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 - if hosting 80186 processors - or 128K with the Z80A option.
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 2026. 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
Last updated: 24 January 2026
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Sources
Text and otherwise-uncredited photos © nosher.net 2026. Dollar/GBP conversions, where used, assume $1.50 to £1. "Now" prices are calculated dynamically using average RPI per year.
