![]() By the time it stopped selling it in the 1990s, DEC sold over 600,000 of them, making it one of the most popular minicomputers ever. Not only did it bring major upgraded features to their computing machines, it also was easier to use. In the interim, DEC came up with a revamped version of their PDP line and released the PDP-11 minicomputer. Part of this is due to the improvements made to this model, but a large reason for its commercial success was the price tag of $18,500 and the 50,000 customers they sold it to. It was in this year when DEC released the PDP-8, which is widely recognized as the first successful commercial minicomputer. Many of its subsequent module releases served a similar purpose: helping users convert their old computers to upgraded versions. The Flip Chip came out in 1964 and was meant to convert the PDP-4 to the PDP-7. ![]() While continuing to release new PDPs into the market, DEC also charged forward in its delivery of new modules. For example, the PDP-4 was similar in most ways to the PDP-1, but it was slower and packaged differently, which is what enabled DEC to sell it for $65,000. 1962 PDP-4 at the National Archives Auditorium, 1964ĭEC began the process of creating “new” models of the PDP that could be sold for much less than the original. Throughout the remainder of the decade, DEC created over a dozen PDP variants. The first iteration of this product line (PDP-1) sold for $120,000 that year. ![]() But it was aware of people’s reluctance to invest in “computer” technology at the time, so it named the computer a “programmable data processor”, or PDP. System Building Blocks logo, RTC/ Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) 1960ĭEC began selling its first computer at the end of 1960. Staying true to its business plan, the initial product lines DEC focused on were modules, or electronic components, that were mounted to circuit boards. By the end of that year, DEC sold $94,000 worth of its first product. The first product DEC created and sold was its Digital Laboratory Module. In sticking with the theme of keeping expenses light (not only for customers but for the company as well), they set up shop in an old wool mill in Maynard, MA. The plan for Digital Equipment Corporation was finalized and they received $70,000 to launch their new company. Olsen and Anderson also knew that these interactive machines could be made and sold cheaper, which would be another major draw for researchers and scientists who were craving the technology.Īfter creating their original business plan, Olsen and Anderson were advised to shift the focus of their company from one around “computers” to instead one focused on “equipment.” There were just too many concerns from investors about the future of computing, and so that’s what they did. They took notice of how popular the interactive computing machines were with students who visited the lab, as opposed to the batch processing machines that users couldn’t input data into or use for real-time feedback. While working together in the Lincoln Laboratory at MIT, Ken Olsen and Harlan Anderson came up with the idea for DEC. It ends in roughly 1998 with the selling of the company to Compaq. The Impressive (and Tragic) History of DEC in ComputingĭEC’s story begins in 1957 with two men at MIT who had a theory and an idea for a business. In order to understand how DEC eventually lost it all, it’s important to take a look back at how it all began and why such a monumental shift in the computing industry could’ve been missed by such a critical leader in the space. ![]() So, what happened to DEC? Why did all the success and industry dominance they had for roughly three decades just suddenly slip away? Most argue that it was a failure of the company’s leadership to adapt to the changing direction that computing began to take in the late 1980s. ![]() #Xboard images software#In addition to its extensive lines of minicomputers, it also became involved with software as well as the internet (in the very, very early days of the internet). DEC introduced a mid-range computing solution, the minicomputer, at a time when the alternative was too bulky and costly for most people. But flash back a few decades, and the leaders of those companies all would’ve gladly bowed down to Digital Equipment Corporation, or DEC, who began paving the way for everyone starting in 1957.ĭEC identified a demand for more affordable and high-performing computing systems that could be used in scientific research and other technological settings. When you think of leaders in the computing industry, your first thoughts probably turn to companies like Apple, Microsoft, and IBM. ![]()
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