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The Texas Instruments Explorer is a family of Lisp machine computers. These computers were sold by Texas Instruments (TI) in the 1980s. The Explorer is based on a design from Lisp Machines Incorporated, which is based on the MIT Lisp machine. The Explorer was used to develop and deploy artificial intelligence software.

Notable is also the early use of the NuBus as the system bus for the Explorer computer family.

History

The Explorer was used to develop and deploy artificial intelligence software. Later models were based on a special 32-bit microprocessor^[1] developed by TI, which hardware had enhanced support for executing Lisp software.

Operating system

The operating system of the Explorer was written in Lisp Machine Lisp and also supported Common Lisp.^[2]

Use

A notable application is SPIKE,^[3] the scheduling system for the Hubble Space Telescope. SPIKE was developed on Texas Instruments Explorer workstations.

Models

Explorer^[4]
Explorer II, based on the Lisp microprocessor
Explorer LX, which combines the Explorer with a co-processor running a version of Unix (TI System V)
MicroExplorer, a NuBus board for the Apple Macintosh based on the Lisp microprocessor

References

^ Bosshart, Patrick; Hewes, C.; Chang, Mi-Chang; Chau, Kwok-Kit; Hoac, C.; Houston, T.; Kalyan, V.; Lusky, S.; Mahant-Shetti, S.; Matzke, D.; Ruparel, K.; Shaw, Ching-Hao; Sridhar, T.; Stark, D. (February 1987). "A 553K-Transistor LISP Processor Chip". IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits. New York, New York, United States: 202–203. doi:10.1109/ISSCC.1987.1157084. S2CID 195841103. Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers vol sc-22 issue nr 5
^ "The Explorer System Software Manuals: Lisp Reference" (PDF). 1985.
^ SPIKE (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-27, Artificial Intelligence Scheduling for the Hubble Space Telescope, Mark Johnston, Glenn Miller, Jeff Sponsler, Shon Vick, Robert Jackson, Space Telescope Institute
^ "Official TI Explorer Computer System Brochure". Classic Computer Brochures. 22 September 2014.

Publications

Software innovations for the Texas Instruments Explorer computer, Tennant, H.R.; Bate, R.R.; Corey, S.M.; Davis, L.; Kline, P.; Oren, L.G.; Rajinikanth, M.; Saenz, R.; Stenger, D.; Thompson, C.W., Proceedings of the IEEE Volume 73, Issue 12, Dec. 1985 Page(s): 1771 - 1790
Artificial intelligence hardware architectures for the Space Station era: The Texas Instruments Explorer and Compact LISP Machine, Krueger, S. ; Manuel, G. ; Matthews, G. ; Ott, G. ; Watkins, C., Opt. Eng. ; Vol/Issue: 25:11
Dussud, P. H. 1988. Lisp hardware architecture: the Explorer II and beyond. SIGPLAN Lisp Pointers 1, 6 (Apr. 1988), 13–18. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1317224.1317226
P.H. Dussud, TICLOS: An implementation of CLOS for the Explorer Family, In Proc. OOPSLA'89, International Conference on Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages and Applications, 1989, pp. 215–219.
Zeitgeist: Database Support for Object-Oriented Programming (1988), by S Ford, J Joseph, D Langworthy, D Lively, G Pathak, E Perez, R. Peterson, D. Sparacin, S. Thatte, D. Wells, S. Agarwal, In Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Object-Oriented Database Systems (Zeitgeist was an OODBMS developed by Texas Instruments for the Explorer)

External links

[TIchip-1] Bosshart, Patrick; Hewes, C.; Chang, Mi-Chang; Chau, Kwok-Kit; Hoac, C.; Houston, T.; Kalyan, V.; Lusky, S.; Mahant-Shetti, S.; Matzke, D.; Ruparel, K.; Shaw, Ching-Hao; Sridhar, T.; Stark, D. (February 1987). "A 553K-Transistor LISP Processor Chip". IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits. New York, New York, United States: 202–203. doi:10.1109/ISSCC.1987.1157084. S2CID 195841103. Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers vol sc-22 issue nr 5

[Common_Lisp-2] "The Explorer System Software Manuals: Lisp Reference" (PDF). 1985.

