (other product ranges at Stansaab/Datasaab were losing money), Ericsson invested 40 million kronor in the manufacturing facility at Järfalla outside Stockholm
. Ericsson had predicted that their Eritex workstation comprising a telex and data terminal would take over from Alfaskop but demand continued with 100,000 units sold by 1983 with annual sales climbing above 25,000. Eritex was retired by the mid-1980s. Deliveries of Alfaskop continued through the Nokia years and by the time production ceased, more than 900 000 units had been shipped.
technologies. From 1994 these companies were co-operating closely and delivering network technologies, Microsoft
solutions, and systems integration. In 1995, these companies were merged to form Alfaskop AB.
In 1997, the company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange
.
By 2000, Alfaskop had 660 employees with 18 offices in Sweden. However, by 2001, the company was bankrupt and its remaining 400 employees were laid off. Business Wire reported that about half of the employees found employment at Meteorit AB, another IT consultancy.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
by Standard Radio & Telefon AB
Standard Radio & Telefon AB
Standard Radio & Telefon AB was a Swedish telecommunications and computer manufacturer, at one time part of the ITT Corporation. They developed an advanced mainframe as well as a computer terminal called Alfaskop that became an export success. A bit much of a success, since an export of a system...
(SRT) and applied to data terminals and later IBM-compatible PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s. The term was also used to name Alfaskop AB, a listed Swedish IT services company., that filed for bankruptcy in 2001.
History
SRT, owned by the ITT CorporationITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
during the 1960s, specialised in Air Traffic Control systems and military radar systems. In 1971, SRT provided the core technology for Stansaab
Stansaab
Stansaab AS was a company founded in 1971 in Barkarby, outside Stockholm, Sweden. The company was a joint venture between Standard Radio & Telefon AB , Saab Scania, the car and aeroplane manufacturer and the state-owned Swedish Development Company. The company’s primary focus was systems for...
AS, a joint venture with Saab and the state-owned Swedish Development Company. The company’s primary focus was systems for real-time data applied to commercial and aviation applications. To this was added the data terminal operations of Facit
Facit
Facit was an industrial corporation and manufacturer of office products. It was based in Åtvidaberg, Sweden, and founded in 1922 as AB Åtvidabergs Industrier. Facit AB, a manufacturer of mechanical calculators, was incorporated into the corporation the same year...
in 1972.
The Alfaskop terminals quickly gained a foothold in the market for airline reservations with 1,000 in use at Scandinavian Airlines alone.
In 1978, Stansaab was merged with the Data Saab division of Saab to form Datasaab
Datasaab
Datasaab was the computer division of and later a separate company spun off from aircraft manufacturer Saab in Linköping, Sweden. Its history dates back to December 1954, when Saab got a license to build its own copy of BESK, an early Swedish computer design using vacuum tubes, from...
. In 1981, Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
, believing that growth in telecoms would be lower than that in IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, purchased Datasaab and integrated it with two of its own divisions to form Ericsson Information Systems (EIS). Accurately predicting convergence between telephony and data technologies, EIS instructed the Alfaskop group to begin working on a design for Ericsson's first PC – the EPC, which was released 16 months later in 1984.
Following market difficulties in the USA, particularly with a disappointing launch of its PC, Ericsson decided to abandon its "paperless office
Paperless office
A paperless office is a work environment in which the use of paper is eliminated or greatly reduced. This is done by converting documents and other papers into digital form. Proponents claim that "going paperless" can save money, boost productivity, save space, make documentation and information...
" strategy. In 1988, the division was sold to Nokia and later to ICL in 1990. The final act was its sale by ICL to Wyse Technology who eventually wound down manufacturing. Wyse Technology AB was closed in 1997.
