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So, this is what I remember.........(please email me your memories and any corrections/additions)
January 2009 ***** Update ***** - Do you remember the little 1900 Diary?? Click here!! ***** Update *****
Johnston and I emailed for a couple of years - you have to read these mails - he's still as outrageous as ever - and I may have goaded him just the teeniest!! I then put what follows and his emails up on this web-site - at which point He - decided to re-write history - which I've added as 1900 The ?True Story?. You may want to dip into that later - and see that the "embellishing" still continues!!
My version of "The 1900 Story" - summarised is.......
During 1966/7/8, Ken Johnston was working for ICT/L in the City, as a something or other, and had convinced Pinchin Denny to buy a 1500, and he and their programmers (including one... Paul Basson) were testing at Putney - where (luckily for them) I (Mike Curley) was a 1500 Operator, and could get their programs to run - usually with the help of ALI - ON!!
They decided to set up 1900 Programming (Jim Holding - in the background), and again luckily for them they wanted to hire (by then - July 1967) a brilliant Plan/Cobol programmer - me - and we had a memorable interview, starting around 21:00 in the ISIS Computer Centre in Leadenhall Market in the City (where I'm sure Wally Pears (Spares!) was in evidence??) - followed by dinner and then drinks at some strip-joint. I was immediately impressed with their "wherewithall" - and joined on the spot, at some paltry salary - which didn't get much bigger over the years!!
Initially into the office at Finsbury Pavement House - where:
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Joiners in those early days included Pam Buffin, Linda Gates, Pat Allen, Willy Henderson, Alastair Donald, Estelle Mendoza, Angela Minchin and Sarah Oswald and then we moved to Maltravers Street. 1900 Recruitment started there although Estelle Mendoza had been "hovering" for a year or more. Anyway - frantic expansion during the Maltravers Street period, did Manchester open then? when did Geneva and Dataspecialisten in Sweden start?? Johannesburg must have opened during the Maltravers Street era and Durban and Capetown were opened after Jack Curtis left and KPJ took over South Africa. Did 1900 Management Controls start then - the 4 boys!!
And then a move to Euston Square - Melton Street, our own building!!
I can remember Project meetings starting around 18:00 and continuing until 02:00 AM - also that they were extended because of visits to Paradiso et Inferno along The Strand - where our Maitre d' was Aldo and there was the owner with the Aston Martin and we used to try and get the table under the "see through" stairs.
Cannot remember when Bovis acquired us - but Brian Stoate suggests late '68 or early '69.
I lost track of the UK then - and moved to Johannesburg, where we were still expanding, but a couple of bad contracts and a market downturn were about to affect us - badly. ICL took us over and renamed us Dataskil - and that was the end - of an era!
Now.. go read Johnston's emails - and follow that with his version of the True Story - alternatively check out eMails from other 1900'ers.!!
Then you can stroll the Rogue's Gallery for piccies of some rogues or check out contact details for those I've managed to find.
Spares (Wally Pears) has (many thanks Wal) just (November 2002) provided a list of 1900 Rogues - it looks like a Telephone list, but we're not sure what stage of 1900 Programming evolution it relates to - any help you can provide would be welcomed.