Conference 7.286::digital

    1) Corporation is founded.
    
    2) PDP-1 is developed.
    
    3) PDP-8 is developed
    
    4) Techniques to enable semi-skilled labor to manufacture computers
       are developed (sort of companion to #3).
    
    5) PDP-11 is developed
    
    6) DECnet is defined.
    
    7) VAX line is developed
    
    8) VAXclustering is developed
    
    9) Ethernet/gateways are developed
    
   10) Easynet is implemented for internal communications.
    
    Number 10 might not mean as much to a non-Digital audience, however.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr. 

you didn't say if your timeline was technology oriented (re: .1), business
oriented, etc.  i assume it doesn't matter, so perhaps it might be worth it
for people to suggest various categories, for example:

Sales:

100, 1000, 10000, etc. computer sold
$1B, $5B, ... in revenues

Personnel:

100, 1000, 10000, etc. employees

Software:

RSX, RT, RSX, VMS, ULRTIX, etc

and so on

I suspect if you try to look for 10 events, none that I listed would make the
list.  I certainly wouldn't consider them in the top 10.  However, on a time
line, it might show some interesting contrasts between the size of the company
vs. the events themselves.

btw - I did like the list in .1

-mark

Very good list Steve. I would only slightly modify item 1 from:

    1) Corporation is founded.

to:

    1) Corporation is founded by Ken Olsen et al

            Mike

  One oft-forgotten milestone was the point at which the size of the box
  that contains the system became smaller than the box that contains the
  documentation for the system.

  This milestone depended on and illustrates both the decreasing size of
  hardware and the increasing complexity of software.  I think we crossed
  this like with the 750 but it might have been the 730.  Anyone
  remember for sure?

  JP

    Re: .1
    
    	Item 2 doesn't really tell the whole wonderful tale about how
    DEC introduced the world to interactive computing via the PDP-10.
    Just saying the PDP-1 is developed leaves out a whole lot about
    what made DEC famous, namely cheap, interactive computing.
    
    						Warren
    

    RE: .1 (E-net is number 10 with a bullet)
    
    Actually, it may very well be that the E-net is _THE_ most important
    event from a customer point of view.
    
    The E-net is a wonderful example of performing distributed computing
    using the many wonderful tools developed in the other bullets of
    the fine list in reply .1.
    
    Our customers care about applications and the E-net is one excellent
    way to show applications.  The very acts of our communication on
    this topic is something that PROVES the value of our tools and the
    benefit (from a technological view) of the E-net.
    
    Have a ball,
    
    Don

Are we limiting this to Dec-internal things only?  If not, perhaps the
most important list should include, in no particular order.

-- The PDP-1 given to MIT which was used for student hacking on which
   interactive computing was invented (expensive typewriter -> teco,
   Spacewar -> an entire industry).  Read Steven Levy's "Hackers" for
   more details.

-- The PDP-6 and PDP-10 that were the basis for flexible and inexpensive
   timesharing.

-- Arpanet (world-wide community of computer scientists) which grew
   primarily on PDP-10's.

-- The PDP-8 (the computer as a tool for a laboratory or factory, rather
   than as an end in itself).

-- Unix (which revolutionized timesharing) and C (which revolutionized
   assembly-language programming).

-- Emacs.

-- The VT05/52/100 and LA30 (and friends).

Martin.

DEC's TOP 10 Events, would almost have to include digitals entry into
the 'commercial' market place with TOPS-10, and DECsystem-10s in 1969.

TOPS-10 introduced the world to timesharing, and low cost interactive computing.
TOPS-10 ALSO was a leader in the networking arena, and departmental processing
via ANF-10.

TOPS-10 helped replace the "IBM" card deck with interactiver terminals,
at least on any of the computers I use..

The history of 36bit computing spans mode than 20 years with the introduction
of the DECsystem-10 predicessor the PDP-6 in 1964.  TOPS-10 and other 36bit
operating systems are STILL produced and engineered today..  Production on the 
actual 36bit processors was finally stopped early last year, the final release
of the TOPS-10 operating system is due for field test soon..


