Collection Guide
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Title: Don Maslin CP/M collection
Identifier/Call Number: X6817.2013
Contributing Institution:
Computer History Museum
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
29.5 Linear feet,
19 record carts, 6 software boxes, and 1 periodical box
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1977-1984
Date (inclusive): 1973-1996
Abstract: The Don Maslin CP/M collection consists of software and published documentation ranging from 1973 to 1996, with the bulk being
from 1977 to 1984. About half of the collection consists of software in floppy disk and cassette formats. Most of this portion
of the collection pertains to CP/M and applications that were written for the CP/M operating system. The other half of the
collection contains text documentation such as reference manuals and user guides for a variety of software and hardware. A
significant portion of the text is related to hardware, some of which was donated with this collection and is cataloged separately.
Notable companies in this collection include Advanced Computer Design, Advanced Digital Corporation, Epson, Hewlett-Packard,
IBM, MicroPro, and Tektronix.
creator:
Maslin, Donald A., 1924-2004
Collection was surveyed by Rita Wang in 2016. Jack Doran, Sara Chabino Lott, Elena Colón-Marrero, and Pennington Ahlstrand
processed the collection in Spring 2020.
The collection is open for research.
The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Copyright restrictions may apply and
users are responsible for satisfying any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote,
or reproduce any portion of the Computer History Museum’s collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder
(if applicable) and the Computer History Museum as owner of the material.
[Identification of item], [Date], Don Maslin CP/M collection, Lot X6817.2013, Box [#], Computer History Museum.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Deborah Sharpe, 2013.
Donald Albert Maslin was born November 2, 1927 in Whitneyville, Connecticut. Son of Albert J. and Margaret L. Maslin, Don
was the younger brother of Robert and older brother of Margaret Anne. The family soon moved to Pennsylvania, where his first
job was working for the Pennsylvania Railroad during WWII, tamping gravel and carrying ties and sections of rail. He got his
driver’s license shortly after his 16th birthday, and then bought a 1931 Ford Model A California Coupe for $120. It was to
be just the first of 23 cars he would own.
Maslin graduated from high school in 1945 and enlisted in the Coast Guard. After completing his service, he went into pilot
training, where he got his license and bought a Fairchild PT-19 trainer. He attended the University of Michigan for two years
and then transferred for a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University. He moved to San Diego in 1954 to work
for CONVAIR in the Engineering Flight Test Department, where he worked on the F102 and F106. Additionally, he pioneered the
use of water ballast instead of sand bags for flight testing the CONVAIR 880 transport plane. In 1958, Maslin purchased a
Lotus-11 racing car and raced on the amateur circuit, where he met a woman named Winnie, and they married in 1959. Maslin
left CONVAIR in 1960.
He subsequently worked for Electro Instruments, where in close cooperation with Robert Mason & Associates, they achieved a
WESCON Award of Excellence in Industrial Engineering for the company's Model 300 X-Y Plotter. Later, he was employed by Cohu
Electronics and Dolphin Engineering, where he worked for Robert “Bud” Hull, who also had a race car. Maslin and Hull reportedly
did some stunt driving for the TV show “Route 66,” as well as Ronald Reagan’s last movie, “The Killers.”
In 1964 Maslin went to work for the Naval Support Center, Pacific, where he was the combat systems department head. The majority
of his naval service was spent in the Department of Defense.
After retiring, Maslin was heavily involved in the CP/M community in San Diego and was one of the main archivists of CP/M
floppy disk distributions. He was active in the comp.sys.cpm newsgroup and would make copies of the diskettes when people
needed them to get their vintage computers going. Maslin was admired in these niche communities, as is evidenced by testimonies
about his generosity: “the quiet, no-nonsense support he gave, doing something that desperately needed doing if these old
systems were going to be kept running, but with no fanfare, no business angle, no glory.” “Don helped a lot of people with
his services, and he had the respect of his peers.” “He will be missed by all who want to keep the efforts of… many pioneers
alive.”
Maslin frequently submitted letters to the editor of the local newspaper. His hobbies included travel, fine wines and cheese.
Don Maslin passed away August 28, 2004 in La Jolla, California.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Don Maslin CP/M collection consists of software and published documentation spanning from 1973 to 1996, with the bulk
being from 1977 to 1984. About half of the collection consists of software in floppy disk and cassette tape formats. Most
of the software in the collection pertains to CP/M and applications that were written for the CP/M operating system. The other
half of the collection contains text documentation such as reference manuals and user guides for various software and hardware.
A significant portion of the text is related to computer hardware, some of which was donated with this text and software collection,
but is cataloged separately.
Notable companies in this collection include: Advanced Computer Design, Advanced Digital Corporation, Epson, Hewlett-Packard,
IBM, MicroPro, and Tektronix.
Hardware was separated from the main collection. To view catalog records for separated material, search the CHM catalog at
http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The collection contains media that has not been read by CHM staff. Contact the CHM archives staff for more information.
The collection is arranged into 2 series:
Series 1, Manuals, product descriptions, and newsletters, 1973-1994
Series 2, Software, 1978-1996
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Abrams Creative Services
Advanced Computer Design
Advanced Digital Corporation
C. Itoh & Company (America)
Computer hardware
CP/M
Digital Research (Firm)
Epson (Firm)
Hewlett-Packard Company
International Business Machines Corporation
Intertec Data Systems Corporation
MicroPro International Corporation
Osborne Computer Corporation
Shugart Associates
Tektronix, Inc