Smithsonian gets it wrong -- the 11/35 on display

[Bill Pechter]

Vassilis Prevelakis wrote:

>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.
>
>At the University of Pennsylvania here in Philadelphia they have a VLSI
>version of the ENIAC (some student project) but no-one in their right
>mind would show that microprocessor next to a sign that says here is a
>picture of ENIAC.
>
>**vp
>
>  
>
I'm remembering my first thought on seeing their 11/35 setup in the 
museum (supposedly doing some kind of monitor/real-time control of a 
space launch.

It  was... "Wrong light pattern for RT11, RSTS/E, RSX11, and IAS... must 
have an 8085 or a rom with a counter  doing some light sequencing.  The 
wife thought I was a major geek and no one else would notice.

The mailing list here had a number of others who saw that display and 
said the same thing.

I just smiled to know there's a couple of us out there.

I'm not opposed to an 11/35 front panel used like this in a display... 
Just wished it had an authentic light pattern.  Running the 11/35 full 
up under glass would have problems with heat and power.

Bill