There was a rumour about two years back that TI was starting
work on a hardened Lisp Machine that would a) be about the size
of an IBM-PC or smaller, and b) be designed to operate in helicopters,
tanks, etc. Is MCC trying to do this kind of thing too? Does
anyone know whether this project actually got started, and what
its current status is?
MCC has been contracted by and has delivered to SDIO a "hardened" lisp
machine for phase I of SDI. That is, able to withstand 30ATM
overpressure, immersion to 600 meters, EMP, and cafeteria food. The
hardened machine, sufficient for running any existing lisp application
comes with 500K words of memory, a 30-key keyboard, and 7-segment
display, selling for $186,000 each (qty 50). An optional
flame-retardent mouse is an additional $30,000.
We have submitted a bid for phase II, which we think can be accomplished
by 1995. Phase II involves re-entry against hardened targets, high
resistance to religious zealots and connectionism, and low radar and
congressional profile. Projected cost: $1.2M/qty 50.
Please do not reveal this information to non-US citizens.
