Dec at Home (was: Re: !Re: Nuke Redmond!

From: allisonp <allisonp_at_world.std.com>
Date: Sun Apr 9 10:40:30 2000

>Sort of speaking of which: did anyone ever buy any DEC equipment for home
>use (Not VAXen and stuff, I'm more thinking about their PC's such as the
>Rainbow?)


Yes.

PDT150, low cost (then) PDP-11 running RT-11.
Robin, VT180 CPM system.
DECMATE series (wordprocessing with extensions)
Rainbow
PRO3xx

All pre-PC boom or leading into that time. Keep in mind that
the idea of home computer was a 1984-5ish or later event.
Before that marketing was more aimed at hobbiests(anything),
lowcost home systems(mostly gaming) and business systems
(packaged or extensible systems).

As a reference in 1985 a good business system was a
$5-7000 (USD) investment. It didn't make much difference
if it was PC, S100, Multibus or whatever. Around then things
we take for granted were not cheap. In 85 10-40mb of disk
with controller was ~$700, decent printer $400+ and so on.

For example in 1981 my NS* Horizon (z80 64k) with 5mb
hard disk, H19 terminal, Anadex printer was valued around
$3700! A PC with all the trimings to do the same task was
not cheaper.

Allison
Received on Sun Apr 09 2000 - 10:40:30 BST