19 Jun
1999
19 Jun
'99
3:59 a.m.
Has anyone ever put together a list of handsomely
designed computers?
Not great runners, not powerful, but just aesthetically pleasing? My
impression is that there probably are not all that many, and that the
first machines to exclude from such a list are the iMac grotesques.
I would offer just a very few for initial consideration:
Epson QX-10
Apricot
Honeywell DPS-6
Olivetti ETV-300
IBM PS/2 towers
I realise the possibilty for some very subjective judgements here, but it
strikes me as an interesting point of view in studying industrial design.
I've got to agree with the subjective. I'm only familiar with the DPS-6
and the PS/2's. I about gagged when I saw the DPS-6 on the list.
Besides even the iMac isn't that bad when you compare it to the new tower
G3's (for those that don't know I'm a serious Mac Fanatic, and am typing
this on a souped up 8500).
I still think the NeXT Hardware belongs on any list like this, both the
hardware and the OS were designed with this in mind. Also the PDP-11/70,
PDP-12, PDP-8/e and other PDP's with really cool front panels (the HW, and
OS's on almost any of them are seriously cool, but a good front panel is
the icing on the cake).
Oh, and the DPS-8 is far cooler than the DPS-6. :^) A Four Processor DPS-8
is a seriously interesting system hardware wise. Sorry, I still dislike
GCOS.
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
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