Chronology – Under Edit/Review

1965
January

  • Information Sciences Laboratory established

May

  • CONVERSE described at IFIPS meeting
  • The name “Dialog” Lockheed brochure: “Information Storage and Retrieval in Library Systems”

August

  • Summit invited to NASA to discuss RFP 10-5909, “Remote Console System for Information Retrieval”

November

  • IBM 360/30 computer installed

1966

January

  • Work underway on Dialog
  • Unsolicited proposal drafted for remote retrieval station at Ames – coincident with Bunker-Ramo installation.

February

  • Design of Lockheed “Dialogue” retrieval language underway
  • Proposal to NASA and CLR for installation of remote information retrieval station at Ames
  • Progress Report shows Roger Summit as Principal Investigator for “Dialogue Retrieval Language”

June

  • NASw 1454 (Ames contract) signed 6/28 with work schedule shown

July

  • IBM 2321 Datacell arrives early July
  • 2 IBM 2260 Display units arrive late July

August

  • First draft of Lockheed/Dialog User Manual
  • First appearance of, “DIALOG” in Activity Report

October

  • DOS committee set up to advise IBM (Data Corp. Richard Pratt – head)

November

  • Dialog in operation – 260K record file

1967

April

  • NASA Ames terminal installed
  • Dialog presented at CLA meeting at Stanford

*Dialog presented at annual mtg of “Golden Gate District @ Stanford (28-29 April)

May

  • NACON Conf Panel 5/15 with Mel Day, Walt Carleson; Cottrell head
  • LMSC Mgt Assn presentation with Bob Hayes and Mel Day

__ July __

  • Dialog terminal installed at NASA Hdq.

__August __

  • ACM paper published in proceedings (29-31 Aug; DC)

__October__

  • Multiple terminal version of Dialog installed for NASA in WashDC

June

  • Protest filed – withdrawn in July
  • Full-panel COSATI demo (Harvey Maron of ERIC interested)

1968

__ January __

  • Presentation given to The Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS) on DIALOG (1/24/68)
  • Cross-country link – 2nd NASA terminal installed in WashDC at NASA Hdq.
  • ESRO visitors (Noel Isotta and others) showed interest in Dialog system

April

  • NASA/RECON proposal submitted 4/1 (2 yr.; $260K)

*Demo to 40 ACS member/visitors from ACS meeting in San Francisco (3/4/68)

  • COSATI sub-panel demo 4/26 (others invited: SDC, Data Corp, Informatics)

May

  • NASA RECON contract awarded ( over 40 competitors)
  • Presentation at JEMC Mtg, Philidelphia 9/30 – RKS, Mel Day, Ed Ledeen

__ June __

  • LMSC responds to ERIC Sources Sought advertisement in CBD 6/17

August

  • ERIC terminal installed in SF

September

  • Gene Duncan proposed separating Information Sciences Lab from Electornic Sciences Lab

October

  • AEC/Dialog contract awarded {services/installation)
  • ASIS SF Mtg – Dialog & RECON demoed (10/1-4). Douglas Englebart first demonstrated his invention, the computer mouse, at this meeting.
  • Major ERIC P.O. issued 10/31 for system-wide service

December

  • ERIC terminal installed WashDC

1969

January

  • American Society for Information Science (ASIS) exhibit in San Francisco

February

  • ERIC/Dialog contract awarded (12K citations; $26,500) terminal to be at Stanford
  • ERIC tapes received (12,300 citations)

March

  • ERIC/Stanford terminal installed
  • ESRO award for 1st of its kind retrieval system in Europe ($30,000)

__ April __

  • ERIC/Stanford terminal relocated to San Diego for conference demo

Notes:

  • 7 people were in the Dialog organiation at this time

1970

January

  • National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) contract awarded

April

  • ERIC/Stanford final report issued (4/1)
  • Internal Lockheed information retrieval network proposed offering NASA, NSA, and PANDEX databases

__ June __

  • Satellite link with Paris, Oakridge and Palo Alto which demonstrated the first overseas retrieval access(6/20/70)

November

  • CCI terminal installed in Palo Alto – the first integrated, portable CRT/keyboard terminal
  • Major ERIC proposal submitted 11/13/70 indicating nearly 2-yr experience with ERIC online)

December

  • ERIC/Dialog demo’d at White House Conference on Children

1971

January

  • Lockheed IR network announced with NASA, NSA, and PANDEX
  • SDC market research survey on computer-based information retrieval received
  • Presentation made to Lockheed management proposing commercialization of Dialog
  • Free-text search feature added* ERIC contract renewed with increase in scope

