On 10 Feb 2010 at 16:59, Ethan Dicks wrote:
Ken Olsen famously asked who would want a computer at
home. If I
recall the story correctly, it was in the context of Dave Ahl trying
to pitch a hobbyist-grade PDP-8/a as a product offering in the
Altair/MITS (pre-Apple/CBM/Tandy) days.
He wasn't alone. I remember asking an EE prof who was teaching logic
circuits what he thought about the possibilities of a computer on a
chip (ICs were fairly new stuff then).
He looked at me like I'd suggested that everyone should have their
own personal cyclotron. "What good would that be?" and he dismissed
it with a wave of his hand.
Personally, I still want a computer that will paint my house and
repair the fence in the backyard.
--Chuck