Whatever happened to MENTEC and the PDP-11?

[Don North]

Rod Smallwood wrote:
> The last I heard of them was a takeover by Calyx. in 2006
>  
> I can't see any reference to PDP-11 on the Calyx Website.
>  
> So what happened ?
>  
>  
> Rod 
>  
> (Renovates Old  Dec)  
>   

There was a whole discussion on this last year, search the classiccmp 
archives from
summer 2008 for references to 'mentec'. My conclusion from that 
discussion was that
Mentec-Inc of PDP-11 fame no longer exists as a business, at least on 
paper, and the
ownership/rights to the PDP-11 s/w have simply evaporated into the ozone.

Others have maintained that they are still in contact with Mentec-Inc 
and are able to
buy PDP-11 licenses if they so desired. Mentec's phone, email, and 
website have all
disappeared, so I believe you either need their Stargate address or 
possibly an Ouija
board to place an order. Sadly I have neither....

Don

 From June 2008 or so....

Don North wrote:
> Simon Clubley wrote:
>> In article <4845dc6b$0$90276$14726298 at news.sunsite.dk>, "Jerome H. 
>> Fine" <jhfinedp3k at dp3knospamcompsys.to> writes:
>>>  >Rich Alderson wrote:
>>>>> clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP (Simon Clubley) writes:
>>>>> Did you have any luck with that Mentec phone number that I found and
>>>>> posted a few days ago ?
>>>>>
>>>> "Number not in service at this time.  No further information is 
>>>> available."
>>>>  
>>
>> Rich,
>>
>> Thank you for checking on this. This would seem to imply that Mentec 
>> are no
>> longer in existence. However, Jerome's comment below seems to imply that
>> this may not be the case.
>>
>>> Jerome Fine replies:
>>>
>>> Thank you for the update.  I have been busy with a few other things 
>>> and had not yet
>>> tried.
>>>
>>> I have received some additional, but private, information in this 
>>> regard.  If I receive a
>>> reply and the information is considered public, I will post it.
>>>
>>> It certainly is curious that it is so difficult to send a cheque for 
>>> just a piece of paper.
>>>
>>
>> The fact that you are still trying to send a cheque after receiving this
>> information would seem to suggest that someone, somewhere, is still
>> selling PDP-11 OS licenses.
>>
>> What I don't understand is why they would not just advertise that fact,
>> since people obviously still want to buy from them.
>>
>> I do wonder if the people who do their marketing are ex-DEC 
>> marketing. :-)
>>
>> Simon.
>
> The state of New Hampshire lists Mentec as an 'inactive' business, for
> what that is worth. See:
>
> https://www.sos.nh.gov/corporate/soskb/Corp.asp?677452
>
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