THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY November 13, 2002 PDP-11 ______________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: NetIQ WebTrends
Free White Paper: The Executive Pocket Guide to Smarter Marketing Myth: The Web will never be a significant piece of the media mix. Fact: Your Web site is already a critical part of the blend. Break down the myths and get smarter about how the Web changes the marketing principles you already know. You can't afford to lose on the Web. So get your free copy of "Winning on the Web: The Executive Pocket Guide to Smarter Marketing" from NetIQ WebTrends today! http://WhatIs.com/r/0,,7443,00.htm?freewhitepaper ______________ TODAY'S WORD: PDP-11 See our definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci862963,00.html PDP-11 (Programmed Data Processor-11) is one of the most famous computers in computing history, one of a series manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) from the early 1960s through the mid-1990s. PDP-11, which was sold in 1970 for $10,800, was the only 16-bit computer ever made by the company. The PDP-11 had a number of other features that distinguished it from most of its contemporaries, including multiple (eight) registers; multiple addressing modes; a hardware stack; processor error traps; and a separate communications path for memory and peripherals (called the UNIBUS) that could move data independently of the processor. Many early developers and users of the UNIX operating system ran it on the PDP-11 after the original Multics system was no longer available. Before the 1970s, computers were not thought to be something that the average person would buy or use. At about $1,000,000, they were prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, computers of the time were so large and complex that a computer center was required to house one and a sizable staff was required to look after it. To dissociate their product line from these public perceptions, DEC didn't refer to the PDP as a computer at all, but used its name, the Programmed Data Processor, as a generic term. DEC's first model, PDP-1 sold for $120,000 - about 40,000 times the price of a good computer today, but a bargain at the time. DEC was acquired by Compaq Computers in 1998. RELATED TERMS: Digital Equipment Corporation http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213887,00.html register http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212882,00.html UNIX http://searchsolaris.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid12_gci213253,00.html Multics http://search390.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid10_gci213556,00.html ______________________ SELECTED LINKS Here is a "Tribute to the PDP-11." http://telnet.hu/hamster/pdp-11/ Village.org offers a PDP-11 Frequently Asked Questions page. http://www.village.org/pdp11/faq.html Ersatz-11 is a PDP-11 emulator. http://www.dbit.com/ In Australia, Warren Toomey writes about "The PDP-11 Unix Preservation Society or What's So Great About Unix, Anyway?" http://minnie.tuhs.org/Seminars/AUUG96/pdppaper.html ______________________ QUIZ #34 | Workstations How much do you know about managing computer workstations? Take our latest quiz and find out. >> Take the quiz http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci862959,00.html ______________________ CROSSWORD PUZZLE #6 | Wireless Improve your flexible thinking skills. Print out the puzzle and keep it nearby to work on throughout your day! http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci861329,00.html ______________________ REAL-LIFE CHALLENGE #19 | People problems Sometimes, the toughest IT-related problems have nothing to do with hardware or software. They're people problems. Susan is upset that her supervisor won't go to bat for her. Can you offer advice? http://whatis.discussions.techtarget.com/WebX?msgInContext@;128.ebLXaMkJu6M.22@.1dcfae0e/160!viewtype=threadDate&skip=&expand= ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] nagware http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci860960,00.html [2] Daylight Saving Time http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci860747,00.html [3] X dimension http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci860044,00.html [4] DOT4 http://searchhp.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid6_gci860597,00.html [5] Stefan-Boltzmann constant http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci861008,00.html ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: LOWELL THING, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ____________________________________________________________________ MARGARET ROUSE, Associate Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ___________________________________________________________________ :::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER ::::::::::::::::::::: Published by TechTarget (http://www.techtarget.com) TechTarget - The Most Targeted IT Media Copyright 2002, All Rights Reserved. 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