[cctalk] Re: on the origin of home computers

Thank you all for the notes (and feedback). The 1964 skit of Patty Duke using that Univac-422 - all the markings of a personal computer right there, no doubt. But dragging that into a home doesn't make it a home computer. As engineers, sure, we're good with that - I don't even put cases on my computers. Air flow, pffff, overrated. Unless the AC cuts out in the summer. The original video title I had was "domesticating the computer." Like taming wild cats and wolves, and finally bringing them into our homes as tamed beasts that become our companions. Maybe I should go back to that title? Some thoughts: You can drag something like a LINC or Univac home, but it's still quite a beast - and you'll be on your own with what is essentially a one-off system (i.e. for finding parts and tech manuals). Even if they made 1000 of them at best, that's still rare to find an expert to help with those systems. A few technical folks could handle that - spending all evening loading some kind of software, and all weekend replacing tubes. But the typical consumer won't bother. One of my favorite references: https://www.tech-insider.org/personal-computers/research/acrobat/7807.pdf And here is my summary of that article: May 5 1966: (Steven B Gray founded Amateur Computer Society) 1966: book "We Built Our Own Computer" by A B Bolt (not much for 1967 - some CQ magazine kits that were never built) April 1968: ECHO IV (Jim Sutherland; 8K, 18 instructions, 160 kHz) (no highlights for 1969/1970 - but CTC/Datapoint was active around this time on their 3300) 1971: 1000 Minutemen I missile guidance processors became available in surplus 1971: first "computer kit" (Louis E Frenzel, 15 instructions) 1971: Kenbak-1 (65 instructions, audio cassette storage) 1972: Don Tarbell - editor program and assembler program early 1972: opening of "several used computer equipment stores" (used as in surplus) 1972: 8008, TTL price drops, 1101 programmable memory (and the 1702) 1972: Roger Amidon's 4-bit "Spider" (TTL, RTTY, featured in BYTE April 1977) Sept. 1972: Hal Chamberline, HAL-4096 (surplus IBM 1620 core, 16-bit system) Sept. 1972: Electronic Design article, 1024 ASCII chars on a TV set May 1973: EPD System One kit Sept. 1973: Don Lancaster TVT-1 Late 1973: Scelbi-8H ($2760 for 16KB, cassette IO, ASCII keyboard, o-scope output), defunct Dec. 1974 1973: PDP-8A under $900 July 1974: Radio Electronics Jonathan Titus, Mark-8 (est. 500 units built) Oct. 1974: SwTPC TVT-II kit and ASCII keyboard ($220 total) April 1975: *first deliveries *of Altair 8800 (kit had no IO, 10k sold by end of year per MITS) April 1975: first computer-club meeting (Bob Reiling, Gordon French) Fall 1975: MITS 4K/8K BASIC interpreters Fall 1975: SwTPC 6800-based microcomputer (end of first decade of "amateur computing") Other notes: 1969: Busicom/Intel contract for printer-calculator ($200 4004) 1971: Datapoint/Intel relationship ($200 8008, interrupt capability), Intel introduces 1101 and 1702 1972: National Semiconductor introduces IMP-16 ("user definable instruction set") 1973: Intel 8080 ("still required an external clock and multiple power supplies", vs 6800 required one TTL power supply) 1975-1976: "3rd gen microprocessors" Z-80, enhanced 8080 (on chip clock), 6502, TMS9900/TMS9980 (16-bit) 1977: "4th gen microprocessors" (actual "microcomputers in a single IC" -- microprocessor, ROM, programmable memory, IO on one chip) As to opinions from younger folks: one thing I'd like to say is "don't give up on them." Teenagers may be aloof and not seem interested now - but don't be overly discouraged. Years later, perhaps even decades, they may remember something about the experience and come back to it. I think my Ice Breaker with my daughter was playing 1987 Wheel of Fortune (or maybe 1988) on the IBM PC a couple years ago -- it's "fugly" in CGA but yet charming in its way. But the real kicker is, my daughter won (virtually) "5000 lbs of pot" when she won one of the rounds in that version, and we still laugh about that since it was so unexpected from a "family game from the 1980s". -Steve On Wed, Mar 8, 2023 at 1:55 PM Will Cooke via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote: