Nobody wants an HP-150? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

7 Jun 2001

...
 An HP150 is a PC-incompatible. It's an 8088-based
machine that runs 
MS-DOS (if you add an optional disk drive), but not IBM PC MS-DOS. It is 
not compatible with the PC at the hardware or BIOS level, so most 
software has to be specially written for the HP150.  
...
 Without a disk drive you can't (obviously) boot
MS-DOS. But there is a HP 
terminal emulator in the ROM which will run with out a disk drive being 
connected. If you need an HP-compatible terminal for some other machine, 
the HP150 is a possible choice. 
There's a couple of other uses for it:
1) It can run HP-Word from an HP-3000.
2) With a floppy, it can be used to boot an HP-3000 Series 70.
3) With a touchscreen, its a great terminal for a dumb blonde.
http://www.kzin.com/trader/blonde.jpg
(off the cover of a manual, I think her name is P.A.M.)
It wasn't a bad little computer for its time.  But by making it
so incompatible HP missed the boat, as usual.
Lance.