Difference between revisions of "List of Programmed Data Processors"

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(Add flimsy rumor about the PDP-2 ½.)
(Rephrase.)
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| PDP-2 || 24 || Never designed
 
| PDP-2 || 24 || Never designed
 
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| PDP-2 ½ || || By Ed Rawson of the American Science Institute, built from surplus modules originally used in the prototype PDP-2.
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| PDP-2 ½ || || "Casino" by Ed Rawson of the American Science Institute.
 
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|-
 
| [[PDP-3]] || 36 || Only one built, not by DEC
 
| [[PDP-3]] || 36 || Only one built, not by DEC

Revision as of 07:09, 11 May 2021

Programmable Digital Processor was the name adopted by Digital Equipment Corporation for all its early computers. (Reportedly, it was adopted to avoid worrying its early venture capital backers; at the time, almost all computers were large mainframes, and DEC's founders were concerned that if it appeared that they intended to compete in that market, they wouldn't be able to get funding.)

The name was dropped starting with the VAX. The other PDP families (most included more than one model) were:

Family/Machine Word Size Comment
PDP-1 18
PDP-2 24 Never designed
PDP-2 ½ "Casino" by Ed Rawson of the American Science Institute.
PDP-3 36 Only one built, not by DEC
PDP-4 18
PDP-5 12 First minicomputer
PDP-6 36
PDP-7 18 Original UNIX machine
PDP-8 12 First commercially successful minicomputer
PDP-9 18
PDP-10 36 DEC's mainframe
PDP-11 16
PDP-12 12 Laboratory computer, replacement for the LINC-8
PDP-14 12 Industrial controller
PDP-15 18
PDP-16   Not an actual computer; custom industrial controllers built out of Register Transfer Modules

External links