DR-one | BS Microcomp, BIS, ACT, MKI

DR-one (Dealing Room Online Networking Environment) was an integrated real-time foreign exchange/money market dealing room solution from BS Microcomp (through BIS, ACT, MKI, Midas-Kapiti and Misys). It linked applications from diverse technical platforms and market information services, both digital and video, in a single, menu-driven, windowed, multi-screen workstation.

Offices included 490 Bourke St, 576 Lonsdale St, 116 Hardware St Melbourne and 5 rue du Curé, Luxembourg.

DR-one operated under MS/PC-DOS, OS/2 and Windows and ran on the IBM PC and the IBM PS/2 over token-ring network and TCP/IP, using multiple windowed display screens to provide easy, real-time access to a variety of service and applications. Working on a multi-window, multi-screen, windowed-video application in 1988 was amazing. We got some attention.

Favourite sayings from those days include "look at that!" and "it's just like a bought one", the latter being a high form of praise.

DR-one transferred from Melbourne to Luxembourg in 1992 with the plan to train local employees in the product and leave after one year. We had a big sale or two, a number of long lunches and stayed there longer than anticipated.

With various company takeovers we integrated DR‑one with Citydesk and later Market Watch.

The Sky News article on 01 January 2016 about release of 1990-1991 cabinet papers used footage from the Westpac Sydney dealing room with DR-one on view. Only visible for seconds the moment I saw the clip I recognised the dealing room and DR-one. Sky News WBC DR-one .avi download.

The DR-one Trader Pad pictured below - that's the one in which I updated the 8085 assembly that on power-up doesn't 'beep' but plays the opening bars from 'Star Wars'.

I spent 10 years on this project before it was retired, it led me to Luxembourg where I lived 10 years - this page and some fond memories are about all that is left.

If you were involved, have something to add or just want to say hi please feel free to contact me.

Modules

DR-one was comprised of multiple modules, it's been a while, I expect I'm missing some or applying incorrect names:

• AIL - Application Interface Library - APIs
• BBS - BlackBoard Server - free-form text and combined feeds from other servers
• CWS - Communications WorkStation - DOS workstation
• DCMS - Dual Console Management System - multi-screen, text-based windowing library
• EMS - Environment Management Station - DOS & OS/2 system management station
• FTS - Fault Tolerant Server - detects dead server and restarts as that server
• RDE - Reuters Distribution Engine - OS/2 server, in conjunction with RQS serves Reuters quote info
• RPR - Reuters Page Router - routing RPS requests through multiple instances of RPS
• RPS - Reuters Page Server - DOS & OS/2 Reuters page server
• RQS - Reuters Quote Server - OS/2 server, in conjunction with RDE serves Reuters quote info
• TPS - Telerate Page Server - DOS & OS/2 Telerate page server
• VIS - Video Integration Server - DOS & OS/2 video, mouse & keyboard switching
• TWS - Trading WorkStation - OS/2 PM workstation

PDRs - Product Defect Reports

Favourite PDR resolution

"For [redacted] drop pages add 1 to the width as THAT STUPID [REDACTED] MOB deliver a headliner of 81 charcters long. I'm too fucking lazy and pissed off to make major changes to the driver to fix this problem this is nice and easy.".