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Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!seismo!caip!clyde!bonnie!spf
From: spf@bonnie.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: DEC Pro 350 (vintage)
Message-ID: <819@bonnie.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Jul-86 09:47:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: bonnie.819
Posted: Wed Jul 16 09:47:32 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 16-Jul-86 23:09:43 EDT
References: <3656@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany NJ
Lines: 31

> shareware, *cheap*, etc.) for the DEC Professional 350.  I found this
> archiaic boat anchor sitting in the computer room at work; apparently
> no one else wanted to touch it, so I adopted it and am using it as a
> vt100 emulator.  To write this message, in fact.

Being a PRO 350 owner (and with my own money, yet, though I got
a 70% discount through a university), I cringe at such references
as "vintage", "archiaic", and "boat anchor".  True, the PRO 350
is a PDP-11/23, and PDP-11 is a 1970 architecture, but humor me.
While the 350 is about performance-equivalent to the IBM PC, it
can be upgraded to an 11/73 (PRO 380), which is about 3 times
faster.  Yeah, I know, that isn't a cheap prospect (probably
around $2K).  You can also get bigger hard disks (mine has 10M,
but I can get a 20M for $350, and I think a 33M is available).
It also runs a nice implementation of UNIX System V (in the body
of VENIX, which has some useful real-time extensions).

So don't play taps.  The machine is decent; the problem is just
that DEC gets bored with any of its products over 2 years old
(exception: VAX-11/780).  The PDP is STILL a nice architecture,
for 16-bits, and it's dynamite for real-time stuff, which is
my use of it.

Steve Frysinger
bonnie!spf

P.S.  Yes, I DO still have a Fisher vacuum-tube stereo amp, and
      a 1968 Triumph GT-6.  Wanna make somethin' of it?

***
 No, I don't work for DEC. If I did, I'd support my product line.