[3] SPIKE (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-27, Artificial Intelligence Scheduling for the Hubble Space Telescope, Mark Johnston, Glenn Miller, Jeff Sponsler, Shon Vick, Robert Jackson, Space Telescope Institute

[4] "Official TI Explorer Computer System Brochure". Classic Computer Brochures. 22 September 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{citation style|date=June 2012}}
-The [[Texas Instruments]] Explorer is a family of [[Lisp Machine]] computers. These computers were sold by Texas Instruments in the 1980s. The Explorer is based on a design from [[Lisp Machines|Lisp Machines Incorporated]], which is based on the [[Lisp Machine|MIT Lisp Machine]].
+The '''Texas Instruments Explorer''' is a family of [[Lisp machine]] computers. These computers were sold by [[Texas Instruments]] (TI) in the 1980s. The Explorer is based on a design from [[Lisp Machines]] Incorporated, which is based on the MIT [[Lisp machine]]. The Explorer was used to develop and deploy [[artificial intelligence]] software.
+Notable is also the early use of the [[NuBus]] as the [[system bus]] for the Explorer computer family.
-The Explorer was used for development and deployment of [[Artificial intelligence|artificial-intelligence]] software. Later models were based on a special 32-bit microprocessor <ref name="MegaChip">Patrick Bosshart "A 553K-Transistor LISP Processor Chip", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, VOL sc-22, nr 5, October 1987</ref> developed by Texas Instruments, which supported the execution of [[Lisp (programming language)|Lisp]] software in hardware. The operating system of the Explorer was written in [[Lisp Machine Lisp]] and supported also [[Common Lisp]].
+==History==
-Notable is also the early use of the [[Nubus]] as the system bus for the Explorer computer family.
+The Explorer was used to develop and deploy [[artificial intelligence]] software. Later models were based on a special [[32-bit computing|32-bit]] [[microprocessor]]<ref name="TIchip">{{Cite journal |last1=Bosshart |first1=Patrick |last2=Hewes |first2=C. |last3=Chang |first3=Mi-Chang |last4=Chau |first4=Kwok-Kit |last5=Hoac |first5=C. |last6=Houston |first6=T. |last7=Kalyan |first7=V. |last8=Lusky |first8=S. |last9=Mahant-Shetti |first9=S. |last10=Matzke |first10=D. |last11=Ruparel |first11=K. |last12=Shaw |first12=Ching-Hao |last13=Sridhar |first13=T. |last14=Stark |first14=D. |title=A 553K-Transistor LISP Processor Chip |journal=IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits |date=February 1987 |location=New York, New York, United States |pages=202–203 |doi=10.1109/ISSCC.1987.1157084|s2cid=195841103 }} Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers vol sc-22 issue nr 5</ref> developed by TI, which hardware had enhanced support for executing [[Lisp (programming language)|Lisp]] software.
+==Operating system==
-Several models were available:
+The operating system of the Explorer was written in [[Lisp Machine Lisp]] and also supported [[Common Lisp]].<ref name="Common Lisp">{{Cite web |url=http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ti/explorer/2243201-0001_LispRef.pdf |title=The Explorer System Software Manuals: Lisp Reference |date=1985}}</ref>
+==Use==
-* the Explorer
+A notable application is SPIKE,<ref>{{citation |title=SPIKE|url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900017961.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227202228/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900017961.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-27 |url-status=dead}}, Artificial Intelligence Scheduling for the [[Hubble Space Telescope]], Mark Johnston, Glenn Miller, Jeff Sponsler, Shon Vick, Robert Jackson, Space Telescope Institute</ref> the scheduling system for the [[Hubble Space Telescope]]. SPIKE was developed on Texas Instruments Explorer workstations.
-* the Explorer II, based on the Lisp microprocessor
-* the Explorer  LX, which combines the Explorer with a co-processor running a version of [[UNIX]] (TI System V)
-* the [[MicroExplorer]], a [[Nubus]] board for the [[Apple Macintosh]] based on the Lisp microprocessor
+==Models==
