"The History of Early Computing Machines"

On Mon, 24 Jun 2013, Murray McCullough wrote: I agree completely with Murray. Well said. Amateur "History" of computers has become a formula: A: Pre-historic: There were once big machines with punch cards and vacuum tubes "then came Altair/Imsai" to conclude the fossil record. B: Apple: Jobs and Wozniak invented computers C: IBM: "IBM tried to compete with Apple" ("competing with IBM is the mouse running up the elephant's leg with intent to rape"), "Bill Gates invented computer software"/"OS" [CP/M, TRS-80, Pet no longer exist[ed] for anybody who wasn't THERE - cf. "Pirates Of Silicon Valley", wherein Bill Gates COLD CALLS IBM to interest them in an OS!] D: First PRACTICAL computer: Whatever the author first started with. For a long time, the most common for that was the IBM AT, now becoming Mac. Every story-teller acknowledges that there EXISTED at least one layer before they got involved, although it was obviously NOT as important, since it wasn't "PRACTICAL" yet. E: Mac Each history varies slightly, mostly in section D As younger and younger people, who try to call themselves "historians", tell the story, D becomes E, and B and C fade into the obscure "prehistoric" of A. But, we are reaching the end of "personal computers"! The CLOuD may, alas, be the future, (cf. Oracle/Microsoft in current news) Although they will never be called "terminals" ever again, that will be the function of what will be on every desk. (What is a "client" (thin, thick, obese), if not a "terminal"?) "Personal Computer" wrested some market share away -- Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com