At 04:43 PM 1/11/98 -0600, you wrote:
On Sun, 11 Jan 1998, Zane H. Healy wrote:
first portable computer
Again, same problem. Define "portable". Allison carted, what was it, a
Well, if you believe the Smithsonian's "Museum of American History" and I
believe DEC's advertising this goes to one of the PDP's, I don't remember
which one. I don't think it was a -8 or -11, and it's been over four years
since I was last to the museum so my memory isn't the best. They showed
the computer being in the back of a convertible IIRC, and actually had the
computer there at the musuem. Big sucker.
Wasn't there a DEC ad showing a PDP-8 fitting in the trunk (boot, or is
that a hood or bonnet?) of a VW bug? Would that qualify it as portable?
Don't know about that one, but the PDP-8/i was available in a (rarely seen)
'pedistal' configuration that would have been fairly easy to move around,
and the PDP-8/e/f/m came in a 'desktop' configuration that even had handles
on the side. (the 'major' qualification for something to be considered
'portable'). At about 90 pounds for the complete (core, no disks)
configuration, it could be moved with minimal pain by two people...
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage -
http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174