-A notable application is [http://www.stsci.edu/resources/software_hardware/spike/ SPIKE] <ref name="SPIKE">[http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900017961_1990017961.pdf SPIKE], Artificial Intelligence Scheduling for the Hubble Space Telescope, Mark Johnston, Glenn Miller, Jeff Sponsler, Shon Vick, Robert Jackson, Space Telescope Institute</ref> , the scheduling system for the Hubble Space Telescope. SPIKE was developed on Texas Instruments Explorer workstations.
+* Explorer<ref>{{cite news|title=Official TI Explorer Computer System Brochure|url=http://classic.technology/texas-instruments-explorer-computer-system/|newspaper=Classic Computer Brochures|date=22 September 2014}}</ref>
+* Explorer II, based on the Lisp microprocessor
+* Explorer LX, which combines the Explorer with a co-processor running a version of [[Unix]] (TI System V)
+* [[MicroExplorer]], a [[NuBus]] board for the [[Apple Macintosh]] based on the Lisp microprocessor
 ==References==
+{{Reflist}}
-<references/>
 ==Publications==
 * Software innovations for the Texas Instruments Explorer computer, Tennant, H.R.; Bate, R.R.; Corey, S.M.; Davis, L.; Kline, P.; Oren, L.G.; Rajinikanth, M.; Saenz, R.; Stenger, D.; Thompson, C.W., Proceedings of the IEEE Volume 73, Issue 12, Dec. 1985 Page(s): 1771 - 1790
 * Artificial intelligence hardware architectures for the Space Station era: The Texas Instruments Explorer and Compact LISP Machine, Krueger, S. ; Manuel, G. ; Matthews, G. ; Ott, G. ; Watkins, C., Opt. Eng. ; Vol/Issue: 25:11
-* Dussud, P. H. 1988. Lisp hardware architecture: the Explorer II and beyond. SIGPLAN Lisp Pointers 1, 6 (Apr. 1988), 13-18.  http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1317224.1317226
+* Dussud, P. H. 1988. Lisp hardware architecture: the Explorer II and beyond. SIGPLAN Lisp Pointers 1, 6 (Apr. 1988), 13–18. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1317224.1317226
-* P.H. Dussud, TICLOS: An implementation of CLOS for the Explorer Family, In Proc. OOPSLA'89, International Conference on Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages and Applications, 1989, pp. 215-219.
+* P.H. Dussud, TICLOS: An implementation of CLOS for the Explorer Family, In Proc. OOPSLA'89, International Conference on Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages and Applications, 1989, pp. 215–219.
-* Zeitgeist: Database Support for ObjectOriented Programming (1988), by S Ford, J Joseph, D Langworthy, D Lively, G Pathak, E Perez, R Peterson, D Sparacin, S Thatte, D Wells, S Agarwal, In Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Object-Oriented Database Systems (Zeitgeist was a OODBMS developed by Texas Instruments for the Explorer)
+* Zeitgeist: Database Support for Object-Oriented Programming (1988), by S Ford, J Joseph, D Langworthy, D Lively, G Pathak, E Perez, R. Peterson, D. Sparacin, S. Thatte, D. Wells, S. Agarwal, In Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Object-Oriented Database Systems (Zeitgeist was an OODBMS developed by Texas Instruments for the Explorer)
 ==External links==
@@ Line 28: / Line 33: @@
 * [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ti/explorer/ TI Explorer documentation]
 * [http://www.ti.com/corp/docs/company/history/watson.htm Texas Instruments history, In search for a market]
-* [http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/ai-repository/ai/lang/lisp/code/impdep/explorer/0.html TI Explorer Lisp Code]
+* [https://archive.org/details/ti-explorer TI Explorer Lisp Machine Source Code (1991)]
+* [https://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/ai-repository/ai/lang/lisp/code/impdep/explorer/0.html TI Explorer Lisp Code: The Stanford Knowledge Systems Lab's set of Explorer patches and tools.]
-* [http://www.unlambda.com/lisp/index.page Emulators]
+* [http://www.unlambda.com/lispm/index.html Emulators]
-[[Category:Lisp programming language]]
+{{Lisp programming language}}
-[[Category:Computer workstations]]
-[[Category:Minicomputers]]
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Ti Explorer}}
-{{mini-compu-stub}}
+[[Category:Lisp (programming language)]]
+[[Category:Computer workstations]]
+[[Category:Texas Instruments computers|Explorer]]