Roland Perry wrote:
> In message <79qkj5F1sktuuU2@mid.individual.net>, at 00:28:26 on Wed, 17
> Jun 2009, Tom P remarked:
>> Ken Olsen, VP of DEC (Digital Equipment Corp) is quoted as having said
>> in 1977: "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in
>> his home."
>
> Which sounds like one of the stranger quotes, as the Commodore Pet,
> Apple II, TRS80 etc were all introduced that year. But he probably meant
> "minicomputer". What few people realised was that with the right
> software (CP/M was the main enabler) machines similar to those mentioned
> above could become "minicomputer emulators" and start running more than
> a BASIC interpreter.
>
> Curiously enough, the same effect also overtook the Amstrad PCW, which
> was promoted (in the UK at least) entirely as a Word Processor, but many
> users bought as a CP/M-engine and platform to run business applications.
Ken Olson's inability to foresee the potential for personal computers
was possibly one factor in the demise of his company. However, he was
not alone in this. The history of the computer business is littered with
similar examples.
T. |