MAI Basic Four (sometimes written as BasicFour or Basic 4) refers to a variety of
Business BasicBusiness Basic is the name given collectively to the variants of BASIC which were specialised for business use on mini-computers in the 1970s. Business Basics added indexed file access methods to the normal set of BASIC commands, and were optimised for other input/output access.The two major...
, the computers that ran it, and the company that sold them (its name given variously as MAI Basic Four Inc., MAI Basic Four Information Systems, and MAI Systems Corporation).
MAI Basic Four Business Basic was one of the first commercially available business BASIC interpreters. MAI Basic Four (the company) originally sold
minicomputerA minicomputer is a class of multi-user computers that lies in the middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the largest multi-user systems and the smallest single-user systems...
s but later offered
microcomputerA microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. Another general characteristic of these computers is that they occupy physically small amounts of space when compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
s.
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MAI Basic Four (sometimes written as BasicFour or Basic 4) refers to a variety of
Business BasicBusiness Basic is the name given collectively to the variants of BASIC which were specialised for business use on mini-computers in the 1970s. Business Basics added indexed file access methods to the normal set of BASIC commands, and were optimised for other input/output access.The two major...
, the computers that ran it, and the company that sold them (its name given variously as MAI Basic Four Inc., MAI Basic Four Information Systems, and MAI Systems Corporation).
MAI Basic Four Business Basic was one of the first commercially available business BASIC interpreters. MAI Basic Four (the company) originally sold
minicomputerA minicomputer is a class of multi-user computers that lies in the middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the largest multi-user systems and the smallest single-user systems...
s but later offered
microcomputerA microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. Another general characteristic of these computers is that they occupy physically small amounts of space when compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
s. The computers ran a proprietary operating system, with the BASIC interpreter integrated.
In 1988, Wall Street financier
Bennett S. LeBowBennett S. LeBow is a financier and corporate raider. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Vector Group, a holding company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.- Education and career :...
, who had acquired a
controlling interestControlling interest in a corporation means to have control of a large enough block of voting stock shares in a company such that no one stock holder or coalition of stock holders can successfully oppose a motion...
in the company, used it as a platform for an unsuccessful attempted hostile takeover of much larger
Prime ComputerPrime Computer was a Natick, Massachusetts-based producer of minicomputers from 1972 until 1992. The alternative spellings "PR1ME" and "PR1ME Computer" were used as brand names or logos by the company.-Founders:...
.
The Basic4 system was utilized by many small banks and credit unions. It was only when the system "ran out of dates," due to a design flaw in the operating system, that the company died.
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