On 5/23/24 12:53, Dave Dunfield via cctalk wrote: > I've just passed on my "Mits Altair 8800" - this is a very historic system > from the 70s - it is: > First Personal Computer (long before IBM PC) > First S100 buss system > First system Bill Gates wrote code for (long before Microsoft)
I don't think the "first" applies in this case. The MCM/70 used an 8008 and was complete computer with storage and display--something the MITS 8800 was not. I spent the weekend soldering together my 8800 (CPU, SIO and 2x 4K DRAM) system, cursing the cheap white wire in the process. Finally got it running with a TVT. I couldn't wait to show it to a female working in my section. She dropped by my apartment, took one look at the thing sitting on my kitchen table and burst out laughing. "That's not a computer; it's a toy!" was her withering reaction. I don't know if my male ego ever recovered from that. And I *hated* the DRAM boards. I do, however, still have the MITS box. Haven't run it in nearly 40 years. --Chuck
