View source for Data General/One

{{Short description|1981 laptop computer}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name         = Data General/One
| title        = 
| aka          = 
| logo         = Data General logo.svg
| image        = Data General One Laptop Computer Austin Calhoon Photograph.jpg
| developer    = 
| manufacturer = [[Data General]]
| family       = 
| type         = [[Laptop]]
| generation   = 
| releasedate  = {{Start date and age|1984|09|20}}<ref name=nyt>{{cite journal | last=((Reuters)) | date=September 21, 1984 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/21/business/data-general-s-new-computer.html | title=Data General's New Computer | work=The New York Times | page=D4 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130172656/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/21/business/data-general-s-new-computer.html | archivedate=January 30, 2018}}</ref>
| lifespan     = 
| price        = {{USD|2895|1984|round=-1}}<ref name=dg1985>[https://archive.org/details/creativecomputing-1985-01 Data General/One], ''[[Creative Computing]]'' Volume 11, Number 01 (January 1985), p. 55</ref>
| discontinued = 
| unitssold    = 
| unitsshipped = 
| media        = 
| os           = [[MS-DOS]]
| power        = 
| soc          = 
| cpu          = [[CMOS]] [[Intel 8086|8086]] @ 4.0 [[Megahertz|MHz]]
| memory       = 128 KB [[random access memory|RAM]] (expandable to 512 KB)
| storage      = 2 × 3.5" diskettes
| memory card  =
| display      = Monochrome [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] 80×25 characters
| graphics     = Or full [[Color Graphics Adapter|CGA]] graphics (640×200)
| sound        = 
| input        = 79-key full-stroke keyboard
| controllers  = 
| camera       = 
| touchpad     = 
| connectivity = 
| platform     = 
| service      = 
| dimensions   = 
| weight       = {{convert|9|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| topgame      = 
| compatibility= 
| predecessor  = 
| successor    = Data General model 2
| related      = 
| website      = <!--{{URL|example.org}}-->
}}
The '''Data General/One''' ('''DG-1''') was a [[laptop]] introduced in September 1984 by [[Data General]].<ref name=wsj>{{cite journal | last=Bulkeley | first=William M. | date=September 21, 1984 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/397992696/ | title=Data General Corp. Unveils a 10-Pound Portable Computer | work=The Wall Street Journal | publisher=Dow Jones & Company | page=1 | via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Berger | first=Dan | date=October 29, 1984 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/422531096/ | title=Why do people really buy home computers? | work=The San Diego Union | page=A10 | via=ProQuest}}</ref> It was the first battery-powered laptop on the market that was fully [[IBM PC–compatible|compatible with the IBM PC]], featuring a full-sized [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] capable of displaying 80×25 text or [[Color Graphics Adapter|CGA]] graphics (640×200).<ref name=wsj2>{{cite journal | last=Bulkeley | first=William M. | date=October 31, 1984 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/397858918/ | title=Data General Engineers a Big Turnaround With Strong Move into Office Automation | work=The Wall Street Journal | publisher=Dow Jones & Company | page=1 | via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=((Editor)) | date=February 5, 1985 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2ad61ZUYQMC&pg=PA93 | title=Letters to PC: Which Came First? | work=PC Magazine | publisher=Ziff-Davis | volume=4 | issue=4 | page=93 | via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name=togain>{{cite journal | last=Spiegelman | first=Lisa L. | date=January 19, 1987 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SjwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA11 | title=Laptops to Gain Speed, Storage, Legibility in '87 | work=InfoWorld | publisher=IDG Publications | volume=9 | issue=3 | page=11 | via=Google Books}}</ref> Although it sold only modestly, the DG-1 set the template for all PC-based laptops to follow.<ref name=togain /><ref name=eweek>{{cite journal | last=Rash | first=Wayne | date=June 7, 2010 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/EWeek/e6nsDwDIBVkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Data+General/One%22+%221984%22&pg=PA39&printsec=frontcover | title=What's next for laptops? | work=eWeek | publisher=Ziff-Davis | pages=39–42 | via=Google Books}}</ref> According to ''[[eWeek]]'' in 2010, it was "the prototype for all that followed ... with its LCD screen, flat keyboard and clam-shell case, this form factor has remained essentially the same for [decades]".<ref name=eweek />

==Description==
The nine-pound battery-powered 1984 Data General/One ran [[MS-DOS]] and had dual 3.5" diskettes, a 79-key full-stroke keyboard, 128 KB to 512 KB of RAM, and a monochrome [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] screen capable of either the standard 80×25 characters or full [[Color Graphics Adapter|CGA]] graphics (640×200). It was a laptop comparable in capabilities to desktops of the era.

