Subject: Smithsonian gets it wrong
From: "Vassilis Prevelakis" <vp at cs.drexel.edu>
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 13:29:42 -0500
To: cctalk at
classiccmp.org
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.
Get over it. Like Antonio said, its a VAX, one archetecture multiple
implmentations that act the same. The fact that the VAX ranged from
the .5 cu/Ft MicroVAX2000 to the 9000 false floor heavyweight is
relevent. If the mini thing were real it's actually a
"superminicomputer". But if size is a factor then the VAX 9000
was anything but mini. We didn't call the 9000 a mainframe but it
was huge for it's time.
Allison