Mohawk Data Sciences
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Founder | George Cogar, Lauren King, Ted Robinson |
| Headquarters | Parsippany , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Key-to-Tape data entry device, MDS 2400 RJE system, MDS Series 21 computers, MOBOL programming language |
| Parent | Decision Data Computer Corporation (from 1992) |
Mohawk Data Sciences Corporation (abbreviated as MDS) was an early pioneer in computer hardware, established in 1964 by former Univac engineers George Cogar, Lauren King, and Ted Robinson. By the mid-1980s, the company encountered financial setbacks and sought to divest several divisions.
History
MDS was founded in Herkimer, New York, and initially gained traction with its innovative Key-to-Tape data entry device, which served as a replacement for conventional keypunch machines. This breakthrough enabled expansion through strategic acquisitions.
Among its notable purchases was Atron Corporation, which brought valuable minicomputer expertise and facilitated entry into line printer control and Remote Job Entry (RJE) technologies. This acquisition resulted in the creation of the MDS 2400 RJE system compatible with IBM 2780/3780 protocols and HASP.
Another key acquisition occurred in October 1967 when MDS took over Anelex Corporation of Boston, then ranked as the second-largest printer manufacturer after IBM and recognized as an early participant in the hard disk drive market.
Facing financial strain during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the company underwent restructuring, rebranding itself as Qantel Corporation in 1988. Ultimately, Decision Data Computer Corporation acquired it in 1992. By this point, the corporate headquarters had relocated to Parsippany, New Jersey, although manufacturing operations continued in Herkimer.
Additional Mohawk-branded RJE Offerings
- The 1103 Data Transmission System by Mohawk
- The Series 21, which incorporated local processing capabilities, operated on CP/M and supported:
Qantel Corporation
In 1980, Mohawk expanded by acquiring Qantel Corporation, which eventually became its most valuable division. Qantel achieved global sales of approximately 10,000 systems and was prominent in sports technology sectors, providing hardware and software solutions to "12 of the 28 teams in the National Football League."
The company adopted the Qantel name in 1988. After filing for bankruptcy, its remaining assets were purchased by Decision Data Computer Corporation in 1992.
MDS Series 21
The MDS Series 21 family (including models 21/20, 21/40, and 21/50) featured a CRT-based "Operator Station" paired with a "Controller Console" system unit capable of supporting up to four floppy disk drives.
- Floppy disks contained 74 tracks with 26 sectors each, allowing storage of up to 1,898 records per disk.
- Display: The base model 21/20 offered a screen displaying 480 characters (12 lines by 40 characters), while the optional display for model 21/40 supported up to 1,920 characters (24 lines by 80 characters).
- Printers:
- Model 2141 delivered printing speeds of 45 characters per second with line widths up to 132 characters.
- Line printers ranged between models (2142-1, 2142-2, and 2145), offering speeds from 185 to 600 lines per minute.
- IBM-compatible tape drives:
- Model 2481 featured an 800 BPI capacity.
- Model 2482 supported a higher density of 1600 BPI.
MOBOL
Mohawk developed MOBOL—standing for Mohawk Business Oriented Language—a compiled language distinct from COBOL designed specifically for business applications. Upon compilation, a tool named MOBOLIST was used to report any errors identified during this process.
MOBOL Syntax
For instance, the command (5,1) 'Hello, World' produces the output Hello, World beginning at line five on the display screen.