PDP-8
Minicomputer product line / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The PDP-8 is a 12-bit minicomputer that was produced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). It was the first commercially successful minicomputer, with over 50,000 units being sold over the model's lifetime. Its basic design follows the pioneering LINC but has a smaller instruction set, which is an expanded version of the PDP-5 instruction set.[1] Similar machines from DEC are the PDP-12 which is a modernized version of the PDP-8 and LINC concepts, and the PDP-14 industrial controller system.
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![]() A PDP-8 on display at The National Museum of Computing in Bletchley, England. This example is from the first generation of PDP-8s, built with discrete transistors and later known as the Straight 8. | |
Developer | Digital Equipment Corporation |
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Product family | Programmed Data Processor |
Type | Minicomputer |
Release date | March 22, 1965 |
Introductory price | US$18,500, equivalent to about $159,100 in 2021 |
Units sold | 50,000+ |
Platform | DEC 12-bit |
Predecessor | PDP-5 |
Successor | PDP-12 |