Online

This issue of Online, the newsletter for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), highlights company milestones and internal culture from December 1968.

Key features include:

• Company Milestones: DEC reached a milestone with the delivery of its 300th PDP-9 computer. The newsletter also clarifies that the name "PDP" (Programmed Data Processor) was chosen originally to avoid the stigma of high cost and complexity associated with "computers" at the time.
• Company Growth and Operations: A focus on the rapid expansion of the Programming Department, which evolved to support DEC's shifting client base. Additionally, the company announced the opening of a new office in Dallas, Texas.
• Employee Relations: The newsletter showcases the success of the "Employee Referral Program," featuring testimonials from various staff members about the company’s work culture. It also details a new, more inclusive promotion policy based on skill rather than degree status.
• Community and Educational Involvement: DEC donated a PDP-8 to the University of Puerto Rico as part of "Operation Bootstrap." There is also a segment on "Project LOCAL," which utilizes DEC hardware to assist in math and science education across various Massachusetts school districts.
• Miscellaneous: The issue includes an amusing anecdote about an advertising photoshoot featuring a tiger, a crossword puzzle for programmers, and a list of employee work anniversaries.