5 Apr
2011
5 Apr
'11
2:40 p.m.
On Tue, 5 Apr 2011, Curt @ Atari Museum wrote:
Kind of an interesting view, because Evan brings up a
good point, with a
long extension cord and casters on a cabinet or desk, essentially a LOT
of a/c powered systems could've been considered "Portable" at the time
and that's not too far of stretch to say given many systems at the time
required reinforced floors to water cooling as essential operating
requirements...
Anything with casters is "movable".
To be "portable", it shouldn't need casters, and should have enough
handles that none of the people carrying it has a load of more than 100
pounds.
Lee Felsenstein designed the Osborn computer to be operable from a car
battery. It was NOT the first portable computer by ANY rational
definition. When asked by an interviewer about how much the "portable
battery pack" would weigh, he responded that that was how much your car
weighs. (He drove an Accord at the time)
BTW, Lee is currently hospitalized in Redwood City; prognosis
is uncertain.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com