IBM Displaywriter System

The IBM Displaywriter System 6580 was a dedicated microcomputer-based word processing machine that IBM's Office Products Division introduced in 1980. The system consisted of a central processing unit in a desktop cabinet (similar to that of the IBM PC), a monochrome CRT monitor atop the CPU, a detached keyboard, a detached dual disk drive that used 8-inch floppy disks, and a detached daisy wheel printer. The system booted from an 8-inch floppy disk that stored IBM's internally developed word processing software. The operator stored the "documents" (i.e., data files) on additional diskettes.

The Displaywriter's features were comparable to other dedicated word processing machines of its era. The features included mail-merge, with fields designated as a01, a02, a03, etc. Elementary arithmetic could be applied to the fields.

The basic IBM Displaywriter was a standalone system. An optional central storage and management unit was available, which permitted multiple Displaywriters to share storage and a printer.

UCSD p-System operating system was available for the DisplayWriter System but was not its regular Operating System.

Connections to other IBM systems have been avialable:

• IBM 3278 emulation program to attach to IBM 3274/3276 controllers, IBM 4321/4331, or IBM 4701.
• IBM 3277 emulation program to attach to IBM 3271, 3272 or 3274 controllers.
• Connection to IBM 8100 systems which use DPCX/DOSF.