The Point 4 PICO-N Device

In this 2006 thread on the newsgroup alt.folklore.computers, the "Arargh.com" contributor tells us about the "PICO":

"Also, in order for it to run, there is a
license device, called a 'PICO', that has to be fastened to the
backplane.  And they are version specific.  The same kind of thing as
used on the parallel port for software protection for PC's."  (Click here for this exact post)

Also, The MTCopy User Manual Rev 2a also mentions the PICO-N on the top of page 18 (PDF page 28).

"A software protection device, commonly called a PICO-N, is
used to protect against unauthorized duplication or use of DTR
BUSINESS SYSTEMS' software. This device is designed to fit on
the backplane of a POINT 4 or compatible CPU chassis. The device
will have one or more Chips on the board, which will indicate
which DTR BUSINESS SYSTEMS software packages are authorized with
this device."



And from this Google search, we find these Computerworld publication blurbs, giving us some timeframes:

Computerworld - Apr 5, 1982 - Page 51

Computerworld - Jan 24, 1983 - Page 38 

Dan Paymar, who wrote the entire BASIC interpreter for IRIS, and most of the time-sharing systems for IRIS, added this comment to us when reviewing our ongoing documentation of our Understanding IRIS documentation:

"BTW, are you aware of the Pico-N? That was a little device that plugged onto the wire-wrap pins of the frame. If it was absent, a disguised piece of code would zero out all of memory.

....

I don't know exactly when the Pico-N was first used, but it was before the first Point 4 computer.


I moved to Durango, CO, in 1980 and wasn't involved in system programming after that. IRIS 9 was in development, so version 8 was the last released while I was there. I was working on ASGOL (an assembler/ALGOL hybrid) but never got it running under IRIS."


Thank you, Dan, for this explanation.  If we find this code, we will reveal it here for future individuals who wish to preserve and run these systems.

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And David Takle weighs in:

The Pico-N might pose a problem. I remember what the hardware looked like, and have a vague memory that it was fairly unpredictable and very hard to find.
I also remember tracking it down and disabling it --- even tho that was probably a violation of the license terms at the time!

...I'm missing a ton of documentation yet.
There used to be Manager's Reference Manual for IRIS that was quite valuable. It's the only place a lot of stuff is documented.


~David