Digital Equipment Corporation, commonly known as DEC, was an American company founded in 1957 that played a significant role in the computer industry. It was known for developing and manufacturing a range of computer systems, including the popular PDP and VAX series, which were widely used in business and academic settings. DEC was a pioneer in the development of minicomputers, which were smaller and more affordable than mainframe computers. The company contributed to the growth of networking technologies and was instrumental in the early development of the Internet. DEC was acquired by Compaq in 1998, which later became part of Hewlett-Packard.