Econet

Econet

Econet upgrade manuals
Developer	Acorn Computers
Manufacturer	Acorn Computers
Type	Computer networking
Generation	8-bit
Operating system	MOS

Econet was Acorn Computers's low-cost local area network system, intended for use by schools and small businesses.

Econet software was mostly superseded by AUN, though some suppliers were still offering bridging kits to interconnect old and new networks. In turn, AUN was superseded by the Acorn Access+ software. Support for Econet was removed from the Linux kernel at version 3.5 in 2012.

Econet was first developed for the Acorn Atom and Acorn System 2/3/4 computers in 1981. Also in that year the BBC Microcomputer was released, initially with provision for floppy disc and Econet interfaces but without the necessary hardware fitted, intended to be supplied as future upgrades.

In 1982, the Tasmania Department of Education requested a tender for the supply of personal computers to their schools. Earlier that year Barson Computers, Acorn's Australian computer distributor, had released the BBC Microcomputer with floppy disc storage as part of a bundle. Acorn's Hermann Hauser and Chris Curry agreed to allow it to be also offered with Econet fitted, as they had previously done with the disc interface. As previously with the Disc Filing System, they stipulated that Barson would need to adapt the network filing system from the System 2 without assistance from Acorn. Barson's engineers applied a few modifications to fix bugs on the early BBC Micro motherboards, which were adopted by Acorn in later releases. With both floppy disc and networking available, the BBC Micro was approved for use in schools by all state and territory education authorities in Australia and New Zealand, and quickly overtook the Apple II as the computer of choice in private schools.

With no other supporting documentation available, the head of Barson's Acorn division, Rob Napier, published Networking with the BBC Microcomputer, the first reference documentation for Econet.