Firsts

From: William Donzelli <william_at_ans.net>
Date: Sun Jan 11 12:44:49 1998

> >First programable calc
>
> Then there is the "first solid state electronic calc" which I think goes to
> the Busicom from Japan that employed the first production run of the intel
> 4000 chip set: the 4001 (2048 bit ROM), 4002 (320 bit RAM), 4003 (10 bit
> shift register), and the 4004 (4 bit CPU). That chip set was shipped to
> Busicom in March 1971 according to Michael S. Malone's "The Microprocessor:
> A Biography" ISBN 0-387-94342-0

Wang's first (or quite near their first) product was an all electronic
calculator, introduced in the late 1960s. They are big, but could be
lugged around. The best part about them is the core memory! No
microprocessors here (in fact, it may be discrete transistors - I better
open the thing up a check).

William Donzelli
william_at_ans.net
Received on Sun Jan 11 1998 - 12:44:49 GMT