A105@UWOCC1.BITNET (Brent Sterner) (12/06/85)
It has come to my attention that some comments I made on the net a
while back have been misconstrued. In fairness to all, including DEC,
our local (London) office, and DEC Canada, I submit the following.
The University of Western Ontario has been with DEC for a very long time.
Our original KA-10 was one of the 1st in the world, serial number 10 or 12
I think (octal or decimal?). As a very conservative institution, we have
always been VERY cautious about computer acquisitions. In the past, the
following events have occurred:
UWO DEC
Upgrade KA-10 to 1090
Announce 1091 months later
Upgrade to RP20 disk
Announce RP07 months later
Acquire 1091 system
Announce cancellation of 36-bit line
at the following DECUS
Acquire VAX 8600 system
....
Then the network rumour mill started up about followon products to
the 8600. My reaction was I think natural enough. I commented that it
was probably about time, that early KLs clocked at less that 100%, and
THAT TRADITIONALLY DEC HAS HAD A PRODUCT AVAILABLE SHORTLY AFTER WE DO
AN UPGRADE. A few days ago, I learned that indeed an 8650 has been
announced. My original comment was meant as nothing more than a quasi
sceptical remark in jest.
Aparently some persons within DEC feel that the comment was in
some way derogatory. Nothing could be further from the truth. I suspect
that my comments may have been taken out of context (the context of the
many other rumours on the net). I would like to set the record straight.
Our site runs machines of several manufacturers. The 8600 we have on
the floor right now is by far the fastest available to us. Our DECsystems
have provided excellent service for a long time. In light of the Jupiter
cancellation, DEC has done a good job at providing a followon machine for
our site, and probably many others. Our campus has many VAXen installed
as departmental machines. It has been my opinion for a long time that
as a central academic centre, we should have a VAX available to our
customer base. If only for compatibility with other VAX.
THE 8600 IS MORE THAN THAT. It is a legitimate mainframe. It is an
adequate KL upgrade in most interpretations of the word. I'm still a
novice at this system, but to date I have not run into any software
problem that cannot be resolved satisfactorally. (This is NOT true of
other systems I have worked on!)
My experiences with VAX and VMS have been very positive. Our local
office has software support people who understand these systems (not
true of TOPS). Our migration to a VAX will no doubt cause some problems.
Some have already occurred and been solved.
The writing is on the wall for 36-bit systems. Our 1090 is being
unplugged the week I return from DECUS. Our 1091 system will follow in
some unknown time frame. It is unlikely that anything other than more
VAX will be able to fill the shoes of our TOPS systems.
I will be at DECUS. If anyone reading this would like to talk to me,
I shouldn't be hard to find. I'll be attending some TOPS-10 sessions,
but mostly I'll be trying to get into those VMS session rooms that always
seem to be too small. THAT is the bottom line. I'm sure that our decision
to go with VAX was the right one.
In sincerity, and I hope not too late,
Brent Sterner
Computing & Communications Services
Natural Sciences Building
The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, Canada
N6A 5B7
Telephone (519)679-2151 (secretary)
2167 (direct)