Screenshots of old Mastercam releases

[Aaron Eberhard]

Yeah, I was just trolling through our marketing archive.  The first version was code-named Meghan.  I'll let you guys see if you can guess why    It ran on an Apple IIe.  We still have a functional version in our museum downstairs if you ever come to visit.  I think we have V1, 3, 9 and the Xes all useable.  Here's some "screenshots" of it:

 

 

[Newbeeee™]

Here is the super hero guy. lol

Jay - is that you wearing your underpants on the outside again?

[Newbeeee™]

A-Ron,

I see that there's $ signs at the end of every line of code.

I assume that marketing had the driving seat from the beginning

[BBprecise]

Yeah, I was just trolling through our marketing archive.  The first version was code-named Meghan.  I'll let you guys see if you can guess why    It ran on an Apple IIe.  We still have a functional version in our museum downstairs if you ever come to visit.  I think we have V1, 3, 9 and the Xes all useable.  Here's some "screenshots" of it:

Isn't Meghan his daughters name?

[?Mark]

Yeah, I was just trolling through our marketing archive.  The first version was code-named Meghan.  I'll let you guys see if you can guess why    It ran on an Apple IIe.  We still have a functional version in our museum downstairs if you ever come to visit.  I think we have V1, 3, 9 and the Xes all useable.  Here's some "screenshots" of it:

Meghan, owners daughter if I remember right from my trip to Tolland

[Guest]

Isn't Meghan his daughters name?

 

and now company President

[Jayson Kramer]

Jay - is that you wearing your underpants on the outside again?

Yep, I posed for this for marketing.

[Jayson Kramer]

Meghan, owners daughter if I remember right from my trip to Tolland

Correct it was named after Mark summers daughter that was born at the time and now is the new President.

[Jayson Kramer]

Yeah, I was just trolling through our marketing archive.  The first version was code-named Meghan.  I'll let you guys see if you can guess why    It ran on an Apple IIe.  We still have a functional version in our museum downstairs if you ever come to visit.  I think we have V1, 3, 9 and the Xes all useable.  Here's some "screenshots" of it:

Thanks Aaron. if you can would love to see a screen shot of V3 most old timers will remember that screen layout.

[Jayson Kramer]

PS the first versions ran off a floppy disk. I want to say the 8.5 or was it the 5-1/2.

 

you would put the disk in and type A:\mastercam to run.

[Newbeeee™]

In all seriousness, after seeing the screen shots that Aaron posted, it shows how this game we're all in has come a real long way.

[Colin Gilchrist]

A-Ron,

I see that there's $ signs at the end of every line of code.

I assume that marketing had the driving seat from the beginning

 

LOL. That's funny. In all seriousness, that was the EOB character for the Dynapath Control. Which what the first Control unit that Mastercam was designed to generate NC Code for.

eob$ = 36  #Force alternate end of block character

"36" is the ASCII code for "$"...

[Jayson Kramer]

In all seriousness, after seeing the screen shots that Aaron posted, it shows how this game we're all in as come a real long way.

I agree with 100%. I feel like that just looking back from Mastercam X to 2017. how we do things is a OMG.

[BBprecise]

LOL. That's funny. In all seriousness, that was the EOB character for the Dynapath Control. Which what the first Control unit that Mastercam was designed to generate NC Code for.

eob$ = 36  #Force alternate end of block character

"36" is the ASCII code for "$"...

We had 2 different machines with Dynapath controls when I started here part-time in Jan. of '95 and I remember typing those EOB's if I had to edit the program on a pc (started here as a machinist before I graduated from trade school). A Delta 10 which was installed on a Compumill 2500 and a Delta 20 which was installed on a Compumill 5000 which had no toolchanger, had to load every tool by hand. Was really interesting when you had a job with 20 something tools I'll tell ya! Saw a couple guys try to drive a reamer in a hole before there was a hole. LMFAO! These were sold by Compumachine and IIRC Mark worked there when he was creating MC. We bought our 1st couple of versions of MC (v5.5 and 7) and received support directly from Cumpumachine. Then we started dealing with S4A (JParis) which eventually became part of Cimquest several years ago.

[Mick]

Yeah, I was just trolling through our marketing archive.  The first version was code-named Meghan.  I'll let you guys see if you can guess why    It ran on an Apple IIe.  We still have a functional version in our museum downstairs if you ever come to visit.  I think we have V1, 3, 9 and the Xes all useable.  Here's some "screenshots" of it:

 

Thanks for posting those images up Aaron. I recall having a good look around that room with Mike Rosa, and the Summers, when I was there in 2009 (in better days ). It sure was a blast looking at some of that stuff.

 

I still remember the prompts. Something like "End Program" and then "Do you want to post process? Y or N"

 

[jlw™]

I'm gonna say this (having cut my teeth on DOS) I can't believe any one did what we do in DOS!!!

