{"id":20429,"date":"2025-01-21T13:44:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T18:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=20429"},"modified":"2025-12-17T15:46:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T20:46:38","slug":"vin45","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin45\/","title":{"rendered":"Compaq Plus"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Compaq Plus<a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-20435\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-240x213.png\" alt=\"Carleton U Logo\" width=\"240\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-240x213.png 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-400x355.png 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-160x142.png 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-768x682.png 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-1536x1363.png 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-2048x1818.png 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-360x320.png 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>The Compaq Plus, introduced in October 1983, was a notable evolution of the original Compaq Portable, distinguished by its built-in 10 MB hard disk drive-an innovation that greatly enhanced its utility for business users. Its claim to fame was being among the very first IBM PC-compatible portable computers, with near-complete software compatibility thanks to a legally reverse-engineered BIOS. The Compaq Plus played a crucial role in legitimising the IBM PC clone market, breaking IBM&#8217;s near-monopoly and accelerating the spread of PC-compatible systems. It was highly popular for its time, with the original Portable (on which the Plus was based) selling over 53,000 units in its first year and setting a record for first-year sales by a U.S. company.<a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-20430 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250121_183116841-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Compaq Computer Corporation<\/li>\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Luggable (portable) computer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release Date<\/strong>: October 1983<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: USD $3,590 (CAD ~$12,000 adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: 0.33 (330 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW36078203 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW36078203 BCX0\">Hardware Specifications<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: Intel 8088 CPU @ 4.77 MHz<\/li>\n<li><strong>Memory<\/strong>: 128 KB standard, expandable to 640 KB<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: 10 MB MFM hard disk, one 5.25&#8243; double-sided double-density floppy drive (360 KB)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Display<\/strong>: Built-in 9&#8243; green (monochrome) CRT monitor<\/li>\n<li><strong>Graphics<\/strong>: CGA-compatible video card (hybrid MDA\/CGA)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight<\/strong>: 28 lbs (13 kg)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keyboard<\/strong>: Detachable, &#8220;foam and foil&#8221; Keytronics keyboard<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ports<\/strong>: Parallel, CGA, and others for expansion<\/li>\n<li><strong>Case<\/strong>: Designed to be carried as luggage, with a handle and detachable keyboard<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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>\n<li class=\"my-0\"><strong>Operating System<\/strong>: \u00a0MS-DOS (Compaq DOS 1.12 or 2.00), which was fully compatible with IBM PC DOS; later versions supported hard disk operations. Could also run CP\/M-86 and other IBM PC-compatible operating systems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Supported Languages<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Supported all languages available for IBM PC compatibles, including BASIC, C, Pascal, FORTRAN, COBOL, and others, as long as they ran under MS-DOS.<\/li>\n<li>Popular compilers and interpreters of the era (such as Microsoft BASIC, Turbo Pascal, and C compilers) ran on the Compaq Plus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Notables<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Compaq Portable, released in March 1983, was the first fully IBM PC-compatible luggable (portable) computer. Its engineers achieved this by reverse-engineering the IBM PC BIOS, allowing the Compaq Portable to run essentially all IBM PC software-a feat that earlier portables had not fully accomplished<\/li>\n<li>Nicknamed the &#8220;luggable&#8221; or &#8220;sewing machine&#8221; due to its suitcase-like design and portability.<\/li>\n<li>The Compaq Plus was the first portable fully IBM PC-compatible with a built-in hard disk, making it a practical business tool for mobile professionals. The Bytec Hyperion released their IBM compatible luggable computer a few months before the Compaq Portable.<\/li>\n<li>Its success helped break IBM&#8217;s dominance in the PC market by proving that legal, fully compatible clones were possible, leading to the explosion of the PC-compatible industry.<\/li>\n<li>Its BIOS was developed using a &#8220;clean room&#8221; technique, which became the industry standard for reverse engineering proprietary systems.<\/li>\n<li>While not uniquely Canadian, the Compaq Plus was widely adopted in Canada as part of the North American business computing boom.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Donated by<\/strong>: Carleton University&#8217;s School of Computer Science<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carleton University<\/strong>: This portable computer was in production the School of Computer Science<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Compaq Plus The Compaq Plus, introduced in October 1983, was a notable evolution of the original Compaq Portable, distinguished by its built-in 10 MB hard disk drive-an innovation that greatly enhanced its utility for business users. Its claim to fame was being among the very first IBM PC-compatible portable computers, with near-complete software compatibility thanks [&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>Compaq Plus - 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