PDP-12 on eBay

From: Lawrence Walker <lgwalker_at_mts.net>
Date: Tue Jan 14 00:01:43 2003

 Unless you're into micros, and I have noticed for all the
kerfaffle about some DEC, VAX, or HP minis, micros get
a good proportion of interest on the list. Some weeks my
finger is on the delete button most of the time, others I
spend much too much time reading the messages.

Lawrence

On 14 Jan 2003, , Tony Duell wrote:

> > Just an observation - this does show how DECcentric this
> > list (and really, most of the big iron retrocomputing
> > folks) is. There have been a
>
> You've made this comment before, and while I totally agree
> with it, I think there are also possible reasons for it :
>
> 1) DEC machines tended to be owned, IBM machines were often
> rented -> DEC machines were not returned when they were no
> longer needed, but were pushed into storerooms, etc.
> Whereupon mad hackers found them
>
> 2) DEC machines were often managed by hackers (and students,
> etc), not the 'IBM priesthood'.
>
> 3) IBM development tools were supposedly hard to get, and
> didn't always let yuo absh the bare metal
>
> 4) DEC machines have _execellent_ technical documentation. I
> am told that full schematics of IBM machines of the period,
> for example, are a lot harder to find. IBM also used a lot
> of their own custom chips which makes reverse-engineering a
> little more entertaining if the docs don't exist.
>
> -tony
>


lgwalker_at_ mts.net
Received on Tue Jan 14 2003 - 00:01:43 GMT