Gordon

1
Gordons Personal View ofPersonal Computing
before the PC

• Vintage Computer Society
• 27 September 1998
• Gordon Bell
• gbell_at_microsoft.com
• http//www.research.microsoft.com/gbell

2
(No Transcript)
3
Apple II
4
First personal computer
5
Micral
6
In the beginning Manchester Baby ran the first
program 22 June 1948
7
English Electric Deuce Console 1955
8
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
9
Whirlwind console, drum, 1 Kw core
10
SAGE Control Room c 1962.
Whirlwind used for first experiments.
11
SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) Operator
Console
12
TX-0 Console c1959 one of the first
transistorized personal computers
Speech, handwriting recognition, neuro data
analysis, etc. Interactive editors, debuggers,
etc.
13
MIT Speech group with TX-0, c1959.
14
DEC Computer before PDP-11
1957 1961 1963
15
DEC PDP-1 c1961
16
Wes Clark LINC c1962 Personal computers for
bio-medical research
17
PDP-5 c1964 PDP-8 predecessor
Process control, real time experiments. Fortran
ran in 4 K, 12 bit words
18
Gbell with LINC and PDP-8 c1965
19
PDP-8 first mini
First OEM computer. OS/8 (from timesharing)
begot RT-11 begot CPM
20
PDP-8 Modules
21
PDP-8/E
22
PDP-8 and Linc Family Tree
23
PDP-8 12 bit word price (t)
24
PDP-8 prices (t)
25
Timesharing given everyone their own, low cost,
personal computer
26
PDP-6 c1965 First commercial time shared
computer. Gbell Alan Kotok
27
PDP-6 Development team c1965
28
PDP-6/10/ DECsystem 10/20 family tree
29
There is no reason anyone would want a computer
in their home.

• Ken OlsenPresident, Chairman and founder of
  Digital, 1977

30
Equating yourself to the averageuser/buyer
is risky . . . unless youre an average user.
31
Why didnt Digital lead personal computers?
Thats another talk
32
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