==History==
The Data General/One offered several features in comparison with contemporary portable computers. For instance, the popular 1983 [[Radio Shack]] [[TRS-80 Model 100]], a non-PC-compatible machine, was comparably sized.  It was a small battery-operated computer resting in one's lap, but had a 40×8 character (240×64 pixel) screen, a rudimentary [[read only memory|ROM]]-based menu in lieu of a full [[operating system|OS]], and no built-in [[floppy disk|floppy]]. IBM's 1984 [[IBM Portable|Portable PC]] was comparable in capability with desktops, but was not battery operable and, being much larger and heavier, was by no means a laptop.

==Drawbacks==
The DG-1 was only a modest success.  One problem was its use of 3.5" diskettes. Popular software titles were thus not widely available (5.25" being still the standard), a serious issue since then-common diskette [[copy-protection]] schemes made it difficult for users to copy software into that format. The device achieved moderate success in a large [[OEM]] deal with [[Allen-Bradley]], where it was private labelled as a T-45 "programming terminal" and was resold from 1987 to 1991 with thousands of units sold.

The CPU was a [[CMOS]] version of the 8086, compatible with the IBM PC's [[Intel 8088|8088]] except it ran slightly slower, at 4.0 [[Megahertz|MHz]] instead of the standard 4.77&nbsp;MHz.

Unlike the Portable PC, the DG-1 laptop could not take regular [[PC/XT]] expansion cards.

[[RS-232]] [[serial port]]s were built-in, but the CMOS (low battery consumption) [[UART|serial I-O]] [[Integrated circuit|chip]] available at design time, a CMOS version of the [[Intel 8251]], was register incompatible with the [[8250 UART|8250]] serial IC standard for the IBM PC.  As a result, software written for the PC serial ports would not run correctly.  This required the use of software written using the relatively slower and less flexible [[BIOS interrupt call]] (014h), or software written exclusively for the DG-1.

Video memory came out of that available for the operating system; for example, if 256 [[kilobytes|KB]] of RAM was installed, only 204 KB might be available to the operating system and user's programs.

Although ''[[Creative Computing]]'' termed the price of US$2895 "competitive,"<ref name=dg1985 /> it was a very expensive system,{{r|pc198607}} and usually-needed additions such as more RAM and an external 5{{frac|1|4}}" drive drove the price higher yet. The styling of the product, including a bag designed by [[Pierre Cardin]], implied a more up-market buyer than many typical PC buyers of the time.

The Data General/One also had a built-in [[dumb terminal]] emulator, suggesting an attempt to attract as customers those in organisations with large, expensive [[minicomputer]]s or [[mainframes]] that would access corporate data via terminals such as the [[ADM-3A]] or Data General's own Dasher terminals (the cost of the laptop would not have seemed excessive in such situations).

The screen was this computer's other great flaw. Although unusually large, the LCD display had very low contrast and narrow [[viewing angle]]. ''[[InfoWorld]]'' stated that "the godawful screen made a better mirror than display",<ref name="strehlo19850617">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sy8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA188 | title=The Chiclet Rule and the Green Dragon | work=InfoWorld | date=1985-06-17 | accessdate=23 March 2016 | author=Strehlo, Kevin | pages=8}}</ref> and ''[[PC Magazine]]'' reported that "The exchange 'Why don't you turn it on?' / 'It ''is'' on' is no joke. It happened in our offices."<ref name="pc198607">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5hdeC0k_JHwC&pg=PA108 | title=DOS to Travel | work=PC | date=July 1986 | accessdate=9 January 2015 | pages=108}}</ref>

An updated version of the DG-1 appeared later with a much improved [[Electroluminescence|electroluminescent]] screen. However, the light-producing display could be washed out by bright sunlight. Additionally, the new screen was power hungry and consumed so much power that the battery option was removed, thereby causing the DG-1 to lose its status as a true portable.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Citation | url = http://vintage-laptops.com/?page_id=198&lang=en | contribution = Data General One, 360 degree model | title = Russian Vintage Laptop Museum | date = 6 April 2017 | type = museum}}

{{Data General}}

[[Category:Early laptops]]
[[Category:IBM PC compatibles]]
[[Category:Data General laptops|One]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1984]]