...CCS

The PDP-6 and PDP-10 are milestones in many respects and laid the groundwork for
many aspects of the VAX architecture and networking realization. The KL10 
processor was the first to use ECL logic, have a front-end console processor.
It also supported/s other comm processors for sync/async communications and 
networking, (as did the KA10 & KI10).

Today's VAXen (8530 thru 8800) utilize ECL gate arrays, console processors (and
now cluster consoles), and terminal servers and network gateways (communication
processors in their own right.) 

I, too, feel it would be remiss to not include the 36-bit family somewhere in 
the TOP 10 of DEC's milestones that helped to realize DEC's philoshophy of 
'Distributed Processing'.

lee

    	Yes, the book should be about the 36 bit product line & the
    rest of the stuff a part of the whole.  TOPS20 was more "user friendly"
    before most people knew what it meant.  The ol' KA's had networks
    that most people these days have yet to see.  And, distributed
    processing, well, the DA28x and supporting HW/SW was the front runner
    for us.  And comm concentrators...remember the 680 & 680I??  We
    had systems with 100's of comm lines back in the 60's!  And, we
    used 11's to interface to IBM in the early 70's.  We had smart disks,
    the RA10 & the RP20.  And, we had graphics terminals in the late
    60's & early 70's timeshared.  
    
    	So, it's very important for people to realize actually where
    all these products originated.  We should know that the implementation
    of a small quanity of concepts & systems brought about the possibility
    of mass production & sales of smaller systems in large quanities.
    
    Keith
    
    

It might not have been clear from my earlier reply, but I would strongly
urge the book to be about the *ideas* that came out of Digital, rather
than the specific products:

-- "personal" (interactive) computing, rather than batch programs run
    by a separate organization (PDP-1, PDP-6/10/20, RSTS/E)

-- Local concentration of resources with separate computers,
   each dedicated to a unique task.  (PDP-8, PDP-15, RSX-11D/M).

-- Economy.  (PDP-8, PDP-11, RT11).

-- Networking for sharing.  (APRAnet, DECnet).

Dec was primarily responsible for the development of interactive
computing and all of the industry that flowed from that concept.

Martin.

    Another kudo for the DEC 10/20 era:  These systems, present in so
    many universities and research institutions, have had a major im-
    pact on more than one generation of college graduates.  They played
    a major part in changing the way common people regarded the computer.
    The perception of a computer as an everyday tool (rather than the
    mystical "answer machine" of the movies) stems from the availability
    of cheap interactive computing power in our educational system.

    Most people tend to attribute these changes in attitude to the PDP-8
    and PDP-11 systems that sprung up in the science and engineering
    departments.  But I really wonder if this was the case.  At more
    than one University I attended, the number of users of the DEC-10s
    on campus exceeded the users of the PDP-8s and PDP-11s by a couple
    orders of magnitude.  Business, Liberal Arts, Medical, they all
    had users on the DEC-10s, many of whom never saw the actual machine.
    
    I think that these systems were the best "marketing" tools ever
    used by DEC, and that the interest and investment we made into
    the educational system is paying off royally, both for DEC, and
    for the computer industry as a whole.

    Re .12:
    
    Not downing the PDP-10, however ...
    
    >The perception of a computer as an everyday tool (rather than the
    >mystical "answer machine" of the movies) stems from the availability
    >of cheap interactive computing power in our educational system.
    >
    >Most people tend to attribute these changes in attitude to the PDP-8
    >and PDP-11 systems that sprung up in the science and engineering
    >departments. 
    
    The PDP-8s and PDP-11s were also found in "EduSystem" configurations
    and went into secondary (and occasionally primary!) schools.   Here's
    where a lot learned interactive computing (and tight programming,
    given the tiny memory sizes then available); these students brought
    their attitudes to areas of higher education.
    
