# What ever happened to wang? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073 "2002-04-28T06:57:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/1 "2002-04-28T06:57:15Z")
I have a small pile of wang parts in my closet ( I can’t belive that the school was just going to throw them away!). So what ever happened to those guys? I have not heard about them is years. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/2 "2002-04-28T07:47:56Z")
Holy shit, did your school use blenders for sex ed or what? ---
**Author:** ![Philosophocles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Philosophocles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philosophocles)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/3 "2002-04-28T07:48:58Z")
Everybody have fun tonight, Everybody Wang Chung tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/4 "2002-04-28T08:28:21Z")
An Wang or Charles Wang? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/5 "2002-04-28T09:29:42Z")
On [Dr. An Wang and Wang Laboratories:](http://www.dotpoint.com/xnumber/anwang.htm) > [@](#): > > By 1986, Wang Laboratories employed 30,000 people and with sales in the order of 3 billion dollars per year it was at the peak of its success. But its decline was clear at the beginning of the 90’s. Part of it can be related to the Doctor’s retirement of his active involvement in the company in 1982, and later with his death in 1990 after one year of fight against cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/6 "2002-04-28T11:48:20Z")
I feel I must make my Holy Presence felt here. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/7 "2002-04-28T15:06:52Z")
Wang Computers probably died out with a lot of other computer companies with Gateway, Compaq and Dell squeezing virtually everyone else out. A few other computer companies you don’t hear much about anymore (as far as making PCs go anyway): Leading Edge, Packard Bell, Tandy, Acer, Pinnacle Systems Plus, imagine trying to advertise Wang in the U.S.: “At Christmas, get your children a real learning tool… get them a big, powerful WANG!” ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/8 "2002-04-28T15:29:40Z")
Wang was in a different segment of the industry - the minicomputer boom in the 80’s was their heydey. Think of them in the same terms as DG, Prime, DEC, etc. And they DID have the sense of humor to have used “Wanna see my Wang” as a slogan, at least in limited distribution. An ex-Wang employee I worked with had a company issued T-shirt with that slogan on it. > [@](#): > > An Wang or Charles Wang? Dr. Wang was a worthy gentleman with an unfortunate last name which suggested a dick. In the case of Charles Wang, it is a very appropriate suggestion. (Charles Wang is CEO of Computer Associates.) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/9 "2002-04-28T15:37:32Z")
Oh, excuse me. He’s just chairman. He stepped down as CEO recently. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/10 "2002-04-28T15:40:05Z")
**yabob** , we avoid calling people “dicks” in General Questions, even if it’s tr-- uh, we avoid calling people “dicks” in General Questions. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/11 "2002-04-28T15:44:25Z")
Charles Wang pronounces his name ‘wong’. ---
**Author:** ![tourbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/12 "2002-04-28T18:04:33Z")
Apparently, Wang computers are still in use somewhere. Last summer I saw several postings for various IT positions with the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority), all of which required experience and knowledge of Wang computer systems. ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/13 "2002-04-28T21:00:40Z")
So you’re saying they need a Wang to make the train go through the tunnel. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/14 "2002-04-28T21:07:07Z")
Here’s a website that has a bit of unofficial info on Wang. [http://www.tjunker.com/wang.html](http://www.tjunker.com/wang.html) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/15 "2002-04-28T21:22:13Z")
In 1981 I worked for the Ball Computer Company as a Quality Control Inspector. That’s right, I was a Ball Inspector. We felt ourselves to be vastly superior to Wang Operators. After all, any fool could operate a Wang, but you really had to know your stuff to inspect Balls. ---
**Author:** ![Fatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d2c977/32.png) [@Fatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatman)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/16 "2002-04-28T21:47:26Z")
[http://home.planet.nl/~janvdv/wang/wangmuseum.htm](http://home.planet.nl/~janvdv/wang/wangmuseum.htm) has some old Wang equipment photos. Wang started in 1954, it went public in 1967. In 1999, Getronics NV, headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, acquired Wang Global. [http://www.wang.com](http://www.wang.com) points to Getronics. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/17 "2002-04-28T22:10:55Z")
My brother and his friend used to have a high school classmate that had the rather unfortunate name of **Jack Wang**. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/18 "2002-04-28T23:05:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Flamsterette\_X \* > \*\*My brother and his friend used to have a high school classmate that had the rather unfortunate name of **Jack Wang**. :eek: \*\* His middle name was not “mi”, was it? ---
**Author:** ![jcgmoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@jcgmoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcgmoi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/19 "2002-04-28T23:56:05Z")
**yabob** is right. Wang specialized in minis but was terribly slow to upgrade its OS; eventually IBM ate their lunch. In another life I programmed Wangs and I can tell you that was an experience. First you dealt with white text on black background that would suck the eyes out of your head. Their source editor limited the number of lines you could copy based on existing line numbers. Just getting around in a large program was difficult. The damn thing was unstable as an inverted pyramid. Every time a cloud passed across the sky you had to re-IPL. And so on. However, through the grace of amortization and stable usage demands there are still plenty of Wang boxes out there, just as there are plenty of IBM 34’s and 36’s. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073/20 "2002-04-29T00:52:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muad’Dib \* > \*\*His middle name was not “mi”, was it? \*\* I would certainly hope not! :eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-wang/106073.md?page=2)