TEI, Inc. built microcomputers using the Intel 8085 microprocessor. They also built military-grade power supplies which formed the "core" of their microcomputers.
Initially I designed, implemented, and tested a new operating system called T/DOS based directly on the CP/M source code which enabled the new diskette controller board designed by TEI to be used. This substantially increased the online storage available to the users. I contributed significantly to the testing of the new hardware. This included following circuit diagrams and making board modifications, but did not include hardware design or construction. I wrote all but one utility for T/DOS. The omitted utility was transferred over from the old system.
I then moved to North Carolina (Asheville) where I continued to work for TEI as a telecommuter. There I designed, implemented, and tested another operating system called HOST which allowed a large variety of hardware to be used, and which also allowed hard disks to be used for mass storage. It increased the maximum number of drives from four to thirty-one, and provided for future multitasking.
All system components were separated out into precisely defined device drivers to allow easy system integration, by modifying a text file. HOST dynamically configured and relocated itself when booting by referring to this file. This approach is very similar to the installation of device drivers under MsDos and OS/2 by editing the CONFIG.SYS file. However, HOST was designed and written well before either MsDos or OS/2 were written. HOST represented another major increase in the capability available to the user. All system utilities were written for HOST. I developed all but three of these utilities (the remaining utilities were written by a programmer working under my direction).
At that point I was placed in charge of long term systems development. My first task was to design a network operating system. We determined the form the next generation of hardware would take based on the hardware requirements of this operating system, and on current market requirements.
A language that I had previously designed then attracted interest. I developed extensive documentation for this language for evaluation. This was found to be satisfactory, and we hired a second programmer to work under me in the completion of the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of both the operating system and compiler. This work was not completed due to TEI laying off the entire programming staff.
TEI encountered serious financial problems due to extended hardware development schedules and was forced to layoff 2/3 of their personnel. The auditors required TEI to include the entire programming staff in the layoff since TEI had the service of 5 programmers through another contract which they had previously signed. This layoff was not adequate to maintain TEI and they closed their doors 6 months later.
Intel 8085 Assembler
Assembler I designed and wrote
PL/M
Intel 8085 microprocessor
CP/M
T/DOS
HOST
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