Alpha Microsystems
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware, Software |
| Founded | January 1, 1977 in Costa Mesa, California, United States |
| Founder | John French, Dick Wilcox, Bob Hitchcock |
| Headquarters | Costa Mesa , United States |
| Products | AM-100 computer systems, AMOS operating system, AlphaBASIC, AlphaFortran, AlphaLisp, AlphaPascal, AlphaMicro hardware and software products |
Alpha Microsystems, Inc.—commonly known as Alpha Micro—was a U.S.-based computer firm established in 1977 in Costa Mesa, California by founders John French, Dick Wilcox, and Bob Hitchcock. Amid the dot-com era, the company adopted the names AlphaServ and later NQL Inc. to signify its pivot toward Internet software development, but it reverted to its original Alpha Microsystems identity following the collapse of the dot-com bubble.
Products
The company's first offering was the S-100 AM-100 computer, utilizing the WD16 microprocessor chipset developed by Western Digital, retailing at $1,495 in 1978. By 1982, newer systems such as the AM-100/L and AM-1000 incorporated Motorola 68000 CPUs featuring customized byte ordering to ensure system compatibility.
Initial peripheral devices included various terminals (such as Soroc, Hazeltine 1500, and Wyse WY50), Fortran punch card readers, modems with speeds ranging from 300 to 1,200 baud, and 10 MB CDC Hawk hard drives equipped with removable disk packs.
Alpha Micro’s primary focus was on cost-effective minicomputers operating a proprietary multi-user OS named AMOS (with AMOS/L tailored for 68000-based machines), which bore resemblance to Digital Equipment Corporation’s DECsystem-10 operating system. This similarity resulted in a failed legal challenge by DEC in 1984 concerning alleged code infringement.
As Motorola discontinued the 68000 series, Alpha Micro adapted by introducing Falcon expansion cards that allowed DOS/Windows personal computers to run AMOS applications through embedded 68000 processors. This approach evolved into AMOS version 8.x, which operates natively on x86 architecture while incorporating an integrated 68K emulator for backward compatibility.
For programming and software development, AMOS included AlphaBASIC—a proprietary language akin to BASIC—and supported additional languages such as Assembler, FORTRAN (branded AlphaFortran), Lisp (AlphaLisp), Pascal (AlphaPascal), and COBOL. Early iterations executed tokenized programs via interpretation; subsequent releases compiled code into native x86 instructions to enhance execution speed.
Initially, Alpha Micro bundled its operating system along with tools like BASIC and ISAM when selling hardware units, frequently offering patches and updates either gratis or at minimal cost. Over time, as hardware became commoditized, the company transitioned toward monetizing its software products separately.
Their software ecosystem facilitated multi-user environments—including those hosted on platforms from Sun Microsystems, DEC, HP, and IBM mainframes—to connect seamlessly with Microsoft Windows graphical interfaces and peripheral devices. This functionality paralleled solutions like Citrix or the X Window System.
Although Alpha Micro never achieved widespread brand prominence, it sustained a solid foothold within specialized sectors such as healthcare, legal services, and dental practices.
Customer and user interaction was fostered through groups like AMUS (Alpha Micro Users Society) and IAMDA (International Alpha Micro Dealer's Association), which organized annual events showcasing new hardware launches and software developments.