Smithsonian gets it wrong

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Smithsonian gets it wrong
>   From: "Vassilis Prevelakis" <vp at cs.drexel.edu>
>   Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 13:29:42 -0500
>     To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>
>
>Pictures from the Smithsonian
>        http://users.starpower.net/dj.taylor/Vax1.JPG
>
>    VAX MINICOMPUTER
>
>    Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX minicomputer, first introduced
>    in 1976, provided enough processing power for complex design problems,
>    but at a much lower cost than had previously been available. This
>    meant that individuals engineers could have the fill use of a
>    computer without having to share it with their colleagues. The VAX
>    became the workhorse or aerospace engineering. The model displayed
>    here, a MicroVAX II was introduced in 1985.
>   
> 
>Museum people! Oh well! They can obviously read, but cannot understand. 
>Hello?? The label says its a *MICRO*VAX, and if its a uVAX, then
>its not a mini.  Also, calling the baby-sized uVAX a mini gives
>visitors who may have never seen a mini-computer the wrong idea as to
>what a mini-computer looks like. Sure I'll accept that its *compatible*
>with a VAX (I'll even ignore the minor business of emulating a small
>part of the instruction set :-), but is not a VAX.

Get over it. Like Antonio said, its a VAX, one archetecture multiple 
implmentations that act the same.  The fact that the VAX ranged from 
the .5 cu/Ft MicroVAX2000 to the 9000 false floor heavyweight is 
relevent.   If the mini thing were real it's actually a 
"superminicomputer".  But if size is a factor then the VAX 9000 
was anything but mini.  We didn't call the 9000 a mainframe but it 
was huge for it's time.


Allison