The Hewlett-Packard Company has introduced a microcomputer that can run minicomputer software with no loss of functionality. The only thing that one gives up in using the new HP 1000 model 5 micro instead of one of the company's nearly 10,000 installed minicomputer- configured systems is the speed with which programs are run. Another example of this capability is the recently introduced DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) LSI 11/23, a microcomputer which is also able to run most DEC PDP 11 applications software with only minimal modification. This is an important break-through because microcomputers have until now required software developed specifically for them. Most of the software which is currently available for microcomputers was written for the hobbyist or personal computer market. Software packages for library, educational and business applications for the most part have been written for mini-computers or mainframes. While there has been a recent increase in the number of non-hobbyist software packages for microcomputers, the market is still plagued with poorly written software. There are literally hundreds of one-person software houses that come into and drop out of the market constantly. The established software providers are still biased toward the larger machines.
There is another aspect to these developments: an organization can begin on a microcomputer-configured system and migrate to a minicomputer-configured system without changing software. Hewlett-Packard and DEC are major manufacturers of small business computers. The other giants are IBM, Data General, and Texas Instruments. These firms are expected to make similar announcements.
