My first introduction to the PS/2 platform came in the fall of 1988 when I received a PS/2 Model 30. While not a real PS/2 (it had an ISA bus instead of MCA), it was my first computer and I loved it. The only upgrades I did for the machine was add an external Cumulus 5 1/4 drive, and a VGA adapter to replace the MCGA which was built on board. This computer served me well through my undergraduate career in engineering. The IBM ProPrinter II that I also had printed dozens of reports in NLQ that looked great for the time.

During the time that I was earning my MS in engineering, I was using an Apple Macintosh IICi and a Powerbook Duo 250. No snide comments, please!

When I started on my PhD, I was thrown back again into the world of the IBM PS/2. My workgroup, WISDEM (Workgroup for Intelligent Systems in DEsign and Manufacturing), had many PS/2 Model 80 and Model 95 XP systems - gifts from IBM, whose plants in Research Triangle Park were just a few miles down the road. After using these computers for five years to do my research, I can honestly say that I really enjoyed these systems. For me, having a computer with 8 expansion slots is absolutely fabulous. I co-oped during my BS, and I worked in the area of SPC (Statistical Process Control). I was constantly running out of slots in the PC/XT computers, so after seeing a Model 95 XP with 8 slots, 6 of which were free (1 slot had a Spock, another had an XGA adapter), I knew I had to own one of these systems - a real beast of a computer.

As it turns out, I now own two 9595s and a single 8595 computer. One 9595 is used at work for data mining purposes. The other two computers are used at home to support the research projects that these web pages document. I think it is a real crime that many of the MCA adapters do not have Windows NT drivers available. I know, the MCA bus was beginning to diminish by the time Windows NT was released, but it is still a crime. So, it is my intent to develop NT drivers for the cards which I think need support the most. For example, the web page on the NT driver for the MC-DAS16XX data acquisition card by Scientific Solutions, or the MCA PCMCIA Adapter/A by IBM.

I hope the web site has something you are interested in. As always, feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.