    The minicomputers were not only the lifeblood of this company, but
    the 8s and 11s introduced people who had never thought of using
    computers before, outside the halls of academe, with the idea of
    interactive computing.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

Aside from hiring you and me :-), my list of the 10 most important events in the
    corporate history are:
    
    D.E.C. is Profitable in year 1.
    M-series modules creates wide OEM base.
    The PDP-1 gets DIGITAL into Computer Systems.
    36-bit PDP-6 facilitates Artificial Intelligence research.
    12-bit PDP-8 starts the MiniComputer Revolution.
    DIGITAL stock goes public in 1966 on AMEX.
    8-bit PDP-11 with UNIBUS allows "configurations".
    VAX/VMS establishes new industry standard.
    Networking lets DIGITAL challenge IBM.
    DIGITAL becomes a software company.
    
    	Rick
    	Merrill
    
    
    
                                       

    re: .14
    
>    8-bit PDP-11 with UNIBUS allows "configurations".
    
    Did someone cut yours down the middle?
    

Let's not foget VAXclusters...

Lee

    Before people get too carried away with chronicling Digital's
    innovations, I hope you will double-check to make sure Digital actually
    DID come up with them.  No offense, but these replies are beginning to
    sound like Russian history lessons -- everything worthwhile was
    invented at Digital!  Those of us who have worked elsewhere will
    recognize that some of the statements made are simply not true (naming
    no names...)

FYI - We decided not to go with the chart after all for the SEPTEMBER issue
(space limitation and there were restrictions on cutting down K.O's speech
that we reprinted).  However, in my quest for major events in DEC's history,
I came across a project our Public Relations department was doing.  The
attached information was given to our customer at DECWORLD.

Thanks to everyone who participated - I forwarded some of your comments to
Public Relations for inclusion in their document.

					- Anne Marie Brako



                 MILESTONES IN DIGITAL'S HISTORY



August 1957          -- Digital opens in Maynard, Massachusetts, 
                        with three employees and 8,500 square 
                        feet of production space in a converted 
                        woolen mill.

February 1958        -- Systems modules go on the market.  First 
                        fiscal year sales:  $94,000.

November 1960        -- Introduction of PDP-1, the world's first 
                        small, interactive computer.

June 1962            -- Annual sales reach $6.5 million.

March 1963           -- First European sales and service office 
                        opens with three people in Munich, 
                        Germany.  First Canadian sales office 
                        opens with two people in Ottawa.

April 1963           -- The world's first minicomputer, PDP-5, is 
                        announced.

September 1963       -- PDP-1 operating system, the first 
                        timesharing system, is introduced.

March 1964           -- Digital begins manufacturing in a woolen 
                        mill at Carleton Place near Ottawa, 
                        Canada.

June 1964            -- Subsidiaries formed in Australia and the 
                        United Kingdom.

July 1964            -- First European Customer Training Center 
                        opened in Reading, United Kingdom.

October 1964         -- Digital unveils its first 36-bit 
                        computer, PDP-6. 

April 1965           -- Introduction of PDP-8, the world's first 
                        mass-produced minicomputer.

August 1966          -- Digital makes its first public stock 
                        offering.

March 1967           -- PDP-10 is introduced. 

June 1967            -- Manufacturing of PDP-8 computers and 
                        peripherals is started in a Reading, 
                        England, facility. 

                     -- Annual sales reach $38 million. 

January 1968         -- Digital stock begins trading on the 
                        American Stock Exchange.

July 1968            -- Manufacturing operations begin in San 
                        German, Puerto Rico.

                     -- Employment increases 68% to over 2,600 
                        people, including 225 engineers and 
                        programmers and 360 field engineers. 
                        There are over 50 sales and service 
                        offices located in 11 countries.

May 1969             -- Digital stock splits three-for-one.

June 1969            -- European Headquarters opens in Geneva, 
                        Switzerland.

April 1970           -- First deliveries of PDP-11/20, Digital's 
                        first 16-bit minicomputer and first 
                        member of the world's most successful 
                        minicomputer family.

June 1970            -- Total number of installed Digital 
                        computers passes 8,000, of which 
                        approximately 1,800 are in Europe.

October 1970         -- Digital establishes its first West Coast 
                        manufacturing operation at Mountain View, 
                        California, for making disks. 

December 1970        -- Digital stock begins trading on the New 
                        York Stock Exchange.

June 1971            -- First annual customer satisfaction 
                        survey is taken. 

November 1971        -- Manufacturing starts in Galway, Ireland. 

