By Hervé Le Bouler.
Let's take a break between two technical articles to talk a little about the stories, the slices of life of the players from this extraordinary era working in the creative and fertile companies that built the IT revolution in France. R2E is a case in point.
The creation of R2E
R2E stands for Réalisations et Etudes Electroniques.
In 1970, in the field of electronics and mini-computers in France, Intertechnique was a large company with solid experience in the aeronautical, nuclear, medical and industrial sectors. All our customers' systems have to be automated, digitised and miniaturised. But IT is still in its infancy, and the machines are still very specifically built for each project.
Two people in the company, André Truong Thi and François Gernelle, had a slightly different vision of the nascent computer industry and pushed the idea of making small computers, cheaper to produce, based on innovative electronic components such as microprocessors, with a very open architecture, making them much more versatile in use than Intertechnique's mini-systems.
But they will not be listened to, as Intertechnique is satisfied with the large industrial market requiring large quantities of calculations, which mini-systems provide.
André Truong Thi decided to create R2E with Paul Magneron (sales director of Intertechnique) in 1970. François Gernelle joined them in 1971.
Initially focusing on electronics projects, a request from INRA in 1972, coinciding with the release of Intel's 8008 processor, gave François Gernelle the opportunity to design a new concept in multi-purpose computers. Surrounded by a small group of highly talented engineers, he came up with the Micral N and a whole range of computers that would benefit from the latest microprocessors.
Bernard Francina, François Gernelle, Jean-Claude Beckmann and Michel Joubert in September 1977 in front of a Micral C, successor to the Micral N.
And as we can see, beyond the technologies created, the products sold and the customers won, the history of R2E is also based on the people who, in the ebullient historical context of the early days of microcomputing, invented and implemented concepts to advance the history of computing in France.
So we've decided to publish a series of articles about these pioneers to help you understand their backgrounds, their motivations, their memories... In short, an insider's view that goes beyond just reviewing the historical facts about this company.
It's not easy to track down all the people who worked with us at the time. Unfortunately, some are no longer with us to tell us their stories, while others no longer wish to delve into the past. However, some are happy to give us their perspective on the history of R2E and share with us anecdotes from the inside.
This is the case of Jacky Dubois, for example.
Jacky Dubois
Trained as an electronics technician, he began his career in the French Air Force as an on-board computer technician for Mirages III & IV. However, he was already interested in a related field at the time, which led him to take courses at the CNAM: computer science. With his diploma in hand, he left the army to join Intertechnique in Plaisir, where he worked as a computer maintenance technician for 5 years. This company manufactured a whole range of mini-computers from the multi4 to the multi20.
But the cumbersome hierarchy and limited opportunities for advancement motivated him to respond positively to the call of a former colleague from Intertechnique who had left for R2E. So it was that in 1979 Jacky Dubois joined the company based in Les Ulis, which François Gernelle had already joined in 1971, and which was to provide him with the most intense work experience of his entire professional life.
His adventure at R2E
"For me, joining R2E was a breath of fresh air, with great opportunities to open up," he says.
Unlike his time at Intertechnique, where he stayed in the same job for 5 years, at R2E he changed managers 20 times in the space of a few years, rising rapidly through the ranks from customer maintenance technician to maintenance manager of the Paris branch, before taking over responsibility for factory repairs.
But the job that really stood out for him was that of head of major projects in maintenance. He had to deal with unusual and non-standard projects.
Like, for example, having to replace a supplier who failed to deliver on the French Education Ministry's "10,000 micros" project. As part of the "Plan Calcul" launched by General de Gaulle in 1966, a first sub-project supported by the French Ministry of Education involved equipping schools with computers in order to educate young people. First of all, the "58 lycées experiment" enabled a few selected lycées to be equipped with Mitra 15 (CII) and T1600 (Telematics) between 1972 and 1980. This was followed by a phase of generalisation, from 79 to 81, involving the deployment of LX (Logabax) and X1 (Société Occitane d'Electronique, More information on this very rare computer is available from the Silicium.org association.) for nearly 170 secondary schools. Unfortunately, the latter supplier went bankrupt and R2E managed to replace him at short notice, on condition that it met the delivery deadlines (of a few weeks) for the missing computers, supplying Micral 80-22G models, and provided maintenance for the X1s (SOEs) already delivered and installed.
