The HP 300 also had windowing, and its file system had keyed, hashed, and
memory file types.  It actually used these files for the system directory and
for Image data sets.  Wow!

It also had nice source level debugging for its languages, which I think were
BASIC, COBOL and RPG.

It was a stack machine like the 3000.  Its OS was written in SPL II, which
improved on SPL by having record structures and eliminating machine
instructions.

Unfortunately the 300 didn't handle multiple terminals all that well, and its
hardware was underpowered.  The hardware was that of a Series 30 with different
microprogramming.

Another company might have done better selling the 300 than HP did.  The same
sales force sold the 300 as the 3000, and mostly they didn't try to sell the
300.

Jim

> Date:          Mon, 28 Sep 1998 09:52:11 -0700
> Reply-to:      Stan Sieler <[log in to unmask]>
> From:          Stan Sieler <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject:       Off topic: HP 300 (Amigo)
> To:            [log in to unmask]

> Hi,
>
> I was wondering if anyone has an HP 300 ("Amigo", built around
> 1978-1980) that they don't want any more?
>
> The HP 300 was an interesting machine.  It had function keys on the
> side of the CRT, and a spelling corrector built in (a very friendly
> operating system!).
>
> thanks,
>
> Stan (yes, I just got back from the Vintage Computer Festival) Sieler
>
> (mini trip-report at: http://www.allegro.com/sieler/vcf2.html)
>

Jim Kramer /Lund Performance Solutions
Director of Research and Development
phone: (541) 926-3800  fax:   (541) 926-7723
email: [log in to unmask]    home:  [log in to unmask]
http://www.lund.com