I still return to. 

-->Who bought them?<--

Unless at least 5% (see quibbling below) of new purchases were by private 
individuals, not required for their gainful employment, they are "single user 
computers", not "personal computers".  "Personal" is how they are used, not how 
they could be used.

They do not become "personal computers" 40 years later when the only sales, 
used, are to private individuals.  If I buy a retired electric  streetcare, 
does that make all streetcars "personal transportation"?

Actually, I'd prefer to say 10% of purchases, where a corporate PO for 2500 
computers in a lot counts as one, and Sally Smith buying one for her kids to 
play with also counts as one.  Fred Jones buying one to manage his personal 
stock portfolio counts as personal, but Sara Perez buying one to manage her 
paid clients' portfolios does not.

<pre>--Carey</pre>

> On 05/28/2024 9:24 AM CDT Sellam Abraham via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> 
> wrote:
> 
>  
> On Tue, May 28, 2024, 7:16 AM Paul Koning via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org>
> wrote:
> 
> >
> > And that makes sense.  Consider that cell phones have always clearly been
> > personal phones, but the first ones were definitely not priced for the
> > "average person", not by a long shot.
> >
> >         paul
> >
> 
> Are you comparing a telephone, which can and only ever has (until the
> speakerphone) been able to be used by one person and one person only?
> 
> The term "personal" as we use it for computers does not at all apply to
> telephones.  Telephones are more akin to toothbrushes in terms of their
> use, or in a family situation, the toilet.  It's not at all a fitting
> analogy.
> 
> Sellam
> 
> >

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