PDP-12
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Manufacturer | Digital Equipment Corporation |
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Product family | Programmed Data Processor |
Release date | 1969 |
Discontinued | 1972 |
Units sold | 725 |
Operating system | OS/8, DIALPS, LAP6W |
Memory | 4k 12-bit words; can be expanded to 32K |
Platform | DEC 12-bit |
Predecessor | PDP-8 and LINC |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/PDP-12_front_panel_and_screen.jpg/220px-PDP-12_front_panel_and_screen.jpg)
The PDP-12 (Programmed Data Processor) is a computer that was created by
Because it is the combination of two different computers, it is very versatile. It can be a laboratory-oriented machine
Operating systems
Although an OS/8 variant named OS/12 is the predominant PDP-12 operating system,[8] there were two prior ones:
- LAP6-DIAL (Display Interactive Assembly Language)
- DIAL-MS (Mass Storage; this is an 8K version of LAP6-DIAL)
Production and training
Less than a year after its introduction the PDP-12 already had over 400 orders placed[2] and in total 725 units were manufactured before being discontinued in 1972.[7]
Since it was used as laboratory equipment DEC offered a two-week "hands-on" programming course with the purchase of the computer. Classes were held at the main plant in Maynard, Massachusetts or in Palo Alto, California in the US, and also available in Reading in the United Kingdom, Cologne in Germany or Paris, France.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Exhibits - Living Computer Museum". www.livingcomputermuseum.org. Archived from the original on 2016-02-05. Retrieved 5 July 2016.see Mini-Computer section and press see more, then press see more again
- ^ a b c Digital Equipment Corporation. "Nineteen Fifty-Seven to the Present" (PDF). Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ISBN 1579582354.
- ^ a b PDP-12 Users Manual. Maynard, Massachusetts: Digital Equipment Corporation. 1969.
- ^ "PDP-12 Maintenance Manual Volume 2 Installation and Maintenance" (PDF). www.bitsavers.org (3rd ed.). 1972. pp. 1-5–1-6, 1-9 (18-19, 22). DEC-12-HR2B-D. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
- ^ LINC = Laboratory INstrumentation Computer
- ^ a b "The PDP-12". www.cca.org.
- ^ "The Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-8 : Frequently Asked Questions".
- ^ Digital Equipment Corporation (1972). Software Package and Services (PDF). Maynard, Massachusetts: DEC.
Further reading
- Clayton, R. (1970). Comparison of the LINC, LINC-8, and PDP-12 computers. Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 2(2), 76.