                     -- DECsystem-10 is introduced. 

January 1972         -- Spaced is leased in Springfield, 
                        Massachusetts, Armory to build power 
                        supplies and sub-assemblies.  

June 1972            -- Annual sales reach $188 million.  Digital 
                        has 7,800 employees.

October 1972         -- Taiwan plant opens for core memory 
                        stringing operations.

December 1973        -- Hong Kong plant opens for core memory 
                        stringing operations.
                     
March 1974           -- 30,000th computer system is shipped.

April 1974           -- MPS, Digital's first microprocessor, is 
                        introduced. 

                     -- Digital enters Fortune 500, ranking 475th 
                        in sales.

June 1974            -- Maynard Industrial Park (the Mill) -- 23 
                        buildings, 1.6 million square feet -- is 
                        purchased.

February 1975        -- LSI-11, Digital's first 16-bit 
                        microcomputer, and the powerful PDP-11/70 
                        are added to the PDP-11 family.

April 1975           -- Introduction of Digital's Network 
                        Architecture. 

September 1975       -- 50,000th computer system is delivered, 
                        just 15 years after introduction of 
                        Digital's first computer.

January 1976         -- Introduction of 36-bit DECSYSTEM-20, the 
                        lowest-priced general-purpose timesharing 
                        system on the market. 

                     -- New manufacturing plant opens in Ayr, 
                        Scotland. 

October 1976         -- Digital stock splits three-for-one.

May 1977             -- New manufacturing plant opens in 
                        Kaufbeuren, West Germany. 

June 1977            -- Digital breaks the billion-dollar-a-year 
                        mark in sales; has 36,000 employees.

July 1977            -- Introduction of the industry's first 
                        computerized remote diagnosis. 

October 1977         -- Introduction of VAX-11/780, the first 
                        member of the VAX computer family.

                     -- Stock is now traded on the Pacific Stock 
                        Exchange.

February 1978        -- Digital ships its 100,000th computer. 

July 1978            -- Digital's first retail computer store 
                        opens in Manchester, New Hampshire.

March 1979           -- Digital opens the largest industrial 
                        training facility in New England at 
                        Bedford, Massachusetts. 

January 1980         -- 200,000th computer shipped.

February 1980        -- Introduction of DECnet Phase III -- the 
                        most advanced networking in the computer 
                        industry.

April 1980           -- Digital opens state-of-the-art high 
                        technology center for manufacturing 
                        semiconductors at Hudson, Massachusetts. 

June 1980            -- Digital, Intel and Xerox cooperate in 
                        Ethernet local network project.  

                     -- Digital breaks $2 billion mark in sales.

October 1980         -- Introduction of VAX-11/750, second member 
                        of the VAX family and the industry's 
                        first Large Scale Integration (LSI) 
                        32-bit minicomputer.

March 1981           -- Announcement of PDP-11/24 minicomputer 
                        system.

June 1981            -- Digital breaks $3 billion mark in sales.

March 1982           -- Production begins at Greenville, South 
                        Carolina, printed circuit facility. 

April 1982           -- Introduction of the VAX-11/730, the third 
                        member of Digital's 32-bit computer 
                        family.

May 1982             -- Introduction of a complete range of 
                        personal computers -- Professional 325 
                        and 350, Rainbow 100 and DECmate II.

                     -- Digital ranks 137th in total sales in 
                        Fortune Magazine's annual directory of 
                        the largest industrial corporations in 
                        the United States.                       

June 1982            -- Annual sales reach $3.9 billion.  
                        Employee population is over 67,000.   

August 1982          -- Digital celebrates its first 25 years, 
                        during which over 360,000 computers have 
                        been shipped.

                     -- Announcement of RA60 and RA81 disks and 
                        Digital Storage Architecture put Digital 
                        at the forefront in storage technology. 

September 1982       -- Japan Research and Development Center 
                        opens in Tokyo. 

April 1983           -- Digital announces VAXclusters, a process 
                        for tying VAX processors together in a 
                        loose processor coupling.

                     -- The company breaks into Fortune 
                        Magazine's top 100 U.S. industrial 
                        companies by ranking 95th in sales.

