What Classic Computer are All About - A Lovers View

From: Brett <danjo_at_xnet.com>
Date: Fri Jul 11 20:41:28 1997

On Fri, 11 Jul 1997, Allison J Parent wrote:
> > From: Brett <danjo_at_xnet.com>
> > Well, that's true. I always wondered why DEC couldn't sell PDP-11's - b
> > then with that lousy chip set and poor software 8-) I still get pissed
> > thinking about how DEC Marketing has messed up every attempt to get int
> > the *home* market!
>
> You're pissed! I lost my job with them because they couldn't make money
> from a diamond mine!

But was it all marketings fault? Even IBM tripped up a couple of times.
I remember when Xerox tried and failed as well. I think all the Big Boys
failed the first times. They are just to - structured - to handle fast
changing demands of the market. I hope you worked on say the 350?
Rainbow??? [Infinite resources should NEVER be ignored 8-)]

> > You mean the the 7440 I have on the desk next to me?
>
> Never remembered the model number but likely, yes!

14 digit display, scientific notation and unlimited nesting of parens.
Also had a side box - I think the 7441 or was it 7450 that would store
1000 program steps.

> > Not if you tell people about it!
>
> Drat you caught me.
>
> > You must have been - what - 8 years old 8-) Great story! I think we
>
> I wish, I'm old enough. I finished college before the 8080 was
> introduced.

Well, so did I! Of course - I didn't graduate 8-( Something about my
birthday being #3 on The List and not - quite - carrying a passing grade
average - ah - to be young and foolish again when Man walked on the Moon.
[Aside - I thought ALL women stopped having birthdays at 29???]

> > have one of those - where everybody kinda stares at you - wondering -
> > What the Hell is THAT? What are you doing with that - THING?
>
> Never happend to me. ;-) I get you have those, in there, and they all
> work?

Well, I would have to get a bigger Ampere Feed if I turned on everything
at once. As I said before, I turn them on once or twice a year. Have to
test the AC during the summer and reduce the Gas bill during the winter
8-) But I would also like to have them all running. I just can't handle
that many keyboards at once. My P&J is a 11/23 with a Simga controller
and a Decmation CPM board. You oughta try writing Turbo Pascal programs
on that and a Televideo terminal. Which reminds me - did you ever play
with the NBS Pascal on the DEC equipment - DECUS tape. Pretty neat -
Pascal that could compile itself.

BC
Received on Fri Jul 11 1997 - 20:41:28 BST