International Computers Ltd

International Computers Ltd, or ICL, was a large British computer hardware company formed by the merger of computer divisions of various British electrical engineering firms. On its formation the company inherited two main product lines: the 1900 Series of compatible mainframes, developed by predecessor company International Computers and Tabulators (ICT),

Related Topics:
Computer hardware - Mainframe - International Computers and Tabulators

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and System 4, a range of IBM-compatible mainframe clones, based on the RCA Spectra 70, and inherited from predecessor company English Electric Computers (EEC).

Related Topics:
RCA Spectra 70 - English Electric Computers

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The 1900 Series, which derived from the Canadian Ferranti-Packard 6000, competed successfully in the UK with the IBM System/360 range from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s.

Related Topics:
Ferranti-Packard 6000 - IBM - System/360

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Even before the merger was complete, a working party had recommended that the new company should develop a new range of machines offering "acceptable compatibility with the current ranges of both companies". The resulting 2900 Series was launched on 9 October 1974. Its design drew on many sources, one being the Manchester University MU5, and it is still available in the guise of the Fujitsu Trimetra. It ran the VME operating systems, and supported emulation of both the earlier architectures, either standalone (DME, Direct Machine Environment) or concurrently with native-mode operation (CME, Concurrent Machine Environment). In the early 1980s ICL struck a deal

Related Topics:
1974 - VME - Operating system

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to acquire semiconductor technology from Fujitsu, on whom they became increasingly dependent

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as the years progressed. Eventually Fujitsu acquired ICL, and in 2002

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the residue of the company was rebranded as Fujitsu's European services arm.

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In later years ICL attempted to diversify its product line, but the bulk of its profits always depended on the mainframe customer base. New ventures included marketing a range of powerful IBM clones made by Fujitsu, various minicomputer and personal computer ranges, and (more successfully) a range of retail point-of-sale equipment and back-office software.

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ICL was always dependent on large contracts from the UK public sector. Significant customers included Post Office Ltd, Inland Revenue and Ministry of Defence.

Related Topics:
Post Office Ltd - Inland Revenue - Ministry of Defence

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