I'm posting this in Leo's section of the website for NABU history - because I don't have my own section Or enough information to need my own section hehe. Anyway, as I'm preparing to scan every newspaper article published about NABU from my fathers collection, I was talking to my Uncle John. My uncle John Bobak was very close friends with John Kelly when they started NABU. My uncle wrote me this to share with you all...
It brings to mind of sitting in the car in 1981 with John Kelly sharing my ideas on the future of micro computers. This followed by spending a weekend creating the concept of a Nabu network at Mont Ste. Marie, integrating Computer Innovations into the mix and bringing on Mobius Software led by a good friend whom I knew from my IBM days to integrate software applications into the network. We came back down the mountain with a viable concept. And bringing DJ's father, who probably had a difficult decision to make to leave Thunder Bay into the fold and becoming a vital component into NABU's development.
All the pieces were in place to development something that was never done or conceived of. Except for one thing and that was the constant question by prospective buyers "What do I need a computer for?" The other obstacle was a universal platform from which to operate. IBM was just getting into the game just behind Apple but it was difficult to predict which OS would predominate so we had to develop our own PC to circumvent that issue. Results would have been different if there was a predominant player in the PC area which would have put financial resources into software and market development.
I can't remember if our (Computer Innovations) relationship with Apple was before or after Nabu. We had negotiated an agreement with Apple to represent them in Canada with a 49% ownership in Apple Canada. I did their business and marketing plan for Canada using what I thought was a revolutionary software called Visicalc which Apple was considering to purchase - as the first user in Canada. The agreement went south when the government of Canada intervened to promote their version of a two way computer communication using telephone wires at a lofty speed of 15 bytes per second.
Or enough information to need my own section hehe. Anyway, as I'm preparing to scan every newspaper article published about NABU from my fathers collection, I was talking to my Uncle John. My uncle John Bobak was very close friends with John Kelly when they started NABU. My uncle wrote me this to share with you all...