I think another problem for the minicomputer companies is that they were doing everything themselves: CPU design, board design & manufacturing, system design &

I think another problem for the minicomputer companies is that they were doing everything themselves: CPU design, board design & manufacturing, system design & manufacturing, OS, compilers, and other required software, sales, support, etc. With microcomputers, Microsoft focused on the OS, Intel on the CPU, and a gaggle of other companies did board design, system design, sales and support. I worked at Prime Computer, a competitor of DEC. Prime was a very innovative company too. But like DEC, they had built their business selling largeish minicomputer systems to largeish customers. Prime tried to make a small Unix tower system, a PC, port their OS to Intel CPUs, etc., but they had to continue supporting their current proprietary customer base at the same time. And when making new products like a Prime PC, it had to interface well with the proprietary systems or existing customers wouldn't be interested. That means more engineering work and a higher price tag. Existing customers wouldn't be interested because of the higher price. It's tough to build a huge business, continue to support that, and at the same time start a completely new business. Company cultures usually can't change fast enough to make the transition.