Ahoy, DECmate II the little PDP-8 that could

# Summary Digital Equipment Corporation shrunk the PDP-8 minicomputer into the DECmate II (1982), a word processor with built-in floppy drives designed for offices new to computing, which could be upgraded with additional processor cards, storage, and peripherals. The DECmate II traced its lineage back to the original PDP-8 (1965), itself a simplified and more affordable descendant of the 1961 LINC computer that pioneered the minicomputer concept. Though marketed primarily as a word processor, the DECmate II retained enough PDP-8 compatibility to perform many of the same functions as its full-size predecessor.