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From: laser-lovers@ucbvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.computers.laser-printers
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Message-ID: <8512111725.AA01926@philabs.uucp>
Date: Wed, 11-Dec-85 12:25:51 EST
Article-I.D.: philabs.8512111725.AA01926
Posted: Wed Dec 11 12:25:51 1985
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Newsgroups: mod.computers.laser-printers
Subject: Re: Chelgraph ACE (and EP86)
Summary: 
Expires: 
References: <8512101711.AA18917@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>
Sender: 
Reply-To: ray@othervax.UUCP (Raymond D. Dunn)
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Organization: Philips Information Systems Ltd. - St. Laurent, PQ - CANADA
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In article <8512101711.AA18917@ucbvax.berkeley.edu> dfb%computer-science.nottingham.ac.uk@UCL-CS.ARPA (David F Brailsford) writes:

>.... in the course of this adventure
>we tried two typesetters. The first was a Mergenthaler-Linotype Omnitech
>(I forget the model no. - but its the one that used Xerographic laser
>technology rather than bromide). This machine has been so accurately
>described by others as a "total electronic and mechanical disaster area"
>that I shall not waste further slanderous epithets on it.
>

All too true, but to be fair, it was a new generation first, and the
project leader, Tony DiPentima, got a US graphic arts industry award
for the thing!!

>... in February 1983,
>Mergenthaler-Linotype decided that one of its three research establishments
>(then located in the US, Germany and the UK) would have to be axed. When the
>blow fell at Cheltenham there was considerable fury (justified in my view)
>that the outfit which had designed the award-winning 202 got hit whereas
>the US establishment which had foisted the Omnitech on an unsuspecting
>populace got off scot free. However ...

Not quite!  Two months previous to the Cheltenham debacle (they who
also designed the infamous multi-million dollar "clothes-line"
Cambridge-ring based project), our Canadian R&D group, just about to
give birth to a distributed processing network WYSIWYG system (the
best thing since sliced-bread, of course (:-)), got the old heave ho.
Two or three months after, the US R&D organisation was chopped also,
leaving Germany as the only R&D operation.

There was much speculation at the time that the company, whose Group
VP of Engineering was the former head of the (surprise, surprise)
German operation, was being dressed for a takeover by Agfa, but that
did not materialise. (Do you get the impression that there was a
little international rivalry within Merg?? (:-)).

>... They've now achieved that ultimate accolade
>of a write-up in a recent "Seybold Report", so you can find more details
>there...

Accolade??  Ultimate??  Good old John Seybold and family, now *there's*
the way to make money in this business!

[David, please pass my regards to Bill Davy, Rod Craig et al - I am
*very* glad to hear they're alive and well and making an impact in
the industry]

Ray Dunn.  ..philabs!micomvax!othervax!ray
Philips Information Systems.  Montreal.