The Alfaskop range
Due to its work for the aviation industry, one of SRT’s core competencies was the display RADARRadar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
images. It was this expertise that led to the development of the Alfaskop terminal, which was inspired by the launch of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's range of display terminals. These terminals made interaction with computers much easier than with earlier punched card
Punched card
A punched card, punch card, IBM card, or Hollerith card is a piece of stiff paper that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions...
or paper tape interfaces. The alphanumeric
Alphanumeric
Alphanumeric is a combination of alphabetic and numeric characters, and is used to describe the collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits or a text constructed from this collection. There are either 36 or 62 alphanumeric characters. The alphanumeric character set consists of the numbers 0 to...
, 80 character, 24 line terminal quickly became a standard. The Alfaskop terminals were designed to be pin compatible with the IBM equipment. The Alfaskop 3100, the first model, was designed to compete with the IBM 2260
IBM 2260
The text-only 960-character monochrome IBM 2260 cathode ray tube video display terminal plus computer keyboard was a 1964 predecessor to the more-powerful color text-and-graphics IBM 3270. The 2260 screen image was normally configured with 12 lines of 80 characters each, which corresponded to IBM...
, while the later 3500 was developed in response to the IBM 3270
IBM 3270
The IBM 3270 is a class of block oriented terminals made by IBM since 1972 normally used to communicate with IBM mainframes. As such, it was the successor to the IBM 2260 display terminal. Due to the text colour on the original models, these terminals are informally known as green screen terminals...
. There followed a refreshed 3500 called System 37 followed by a System 41 – a new design.
The first Ericsson PC - the EPC, was released at the CeBit
CeBIT
CeBIT is the world's largest and most international computer expo. CeBIT is held each year on the world's largest fairground in Hanover, Germany, and is a barometer of the state of the art in information technology...
fair in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
in 1984. The Ericsson Portable PC
Ericsson Portable PC
The Ericsson Portable PC was created by Ericsson in 1985. It was a small computer with a weight of 8 kg. It had a thermal printer, 4.77 MHz processor and 256-512 kB of RAM.-External links:...
followed a year later. In subsequent years, with the growth in demand for IBM-compatible PCs, several Alfaskop PC models were released.
While Ericsson had tried to build its own brand in the PC business, Nokia was willing to trade on the Alfaskop name. By 1989, they were showing the “Alfaskop Workgroup System” comprising 80386-based servers
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
, 80286-based desktops
Desktop computer
A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright...
and ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
or token ring networking. Office software included the X400-compatible Alfaskop Mail, WordPerfect
WordPerfect
WordPerfect is a word processing application, now owned by Corel.Bruce Bastian, a Brigham Young University graduate student, and BYU computer science professor Dr. Alan Ashton joined forces to design a word processing system for the city of Orem's Data General Corp. minicomputer system in 1979...
and Lotus Freelance. The systems were offered with either MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
or OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
.
Commercial Success
The Alfaskop terminals enjoyed considerable success, even outselling IBM in some markets, particularly in Sweden. By the early 1980s the company had accumulated profits of about one billion kronorSwedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
. Customers included airlines, newspapers, police, councils and telecommunications companies.
A key benefit of the terminals was that they were IBM compatible but cost less. This meant discounts for volume customers made the terminals attractive. Reflecting the profit contribution made by Alfaskop (other product ranges at Stansaab/Datasaab were losing money), Ericsson invested 40 million kronor in the manufacturing facility at Järfalla outside Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Ericsson had predicted that their Eritex workstation comprising a telex and data terminal would take over from Alfaskop but demand continued with 100,000 units sold by 1983 with annual sales climbing above 25,000. Eritex was retired by the mid-1980s. Deliveries of Alfaskop continued through the Nokia years and by the time production ceased, more than 900 000 units had been shipped.
Alfaskop AB
From 1990, Nokia Data encouraged the development of several franchise partners to drive sales of PCs and networkComputer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
technologies. From 1994 these companies were co-operating closely and delivering network technologies, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
solutions, and systems integration. In 1995, these companies were merged to form Alfaskop AB.
In 1997, the company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
.
By 2000, Alfaskop had 660 employees with 18 offices in Sweden. However, by 2001, the company was bankrupt and its remaining 400 employees were laid off. Business Wire reported that about half of the employees found employment at Meteorit AB, another IT consultancy.