<s>
The	O
System	O
9000	O
(	O
S9000	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
family	O
of	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
from	O
IBM	O
consisting	O
of	O
the	O
System	O
9001	O
,	O
9002	O
,	O
and	O
9003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
family	O
,	O
the	O
System	O
9001	O
laboratory	O
computer	O
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
May	O
1982	O
as	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
Instruments	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
System	I-Device
Model	O
9000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
renamed	O
to	O
the	O
System	O
9001	O
in	O
1984	O
when	O
the	O
System	O
9000	O
family	O
name	O
and	O
the	O
System	O
9002	O
multi-user	B-Operating_System
general-purpose	O
business	O
computer	O
was	O
introduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
System	O
9000	O
was	O
based	O
around	O
the	O
Motorola	B-Device
68000	I-Device
microprocessor	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Motorola	O
VERSAbus	B-Architecture
system	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
members	O
had	O
the	O
IBM	O
CSOS	O
real-time	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
(	O
OS	O
)	O
stored	O
on	O
read-only	B-Device
memory	I-Device
;	O
and	O
the	O
System	O
9002	O
could	O
also	O
run	O
the	O
multi-user	B-Operating_System
Microsoft	B-Application
Xenix	I-Application
OS	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
suitable	O
for	O
business	O
use	O
and	O
supported	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
System	O
9002	O
and	O
9003	O
were	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
System	O
9001	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
around	O
an	O
8MHz	O
Motorola	B-Device
68000	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
Motorola	O
VERSAbus	B-Architecture
system	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
(	O
the	O
System	O
9000	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
that	O
used	O
the	O
VERSAbus	B-Architecture
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Input/output	O
ports	O
included	O
three	O
RS-232C	O
serial	O
ports	O
,	O
an	O
IEEE-488	O
instrument	O
port	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
bidirectional	O
8-bit	O
parallel	B-Device
port	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	O
input	O
could	O
be	O
via	O
a	O
user-definable	O
10-key	O
touch	O
panel	O
on	O
the	O
integrated	O
CRT	O
display	O
,	O
a	O
57-key	O
user-definable	O
keypad	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
83-key	O
Model	B-Device
F	I-Device
keyboard	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
System	O
9000	O
members	O
had	O
an	O
IBM	O
real-time	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
called	O
CSOS	O
(	O
Computer	O
System	O
Operating	O
System	O
)	O
on	O
128KB	O
of	O
read-only	B-Device
memory	I-Device
(	O
ROM	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
a	O
multi-tasking	B-Operating_System
operating	O
system	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
extended	O
by	O
loading	O
components	O
from	O
disk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
also	O
offered	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Xenix	I-Application
on	O
the	O
System	O
9002	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
required	O
at	O
least	O
640KB	O
of	O
main	O
memory	O
and	O
a	O
VERSAbus	B-Architecture
card	O
containing	O
a	O
memory	B-General_Concept
management	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
machines	O
shipped	O
with	O
128KB	O
of	O
main	O
memory	O
as	O
standard	O
,	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
5MB	O
could	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
system	O
using	O
memory	O
boards	O
that	O
plugged	O
into	O
the	O
VERSAbus	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
introduced	O
as	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
Instruments	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
System	I-Device
Model	O
9000	O
in	O
May	O
1982	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CS9000	O
was	O
unsuccessful	O
in	O
this	O
niche	O
;	O
the	O
cheaper	O
IBM	B-Device
Personal	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
was	O
adequate	O
for	O
many	O
instrumentation	O
tasks	O
,	O
and	O
IBM	O
's	O
larger	O
general-purpose	O
computers	O
were	O
used	O
for	O
more	O
demanding	O
tasks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1983	O
IBM	O
began	O
encouraging	O
value-added	O
resellers	O
to	O
sell	O
the	O
CS9000	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
large	O
computers	O
like	O
DEC	B-Device
Professional	I-Device
and	O
Honeywell	B-Device
Level	I-Device
6	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
9001	O
was	O
a	O
renamed	O
CS9000	O
,	O
which	O
retained	O
its	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
instrumentation	O
market	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
9002	O
was	O
a	O
general-purpose	O
business	O
computer	O
that	O
ran	O
the	O
IBM	O
CSOS	O
or	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Xenix	I-Application
operating	O
systems	O
and	O
supported	O
one	O
to	O
four	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reasons	O
cited	O
for	O
the	O
failure	O
of	O
the	O
System	O
9000	O
were	O
its	O
poor	O
performance	O
and	O
high	O
price	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
being	O
used	O
where	O
price	O
was	O
of	O
concern	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
other	O
32-bit	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
being	O
used	O
where	O
performance	O
mattered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Noting	O
the	O
obscurity	O
of	O
its	O
1982	O
release	O
,	O
BYTE	B-Application
in	O
January	O
1983	O
called	O
the	O
System	O
9000	O
"	O
IBM	O
's	O
'	O
Secret	O
 '	O
Computer	O
"	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
in	O
its	O
quiet	O
way	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
exciting	O
new	O
arrivals	O
on	O
today	O
's	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
scene	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
least	O
some	O
ads	O
by	O
dealers	O
in	O
1983	O
referred	O
to	O
"	O
The	O
IBM	B-Device
9000	I-Device
:	O
Multi-User	B-Operating_System
Micro	O
,	O
"	O
although	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
IBM	O
Computer	O
System	O
9000	O
"	O
was	O
also	O
advertised	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
also	O
sometimes	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
System	O
9000	O
as	O
"	O
IBM	B-Device
9000	I-Device
"	O
in	O
their	O
own	O
marketing	O
,	O
at	O
least	O
when	O
referring	O
to	O
their	O
C	O
compiler	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
