Non-micro classics

In the lengthy "Re: yo" thread, Mr. Ismail mentions: [double-quote from Mr. Donzelli] It's probably fair to say the the minicomputer actually made more of an impact in society than the micro has. It was the minicomputer which was first affordable to smaller companies and operations; the mini was also the first class of machine available to schools of modest means. You'll find that almost every microcomputer designer was, at some point in time, touched by a mini, and sometimes their designs reflect that. One of the original Apple's designers actually held the DG Nova in such high esteem it's rumoured that he kept a picture of one taped to his bedroom wall. Billy Gates did the original work on his BASIC interpreter with stolen time on a PDP-10 (though, that can't really be termed a mini). Most of the impact, though, of the mini is behind the scenes; they made manufacturing more efficient through the increased use of CNC, made scientific experimentation more prodcutive through more accurate experiment monitoring, and found their way into all manner of hospital equipment. This isn't meant to downplay the changes brought forth by the microcomputer, which with the advent of the Internet are enormous, but merely to place the minicomputer in the light of day. The changes were different from the micro, but certainly not unimportant. ______________________________________________________________________ | | | | Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin) | West Boylston | | Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast | Massachusetts, USA | | mailto:carl.friend@stoneweb.com | | | http://www.ultranet.com/~engelbrt/carl/museum/ | ICBM: N42:21 W71:46 | |________________________________________________|_____________________|