VDelta - History

VDelta History
The history of the VDelta language begins with work started in 1965 under a National Science Foundation grant of $28,000,000 to the University of Illinois Computer-Based Education Research Laboratory (CERL). This project resulted in the first commonly accepted “proof of concept” of the practicality of computer-based training (CBT). The resulting PLATO system was marketed world-wide by Control Data Corporation and played a major role in bringing CBT to the commercial marketplace.

In 1978, shortly after the introduction of the first viable consumer microcomputer (the Apple II), early studies showed that most, if not all, mainframe CBT could be transferred to microcomputers at a substantial reduction in cost. To advance these ideas, work was started¹ on TenCORE by the founders of Computer Teaching Corporation (CTC), focusing specifically on CBT software development tools for the emerging generic PC marketplace.

VDelta and the Internet
Early in the development of TenCORE in 1979 its designers recognized the limitations of the microcomputer, specifically those relating to the open-ended nature of computer-based training lessons. Concepts were incorporated into the basic structure of TenCORE to provide not only for open-ended lessons, but also to compensate for the very low data rate as content was read from the slow disk drives of the time. This approach, along with the other concepts taken from PLATO, evolved into a very different programming paradigm for TenCORE than that used for all other microcomputer software.

In August 1996 Catharon realized the potential of TenCORE to address the need for Internet applications to be open-ended and to deliver rapidly despite Internet bandwidth limitations (the identical problems faced back in 1979). Catharon contracted with Computer Teaching Corporation to modify portions of TenCORE so that a program’s modules could be fetched from Catharon’s Internet servers instead of from a microcomputer’s disk drive. Since that proof of concept work, Catharon has completely rewritten all the elements of VDelta.

New Technology Patents
During the fall of 1996 field tests were conducted to test the Internet delivery of existing applications² written in TenCORE. These and other special tests conducted by Catharon resulted in the development of a specialized technology for VDelta delivery and support. Catharon has been awarded a patent³ covering 11 different aspects and 36 claims in the Use of a Modularized Programming Language. In addition to this patent, Catharon has applied for a second patent (Computer Multi-Tasking Via Virtual Threading) on new applications of multi-threading technology and modular Internet systems. The features of the patents will be increasingly attractive as more applications are hosted on the Internet.

These patents will effectively preclude competitors from introducing software products and services that make unlicensed use of these proprietary techniques.

¹ It is interesting to note that in 1979 when IBM was looking to acquire an operating system for their new PC, work had already started on TenCORE. IBM approached Microsoft who introduced them to Gary Kildall’s company Digital Research, Inc. IBM met with a cool reception when they approached DRI for a CP/M license. DRI refused to sign the IBM non-disclosure agreement and refused to make any modifications to CP/M-86 and insisted on a higher royalty than what IBM proposed. Bill Gates, who had been negotiating a BASIC license with IBM, seized the opportunity and offered to provide a DOS/BASIC package to IBM on favorable terms. Gates licensed what he then thought was the only other operating system for the Intel 8088 microprocessor; SCP-DOS (for $50,000) and hired Tim Paterson to modify it to run on the IBM PC. While all this was going on, the founders of Computer Teaching Corporation had written their own operating system for the 8088 microprocessor as part of the initial development of TenCORE. Had IBM been aware of their work, the microcomputer industry might be very different today.

²The complete training curriculum of Merrill Lynch is currently being delivered via TenCORE. This library of courseware was originally written in PLATO and converted to TenCORE in the early 1980s. Since then the only changes made to the software have been minor content updates and some cosmetic revisions to the look and feel of the interface. No change was made to the TenCORE lesson files to facilitate Internet delivery.

³U.S. Patent Number 6,065,046