Medic Datasystems Ltd

Medic Datasystems Limited were one of the earliest hardware manufacturers for the Sinclair QL, but alas also the first failure.

They promised some good expansions, including memory expansions and disk interfaces which were designed to look like an extension to the QL. However, due to problems with non-delivery, Trading Standards got involved and they ceased trading, leaving many early QL'ers out of pocket.

The range of promised hardware expansions included:

• MEDIC Systemcartridge - with 64K, 128K or 256K extra memory
• MEDIC Systemcartridge (the Medic Interface) - with disk interface and parallel port - 64K, 128K or 256K extra memory optional
• MEDIC Modem - connected through the Systemcartridge
• MEDIC Winchester Hard Disk (5MB in size).
• Mouse Interface (plugged into ROM port and allowed you to connect a Mouse and/or a numeric keypad)
• Professional QL Keybaord
• Joystick

As part of their way of saying sorry for the delays, they actually released some free software which could be obtained by writing to them. These games were all written by Janko Mrsic-Flögel and consisted of the following:

• M-Cosmic
• M-Crunch
• M-Treasure
• Metropolis

They also produced a graphics package which suggests that Medic were looking to release a mouse controlled desktop system for the QL in 1985.

• M-Paint (A graphics bitmap drawing program)

Their adverts refer to other software provided free with every MEDIC disk drive system, which appears to use the same interface, although we have not seen any examples of these programs which are currently MIA:

• M-Accounts (Fully integrated sales, purchase, nominal ledgers and stock control)
• M-Base (Program to turn Archive into a menu driven database with single-key commands)
• M-Boot (Sets up RAM disks and then automatically loads pre-defined programs and files to the RAM disks)
• M-Desk (A Macintosh-type single key user interface for instant program switching and utilities selection)
• M-Key (Single key entry of user defined text in any program)
• M-Merge (Mail-merge program)
• M-Spell (Spelling checker)
• M-Squeeze (File compression program)
• M-Transfer (Program to transfer microdrives to disk)

Some of their hardware did in fact make it to market but is now rare to find.