author
Digital Equipment Corporation
Built around the idea that computing should be more accessible, this pioneering company helped turn minicomputers into practical tools for labs, universities, and businesses. Its PDP and VAX systems left a lasting mark on the way modern computing grew up.
2 Audiobooks
Preliminary Specifications: Programmed Data Processor Model Three (PDP-3) October, 1960
by Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital PDP15 Price List, April, 1970
by Digital Equipment Corporation
About the author
Founded in 1957 by Ken Olsen and Harlan Anderson in Maynard, Massachusetts, Digital Equipment Corporation — usually called DEC or simply Digital — became one of the most important computer companies of the 20th century. It began by making small circuit modules for laboratories, then moved into computers with the PDP-1 in 1961.
Digital is best remembered for popularizing the minicomputer. Its PDP line and later VAX systems made computing more affordable and practical for research groups, engineering teams, and organizations that did not need a massive mainframe. At its peak around 1990, the company employed more than 120,000 people worldwide and generated more than $14 billion in revenue.
The company struggled as the industry shifted, and after a long decline it was acquired by Compaq in 1998. Even so, Digital's influence is still easy to spot in computing history: it helped expand who could own serious computing power, and many of its machines remain icons of the field.