[vaxman]

Just want to point out that the 11/750 was newer than the OG 11/780 and 11/782. Then came the 11/730 and eventually the MicroVax (based on the 78032 microprocessor that was hardware compatible with 68000 bus systems, fabricated at DEC’s famed Hudson plant)...then they went on to release 8000, 6000, 9000 and 10000 series while getting what would become Alpha out the door. Before Bill Gates hired David Cutler away from DEC and created the Windows dystopia, we had the finest hardware, operating systems and applications that money could buy (maybe with the exception of our database management systems lol).

[icedchai]

DEC was definitely the pride of the New England tech scene for most of the 80's and 90's. One of the first multiuser systems I worked with was a VAX 11/730 running VMS.

However, to say they had the "finest operating systems" is a bit of an exaggeration. You ever use Ultrix? It paled in comparison to SunOS. Example: it didn't even support shared libraries, which was a big deal with small disks.

[vaxman]

Ultrix WAS DEFINITELY trash —I didn’t even consider it a “DEC” operating system (was referring to VMS, RSX, RT11, VAXeln, RSTS/E, TOPS). You have to realize that Ultrix was despised by virtually (hah) the entire organization. It was a product of DECWRL in Palo Alto for use in situations where the customer required Unix due to edict or integration, much like Apple A/UX and many others.

[icedchai]

Makes sense. It was the child from another mother, I guess. I still play around with VMS from time to time. I have an Alpha in my collection.

[guenthert]

Did SunOS (before 5, i.e. BSD based) or did it come with Solaris (SunOS 5, SystemV based)? I honestly don't remember. I do remember that Interactive Unix around '92 (later bought by SUN to enhance their x86 port) did not support shared libraries, when Linux did. And yes, that was a big deal back then.

EDIT: http://iraf.noao.edu/docs/src/dosf/unixsmg-N-3.2.html indicates that BSD based SunOS did offer shared libraries (at least late in its live, as early on it was a 3rd party project to add those: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0433/bb8fb59cc457b74b3f8ad0...).

[icedchai]

I remember shared libraries on SunOS 4.x. SunOS 4.x was retroactively renamed to Solaris 1 sometime around the first Solaris 2 (SunOS 5.x) release. I ran it on both a Sun 3/60 and a Sparc. Up until Solaris 2.4 or so, most folks still preferred the older SunOS.

[jasomill]

Ultrix? You ever use OS/278? It didn't even support disk volumes containing more than 2^20 (12-bit) words, which was a big deal with "large" (20 MB) disks.

Source: one of my first few "home computers" was a DECmate II with a 20 MB hard drive.

[pinewurst]

Again no - how was the 78032 even remotely "hardware compatible with 68000 bus systems"? MicroVAX II/2000 systems weren't anything 68k-like inside.

http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/dtj/dtj_v01-02_mar1986.pdf

[vaxman]

Former then senior level DECie here and the 78032 chip was indeed designed to the 68000 bus signaling systems.

[LargoLasskhyfv]

What about the "desktop environment"? Everytime I see screenshots of them I shudder. Not to diss the Vaxen as such, but I like graphical environments, as in more like a terminal multiplexer for some xterms, or such.

Also, what is that about bus compatibilty with 68k? What was that for, where can I read more about that?

[icedchai]

You could run DECwindows (like X) if you had a graphics card. I knew a guy with a VAXstation 4000 that did this.