This photograph, taken in the early 1974, was used liberally by Micro Computer Machines in its promotional brochures, manuals, and press articles

The MCM/70 computer, designed by Canadian company Micro Computer Machines (MCM) between 1972 and 1973, is possibly the earliest example of a microcomputer designed and manufactured specifically for personal use.

Photograph by Z. Stachniak

Microsystems International Ltd. (MIL) was established as a joint collaborative effort between the Federal Government and Northern Telecom in 1968. MIL was a Canadian entry into the semiconductor industry. MIL manufactured a variety of products from RAM, ROM, EPROM, CPU and linear ICs to telecom circuits. MIL's demise in 1975 seeded the Canadian high technology industry with a number of new companies developing innovative products ranging from telecom switches to memory and logic chip designs.

The MIL MOD8 prototyping system was offered by MIL in 1974. It was based on the MIL MF8008 8-bit microprocessor. The MOD-8 microcomputer and the MONITOR8 software developed by MIL were aimed at the development of the MF8008-based hardware systems. The MOD8 was particularly popular with electronics hobbyists in the US and Canada thanks to the low price and availability of the MOD8 boards as well as to the popularity of the MONITOR8.

The MF8008 Central Processor manual (MIL's Bulletin 80007) was a promotional document describing the MF8008 microprocessor and the MOD-8 microcomputer. The manual was especially popular among the electronics hobbyists in the US and Canada thanks to the MONITOR8 software listing included as the Appendix C in the manual. The MONITOR8 could be executed on the Intel 8008-based hobby microcomputers such as the Mark 8, RGS 008A, or Martin Research Mike-2.

The historical mission of the creation of the first microprocessor powered PCs was fulfilled by small, obscure electronic firms and the computer hobbyists' movement of the mid 1970s. These were the computer hobbyists who challenged the traditional boundaries of computing and its social status, and helped making personal computer use and ownership a reality. In 1974, Howard Franklin designed and constructed in Toronto a fully functional microcomputer using MIL MF8008 8-bit microprocessor. His computer is possibly the earliest example of a Canadian hobby microcomputer and is one of the earliest hobby microcomputers ever designed.

Dynalogic Corporation was among the first Canadian microcomputer manufacturers. Founded in 1973 in Ottawa, it initially focused on the design of floppy disk systems and interfaces for minicomputers and desk-top calculators. In 1976, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market announcing its Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS). The DMS computers employed Motorola's 6800 processor and were among the earlist microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives.

The Pancake wordprocessor and communication system was manufactured by Network Data Systems (NDS) from 1977 to 1985. NDS was founded by Bill Moore, former president of IBM Canada. The Pancake used proprietary application software for word processing and communication.

The MCM/900 was the third-generation computer manufactured by MCM (after the MCM/70, /700 and the MCM/800). It was one of the best selling MCM computers.