Anyone remember these ?

[Bananas]

Ooooh multi user DOS, I remember supporting Real/32 awesome OS

[cpjitservices]

What a thread, didnt think it'd be this popular!!

 

[GREED]

What a thread, didnt think it'd be this popular!!

 

 

Doesn't that kinda say something about the protagonist? :D

 

I'm just kidding Ali ( @Bromcom-PR), all good fun

Edited May 15, 2014 by GREED

[GREED]

 

Thank you @GREED.

 

We only want to correct, qualify some of the comments made so far - as follows:

 

Bromcom 'grey' folders were invented in 1992. It was covered in December 1992as invention in the Times new paper dedicating a half-page and was on BBC Tomorrow World's TV show in January 1993. Cost was £245 each, batteries lasted 6 months and transmission range was very similar to WiFi however speed much slower. Because packets sent/received were miniscule (say under 8Kbyte), with good wireless coverage a class list was downloaded within 1-2 minutes. We wouldn't be surprised if some will say it took longer than this but that is all to do with coverage of wireless network and make up of the building - just as one can have coverage difficulties with WiFi today.

 

The 'grey folders' did evolve into:

· QWERTY versions circa 1994

· A5 size circa 1996

· WiFi versions early 2000

· Finally touch colour screen with Microsoft Windows CE in circa 2005

'Software version' was known as “WinFolder” that run on any laptops and PCs as a 'client software'. This was a small an EXE (as today's 'apps' concept) and which only needed TCP/IP connection. "WinFolder was introduced late1990s, was very popular and was replaced with web version called “WebFolder”. WebFolder is still widely used today as a 'stand alone' product and also formed part of today’s Bromcom Cloud MIS.

 

Anyone referencing ‘grey folder’ should also be referring to ‘DOS’ bases TEXT screen MIS software of 1990s to 2003/4 and in fact at that time contemporary and competing product ‘OMR’– yes paper based, Optical Mark Readers! I am sure some OMRs will be still in use.

 

We hope the above is read as interesting history and not leveled at anyone.

 

Really interesting history Ali thank you for that. It's good to see the evolvement of a company and see what things you have influenced in the market!

[winng]

I must admit I'd never seen those 'grey folders' before but I did buy Webfolder and MCAS for a large secondary school I worked in Essex and the teachers were so grateful that they could access the MIS anytime, anywhere! They hadn't been able to do that before.

 

With MCAS we saw in increase in parental engagement as they were able to easily reset their passwords, something that was very problematic with the previous SLG system they had experienced.

[Bromcom-PR]

I must admit I'd never seen those 'grey folders' before but I did buy Webfolder and MCAS for a large secondary school I worked in Essex and the teachers were so grateful that they could access the MIS anytime, anywhere! They hadn't been able to do that before.

 

With MCAS we saw in increase in parental engagement as they were able to easily reset their passwords, something that was very problematic with the previous SLG system they had experienced.

 

MCAS?

Not all will know what MCAS stand for. To be helpful to the forum readers, it stands for MyChildAtSchool.com - Bromcom's parent portal.

 

To add to the above 'grey folders' history - MCAS was the very first parent portal (at least in the UK) launched in June 2000. It was covered by ITN and BBC News - BBC News | EDUCATION | Net access to pupils' records

 

In the year 2000, MCAS was far ahead of the time. What we didn't realise that vast majority schools signed up for MCAS would tell us " Yes, we have an Internet connection' - only to find out that they had only dial up modem. Those days, the best one would hope was to have an ISDN line.