Thomson computers


In the 1980s the French Thomson company produced a range of 8-bit computers based on the 6809E CPU.
They were released in several variations covering the MO and TO series from late 1982 to 1989.
While MO and TO models are incompatible in software, most of the peripherals and hardware were compatible.
These machines were common in France due to the 1980s governmental educational program Computing for All .' Around 100,000 MO5 and TO7/70 computers were ordered and installed in schools.
Export attempts to Germany, Italy, Algeria, USSR, India, Argentina and Spain were unsuccessful.
It is reported that there were 450,000 Thomson computers in France in 1986. By 1988 Thomson had only sold 60,000 of the predicted 150,000 computers, abandoning computer development the following year.
About 84 games were released for the TO7, 194 for the MO5, 3 for the TO7/70, 10 for the TO9, 21 for the MO6, and 128 for the TO8'''. Most titles were released between 1984 and 1987 and by French companies such as Infogrames, Loriciel, FIL or Coktel Vision.

First generation

  • Thomson TO7: produced from 1982 to 1984. Supplied with 24K RAM and upgradable to 48K. 8 color display.
  • Thomson MO5: released in 1984 in order to honor the Computing for All plan. Supplied with 48K RAM and first released with a rubber keyboard. Later it featured a mechanical keyboard. It was edited in a limited edition with a white casing, named "MO5 Michel Platini".
  • Thomson TO7/70: 1984 version with more RAM and 16 color display.
  • Thomson MO5E: 1985 export version, with a different casing featuring a mechanical keyboard, a parallel port, two joystick ports, an internal PAL modulator and an integrated power supply.

    Second generation

  • Thomson TO9 : released in late 1985. Separate keyboard and central unit, 128K RAM and a 3½-inch floppy disk drive.
  • Thomson MO5NR: released in 1985–1986. This is a MO6 in a MO5E casing, with an integrated network interface controller, the nanoréseau, which was used in French schools.'
  • Thomson TO16 called Theodore : 5 prototypes developed in 1985–1988. Based on a MC-68000 at 8 MHz and a rather good graphic card.
  • Thomson MO6 : released in 1986. 128K RAM and built in tape recorder. Sold in Italy as the Olivetti Prodest PC128.
  • Thomson TO8 : released in late 1986. 256K RAM, 80K ROM with Microsoft BASIC 512, extra video modes.
  • Thomson TO9+ : released in late 1986, Separate keyboard and central unit, 512K RAM with a built in modem and a 3½-inch floppy disk drive.
  • Thomson TO8D : released in late 1987, it was a TO8 with a 3½-inch floppy disk drive.

    Unix systems

The Micromega was fundamental on the adoption of Unix by the French government, due to the localization of the Unix operating system. According to Dominique Maisonneuve, a Unix developer at CERG : "It was thanks to the Micromega that the government became interested in installing Unix. What was needed, was some hardware with a French coloring."
There are commercially released games for the MO5, MO6, TO7, TO8 and PC-128.