Tiki 100
Tiki-100 Rev C Computer
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| Also known as | Kontiki-100 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Tiki Data |
| Manufacturer | Tiki Data |
| Type | Desktop computer |
| Release date | April 1984 |
| Introductory price |
NOK 12,000 (1984) (~USD 1,350) |
| Media | 5.25" Floppy disks |
| Operating system | TIKO TIKOS (8/16) MS-DOS 2.11 (8/16 & Rev.D) |
| CPU | 4MHz Z80 8088 (8/16 & Rev.D) |
| Memory | 64KB RAM, 32KB VRAM, 8KB ROM |
| Backward compatibility |
CP/M 2.2 CP/M-86 (8/16) |
| Successor | Tiki 200 |
Tiki-100 was a desktop home/personal computer manufactured by Tiki Data of Oslo, Norway. The computer was launched in the spring of 1984 under the original name Kontiki-100, and was first and foremost intended for the emerging educational sector, especially for primary schools. Early prototypes had 4 KB ROM, and the '100' in the machine's name was based on the total KB amount of memory.
It was decided by the Norwegian government that Norwegian schools should all use the same standardized computer in education. The Tiki-100 was developed as a direct response to this decision, and was as such greatly influenced by the specifications laid out by the government. One of the most influential of these specifications was compatibility with CP/M and the Z80 CPU.
Being designed as a computer intended for education, interactivity was prioritized. The machine was given good graphics capabilities for its time, along with decent sound. While other educational computers at the time had a main focus on BASIC and simple computer-science, the Tiki-100 had more focus on being a tool to aid in education and everyday-life situations. This put forth the need and memory requirements to run more complex applications.
The first prototype was built using wire-wrap and a bigger prototype case. Soon followed a prototype made on PCB, and there were very little changes from this prototype to the final product. The most significant changes was the change from Siemens keyboard switches to cheaper no-brand switches, along with the re-arranging of the analog video output connection. Very few, if any, revision A or B Tiki-100 computers ever hit the store shelves.
Tiki-100 was released under the original name 'Kontiki-100' in the spring of 1984. Thor Heyerdahl threatened to open a legal case on the use of the Kontiki name, with reference to the name of his famous raft. The name was changed to "Tiki-100" as a result. Around the same time, Computerworld magazine claimed the operating system "KP/M" was a direct copy of CP/M, due to KP/M being able to run CP/M software. As a response to these claims, KP/M was renamed "Tiko" to avoid direct association to CP/M and Digital Research.
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