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| Thread ID: 29362 | 2003-01-17 23:07:00 | Q - What was the first personal computer? | Babe Ruth (416) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 114781 | 2003-01-18 02:09:00 | I agree with you CSinclair - Simon | Lemony (3001) | ||
| 114782 | 2003-01-18 02:17:00 | Edmund Berkeley's 'Simon' - introduced in 1950. Oxie |
Oxie (1318) | ||
| 114783 | 2003-01-18 03:07:00 | Simon? Personally I think not. That machine was electro-mechanical and was no more "electronic" than Babbage's Differential Engine. IMHO the term "electronic" is often applied to anything electrical and controllable, by enthusiastic journalists who don't know the difference. For me, to qualify as the first "personal computer" it must contain solid state electronics (or valves if a personal computer was ever made using thermionic devices), be available to the man (okay okay, or woman Susan) in the street to use in their home, employ digital techniques and be user programmable. Actually, the Electronics Australia Educ-8 fits that description but may not have been the first. True credit should probably go to the first personal computer with keyboard and CRT display. Stands back, erects shields and waits for the flak to arrive. Cheers Billy 8-{) :D |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 114784 | 2003-01-18 03:15:00 | OK we're almost there: From the Web site I was sent... "...The question is obviously highly ambiguous. What does first mean? How about personal? Even computer is an ambiguous term! ... Let's define personal computer as a computer having the following attributes: * It must be a digital computer.[/i] * It must be largely automatic. * It must be programmable by the end-user. * It must be accessible, either as a commercially manufactured product, as a commercially available kit, or as widely published kit plans. * It must be small enough to be transportable by an average person. * It must be inexpensive enough to be affordable by the average professional. * It must be simple enough to use that it requires no special training beyond an instruction manual. Cheers, Babe. P.S. The answer(s) shortly... |
Babe Ruth (416) | ||
| 114785 | 2003-01-18 03:20:00 | > [pre]* It must be a digital computer.[/i] well fingers are digits, so I vote for the finger theory |
Baldy (26) | ||
| 114786 | 2003-01-18 03:25:00 | That's better Babe, but you left off availability for home use. Having a "personal" computer supplied by your employer for use in your employment does not, in my opinion, qualify. If it cost megabucks so that only businesses or the very well-heeled could buy it, IMHO it does not meet the definition of a "personal" computer. Cheers Billy 8-{) ]:) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 114787 | 2003-01-18 03:56:00 | Okay.......... I've been to the source site Babe and I don't think the answer truly lies there. IMHO the innovations that first brought affordable personal computing to the masses, with sufficient computing power to be truly versatile, were the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX80. I give the Commodore the nod because it had greater market penetration than the Sinclair and a full size keyboard to boot. To do better than the Commodore you had to go to the Tandy TRS-80 from DJ Reid (now DSE) or the IBM PC 8088 (or clones). IMHO, the Commodore was the first personal computer to make it into kid's bedrooms in any quantity and it did that in the mid to late 70's if I recall correctly. Cheers Billy 8-{) ?:| |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 114788 | 2003-01-18 04:01:00 | Well the good news is it's really an open-ended question... and a source of probably many 'discussions'... however the site I was sent and the one related to the question is BlinkenLights (www.blinkenlights.com) So ... let the arguments begin... :-) Cheers, Babe |
Babe Ruth (416) | ||
| 114789 | 2003-01-18 04:06:00 | For those too young to have heard of the Commodore 64 (and its predecessor the VIC-20 which I had clean forgotten) take a look at This Site (www.oldsoftware.com) It is well worth a look. Cheers Billy 8-{) :D |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 114790 | 2003-01-18 04:07:00 | Simple Simon met a pieman going to PressF1... | Lemony (3001) | ||
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