[cctalk] Re: Experience using an Altair 8800 ("Personal computer" from 70s)
The MCM/70 was a Canadian invention though not certain it was a 'first' in the microcomputer world. Some say the Kenbak 1 was. The Altair 8800, as I argue, the first to reach a large audience. It demonstrated what was possible to non-computer people. Happy computing, Murray :) On Thu, May 23, 2024 at 9:36 PM Mike Katz via cctalk wrote: > When my wife (now my ex-wife) told me during a move that my 2 PDP-8/E > racks were not going to the new apartment because there wasn't room for > her roll top desk and my computer. And told me "they go or you go with > them but they are not moving with us", I should have seen the signs and > gone with them. > > That would have saved me a bunch of money in the divorce AND I would > still have those beautiful PDP-8's. > > I'm still trying to recover from that one. > > On 5/23/2024 7:04 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > > On Thu, 23 May 2024, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote: > >> 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. > > > > Be very thankful that it was before you had more invested in the > > relationship. > > > > I almost failed to heed the warning (although FAR less personally > > humiliating), when a new interest thought that "Hitchhiker's guide To > > The Galaxy" was "stupid". > > > > > > -- > > Grumpy Ol' Fred ci...@xenosoft.com > >
[cctalk] Re: Experience using an Altair 8800 ("Personal computer" from 70s)
When my wife (now my ex-wife) told me during a move that my 2 PDP-8/E racks were not going to the new apartment because there wasn't room for her roll top desk and my computer. And told me "they go or you go with them but they are not moving with us", I should have seen the signs and gone with them. That would have saved me a bunch of money in the divorce AND I would still have those beautiful PDP-8's. I'm still trying to recover from that one. On 5/23/2024 7:04 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: On Thu, 23 May 2024, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote: 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. Be very thankful that it was before you had more invested in the relationship. I almost failed to heed the warning (although FAR less personally humiliating), when a new interest thought that "Hitchhiker's guide To The Galaxy" was "stupid". -- Grumpy Ol' Fred ci...@xenosoft.com
[cctalk] Re: Experience using an Altair 8800 ("Personal computer" from 70s)
On Thu, 23 May 2024, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote: 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. Be very thankful that it was before you had more invested in the relationship. I almost failed to heed the warning (although FAR less personally humiliating), when a new interest thought that "Hitchhiker's guide To The Galaxy" was "stupid". -- Grumpy Ol' Fred ci...@xenosoft.com
[cctalk] Re: C. Gordon Bell, Creator of a Personal Computer Prototype, Dies at 89
I have a vague memory of visiting the Computer Museum when it was still at DEC, in the Marlboro building (MRO-n). About the only item I recall is a Goodyear STARAN computer (or piece of one). I found it rather surprising to have see a computer made by a tire company. I learned years later that the STARAN is a very unusual architecture, sometimes called a one-bit machine. More precisely, I think it's a derivative of William Shooman's "Orthogonal Computer" vector computer architecture, which was for a while sold by Sanders Associates where he worked. paul > On May 23, 2024, at 5:00 PM, Kevin Anderson via cctalk > wrote: > > I had the good fortune of visiting The Computer Museum in Boston in the > summer of 1984. Reading the museum's Wikipedia article, it appears I was > there while they were still freshly setting up their Museum Wharf location, > yet hadn't officially opened yet. Unfortunately I only had an hour (or > little more) to visit before I had to return to where my wife was at a > different location (which I vaguely recall was at an aquarium somewhere > nearby?). The clerk at the front entrance was really surprised that I was > leaving so soon...which in hindsight I wish now had not been so short. > > Kevin Anderson > Dubuque, Iowa
[cctalk] Re: Experience using an Altair 8800 ("Personal computer" from 70s)
I think if you can find that colleague of yours again and then say “who is laughing now?” Regards, Tarek Hoteit AI Consultant, PhD +1 360-838-3675 > On May 23, 2024, at 16:05, Chuck Guzis via cctalk > wrote: > > 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 >
[cctalk] Re: Experience using an Altair 8800 ("Personal computer" from 70s)
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
[cctalk] Re: C. Gordon Bell, Creator of a Personal Computer Prototype, Dies at 89
I had the good fortune of visiting The Computer Museum in Boston in the summer of 1984. Reading the museum's Wikipedia article, it appears I was there while they were still freshly setting up their Museum Wharf location, yet hadn't officially opened yet. Unfortunately I only had an hour (or little more) to visit before I had to return to where my wife was at a different location (which I vaguely recall was at an aquarium somewhere nearby?). The clerk at the front entrance was really surprised that I was leaving so soon...which in hindsight I wish now had not been so short. Kevin Anderson Dubuque, Iowa
[cctalk] Experience using an Altair 8800 ("Personal computer" from 70s)
I case anyone is interested... 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 did write a pretty decent emulator for my exact Altair system some years ago... And with recent interest in the system, I've just updated it with a few minor improvements and a "cleaned up" edition of the software I created to bootstrap a hardware front-panel based system (no on-board ROM) via a serial port card - requiring you to enter only 18 bytes through the front panel So .. if you'd like to experience what it was like to use a system from the 70s - here's some of the things you can do: Bootstrap it cold Run NorthStar DOS (one of the first commercial DOSes) Run DMF (Device Management Facility) - a DOS I created for it - can you tell that at the time I was working on an IBM mainframe ... my - OS name sounds a lot like various IBM mainframe packages at the time. A few other software setups (for example there's a stand-alone bootable FORTH) Has Editors, Assemblers, BASIC and other tools from the era. and a few games - some written by yours truly - some very early commercial offerings (like "Cranston Manor Adventure", or "Valdez") Note1: My Altair emulator was created under DOS and is a 16 bit program! It does work very well with DosBox (I recommend the one on my site) Note2: I've not updated the ALTAIR.ZIP on "Daves Old Computers" yet - you can get the updated one from: "Daves Old Computers" -> Personal -> Downloads -> OlderDownloadsFromPrevious - look for "ALTAIR" under: Simulators and Emulators *** I don't follow this list nearly as much these days - if you want to reach me, use the contact link on my site! -- -- Search "Dave's Old Computers" see "my personal" at bottom!
