There are still PDP-11's working somewhere..........
December 17, 1983; installed and configured my (then) company's foray into RS2732. Hooked up the phone line and swapped files with another PDP in Salt Lake City.
I was hooked! I've been surfing the internet since 1983.
I ran a PDP 11/70.
After years of running 360's and 370's with a variety of OS's.
It was like the MAC vs. PC's. Everything on the PDP was intuitive, and the computer did the work, not you.
The text editor (EDT) was so far above and beyond editors on IBM mainframes it was like being given a gift (when writing programs). EDT was, in many ways, far superior to any of today's WORD processing programs.
DEC's manuals were truly manuals made to learn from.
IBM's manuals are made to obfuscate and cause phone calls to highly paid consultants.
The DEC's operated in byte mode, instead of block mode for terminal communications, and you could not move the cursor to a position on the screen that was not a valid data entry position. On the IBM, you can, and if you hit enter, it locks the screen. Why allow the cursor in non data areas ?
What my experience has taught me is that there are good computers and popular computers. There are good programmers, and there are straight line coders.
Most programmers have no idea how a computer really operates, and therefore usually make only passable programmers.
Most people 'love' IBM and various softwares, because it's all they've ever used. Only those who have used better know better.
One of the CE's told me an interesting story. I repeat this because of the current state of the art in VOICE RENDERING available for PC users.
I had both PC's and MAC's for my use and adminstrated the setup/installation/training for all employees where I worked.
The MAC had a program that would READ any type text file. Email, word processing, didn't matter.
AND IT WAS PRETTY GOOD AT IT.
But, what surprised me was that the DEC CE, when I showed him this, told me that when I call in for service I was not talking to a human. I was talking to a VAX.
The VOICE program on the MAC was good, beyond today's PC programs, but not anywhere near as good as the VAX voice I talked to. I never had any idea it wasn't a real person until he told me.
NASA facilities everywhere. The launch control center at Kennedy.
There are even PDP-8s in use on scavenged parts.