PDP-8s and -10s

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Re: PDP-8s and -10s
>   From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org>
>   Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 20:50:02 -0700
>     To: classiccmp at classiccmp.org
>
>It seems to me that they could have made
>the -10 line real mainframes (no, IBM and the BUNCH did not consider the
>-10 line real) with just a little effort and not much money.
>
>--
>
>DEC through the 'golden age' didn't go after that market. They tried to
>target scientific rather than corporate computing.

One of the oddities is that the 36bit machines the 10s/20s were well
known for their timesharing with huge nubers of users.

>One of the things that isn't talked about much is how the PDP-6 just about 
>killed DEC because of all of the resources it consumed to get it out the door.

The PDP-6 was the VAX-9000 of the 60s.  

>
>They did eventually abandon their 'fan base' to go after the corporate
>market, and that was the beginning of DEC's downfall.

It was successful for the 80s but the growing PC price performance 
numbers were hurting the backroom mainframe style systems.  The 
breakpoint was when 486 powered system with basic decent graphics
(640x480x8) hit the streets with Win3.11. We had the scientific 
workstation wars of the late 80s this would be the business 
workstation war. Several PCs for 2500$ each or less was cheaper
than a microvax of any flavor.


Allison