List of Programmed Data Processors
From Computer History Wiki
Programmed Data 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 which became actual products for DEC (most included more than one model) were:
| Family/Machine | Word Size | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| PDP-1 | 18 | |
| 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 | |
| PDP-20 | 36 | Not a real name! Sometimes used for DEC-20 computers. |
A number of other designs never existed as real machines, only on paper:
| Family/Machine | Word Size | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| PDP-2 | 24 | Never designed |
| PDP-2 ½ | "Casino" by Ed Rawson of the American Science Institute. | |
| PDP-24 | 24? | Unconfirmed, mentioned in PDP-X memo 3. |
| PDP-K | 18 | Intended as a bridge between the PDP-15 and the PDP-10 family |
| PDP-X | 16 | An alternative to the PDP-11 |
