Programmed Data Processor
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The Programmed Data Processor (PDP) was a line of computers manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Introduced in the mid-1960s, these were relatively small and inexpensive machines known as minicomputers. They were designed for use in specific departments or for dedicated tasks, often in laboratories and research institutions. The PDP-8, released in 1965, was the first widely successful minicomputer, selling over 50,000 units. Later models, like the PDP-11, were versatile enough for both single-process control and shared use in university settings. The PDP line was instrumental in DEC's growth for two decades before being surpassed by microcomputers in the 1980s.12
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computerMinicomputer…Equipment Corporation (DEC) with its Programmed Data Processor (PDP). In 1960 DEC’s PDP-1 sold for $120,000. Five years later its PDP-8 cost $18,000 and became the first widely used minicomputer, with more than 50,000 sold. The DEC PDP-11, introduced in 1970, came in a variety of models, small and cheap…
Read More…Equipment Corporation (DEC) with its Programmed Data Processor (PDP). In 1960 DEC’s PDP-1 sold for $120,000. Five years later its PDP-8 cost $18,000 and became the first widely used minicomputer, with more than 50,000 sold. The DEC PDP-11, introduced in 1970, came in a variety of models, small and cheap…
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…of the first minicomputers, the Programmed Data Processor, or PDP-1, in 1959. At a price of $120,000, the PDP-1 sold for a fraction of the cost of mainframe computers, albeit with vastly more limited capabilities. But it was the PDP-8, using the recently invented integrated circuit (a set of interconnected…
Read More…of the first minicomputers, the Programmed Data Processor, or PDP-1, in 1959. At a price of $120,000, the PDP-1 sold for a fraction of the cost of mainframe computers, albeit with vastly more limited capabilities. But it was the PDP-8, using the recently invented integrated circuit (a set of interconnected…
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