May 1983             -- Digital donates its largest single gift, 
                        $25 million, to Project Athena, a joint 
                        experimental program with the 
                        Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 
                        IBM which will integrate the next 
                        generation of computers and interactive 
                        grapics into undergraduate education 
                        throughout all five MIT schools.

June 1983            -- Annual sales reach $4 billion.

October 1983         -- Introduction of MicroVAX I and 
                        VAX-11/725, designed to extend the 32-bit 
                        VAX computer family.

November 1983        -- VT200 family of video terminals 
                        introduced. 

December 1983        -- DECtalk, a text-to-speech system that 
                        allows computers to talk, is announced.

January 1984         -- Systems Research Center formed in Palo 
                        Alto, California. 

March 1984           -- Digital reports worldwide employee 
                        population to be 78,500, in 32 major 
                        manufacturing sites and over 400 sales 
                        and service offices.

April 1984           -- Introduction of VAX-11/785, the most 
                        powerful single computer to date in 
                        Digital's VAX family.

                     -- The company rises in rank from 95 to 84 
                        in Fortune Magazine's listing of the top 
                        100 U.S. industrial companies. 

                     -- 25,000th VAX computer system shipped.

June 1984            -- Annual sales reach $5.6 billion. The 
                        company maintains 660 offices in 47 
                        countries with 85,600 employees.

July 1984            -- Introduction of MicroPDP-11/73, a 
                        top-of-the-line minicomputer with 
                        performance approximating that of a 
                        midrange computer.

September 1984       -- Introduction of the Professional 380 
                        system.

October 1984         -- Announcement of VAX 8600, the first of a 
                        new generation of computers within the 
                        VAX family and the highest performance 
                        computer system in Digital's history.

                     -- Introduction of VAXstation I, the 
                        company's first true 32-bit single-user 
                        workstation.

                     -- Announcement of DECmate III, Digital's 
                        lowest-cost desktop computer, optimized 
                        for word processing.

December 1984        -- Introduction of PDP-11/84 minicomputer 
                        for Original Equipment Manufacturers.

February 1985        -- VAXstation 500 is introduced.

March 1985           -- Introduction of Rainbow 190 system.

April 1985           -- For the eleventh consecutive year, 
                        Digital increases its standing in Fortune 
                        Magazine's listing of the nation's 100 
                        leading U.S. companies, moving up 19 
                        places to number 65.

May 1985             -- The company lengthens its lead in 
                        integrated distributed computing with the 
                        announcement of two powerful new 
                        additions to the VAX family of computers:  
                        MicroVAX II, the industry's most powerful 
                        supermicrocomputer system, which 
                        incorporates the revolutionary 
                        "VAX-on-a-chip" and has the highest level 
                        of functionality of any 32-bit processor 
                        in the industry; and VAXstation II, a 
                        high-performance graphics workstation.

June 1985            -- Annual sales reach $6.7 billion.  The 
                        company now maintains over 900 facilities 
                        worldwide, representing over 29 million 
                        square feet of space.

July 1985            -- Digital becomes the first company to 
                        register a new semiconductor chip under 
                        the Semiconductor Protection Act of 1984 
                        (the MicroVAX II chip).

August 1985          -- Digital ships 2,000th MicroVAX II. 

November 1985        -- Introduction of MicroPDP-11/83, the most 
                        powerful Q-bus 16-bit-wordlength computer 
                        in Digital's history.

December 1985        -- The VAX 8650, with a CPU 44% more 
                        powerful than the VAX 8600, is 
                        introduced.

January 1986         -- Introduction of the VAXstation II/GPX, 
                        the first technical workstation for the 
                        UNIX marketplace.

                     -- Introduction of the top-of-the-line VAX 
                        8800 and midrange VAX 8300 and VAX 8200.

February 1986        -- Digital hosts DECWORLD '86, the largest 
                        single-company computer exposition ever 
                        held.

                     -- Announcement of DECconnect wiring 
                        strategy and related products and 
                        services -- extends networking 
                        leadership.

April 1986           -- Introduction of the midrange VAX 8500.

