Bromcom Advert - June 1984
From Practical Computing
SuperStar Multi-User System is Just Right
Bromcom - initially known as Bromley Computer Consultancy Ltd - launched its SuperStar multi-user system at the beginning of 1984[1].
Running a 16-bit host processor with the company's own IMPOS operating system, the SuperStar was a multi-user system in the style at the time where each user had their own separate processor - which could support CP/M, MS-DOS or Xenix - running in the host machine, which was accessed via a dedicated terminal. Only disk resources and printers were shared.
The SuperStar could support up to sixteen users in this fashion, each with up to 1MB of RAM.
At apparently half the cost of a similar minicomputer, the entry-level two-user system, with a 10MB Winchester hard drive and two terminals, retailed for £5,975 - about £25,200 in 2025. Additional users could be added for an additional £995 (£4,200) per instance.
Bromcom is one of the very few computer companies of the era which, as of 2025, still survives, albeit as a cloud-based schools MIS provider[2].
Date created: 24 March 2025
Sources
Text and otherwise-uncredited photos © nosher.net 2025. Dollar/GBP conversions, where used, assume $1.50 to £1. "Now" prices are calculated dynamically using average RPI per year.
