An exhibit at York University tells the story of the groundbreaking MCM/70.

By Yuwai Brian Wong | Photo taken by Yuwai Brian Wong

On October 4, 2023, recently retired computer science professor, Zbigniew Stachniak, examines a curious-looking black leather attaché case at the York University Computer Museum (YUCoM), where he is curator. The attaché is visibly aged, with minor scuffs on its exterior, and is missing a latch. Inside the attaché, on the bottom compartment, sits a keyboard, a one-line 32-character screen, and a cassette drive — all meticulously engineered into a metal case; it looks like a computer gadget out of an early James Bond film. 

Stachniak takes out a new homemade latch from his pocket and attaches it. The machine is sitting on his desk and the desk is covered in promotional pamphlets for an upcoming exhibit: The MCM/70@50. One of the pamphlets is open to a 1973 black-and-white photograph of a man sitting outside with that same attaché on his lap. The attaché is a prototype of the world’s first personal computer (PC) — and arguably the first laptop — the MCM/70. Canadians at Micro Computer Machines (MCM) built the first PC, and it would have been forgotten without Stachniak. 

The success of Apple, IBM, and a myriad of other home and personal computer manufacturers dwarfed MCM’s bold first step, covering the MCM/70’s story in dust for almost three decades. Many historical institutions consider other computers like the American Kenbak-1 (1971) or the French Micral N (1973) as the world’s first PC. Stachniak would challenge this in 2003 with his article “The Making of the MCM/70 Microcomputer,” published in the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, in which he declared the MCM/70 as the first of its kind.

Stachniak argues that the MCM/70 was unlike any computer that came before it. For him, the Kenbak-1 was merely an educational toy due to its limited hardware configuration, while the French Micral N was a special purpose computer not intended for personal use. Stachniak considers neither of these computers as the first PC even though they were released before the MCM/70. He says the MCM/70 is the first PC because it was a versatile, all-in-one package built around the first microprocessor (Intel’s 8008) and was specifically designed for personal use. 

Stachniak’s work led to an influx of attention from a variety of Canadian publications, such as the Toronto Star, The Hamilton Spectator, and The Globe and Mail, which hailed Mers Kutt — MCM’s first CEO and the inventor of the MCM/70 — “father of the PC.”

“[Stachniak] has made it his calling to tell our story,” says José Laraya, an 80-year-old retired engineer and one of MCM’s first employees. Stachniak’s newest exhibit, The MCM/70@50, pays tribute to MCM for its contributions to personal computing and commemorate the first PC — the MCM/70 — unveiled in Canada 50 years ago. 

The story of MCM begins with Mers Kutt, a brilliant mathematician and computer scientist. In 1969, Kutt helped found the Department of Computer and Information Science at Queen’s University with Beatrice Worsley — the first female computer scientist in Canada. At Queen’s, Kutt was director of the computing centre and one of the youngest full professors in Canada, at age 32. Kutt’s charisma and inventive drive attracted Gordon Ramer and José Laraya, who were also interested in pushing the boundaries of current computer technology. 

Kutt met Ramer while Ramer was visiting Queen’s for a lecture. At the time, Ramer was the assistant director of York University’s computing centre. Ramer was the first software engineer in Canada to successfully develop and implement a dialect of APL (A Programming Language) named York APL. APL was unlike traditional programming languages in its use of non-standard characters that made it look like mathematical notation. This special syntax made for concise code and a dedicated cult following. Overall, APL has had an important influence on the development of concept modeling, spreadsheets, functional programming, and computer math packages.

“The simplicity of the APL language allowed users to learn it quickly and easily,” says Stachniak. “Making such a novel language available to the first microcomputers was, perhaps, Ramer’s biggest contribution to personal computing.” 

Laraya was working as the computer hardware engineer for Queen’s computing centre when he met Kutt. Originally from the Philippines, Laraya studied engineering at the University of Tokyo. After his ground-breaking post-graduate research on transistor technology, Laraya would end up immigrating to Canada in 1967.

The Canadian computing landscape in the 1960s and 1970s consisted exclusively of large and expensive mainframe computers and smaller, but also expensive, minicomputers. By 1971, there were only 3,548 computers in Canada — according to the 1973 Canadian Computer Census. Most were inaccessible to the public and certainly not for personal use. Then, in late 1971, Kutt, Ramer and Laraya set off to change this with the first PC — an inexpensive, small, digital, general-purpose computer, owned and operated by individuals. 

The MCM/70 prototype work began in Laraya’s basement just outside of Kingston, Ontario. The small team at MCM grew to about 10 people who worked tirelessly with the latest — albeit primitive — technology of the 1970s, in hopes of building Kutt’s dream PC. 

“The trend in the computer field toward usage of more small computers and a limited number of large computers, could result in the MCM/70 in a few years becoming as familiar as calculators are today,” Kutt said in 1973.

On September 25, 1973, the MCM/70 was unveiled to Canadian press in Toronto at the Royal York Hotel.  This launched the age of personal computing. The MCM/70, although slow, was powerful enough to run simulations for the Pickering nuclear power plant. 

The original MCM/70 did not sell in the thousands. Its cleaned-up version, the MCM/700, sold well in 1975 and created a fair-sized market niche for personal APL computers, especially within the education, insurance, and actuarial markets. The computer could be purchased for $4,700 – $9,800, depending on the hardware configuration, equivalent to $30,000 – $60,000 today. After MCM’s short sprint in the mid 1970s, the company swiftly dissolved by 1985 due to internal turmoil. 

On November 14, 2023, Stachniak unveiled the MCM/70@50 exhibit at the Steacie Science and Engineering Library on York University’s Keele campus. The exhibit is free and open to the public indefinitely. It features six glass display cases, approximately seven feet tall, housing a complete line of MCM computers, from their first MCM/70 prototype to their last computer — the MCM Power. Behind these artifacts are large pictures: the unveiling of the MCM/70 in Toronto, MCM employee Ted Edwards with the MCM/70 Executive Model, and Laraya reunited with the MCM/70 prototype decades later.

About half of the former MCM employees were in attendance. Notably absent was Kutt and all attempts to reach him were unanswered. Ramer and Laraya attended. Laraya brought his family and was able to share his accomplishments with his grandchildren. Some MCM employees had passed away and did not get to see their contributions acknowledged by the world, but their legacy will remain on display indefinitely at York University. Ferdows Laraya, Jose’s son, attended the event and was very pleased to see the exhibit.

“I was very proud to see my father’s achievements being recognized. I feel like a lot of people don’t know that the first PC was made in Canada. Now there’s an exhibit I can point to and show people,” he said. 

He also felt that the MCM team finally got the credit they deserve. Canadians in the history of computing are often overshadowed by their American counterparts. Yet, many Canadians were first in technological paradigm shifts like the PC, communications technology, and cryptography. But much of Canada’s computer history remains understudied; it is an uphill battle to preserve its stories for future generations. That is why it is important that Canadians engage with and support historical institutions like YUCoM so that their history is never forgotten.

Brian is a Freelance Writer and can be reached at Y.brianwong@gmail.com