How DEC Built the Future of Computing (And Then Lost It)

DEC helped move computing out of the central computer room and into the laboratory. It built personal computers, too. So why did the PC era end with Digital Equipment Corporation losing its independence? A PDP-8 beside an instrument changed who could use a computer. PDP-11 and VAX systems gave customers a path to grow while preserving parts of the work they had already built. Then IBM-compatible PCs changed what buyers expected: access to familiar applications, outside suppliers, and machines another company could replace. The DEC Rainbow 100 makes that shift concrete. It was a personal computer, but it could not run popular IBM PC applications such as Lotus 1-2-3. From Ken Olsen's networked vision to Alpha and the 1998 Compaq acquisition, this documentary follows the changing meaning of compatibility, alongside the pricing, costs, and execution pressures that shaped DEC's difficult transition. Chapters 00:00 A computer beside the instrument 01:25 Ken Olsen and DEC's beginnings 03:23 Making the PDP-8 a usable system 05:45 PDP-11 and the cost of switching 08:35 VAX and the path to grow 13:46 IBM PCs change the buyer's question 15:22 Rainbow and the software gap 18:55 Olsen's networked alternative 22:14 Alpha's engineering bet 23:06 What DEC's finances reveal 25:02 Compaq buys Digital 26:02 What survived DEC #DEC #ComputerHistory #RetroComputing The creator of this video does not claim ownership of third-party materials featured in it. Rights remain with their respective owners.