Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!snorkelwacker!spdcc!xylogics!world!bzs
From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Y VAX? [was : TECO on a DEC-System 10]
Message-ID: <1990Jan16.065338.24185@world.std.com>
Date: 16 Jan 90 06:53:38 GMT
References: <34346@mips.mips.COM> <147.UUL1.3#5131@mvac23.UUCP> <50898@bbn.COM>
Organization: The World @ Software Tool & Die
Lines: 17
In-Reply-To: ncramer@bbn.com's message of 15 Jan 90 01:08:42 GMT


>Which brings up an older question: it (sort of) makes sense, in a brit-
>english kinda way, to name a vacuum cleaner a "Vax", but why would anyone
>name a *computer* a "VAX"?

Virtual Address eXtension.

The story goes that it was originally designed as a box to be attached
to PDP-11's to help solve the memory address squeeze on those boxes
(basically 16-bit tho various tricks had been employed to extend that
a little.)

-- 
        -Barry Shein

Software Tool & Die, Purveyors to the Trade         | bzs@world.std.com
1330 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02146, (617) 739-0202 | {xylogics,uunet}world!bzs