On 6 Nov 97 at 18:07, Allison J Parent wrote:
<> The Nova will never be featured in the newspapers because it is not a
<> socially significant computer.
No more (or less) so than PDP-11s that it competed against.
<Ever read, say, _Soul of a New Machine_?
Good read, still have my copy!
Me too. But I've also got a hard-cover now!
Once upon a time there were many computer companies in
Massachusetts
and during the life of the pdp-8, PDP-11 and the VAX there was Data General
trying to also carve a niche in the minicomputer market. This is
significant as most of action preceeds 1978. To put that in perspective
by '78 the altair was two years old and MITS starting to crumble, IMSI was
starting to peak, TRS-80 was new, AppleII was there as well, SS50 bus
machines were strong with SWTP and the new Smoke Signal Broadcasting
Company. The PC would be three years away.
This prompted me to dig up a Nov 81 copy of a mag called Datamation
whose feature article was a history of the Route 128 companies and a
companion piece "Rte128's new Wave Startups" which included Apollo,
Stratus, SOLV-vation, and the 'revamped"Charles River Data Systems..
The push was on to 32bit and Data General was offering it"s
"brand-new" medium-priced supermini,the MV 6000 whose price was on
it's way down to only $100,000. Mind you in the new hardware section
in the back, they report "A typical system with peripherals will sell
for $215,000 ,DG says."
One of the products featured was a modem for VAX' from Clyde
Digital Systems with programmable auto-dial, auto-answer 300bps to
1200 bps called CALOUT (of course :^)) for only $1845.
Another "cute" blurb, "CP/M-86 is the 16 bit version of the de facto
industry standard microcomputer operating system, CPM. Once a user
slips the 8-inch floppy containing CPM-86 into a (IBM) Displaywriter,
an entirely new world of data processing will open up on the typist's
desk." Sounds almost pornographic. ; ^ ))
Computers each and every have significance, some
because of new concepts,
new markets or in a few cases the scams and swindles behind them! There
were many unremarkable computers made and many while noteable were really
junk!
If I could say one thing about all of the arguments...
Been there, done that! I even have a few of the t-shirts that are still
not rags yet. How many were at PCC'76 on the boardwalk?
Allison
I was 40 at that time and I didn't go to many concerts by then. Just
hung out, smoked a little of dope and listened to some sides. My
lady of the time did catch the Stones at the ElMo in 77 tho. ;^0
ciao larry
lwalkerN0spaM(a)interlog.com