OT? Compaq 5/60M

[Sean Caron]

Ha, I need to just stop using "OT" since it's ambiguous. On topic, on
topic! :O

Best,

Sean


On Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 10:54 AM, Sean Caron <scaron at umich.edu> wrote:

> I'd consider it OT ... I miss my IBM 9595 ... with the P60 processor
> complex ... I thought it was doubly cool since the CPU was one of the
> examples of the Pentium that got shipped with the FDIV bug ... great
> machine to play with WNT 3.51/4, or OS/2 3.x or 4.x.
>
> I wouldn't say the P5 killed workstations or midrange ... they had maybe
> 10-15 years yet to move and shake when the P5 first hit the market ... but
> I suppose you are right in that it was probably the first "shot across the
> bow".
>
> But time marched on, and now all you see in a full-size computer is
> x86_64. Ho hum ... :|
>
> Best,
>
> Sean
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 2:35 AM, Pontus Pihlgren <pontus at update.uu.se>
> wrote:
>
>> Run of the mill PC clones are rather booring. But brand names, oddballs
>> and first are always fun. I wouldn't mind to have the first DELL machine
>> in my collection.
>>
>> I have a DECpc 433 with matching SCSI expansion box. A desktop machine
>> with some interesting solutions.
>>
>> /P
>>
>> On Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 12:43:17AM -0400, william degnan wrote:
>> > I know I keep pushing the boundary of vintage lately but I wanted to
>> report
>> > to those who care that I finally got my hands on a 1993 Compaq 5/60M -
>> this
>> > is "a if not the" first desktop computer with a Pentium processor
>> installed
>> > stock.  it was the 1993 "dream machine - $9000+   It had an EISA bus and
>> > was otherwise a 486 system with a Pentium controller card, not on the
>> > motherboard.  Pentium computers' contribution to the WWW era vintage is
>> > extremely significant.
>> >
>> > Pentium killed the minicomputer, or at a minimum merged into it, if you
>> ask
>> > me.  The interplay between DEC/Compaq/HP/Intel 1992-1995 culminating
>> into
>> > the launch of Pentium processor systems is vital to understanding the
>> WWW
>> > era of computing.  How these companies worked or did not work together
>> and
>> > how the Pentium vs. the Alpha processor came to be...a good tale of woe
>> and
>> > $$.
>> >
>> > For those interested:  Compaq 5/60:
>> > http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=612
>> >
>> > I have a bunch of articles to post on my site related to the first
>> Pentium
>> > desktops which I will do asap.
>> >
>> > Bill
>> >
>> > P.S. while we're on this off-sh topic I also posted some photos of a
>> > Digital 486 laptop, DEC had a 486 laptop before it was absorbed by
>> Compaq.
>> > 1994.  Not really noteworthy other than the Digital name
>> > http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=613
>> >
>> > P.S.S. and related to Pentium and DEC ... here is one of DEC's early
>> (but
>> > not the first) Pentium machine
>> > http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=585
>>
>
>