[Watcher]

Thanks for posting those images up Aaron. I recall having a good look around that room with Mike Rosa, and the Summers, when I was there in 2009 (in better days ). It sure was a blast looking at some of that stuff.

 

I still remember the prompts. Something like "End Program" and then "Do you want to post process? Y or N"

It always amazes me what an idea, ingenuity and hard work can achieve. The Summers created a company from nothing using an Apple II.

 

Very similar to Apple´s history itself.

 

How much Mastercam fueled the world´s economy, it´s unmensurable. How many jobs did it create? Hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

 

Kudos where kudos are due. It´s the beauty of what human beings can do.

[Watcher]

Aaron...

The Apple II pics are from V1?

Meghan (The codename)  is V1 or before V1?

What was V2? Did it go from V1 straight to V3?

[Watcher]

According to Jay's V7 mousepad, the company was also headquartered in a different location... Merrow Rd 344... 

 

Was it here? 

 

[Aaron Eberhard]

Hah, I thought you guys would get a kick out of that   I'll try to dig up some V3 pictures if I can find them.

 

I just went down to display by the lobby where there's a brief history.  Here's what's written with a few highlights (transcribed because it's easier than reading from a picture):

 

• 1983 - Meghan - Apple IIe  (It was named after Mark's daughter, who is now our President.  Sort of like the Apple Lisa)
• 1984 - Mastercam V1 - 10 Seats
• 1986 - V2 - DOS
• 1990 - V3 -
• 1992 - V4 - 10,000 Seats
• 1994 - V5
• 1996 - V6
• 1998 - V7
• 2000 - V8 - Start of Mastercam Certification
• 2002 - V9
• 2005 - X   - Windows  - 100,000 Seats
• 2006 - X2
• 2008 - X3 - Start of Mastercam for Solidworks
• 2009 - X4 - Dynamic Motion debut - 150,000 Seats
• 2010 - X5
• 2011 - X6
• 2013 - X7
• 2014 - X8
• 2015 - X9 - 200,000 Seats
• 2016 - 2017
• 2017 - 2018 - Coming soon.

[Aaron Eberhard]

According to Jay's V7 mousepad, the company was also headquartered in a different location... Merrow Rd 344... 

 

Was it here? 

 

 

That looks about right.  That happened in 1990.  There were 4 moves total, from Dad & Mom Summers' house to where we are now, all local.

[gcode]

 

Hah, I thought you guys would get a kick out of that   I'll try to dig up some V3 pictures if I can find them.

 

I just went down to display by the lobby where there's a brief history.  Here's what's written with a few highlights (transcribed because it's easier than reading from a picture):

 

• 1983 - Meghan - Apple IIe  (It was named after Mark's daughter, who is now our President.  Sort of like the Apple Lisa)
• 1984 - Mastercam V1 - 10 Seats
• 1986 - V2 - DOS
• 1990 - V3 -
• 1992 - V4 - 10,000 Seats
• 1994 - V5
• 1996 - V6
• 1998 - V7
• 2000 - V8 - Start of Mastercam Certification
• 2002 - V9
• 2005 - X   - Windows  - 100,000 Seats
• 2006 - X2
• 2008 - X3 - Start of Mastercam for Solidworks
• 2009 - X4 - Dynamic Motion debut - 150,000 Seats
• 2010 - X5
• 2011 - X6
• 2013 - X7
• 2014 - X8
• 2015 - X9 - 200,000 Seats
• 2016 - 2017
• 2017 - 2018 - Coming soon.

 

Thanks..

[Watcher]

Geez... If only 10% of their customers were on maintenance, and that's probably a very underestimated figure, it means 20K customers on maintenance.

 

There are companies out there that have 20 years in this market and 10K seats sold...

 

This brings me to my point: Sometimes we use these tools and forget the history behind them, the number of people they reach and some big figures involved in this business.

 

Thanks for all the posts and a special thank you for those who shared their experiences with Mastercam along all these years. And thanks to CNC for sharing this information with us.

[Jayson Kramer]

1983 - Meghan - Apple IIe  (It was named after Mark's daughter, who is now our President.  Sort of like the Apple Lisa)
    1984 - Mastercam V1 - 10 Seats
    1986 - V2 - DOS
    1990 - V3 -
    1992 - V4 - 10,000 Seats
    1994 - V5
    1996 - V6
    1998 - V7- First time out for the operations Manager-only 2d paths
    2000 - V8 - Start of Mastercam Certification
    2002 - V9- 9.1 first time option for WCS
    2005 - X   - Windows  - 100,000 Seats
    2006 - X2
    2008 - X3 - Start of Mastercam for Solidworks
    2009 - X4 - Dynamic Motion debut - 150,000 Seats
    2010 - X5
    2011 - X6
    2013 - X7
    2014 - X8- Change in the WCS and  graphics
    2015 - X9 - 200,000 Seats
    2016 - 2017
    2017 - 2018 - Coming soon.

[Jayson Kramer]

Some more oldies but just not to old.