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

From: Allison J Parent <allisonp_at_world.std.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 18:38:57 1999

<Now, I have a decmate III, and that looks like a microcomputer to me.

In effect it's the same damm thing. While the PDP-8 I'd concede is
a mini of micro size it was not a single or multiple "chip based"
system. That has to wait in the commercial realm for the 8008.

<Exactly, yes I do define a microcomputer in those terms. it was a new
<'era' in computing, just as the switch from mainframes to minicomputers

Figures, retro revisionism.

<microcomputers. One possible observation is that they cannot be
<mounted in a 19" rack (as many minicomputers can be). Sure, you
<can get a minicomputer in a non-rack mount version, but show
<me the person or company that bought rack mounted apple ][
<microcomputers...

Well the Altair, IMSAI, and even apple were available as rack cased
and mounted as such. For the real rack king the OSI systems as most were
rack frames in various forms.

Again a rack doe not make it a mini as the LSI-11 was available as non rack
and rack systems. The non rack would be PDT-11/1xx series and the racked
would be the LSI-11/03. For the moment I'll for get the PRO3xx, Qbus and
the Unibus systems that used the F (2-3chips) or J11 (one chip) versions
of the PDP-11 mini.

<Do we at least agree that there was a microcomputer era that
<started either near the mid 70's or early 80's (depending on how
<you define microcomputer)? If not, what do you call the change

Microcomputer in 71 at the latest with the commercial deliver of the 8008.
(there were non commercial systems before that). By the 80s the arguement
was form not mini/micro as they were litereally the same in most cases.

<that occured at that time. And what was the first computer or
<computers that started ushering in that change (even though at the
<time, they didnt realize it was a significant trend)?

Well, I'd easily identify as for as 5 major trends and likely more in the
span from the intro from the pdp-8 through the start of the 32bit era.
Your forgetting I worked for NEC from 79 through 83 and before that TANDY
Computer(z80), Hazeltine(8080 and 8048 in terminals), Automated processes
(8008). I was one of the first 1000 (SN#200) to buy an Altair. If anything
I not only realized the eras I was out there making them!

Allison
Received on Thu Apr 22 1999 - 18:38:57 BST