Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!virtech!rickr
From: rickr@virtech.uucp (Rick Rodman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: Unix for PDP-11
Message-ID: <1990Aug23.041903.16944@virtech.uucp>
Date: 23 Aug 90 04:19:03 GMT
Organization: Virtual Technologies Inc.
Lines: 23

As for Ultrix being discontinued because the PDP-11 is an "old machine":

My PDP-11/73 is about 3 years old.  It is, in fact, the newest computer
I own.  DEC just introduced two new models, the 11/93 and 11/94.  So, the
discontinuation of Unix cannot be justified by oldness of model.

No, IMHO the discontinuation of Ultrix was because a PDP-11 with Ultrix
was not competitive price/performance with other Unix boxes.  One must
always remember that Open Systems means that you can lose business to
competitors.

While, of course, when customers are locked in to RSX or RT-11, they
can't get away.

Ken has a good point about MicroVAX IIs being cheap (so to speak), and my
latest idea is to get a bare-bones MicroVAX and move the 11/73's
peripherals over to it, then sell the remainder to a spare parts dealer.

I share Ted Nelson's sadness about the DEC that was - and the DEC that is
today.  Alas.
-- 

Rick Rodman      uunet!virtech!rickr