13 Jan
2003
13 Jan
'03
4:01 p.m.
Unless you're into micros, and I have noticed for all the
kerfaffle about some DEC, VAX, or HP minis, micros get
a good proportion of interest on the list. Some weeks my
finger is on the delete button most of the time, others I
spend much too much time reading the messages.
Lawrence
On 14 Jan 2003, , Tony Duell wrote:
lgwalker@ mts.net
Just an
observation - this does show how DECcentric this
list (and really, most of the big iron retrocomputing
folks) is. There have been a
You've made this comment before, and while I totally agree
with it, I think there are also possible reasons for it :
1) DEC machines tended to be owned, IBM machines were often
rented -> DEC machines were not returned when they were no
longer needed, but were pushed into storerooms, etc.
Whereupon mad hackers found them
2) DEC machines were often managed by hackers (and students,
etc), not the 'IBM priesthood'.
3) IBM development tools were supposedly hard to get, and
didn't always let yuo absh the bare metal
4) DEC machines have _execellent_ technical documentation. I
am told that full schematics of IBM machines of the period,
for example, are a lot harder to find. IBM also used a lot
of their own custom chips which makes reverse-engineering a
little more entertaining if the docs don't exist.
-tony