Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
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Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
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Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#2Cool I always thought the first PCs were like the TRS or Commodore 64 computers.
Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#3The Altair didn’t survive for very long, but essentially being responsible for the creation of Microsoft is a pretty Big Deal.
Bill Gates: "Popular Electronics" magazine cover of January 1975 change my life"
Paul Allen write the simulator on Harvard PDP-10, Bill Gates write main code of Basic, Monte Davidoff write Math package. They coded day and night during 2 months.
Micro-Soft was born.
Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#4Cool I always thought the first PCs were like the TRS or Commodore 64 computers.
There is some controversy - you could actually use a TRS-80, an Apple II or a PET right after taking it out of the box.
I think that, if we define a personal computer as a machine that is designed for a single interactive user, the LGP-30 would be a good candidate. It was not, however, a home computer.
For me, a personal computer needs more than switches and LEDs as its UI. With a serial port, a terminal, and a monitor program in ROM, the Altair would qualify.
Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#5I was completely distracted by the magazine cover. The calculator being advertised there, and the wording, caught my attention.
The magazine issued is available here [0].
Apparently, it really was wiring up an entire calculator.
> ... Start assembly by installing and soldering into place the fixed resistors. Then proceed to installing the three electrolytic capacitors, the diodes, and the transistors, taking care to observe proper polarity and basing. Mount the transistors close to the board’s surface...
Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#6Cost the equivalent of $2359 back then, right now you can get a few on eBay for around $5000. Or you can get a mini replica kit for $150. [1]
Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#7I was completely distracted by the magazine cover. The calculator being advertised there, and the wording, caught my attention. The magazine issued is available here [0]. Apparently, it really was wiring up an entire calculator. > ... Start assembly by installing and soldering into place the fixed resistors. Then proceed to installing the three electrolytic capacitors, the diodes, and the transistors, taking care to…
Until microcomputer boom of the 70's and 80's there was the calculator boom of the early 70's. The availability of the microprocessor made small calculators widely available for the first time and they were very popular among the type of people that probably would've read Hacker News had it existed.
Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#8Cool I always thought the first PCs were like the TRS or Commodore 64 computers.
There is some controversy - you could actually use a TRS-80, an Apple II or a PET right after taking it out of the box. I think that, if we define a personal computer as a machine that is designed for a single interactive user, the LGP-30 would be a good candidate. It was not, however, a home computer. For me, a personal computer needs more than switches and LEDs as its UI. With a serial port, a terminal, and a monit…
TRS-80, AII and the PET came later.
You were right on the peripherals.
Instead of a serial port, I'd set a TV output with a keyboard as an input, and the Altair would get far more sales.
Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is some controversy - you could actually use a TRS-80, an Apple II or a PET right after taking it out of the box. I think that, if we define a personal computer as a machine that is designed for a single interactive user, the LGP-30 would be a good candidate. It was not, however, a home computer. For me, a personal computer needs more than switches and LEDs as its UI. With a serial port, a terminal, and a monit…
TRS-80, AII and the PET came later. You were right on the peripherals. Instead of a serial port, I'd set a TV output with a keyboard as an input, and the Altair would get far more sales.
The people I know who put together Altairs in 1975 used ASR-33 teletypes as terminals to run BASIC.
Re: Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer
#10The Altair didn’t survive for very long, but essentially being responsible for the creation of Microsoft is a pretty Big Deal. Bill Gates: "Popular Electronics" magazine cover of January 1975 change my life" Paul Allen write the simulator on Harvard PDP-10, Bill Gates write main code of Basic, Monte Davidoff write Math package. They coded day and night during 2 months. Micro-Soft was born.
Similarly it inspired the start of Apple!