🎯 What Was the DEC-VAX?
The DEC-VAX (Virtual Address Extension) was a family of 32-bit minicomputers developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). The first model, the VAX-11/780, was introduced on October 25, 1977, and shipped starting in 1978. This groundbreaking computer transformed DEC from a $700 million company into a $14 billion powerhouse that seriously challenged even IBM.
🚀 The Birth of a Legend
Gordon Bell, who now works at Microsoft's research division, recognized back in 1972 that the PDP-11 minicomputer wouldn't survive the decade due to its 16-bit address space limitation. In 1975, he started working with a team of engineers to develop a computer with 32-bit addressing that remained compatible with the older PDP-11 minicomputers.
The first system shipped in 1978 to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, followed by CERN in Switzerland and a German Max Planck Institute. 📦
💻 Technical Innovation
The VAX-11/780 ran on the VMS operating system (VAX Version 1 contained approximately one million lines of code) and featured innovative capabilities:
- ✅ Built-in error correction (Error Correction and Detection Code; ECC)
- ✅ Virtual memory support
- ✅ 32-bit architecture breaking the 16-bit barrier
⌨️ The VT100 Terminal Legacy
Around 1976, DEC introduced the VT100, an affordable and robust ASCII terminal whose command set remains the de-facto standard for terminal emulation programs today. These terminals, featuring the iconic gold-colored key, were used alongside VAX systems and shaped an entire generation of developers.
Fun fact: This is why Uniface still uses the "Gold Key" concept! 🔑
📈 Market Dominance
By the 1980s, DEC had become the world's second-largest computer manufacturer by revenue, right behind IBM. The company evolved a comprehensive computer family with various subfamilies - advances in chip technology miniaturized the electronics while prices steadily declined.
DEC's predecessor system, the PDP-11, had already achieved remarkable success with over 600,000 units sold. The VAX family continued this legacy throughout the 1980s. 🌍
🔚 The End of an Era
In 1992, the death knell rang for VAX systems when DEC introduced the RISC CPU "21064" (codename: Alpha) - a 64-bit RISC processor, in contrast to the 32-bit CISC architecture of VAX computers. With the retirement of the VAX, a significant chapter in computing history came to an end.
🎓 Legacy Impact
The VAX systems influenced:
- Modern operating system design (VMS concepts live on in OpenVMS)
- Terminal standards (VT100 emulation)
- Enterprise computing architecture
- Developer workflows and tooling
Understanding the VAX era helps us appreciate why certain "legacy" systems work the way they do today! 🏛️
Have you worked with VAX systems or encountered their legacy in modern software? Share your stories in the comments! 💬
Note: This article was created with the assistance of AI to research and compile historical information about DEC-VAX systems.
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