By Stephen J . Shaw

from the November 1983 issue of Mini-Micro Systems magazine

Slowly but earnestly, companies in the artificial intelligence (AI) field are bringing out the tools to build the heralded Fifth Generation computer systems. It’s likely to take several years for any AI-based products to have a major impact in the commercial market. But 1983 could be the year AI emerges from its R&D cocoon.

Many significant product developments are coming from recently formed companies devoted exclusively to AI. More than 20 new enterprises have appeared during the past two years, notes Louis Robinson, editor of AI Reports and former executive director of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). Those 20 enterprises form the vanguard of the nascent AI industry. That industry is devoted to revamping the relationship between humans and computers by developing systems that can perform logical inferences, draw on the knowledge of experts in specific applications and be accessed in “natural” languages- that is, in terms familiar to human operators.

by David A. Bright

from the July 1983 issue of Mini-Micro Systems magazine

Franklin Computer Corp., once considered just another Apple Computer Inc. clone, is being closely monitored by the personal computer industry as it begins to move away from Apple’s shadow. With the hiring last spring of several key research and development personnel, Franklin has indicated that it intends to become a major independent personal computer supplier.

Franklin’s first big move was hiring Avram Miller, former manager of Digital Equipment Corp.’s Professional computer program, as executive vice president of manufacturing and engineering. A month after Miller arrived, he lured William L. Sydnes away from his position as development manager for the Personal Computer at IBM Corp. Sydnes was rumored to be working on the low-end Peanut model. He assumes the post of vice president of engineering at Franklin. Miller is confident that Sydnes will build an engineering organization at Franklin that will be “second to none." He says Sydnes has a proven track record in developing superior products on tight schedules.