The "FIRST PC" and personal timelines (Was: And what were the 80s

From: Lawrence LeMay <lemay_at_cs.umn.edu>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:10:28 1999

> > Ah, but what was the first Microcomputer (including at least a monitor with
> > bitmap display, some sort of disk or floppy drive, as standard features,
> > and 'personal' in nature)?
>
> Since you've ruled out vector displays, the earliest one I used was a PDP-8/e
> with a VT8-E raster display interface and an RK02 disk (or was it RK03?).
> First available in 1971 if memory serves, though I didn't use it until the
> late 70s.
>

The video display didnt come with all PDP-8/e computers as a standard feature.
PDP-8/e systems were Minicomputers, typically rack mounted. And yes,
i realize some cpu units were integrated into small tabletop lab units,
it still stretches the imagination to refer to a particular gutted down
configuration of a minicomputer, as a microcomputer.

I would think that either a raster graphics capable monitor would
have to come with the computer, or it would have to use a TV as its
standard console (with the video display circuitry built-in as standard
feature). Sure, there is always going to be some person who manages
to buy a Sun 3/50 without a monitor, and uses it for a headless
server, but for the purposes of this particular qualification,
a sun 3/50 does come with video display built in as a standard
feature, and even a headless one has that feature, unless you
the purchaser removed it somehow.

-Lawrence LeMay
Received on Thu Apr 22 1999 - 10:10:28 BST