R.I.P. Ken Olsen

Wed Feb 9 09:00:27 EST 2011

I giggled a little about the terminals being "networked".  The usual serial card, DL11-E IMMSMC, had a top speed of 9600 bps, or Baud as it was commonly called.  I think some of the later cards supported 38400 or even 115200!

And those of us who were privileged to have one of them were the envy of all those who had to use punch cards.

Did you know that until the introduction of the PC, the PDP 8 was the largest selling computer in the world?   Technically the PDP series were not computers, they were "Programmed Data Processors".  This was done to get around GSA specifications that effectively shut out everyone but IBM from selling "Computers" to the Federal Government.

---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2011 07:40:17 -0500
>From: discuss-bounces-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org (on behalf of Jerry Feldman <gaf-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org>)
>Subject: Re: R.I.P. Ken Olsen  
>To: discuss-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org
>
>On 02/08/2011 08:27 PM, edwardp-jjFNsPSvq+iXDw4h08c5KA at public.gmane.org wrote:
>> http://www.bostonherald.com/business/technology/general/view.bg?articleid=1315145
>>
>> Back in high school, the computer room had this big unit called a DEC PDP 11/60 that was networked to VT-52 and VT-100 terminals in certain rooms in the building.  
>>
>> Was that FUN back then.  It was also my first ever exposure to computers.  :)
>Quite a person. I had a chance to meet him once shortly before he left
>Digital.
>
>-- 
>Jerry Feldman <gaf-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org>
>Boston Linux and Unix
>PGP key id: 537C5846
>PGP Key fingerprint: 3D1B 8377 A3C0 A5F2 ECBB  CA3B 4607 4319 537C 5846
>
>
>________________
>_______________________________________________
>Discuss mailing list
>Discuss-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org
>http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss