23 Jun
2007
23 Jun
'07
2:35 p.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Theresa Welsh" <theresa at explainamation.com>
To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 11:59 AM
Subject: The late, great TRS-80
For a sutiable definition of miucrocomputer [1] I'd claim the honour goes
to the HP9830, about 5 years earlier.
[1] All in one machine, sensible size for sticking on a desk, high level
language in ROM, etc. The HP9830 has a QWERTY keynoard, one-line
alphanumeric display, ROM basic (fairly minimal, but there were add-on
ROM cartridges to expand it to a pretty complete BASIC), built-in mass
storage (digital casstte drive), and so on.
I would accept that the processor, a bit-serial 16 bit design using about
80 TTL chips, is stretching the definition of 'microcomputer' but anyway :-)
-tony
The First Off-the-Shelf Microcomputer
Errrr.... wasn't that the PET 20001 ?