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Right, Nvidia bought 3dfx after they had bled them dry with lawsuits. 3dfx did throw the first patent punch. It is too bad for 3dfx that their Voodoo 3 (their first attempt at a flagship 2D/3D combo card) was absolutely utter rubbish, and they decided to produce it all by themselves, in Juarez, Mexico (at the STB facility they'd recently purchased). Additionally, they couldn't make a decent AGP 4x card. So, basically, the dropped their current business plan for a completely untested business plan. Or they took a double-barreled shotgun and carefully aimed at first one foot and then the other.

As for the patent lawsuits, I was confused. It was Nvidia that stole IP knowledge from SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc). As part of the settlement with SGI, SGI turned over all their IP and graphic engineers to Nvidia.

Fun factoid: the 'Unix' computer that was used in Jurassic Park was actually an Silicon Graphics Crimson running Irix 6, and that graphical file system navigation tool (FSN) was actually created to help market and sell the Crimson. Sadly, I cannot link to FSN as it appears that the siliconbunny site has gone down.

It wasn't until the Planet Of the Apes series that computers had any significence in movies. .

Probably true but on TV the Xerox Sigma 7 was in a "Monkees" episode. Curiously that Episode featured Stan Freberg who also featured a computer in his on-stage skit.. In 1966, Freberg released an LP (that's vinyl to you MP3 Ogg Vorbis dudes) called "Freberg Underground" in which he featured a Univac in a skit with Mr. Ned Numero. I remember the voice of June Foray as the Univac on it saying "the card you have given me has been mutilated." You had to use your imagination since it was only sound coming out of a record player with things like a needle and static electricity was a bitch.

Significant? I'd also argue that HAL was the meanest mofo and more significant in character than anything that the POA had to offer.

You posted it before I did. Though the article cited above was okay, good for a commentary. The website "Starring the computer" has a much better lay-out, and more comprehensive information, including better images (screen caps) for many of the computers displayed.

Ah you both beat me :}

Reading the summery I jumped the gun and Googled the IBM AN/FSQ-7 there's a site, that I quote:
"Starring the Computer is a website dedicated to the use of computers in film and television"

And the IBM AN/FSQ-7 http://starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=73 it's been around.

Here's something nice: http://starringthecomputer.com/. Various sightings of various computers in movies along with ratings of importance, realism, and visibility.

I'm more annoyed because I can't hook up the registers to blinkenlights or input data a bit at a time with switches. 512 words is more than enough memory (a bit less than 1k bytes). 0x31 == 1 ?? What a waste of bits these modern systems are!

http://www.starringthecomputer.com/snapshots/angry_red_panet_b205_1.jpg

Well, they did get some product placement, It was a DEC rainbow on Janine's desk in Ghostbusters http://www.starringthecomputer.com/feature.php?f=53