Tulip Computers NV was a Dutch computer manufacturer that manufactured PC clones.

History

It was founded in 1979 as ''Compudata'', as an importer of American microcomputers. Compudata was the distributor for Europe for the

Exidy Sorcerer The Sorcerer is a home computer system released in 1978 by the video game company Exidy. Based on the Zilog Z80 and the general layout of the emerging S-100 standard, the Sorcerer was comparatively advanced when released, especially when compar ...

, a

Zilog Z80 The Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor introduced by Zilog as the startup company's first product. The Z80 was conceived by Federico Faggin in late 1974 and developed by him and his 11 employees starting in early 1975. The first working samples were ...

based home computer. When Exidy gave up on the Sorcerer in 1979, Compudata licensed the design and manufactured them locally for several years. In 1983 it launched its own PC, the Tulip PC. To achieve 100% compatibility it simply copied the IBM PC, including the BIOS. IBM sued, and after years of litigation, Tulip and IBM settled out of court for an undisclosed amount in 1989. It was listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1984. In 1987, Compudata changed its name to Tulip Computers. Tulip made headlines among

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

computer enthusiasts when it acquired the Commodore brand name in September 1997, and made headlines again in 2003 and 2004, when it tried to grab a share of the games and entertainment markets with Commodore branded products. In 2000, the Government of Bangladesh cancelled a contract, funded by the Dutch government, with Tulip Computers to supply computers. The Bangladesh government reported the price for the computers were too high. Tulip computers sued the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Co ...

in a court in The Hague and secured a verdict that awarded Tulip computer compensation. After supposedly making some headway in the market, it sold the Commodore name to Yeahronimo Media Ventures for €22 million. Negotiations began in the end of 2004; the transaction was completed in March 2005. On 27 September 2007, Tulip announced it wanted to buy back the Commodore brand for one dollar per share. Tulip thought it could make more profit by buying it again, due to the new activities of Commodore on other markets. Tulip sponsored Crystal Palace Football Club between 1991 and 1993 and eponymous professional cycling teams based in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(1989–1990) and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

(1990–1992), Tulip Computers. On 26 June 2008, Tulip changed its name to Nedfield NV. Nedfield faced serious problems due to the

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...

, and filed for suspension of payment after several of its subsidiaries went bankrupt. Nedfield NV itself was pronounced bankrupt by the district court of

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

on 3 September 2009.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Nedfield.nl on Archive.org
Home computer hardware companies Defunct computer hardware companies Defunct companies of the Netherlands Dutch companies established in 1979 Dutch companies disestablished in 2009 Computer companies established in 1979 Computer companies disestablished in 2009 Companies based in Utrecht (province) Amersfoort

History

See also

References

External links