{"id":20295,"date":"2024-12-11T15:19:32","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T20:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=20295"},"modified":"2025-10-20T15:56:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T19:56:21","slug":"vin31","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin31\/","title":{"rendered":"Xerox 820-II"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Xerox 820-II<\/h2>\n<p>[vin31]<\/p>\n<p>The Xerox 820-II, introduced in 1982, was a CP\/M-based personal computer featuring a Zilog Z80A processor at 4 MHz, a 24-line by 80-character monochrome CRT, and a robust 96-key ASCII keyboard with special function keys like HELP. Its claim to fame was its flexible expansion options, including support for both 8-bit and optional 16-bit 8086 processor cards, and its compatibility with a wide range of CP\/M software, making it a versatile choice for business and professional users at the time. Despite its technical strengths, the 820-II was not a commercial success and had limited popularity, overshadowed by competitors like the IBM PC.<a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-22453\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-400x533.jpg\" alt=\"Xerox 820-II\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-400x533.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-240x320.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-160x213.jpg 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-768x1023.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-1153x1536.jpg 1153w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-1538x2048.jpg 1538w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-360x479.jpg 360w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250618_175100454-scaled.jpg 1922w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Xerox<\/li>\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Personal Computer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release Date<\/strong>: 1982<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: USD $3,000 (CAD ~$10,000 adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost with peripherals<\/strong>: USD $7,695 (CAD ~$28,000 adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: 0.29 MIPS (290 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Technical Specifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: Zilog Z80A, 4.0 MHz<\/li>\n<li><strong>Memory<\/strong>: 64 KB standard RAM<\/li>\n<li><strong>Graphics<\/strong>: 24 lines \u00d7 80 characters monochrome CRT<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: Dual 5\u00bc-inch floppy drives standard; optional 8-inch floppy and hard disk configuration<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ports<\/strong>: Parallel and serial interfaces for printers and modems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW136206418 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW136206418 BCX0\">Operating System &amp; Programming Languages<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW136206418 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"marker:text-textOff list-disc\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"my-0\"><strong>Operating System<\/strong>: CP\/M 2.2 standard; MS-DOS with optional 8086 card<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"my-0\"><strong>Supported Languages<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"my-0\">Microsoft BASIC-80, Turbo Pascal, FORTRAN, PL\/I, CBASIC II<\/li>\n<li>Many other compilers and interpreters available for CP\/M systems, such as assembler and COBOL<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Notables<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Xerox 820-II was nicknamed &#8220;The Worm&#8221; internally, reflecting Xerox&#8217;s rivalry with Apple at the time.<\/li>\n<li>Its design was largely based on the Ferguson Big Board kit computer, using many off-the-shelf components rather than Xerox\u2019s own innovations.<\/li>\n<li>Most of the computer\u2019s electronics were built into the CRT monitor, an unusual design for the era.<\/li>\n<li>Xerox\u2019s advertising for the 820 featured monks and the slogan \u201canother miracle,\u201d which became a memorable part of its marketing campaign.<\/li>\n<li>Despite Xerox\u2019s pioneering work at PARC (which led to the modern graphical user interface), the 820-II did not use any of this advanced technology, instead opting for a conventional CP\/M system.<\/li>\n<li>The 820-II was one of the first personal computers sold by a major office-equipment company, but it failed to achieve significant commercial success and was quickly overshadowed by the IBM PC.<\/li>\n<li>By 1984, surplus 820 mainboards were so common that they could be purchased for as little as $50 and assembled into working systems by hobbyists.<\/li>\n<li>Its place in computing history is as an example of how even industry giants can misjudge the rapidly evolving personal computer market, and how being first to market does not guarantee success<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donated by<\/strong>: Arlen Michael<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Xerox 820-II [vin31] The Xerox 820-II, introduced in 1982, was a CP\/M-based personal computer featuring a Zilog Z80A processor at 4 MHz, a 24-line by 80-character monochrome CRT, and a robust 96-key ASCII keyboard with special function keys like HELP. Its claim to fame was its flexible expansion options, including support for both 8-bit and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Xerox 820-II - School of Computer Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Xerox 820-II The Xerox 820-II, introduced in 1982, was a CP\/M-based personal computer featuring a Zilog Z80A processor at 4 MHz, a 24-line by 80-character\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin31\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin31\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin31\/\",\"name\":\"Xerox 820-II - 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