Kenbak-1 Digital Computer

[Chuckt]

Kenbak-1 Digital Computer

Many people don't know the history of the Kenbak-1 Digital Computer, but it's considered to be the world's first commercially available personal computer -- and one is going up for sale in just a few minutes. John Blankenbaker introduced the $750 machine in 1971 -- years ahead of the more well known Altair 8800 and Apple I, but after the Datapoint 2200 -- hoping to sell it to schools as a way to introduce people to computer programming. It didn't have a microprocessor at all, and contained only 256 bytes (you read that correctly) of RAM.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/20/time-machines-a-pc-pioneer/

Steve Jobs wasn't the first because this was the first or among the first personal computers.

 

[GURPS]

Steve Jobs wasn't the first because this was the first or among the first personal computers.

nice dig at Apple ....
why not trash MITS while you were at it .....

http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/PersonalComputer.html



the MITS Altair 8800 [was] widely known as the 1st personal computer [among computer science nerds], well I guess this beats that by a few years

http://www.oldcomputers.net/altair-8800.html

The Altair 8800 from Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS) of Albuquerque, NM, is considered by many to be the first "personal computer" - a computer that is easily affordable and obtainable.

At this point in time, there were no computer or electronic stores to buy your own computer. The only options were to build your own system from plans and designs published or sold in magazines and other sources. It was the individual owner's responsibility to find and acquire all the parts necessary to assemble it.

otherwise nice article .....

 

[Chuckt]

nice dig at Apple ....
why not trash MITS while you were at it .....

The question is, "What is a personal computer?" And what does "personal" mean? An abacus might be considered "personal". Others feel that a personal computer has to be modern or "useful".

However, I found that Steve W does say this in iWoz at the close of chapter 2:
"When I look back, that Adder/Subtractor was such a key project in my getting to be the engineer who ended up building the first personal computer."

It doesn't give credit to Charles Baggage, John von Neumann or Alan Turing.

The Texas Instruments TMX 1795 microprocessor was actually there before the 8008 and saying that they created the personal computer does not give credit to those who came before him because invented means you created the processor which others have done in my mind at least and there are other computers that could be the first candidate of being the first "personal" computer like the Altair, the Olivetti, the Linc, the Micral or the 1950 Simon.