[Info-vax] BASIC compiler in the hobbyist distribution

[seasoned_geek]

On Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 12:19:23 PM UTC-5, David Froble wrote:
> 
> Even when the N-VAX and it's predecessors were doing well, DEC stuck 
> with charging big bucks, still looking at IBM.  They should have been 
> watching behind themselves.  That's where the real competition was.

I have heard time and time again, in fact I first heard it when working for a DEC VAR back in the mid 80s.

Before IBM launched the first PC DEC had manufactured a full blown Micro PDP which ran RSTS/E and was targeted at the initial $5K or so price range of the original PC. The marketing team took a look at the inventory they had priced at a quarter plus million dollars and killed it.

I do not know if it was the same Micro PDP which was eventually made available to VARs (and that we sold a few of) or if that was a later iteration. That iteration came out after the MicroVAX.

Just think. We could have avoided the 640K memory barrier and all DOS problems. INTEL would be an obscure company a fraction of the size of today's Texas Instruments (which it truly deserves to be) and all would be right with the world.

I heard the story because the owner of the company and the sales team were really pissed they didn't get a chance to sell that $5K MicroPDP. It used to come up at lunch once in a while, well... short while like months, not years.