Thomson TO7/70 microcomputer

The Thomson TO7/70 microcomputer was marketed in 1984, in parallel to the MO5. This model followed the TO7, produced in 1982, one of whose innovations, the light pen, allowed drawing or interaction with software directly on the screen. It also had a built-in cassette player for reading or recording programmes written in BASIC, a programming language. This range of computers belonged to the first generation of microcomputers developed to encourage the use of computers in the home. It has the ‘TO’ (télé-ordinateur) prefix because the central processing unit could be connected to a television set via a SCART plug, so that a dedicated computer monitor was not necessary. The TO7/70 and MO5 were chosen to equip schools as part of the ‘computers for all’ plan implemented by the French government in 1985 to encourage the use of computers in education and support the French computer industry.