                     -- Stock splits two-for-one.

                     -- The company rises in rank to number 55 on 
                        Fortune Magazine's listing of the leading 
                        100 industrial companies.

June 1986            -- Annual sales reach $7.6 billion.  The 
                        company now employs over 94,000 people, 
                        occupying over 31 million square feet of 
                        space.

                     -- Networking center dedicated at King 
                        Street in Littleton, Massachusetts. 

August 1986          -- Introduction of VAX 8550 and VAX 8700.

September 1986       -- Introduction of VAXmate, a networked 
                        personal computer which can combine the 
                        resources of the VAX-VMS and MS-DOS* 
                        operating systems. 

November 1986        -- Digital introduces Local Area 
                        VAXcluster systems, extending distributed 
                        computing to the work group. 

January 1987         -- Introduction of VAX 8978 and VAX 8974, 
                        Digital's most powerful systems to date, 
                        offering up to 50 times the power of the 
                        industry-standard VAX-11/780.

                     -- Moody's Investors Services raises 
                        Digital's long-term debt rating to Aaa, 
                        its highest rating. 

February 1987        -- Digital ships its 100,000th VAX computer 
                        system, a VAX 8800 to be used for oil 
                        exploration and production computing at 
                        The Standard Oil Company's Technical Data 
                        Center in Dallas, Texas. 

                     -- Introduction of VAXstation 2000 and 
                        MicroVAX 2000, Digital's lowest-cost 
                        workstation and multiuser computers, 
                        respectively. 

March 1987           -- VAX 8250, VAX 8350, VAX 8530 -- three new 
                        midrange computers -- are unveiled. 

April 1987           -- Digital climbs to number 44 in Fortune 
                        magazine's annual listing of the largest 
                        U.S. industrial corporations, marking the 
                        13th consecutive year the company's 
                        standing has risen. 

                     -- Business Week magazine ranks Digital 
                        eighth among "America's Most Valuable 
                        Companies," based on a market value of 
                        $21.6 billion -- a 128 percent increase 
                        from the previous year. 

                     -- The VT330 and VT340 signify the 
                        introduction of a new generation of video 
                        terminals, with twice the resolution, up 
                        to five times the speed and significantly 
                        lower prices than their predecessors.

June 1987            -- Digital and Cray Research, Inc., the 
                        leading producer of supercomputers, 
                        announce cooperative agreement to market 
                        and develop products that link their 
                        respective computer environments -- 
                        beginning with the VAX Supercomputer 
                        Gateway.

                     -- Annual sales climb 24% to $9.39 billion 
                        for Fiscal Year 1987, with net income up 
                        84% to $1.14 billion. Return on 
                        shareholder equity rises to 19% in FY87 
                        from 12% in FY86.

August 1987          -- Easynet, Digital's internal computer 
                        network, registers its 20,000th node. It 
                        is the largest private computer network 
                        in the world. 

                     -- Thirty years after its inception, Digital 
                        has 110,500 employees, occupies 33.6 
                        million square feet in 1,057 buildings, 
                        and does business in 64 countries. 

September 1987       -- DECWORLD '87 draws 48,500 people to 
                        Boston's World Trade Center over a 9-day 
                        period. With the Queen Elizabeth 2 and 
                        Star/ship Oceanic serving as floating 
                        hotels and conference centers, invited 
                        customers from around the world 
                        experienced the most expansive 
                        demonstration of computing capabilities 
                        ever mounted by one company. 

                     -- Digital unveils a new generation of its 
                        MicroVAX computer family with the 
                        introduction of the MicroVAX 3500 and 
                        3600 systems, two high-performance, 
                        CMOS-technology based departmental 
                        computers. Also announced: VAXstation 
                        3200 and 3500, two new workstations with 
                        triple the performance of previous 
                        
                        VAXstation offerings at a comparable 
                        price; VAXservers which share the new 
                        MicroVAX processor technology; and Phase 
                        V of the Digital Network Architecture, 
                        migrating DECnet products to full 
                        compliance with the OSI (Open Systems 
                        Interconnection) model.  


Mark Fredrickson
September 1987 MF/55

* MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.