30 Jul
2013
30 Jul
'13
3:02 p.m.
PERQs had their moment but they were so quickly
overtaken by
workstations by DEC, Sun, and even IBM. I had an IBM RT at the time and
was grateful I didn't have to use a PERQ. An IBM RT! Luckily I rose up
in the ranks enough to get a real computer -- a VaxStation 3500, if I
remember correctly.
I think the problem was that the PEEQ was ncver designed to be a unix
workstation. There was no memory management, etc in the hardware, yes,
you could do it i nthe mcirocode, but it quickly became a mess.
Certainly, back then (and now), if you wanted a unix workstation, a PERQ
is not goign to eb high up the list. On the other hand, now, if you want
a very interesting machine with some nice features (like user modifyable
microcode), the PERQ is a machien to try to find.
-tony