10 Feb
2007
10 Feb
'07
4:10 a.m.
On 9 Feb 2007 at 22:19, Ethan Dicks wrote:
Ow! Buying a computer is always a gamble, but unless
he stuck with
CP/M for a long time after, it sounds like he moved just a wee bit too
hastily (presuming he bought the Morrow Designs box to get "real work"
done rather than as a "big boy toy").
83-84 was a strange time. There was still a lot of uncertainty about
the success of the 5150 enterprise. After all, IBM made of couple of
earlier forays into the "personal computer" area (5100, 5110) and
didn't get anywhere.
So there were vendors peddling CP/M boxes betting agaisnt IBM.
Morrow was one--my friend bought her MD3 in early 83 from a store in
Palo Alto--by the same time in 84, the same place was selling 8088
boxes.
Heck, given the difficulty of getting a 5150 in the early days, I
very seriously considered two other options--the NEC APC and a board
for a Compupro box (the box surplus from Sorcim). After much lost
sleep, I opted for the PeeCee, picked up from a San Jose Confuserland
(remember the stories there?).
I didn't regret it. :)
I think what cemented IBM's position was their publication of the
Tech Ref for the 5150, complete with schematics and BIOS listing and
the emergence of Taiwan's tech sector.
I did end up consulting on Chapter 7 disposal of several Bay Area
alternatetive PC makers, as well as doing some contract programming
for a couple software enterprises who were scrambling to get their
stuff ported to the PC. My investment in the PC was probably the
best financial gamble I ever took.
Cheers,
Chuck