[cctalk] Re: Experience using an Altair 8800 ("Personal computer" from 70s)

Weill .. I certainly expected lots of "discussion" on these statements about my Altair: I have never claimed to be an "unknown drip"(*) on details of computer history, but here is my reasoning: I am well aware of small systems that predated the Altair, but they are/were not neary as well known (mainly due to Jan/Feb 1975 Popular Electronics), and I don't recall that nearly as many of them were as commonly owned and operated by "people of modest means" and/or not "in the industry". And unlike most predecessors it was expandable by a means that grew onto a whole industry. I too generally avoid using "first" in history discussions... but At one time I discussed this with Ed Roberts, the creator of the Altair, and he said: "We coined the phrase Personal Computer and it was first applied to the Altair, i.e., by definition the first personal computer." ... "The beginning of the personal computer industry started without question at MITS with the Altair." Originally called "Roberts Buss" the Atair expansion buss was used by many systems that followed, and not wanting to use their competitors name, the buss became known as "S100" (presumably System buss with 100 pins) Again, Ed Roberts confirmed this to me. I should have qualified this with "well known published" code. As far as I know, Bill's career really went off with his implementation of BASIC - which became: Mits Altair Basic And perhaps Microsoft started "only a few years" after (which WAS a LONG time in those days of the industry) - but it wasn't anywhere what it would become some years after that! - and I don't think it was at all well known till MS-DOS (post IBM-PC). But again, I don't claim to be: (*) X - marks the unknown Spurt - a drip under pressure .. and I don't claim to be an "unknown drip under pressure" (I'll happily leave that honor to others in the group :-) Dave