[John Delmont]

Great read. I love the early history of PCs and I think non-linear editing has the same potential. This is a great start, but there are some gaps that can be filled in (Digital F/X for example was a Mac based system that controlled decks and had the seed of non-linear disked based editing). Plus there are some great quotes from the early days. As a dealer I was in a meeting where, after showing the prototype for several years, a frustrated Fred Molinari told John, “I just want to sell one.” There were also things like Media 100’s portable system, the dotcom boom of $58 dollars a share, the eventual dotcom bust, and the fact that they were ahead of the curve on video on the internet thing, but that it worked against them. And yes, it’s not just a rumor…. John Molinari hated Apple towards the end. He had several run-ins with Steve Jobs and at dealer training for 844x back in Marlboro John shocked his audience when, in the middle of one of his speech he said, “F___ Apple. We don’t need them anymore. With 844x we are going PC and we are going to put 90% of our wood behind that arrow.” That was a fun day… I recall being very underwhelmed with the 844x back then. Remember when Media 100 claimed sales of around 200 units, 64 of them were dealer demo units. Any way the product was overpriced, had software and hardware issues, and then the economy tanked after 9/11. In the end, if I recall correctly, Media 100 lost a big lawsuit to the owner of Comet CG. That seemed to be the nail in the coffin. If you need any help with images (I think I may have some old lit and an original board) or quotes… I’ve got some fond memories. Once again, I loved what you’ve started. Keep up the good work.