Value of a PDP/8?

[Ethan Dicks]

On 3/9/07, Glen Slick <glen.slick at gmail.com> wrote:
> What would be the most appropriate version to run on a MicroVAX II or
> III?  Are there installation tape media images available somewhere?

Appropriate?  Back in the day, the DEC-supplied choices were VMS or
Ultrix, but some folks (typically in University environments) ran
4BSD.  Where I worked, we had MicroVMS 4.6 on our first MicroVAX II
(originally shipped from DEC as a MicroVAX I then upgraded for about
$20K, hardware and software), and Ultrix 1.1 then 2.0 on our BA-123
MicroVAX II.

> Now that I finally got a PDP-11/73 up and booting 2.11BSD I should see
> if I can get the MicroVAX II up and running.  It might even already
> have a usable version of VMS on it.  I haven't powered it up since I
> acquired it.  I also have a MicroVAX III CPU and memory board set that
> I think I could swap into it.

Sure.  I've never owned a MicroVAX III, but I have countless hours on
MicroVAX IIs w/9MB of RAM and RD53/RD54 disks.  If you are interested
in running an OS from the 1980s, the MicroVAX II and III are good
platforms.  If you want to run a newer version of VMS, like 6.x, it
will tax the resources of a MicroVAX II, but is (barely) possible.

-ethan