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Gordon’s Personal View of Personal Computing: before the PC

Gordon’s Personal View of Personal Computing: before the PC. Vintage Computer Society 27 September 1998 Gordon Bell gbell@microsoft.com http://www.research.microsoft.com/~gbell. Apple II. First personal computer. Micral.

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Gordon’s Personal View of Personal Computing: before the PC

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  1. Gordon’s Personal View ofPersonal Computing: before the PC Vintage Computer Society 27 September 1998 Gordon Bell gbell@microsoft.com http://www.research.microsoft.com/~gbell

  2. Apple II

  3. First personal computer

  4. Micral

  5. In the beginning: Manchester “Baby” ran the first program 22 June 1948

  6. English Electric Deuce Console 1955

  7. Whirlwind c1953 … 1st generation, 16-bit word; 4 KB memory; 8 K drum Whirlwind begot TX-O/TX-2 begot DEC PDP-1 Real time, first compiler, ECAD, text editor

  8. Whirlwind console, drum, 1 Kw core

  9. SAGE Control Room c 1962. Whirlwind used for first experiments.

  10. SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) Operator Console

  11. TX-0 Console c1959… one of the first transistorized personal computers Speech, handwriting recognition, neuro data analysis, etc. Interactive editors, debuggers, etc.

  12. MIT Speech group with TX-0, c1959.

  13. DEC Computer before PDP-11 1957 1961 1963

  14. DEC PDP-1 c1961

  15. Wes Clark & LINC c1962: Personal computers for bio-medical research

  16. PDP-5 c1964: PDP-8 predecessor Process control, real time experiments. Fortran ran in 4 K, 12 bit words

  17. Gbell with LINC and PDP-8 c1965

  18. PDP-8: first mini First OEM computer. OS/8 (from timesharing) begot RT-11 begot CPM

  19. PDP-8 Modules

  20. PDP-8/E

  21. PDP-8 and Linc Family Tree

  22. PDP-8 12 bit word price (t)

  23. PDP-8 prices (t)

  24. Timesharing: given everyone their own, low cost, personal computer

  25. PDP-6 c1965 : First commercial time shared computer. Gbell & Alan Kotok

  26. PDP-6 Development team c1965

  27. PDP-6/10/ DECsystem 10/20 family tree

  28. There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. Ken OlsenPresident, Chairman and founder of Digital, 1977

  29. Equating yourself to the average“user/buyer” is risky . . . unless you’re an average user.

  30. Why didn’t Digital lead personal computers? That’s another talk…

  31. Minis and timesharing contributions • SpaceWar demonstrated the importance of interactive graphics • Editors, calculators, interactive debuggers, interpreters were in use • Mail and chat used timesharing • Minis established embedded computers

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