The VAX11-780 computer

In the late 1970s a revolutionary computer was introduced the DEC VAX11-780. In contrast to the Apple II it was an expensive computer which targets programmers. A typical VAX11-780 had around 1 megabyte of RAM and a moderate CPU for doing the calculations. The more interesting point of the machine was the software. It was an early UNIX version installed on the VAX machine, very similar to what today's programmers are using. Or to explain it from the other perspective: the operating system never changed in the last 40 years. Only some details were improved.

To understand why the VAX computer in the late 1970s was relevant for the programmers we have to look at some details of the UNIX operating system. Mainly it provided a textbased terminal (similar to a bash), the troff document formatter (similar to today's LaTeX), it was equipped with a C compiler, it had network capabilities (DECnet), it was possible to run many programs simultaniously, it contains a texteditor and last but not least a version control system called SCCS.

Which part of the software stack has become obsolete for today's programmers? Right, nothing of them. The tools were improved only in details but the general today is the same like in the late 1970s. The combination of all the unix tools together results into a powerful machine. The programmer can enter with the texteditor C sourcecode, compile it into binary format, document the program with a markup language, writes an e-mail to other programmers over the Internet and while he is doing so a different user can execute on the same machine different programs in the background. This efficient pipeline is using the existing ressources optimal and even from today's perspective it's hard to find something which should be improved.

What makes the VAX11-780 computer unique is, that it was the first time that a reasonable powerful hardware with around 1 MB was combined with a UNIX operating system. This allowed programmers to create software projects. It was the beginning of new area which is active since today.

Sure, DEC was not the only computer company in the 1970s, and The C programming language was not only way to program a computer. But all the other companies like IBM, Apple or Atari were amateurs. They have produced software and hardware but it was different from Unix.

The funny thing is, that in 1970s it was not obvious, that DEC VAX-11/780 was a powerful machine. The IBM mainframe system were from a technical side faster, which means, they had more RAM and the CPU was more powerful. While companies like Tandy Corporation or Apple computers sold more units to a mass market. What DEC has provided to the world was a programming environment. This idea was more powerful than IBM hardware and Apple's mass market combined.

What exactly was this ideology? Mainly it has to do with the UNIX operating system, not because of the tradename Unix but because of the idea of an operating system. Let us define from an abstract point of view what an operating system is. It's a system software which provides a compiler, debugging tools, version control, networking capabilities, and a command interface for multiple users. For running such an operating system a hardware with at least 1 MB of RAM is needed. DEC Was a company who provided this combination for the first time.

The ideology was not connected to DEC, but the ideology says basically that there is a need for an operating system which runs on a computer. This is equal to a programmer environment which allows users to create software. The funny thing is, that other companies didn't focussed on this point. For example, IBM had never programmed an operating system. IBM had equipped their mainframe system with customized firmware, but not with a software which runs on different hardware. In contrast, a company like Apple was interested in selling hardware to the customer. He became a gaming console which allows him to start software written by other. Only DEC assumed, that the customer want's to create his own software so he needs an operating system.

What DEC has invented with the VAX-11/780 was not only a hardware/software combination, but a learning space for future programmers. Suppose, a university had bought the VAX computer, what will happen next? Right, the students are encouraged to write software in C for the machine. They are doing so in computer courses and as a result they learn programming. I would call DEC not a computer company, but a computer course. The idea is to increase the number of students who are fluent in the c language and have experience with networked timesharing computers.

From a negative perspective, the DEC VAX computer was a waste of time. The students have learned how to program a game, and if they have done so they played with the machine. They never produced useful software but used the machine as a toy to satisfy their own needs. The DEC machine can be compared with today's Lego Mindstorms Kit. The only purpose of the NXT2.0 brick is to educate the student who to solve problems. It is an education tool for making human smarter.