__ September___

  • Participated in ERIC tape users conference 9/15-16 WashDC

__October __

  • Presentation to Information Industry Association (IIA) 10/25 also one by Dick Giering who developed Lexis/Nexis software

1972

January

  • ERIC switched from TRW to Boeing computer in WashDC
  • ERIC switched from TRW to Boeing computer in WashDC

February

  • ERIC demo at AASA in Atlantic City

March

  • First online users meeting held with ERIC users (Arlington, VA)
  • San Mateo Co. ERS (Frank Mattis) replaces ERIC/Orbit with Dialog. Initiated service May5)

April

  • GTE Sylvania PO issued 2/3
  • National Technical Information Service (NTIS) proposal submitted

June

  • NTIS contract awarded; database included in Dialog commercial services
  • Established high-speed, cross-country communication
  • SLA exhibit to kick-off commercial services

August

  • Service initiated to 5 NTIS terminals

September

  • Search-save feature introduced

December

  • Stanford dialup service initiated
  • First commercial contract with CALSPAN for dial-up service
  • G.E. San Jose signs for high-speed service
  • Army Electronic Warfare Information Service (AEWIS) award from Army

Notes:

  • Dialog, a program often incorrectly called “Lockheed Dialog,” under the Advanced Systems Division of Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., Inc. (LMSC).

1973

January

  • Lockheed internal information retrieval network announced offering NASA, NSA, and PANDEX databases

February

  • G.E. – 1st use of terminal
  • TRANSDEX added

March

  • Datacell capacity reaches 1 GB

April

  • AIM/ARM databases added (vocational technology information)

May

  • First ERIC/Dialog users’ meeting (NY – CORLAC Hdq.)
  • American Psychological Association (APA) contract executed for service on Dialog Retrieval Service (DRS)
  • Tymnet connection activated – 40 US cities

June

  • Activation of NAL database
  • Activation of APA database

July

  • Switchover from 2400 to 4800 baud on hi-speed network
  • Objective of $1 millon in sales announced for 1973

1974

January

  • Major databse additions: INSPEC CHEMAbs, ISI and CLAIMS
  • NSF Public Library Study grant awarded bsed on unsolicited proposal

1975

February

  • SearchSave introduced
  • Current Awareness (SDI) introduced

April

  • Patents offered (Chem, Mech, Eng)

July

  • Biosis available

September

  • ISI available

October

  • Dialorder introduced

Notes:

  • Dialog reaches 1100 customers by year-end
  • SDC has search windows, Dialog all day
  • SUNY offers Med, ERIC Biosis
  • Dialog achieves sales of $201.5K per employee for the year

1977

January

  • Established European sales office in London

1979

November

  • European Advisory Bd set up – Brian Collinge head

December

  • 3rd Int. Online in London –
  • Cuadra, president of SDC and Summit, president of Dialog did piano duel
  • Summit won a jereboam of Spiedel champagne
  • Returned to US by Pete Rusch and served at Dialog employees Christmas party at overcrowded Summit residence

1981

__ June __

  • Dialog Information Services, Inc. (a spinoff subsidiary of Corlac (Corporate Lockheed) becomes a stand-alone company.

1988

  • Dialog Information Services, Inc. is acquired by Knight-Ridder, Inc. from Lockheed for $353 million.

1989

  • Absorbed VuText

1993

March

  • Knight-Ridder, Inc. acquires DataStar from Radio Suisse for $36.3 million.

1995

  • Moved from 3 locations in Palo Alto into 2440 El Camino Real, Mountain View (filling all seven floors)
  • Dialog Information Services becomes Knight-Ridder Information, Inc.
  • Acquired Info on Demand

1996

  • Acquired CARL

1997

  • Marketing, Customer Service, Finance and HR functions were consolidated to the new company headquarters in Cary, NC.

2000

  • The Thomson Corporation purchases the Information Services Division (including the Dialog, DataStar, and Profound services) of the Dialog Corporation.

2000 – 2006

  • Dialog and DataStar computer operations migrated to the Thomson Data Center in Eagan, MN.

2005

January

  • California technology contingent moved from Mountain View to California Avenue in Sunnyvale.

2006 – 2007

  • Dialog, under the Thomson Scientific and Healthcare Division

__November ’06 – May ’07

  • Dialog and DataStar software engineering outsourced to IBM. Content Development (and rebadged employees remain in Sunnyvale).

2007 –

  • Dialog changes from Corporation to product line department under Thomson Scientific Corporate Markets

December

History of DIALOG, Computer Pioneer from Silicon Valley