Intel 4004 turns 50

[Trevor Marshall]

The Intel 4004 was Harvard Architecture, as were the four bit microprocessors that came later. (TI's TMS-1000, National Semi's COPS, Rockwell's PPS4) Fine for a fixed program calculator or microcontroller, but the von Neumann 8 bit microprocessor IC's opened up vastly more advances in low cost computer hardware and software.
    On Tuesday, November 16, 2021, 06:29:46 PM EST, ED SHARPE via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:  
 
 The two contenders on tside leading g to the gold caphis question are white and Gold 4004. And. The white  and gold with leads showing through in the white material i

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  On Tue, Nov 16, 2021 at 3:11 PM, ED SHARPE via cctalk<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:  And agin people ask.  (Us included!)...  which processor is the true first... the all white and gold... or... the white and gold with leads showing thru...  Intel pictures  the leads show labeing through in  publicity stuff.... it does look better in a photo... some  Collectors  say the white and gold ( but it seems that is the one they personally own)......   we are fortunate to have been presented a white and gold this year. But unclear how to label the TRUE  chronology ...  we do have a black one  but we all know  that is a later one.... thanks for any insight.

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  On Tue, Nov 16, 2021 at 10:51 AM, Paul Koning via cctalk<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:  The Wall St. Journal had a good essay about that, by Andy Kessler.  This link should get you there:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-chip-that-changed-the-world-microprocessor-computing-transistor-breakthrough-intel-11636903999?st=nm37ik74mq9vp51&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink <https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-chip-that-changed-the-world-microprocessor-computing-transistor-breakthrough-intel-11636903999?st=nm37ik74mq9vp51&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink>

The subtitle is "Most of the wealth created since 1971 is a result of Intel’s 4004 microprocessor" which seems extravagant until you read his arguments.

I still remember the 4004-based personal computer a college classmate of mine designed and built in 1974.  It was a large (DEC Unibus hex module sized) wire wrap board with about 100 chips on it.  And it worked.  Slowly, but it could do useful programs.

    paul

> On Nov 16, 2021, at 12:30 PM, Zane Healy via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> It looks like the Intel 4004 turned 50 yesterday.
> 
> Zane
> 
> 
>