WOW!!!! $15k DEC PDP-8 CLASSIC MINICOMPUTER SYSTEM DIGITAL PDP8

[Paul Koning]

>>>>> "Tony" == Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> writes:

 >> Size is probably a big issue, but DEC made some big machines and
 >> IBM made some small ones, and the DEC boxes still seem to get more
 >> attention from collectors. I think that the relative availability
 >> of DEC hardware, software, and documentation simply makes

 Tony> I suspect is is partly the doucmentation. DEC machines of this
 Tony> period tended to come with schematics rather than board-swapper
 Tony> guides (which is what the IBM service manuals I've seen
 Tony> were). There are thus plenty of PDP8, PDP11, etc shematics
 Tony> around.

 Tony> And IBM used custom parts a lot earlier than DEC. I've not seen
 Tony> a 370, but I'd be suprised if it was all off-the-shelf
 Tony> components. Unibus PDP11s PDP8s, etc tended to be.

Judging by the mainframes section of the IBM history pages
(http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/index.html) custom components
arrived with the 360.  That may also when schematics stopped
appearing, which makes sense.  On the other hand, I know we had
schematics for our college 1620.  Very hard to read schematics since
they were printed on a line printer (an early version of "ASCII
graphics"), but they were there nevertheless.

     paul