Micral 80-22g, on display at the Musée National de l'Éducation in Rouen (credit: Frédéric Bisson)
Jacky Dubois, with a few urgently recruited young people, a few delivery lorries, and an X1 maintenance repair kit assembled in his garage, managed to equip the secondary schools and enabled the R2E regional agencies to carry out maintenance on SOE computers in record time.
At the time, R2E was a dynamic company in a buoyant market, and in fact the leading manufacturer of microcomputers in Europe. The market seemed limitless, and it was the beginning of the computerisation of the whole of European society.
But beyond the professional aspect, it is above all a human adventure.
"It was fantastic. It was a big family, we used to go on seminars in the mountains in France or abroad. Gernelle and Joubert created a great atmosphere, and we didn't necessarily talk about work any more," he recalls.
Unfortunately, from 1981 onwards, political manoeuvring led first to a forced merger with Transac and SEMS, and finally to the takeover by Honeywell-Bull.
"Following the takeover, there was a flight of sparrows among R2E colleagues. Some left for Forum International, the company founded by Gernelle, while others, like me, stayed on. But I had to learn to live in a big company with 45,000 employees," he adds.
Following the takeover, the technological strategy changed immediately. Firstly, there was no longer any future for the microcomputer market, so innovation came to a halt. Finally, in a hurry, the company made a U-turn and started copying the IBM PC architecture and selling Taiwanese clones.
The inventions of R2E have been forgotten. It's the end of a great story.
Following the takeover, Jacky Dubois stayed with Bull for a few years in positions that he found interesting, until one day he was asked to take part in missions to optimise operating costs. In 1993, this no longer amused him, so he resigned and set up his own innovation company.
His admiration for M. Gernelle
Jacky Dubois' admiration for François Gernelle is a constant theme in his comments. Commenting on the takeover by Honeywell-Bull, he said: "What's more, with François Gernelle, we were looking at someone who was wildly inventive in terms of his technical and technological capabilities. The manufacture of a compatible PC was no match for his aspirations.
He points out that Gernelle designed the architecture of the world's first microcomputer with the Micral N. "He was absolutely right to fight Truong, who wanted to reclaim the Micral N as his own. It's a disgrace what he tried to do. He doesn't mince his words against Truong, with whom he has never had a good relationship.
Later, for the travelling sales staff of CCMC (Compagnie des Centres Mécano-Comptables), François Gernelle designed the Portal, a transportable version of the Micral that he presented at the SICOB trade fair in 1980, a real feat at a time when transportable and portable machines were very rare.
Jacky Dubois is now campaigning for François Gernelle to be awarded an honorary medal in recognition of his inventions. He has approached the commune of Le Chesnay, where François Gernelle lived, with a letter justifying his request by highlighting François Gernelle's contribution to French, and indeed worldwide, computing. The MO5.com association is fully involved in this process, which is still ongoing and which we hope to see completed in the near future.
His collection
Jacky Dubois with one of the Micral Ns in his collection (credit: Le Monde Informatique)
As well as considering Micral computers as professional tools, Jacky Dubois has developed a passion for this hardware, which he considers to be a priceless jewel of world microcomputing. So he started his collection early on, recovering equipment that was about to be thrown away following a fire at R2E's premises in Les Ulis.
"I've been collecting everything to do with the Micral for years - around 45 years. I have a collection of 500 items: 16 microcomputers, 60 documentations, 101 schematics, 93 electronic boards and 176 pieces of software, including the first games software.
What's more, I have tons of peripherals, tons of printers".
Jacky Dubois is also lobbying the French government, regional authorities and major cities to create a computer museum that would incorporate his collection.
"So, at 74, I'm now in a tricky situation [...] But as I haven't had any response from the ministries, regions or major cities, the collection will no doubt be sold, and probably internationally".
The MO5.com association has also been campaigning for years for the creation of such a national museum. Jacky Dubois, through his collection and his work with the authorities, is helping to move the debate forward and, we hope, to raise political awareness of the urgent need to preserve and share France's digital heritage.
The last word
And finally to the question "what do you remember about your experience at R2E?"
Jacky Dubois says "Fantastic. A small company, extraordinary dynamism, the freedom to do lots of things, lots of internal opportunities. It was a big family" or "The years I spent at R2E were the most extraordinary of my life".
I'd like to extend my warmest thanks to Jacky Dubois for sharing these moments of his life with us, and we look forward to seeing you soon for new accounts of this pioneering era.
Don't forget to take part in the campaign to support our work! https://micral.mo5.com
