VAX-11? and some C64 stuff - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

31 May 2000

...
 On May 31, Jason McBrien wrote:
> First, there was the PDP/8 which came out in the sixties. It was a largish
...
 > "Minicomputer" meaning it didn't
fill a room like the IBM 360's, but you
> couldn't exactly toss it in a closet either. Then came the PDP/11, which
was
...
 > a bit smaller and 16-Bit in the seventies. Then
came the VAX 11/750,
> Digital's first 32-Bit mainframe, in the late seventies/early eighties, and
...
 > dominated the minicomputer market for quite a
while. The first VAXes where
...
 > large cabinet sized affairs, needing wacky 380V
power mains and hard drives
...
 > the size of a decent size car transmission. Then
came the VAXStation 2000,
...
 > which had almost all the power of a VAX 11/750 in
a case the size of a
> largish shoebox. The home minicomputer was born. Through the eighties DEC
> still made the huge company-running VAX 7000's, 8000's, 9000's, and
10000's,
...
 > but also made smaller workstation-style
counterparts, the VAX 3100's,
> 4000's, MicroVAXes, VAXStations, and VAX-Servers. You can pick up a 3100 or
...
 > 2000 for under $50 if you look hard. 4000's
are nicer and run upwards $100.
By 1971 a PDP-8 did fit nicely in a closet, small one at that.
The VAX lineup was:
1978                                                                   1988
 780----750---730---microvax-I---MicrovaxII---MV2000
None of the above require 380V 3phase your thinking of the 8650
and others.  The 780 did require three phase but was not a bad deal
and the 750 and 730 were 110V power.
Allison