Ontel Reminiscences - James Bishop

James Bishop worked for Monotype in the UK, supporting Ontel word processors.   Here are some of his reminiscences, related to me in December 2011:

I worked for Monotype in the UK from 77 to late 78 supporting the Ontel Word Processing kit that Monotype marketed in the UK. I also was involved in the development of a version for the Swedish market and modified a printer interface card to drive a twin wheel daisy printer (first demo in the UK at the Wembley Word Processing Show but Ontel shipped a single wheel card).

I visited the Long Island works in Feb/Mar 1978 and ended up snowed into the motel for 4 days, worked 18 hours on the Thursday and flew out on the Friday.

A rider to the visit to Long Island was a very early fry-up in a bap* and a very late Chateaubriand, shared with an English guy who worked for Ontel, at a wonderful steak house (the sides of beef were hung in the windows) after the long Thursday.

* (A bap is usually a large soft bread roll. The Ontel ones were massive, big enough for a full monty fry-up including the baked beans.)

James Bishop  December 2011

Back to Ontel frameset