FC: More on 20th anniversary of first IBM personal computer

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

*********

From: Jim Horning <horning () intertrust com>
To: "'declan () well com'" <declan () well com>
Subject: RE: 20th anniversary of first IBM personal computer
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 18:56:05 -0700

What *I* find ironic and amusing is the whole notion that IBM (or Apple)
invented the first personal computer.

Forget about the Xerox PARC Alto in 1973.

My first program was written for a personal computer in 1959.

Of course the Bendix G-15D ran at 100KHz, had only 8KB of main memory, used
paper tape for backing store, and cost $50K, but it was a sure-enough
interactive single-person machine that was marketed to the world at large.
Designed by Harry Huskey of the University of California, closely following
some Alan Turing's ideas (Harry spent a year in the UK working with Alan).

Douglas Aircraft reported equipped some of their top engineers with
individual G-15Ds, but as students we had to sign up for time slots.
Actually, when I went to work at PARC, I felt guilty about turning my back
on my Alto, not keeping the machine busy...

Jim H.




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