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Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Wednesday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 04/14/2010 The Father of the PC Revolution The man
credited with being the father of the PC Revolution died recently. His name was Ed Roberts, and in January
1975, Popular Electronics magazine's cover featured a picture of the Altair
8800 computer - the world's first microcomputer kit - sold mail order by
Roberts tiny company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS. Ed
Roberts' company had fallen onto hard times, and faced with financial ruin,
he decided he would make a last ditch attempt to save his business by selling
a complete computer in kit form, based on the new Intel 8080. He
contacted Popular Electronics magazine, and they agreed to do the cover story
on it. Roberts didn't even have a name for his computer. He asked his
daughter what would be a good high-tech sounding name, and she suggested
Altair - which was the name of a star in the popular tv series Star Trek. Through
shrewd negotiations, he was able to offer the kit for $ 397. Even fully
assembled the Altair couldn’t do much other than flash lights and
follow simple commands, but it was an actual computer – available to
everyman. Roberts estimated if he got lucky he would sell enough computer
kits to keep his business afloat while he looked for other revenue sources,
possibly 200 kits in a year. Once the
article appeared, the phones started ringing, and in one day they sold 200
computers over the phone. People sent checks in sight unseen - completely on
the faith they would some day receive their kit in the mail. MITS's cash flow
flip-flopped virtually over night - and over time they would receive
thousands of orders for the Altair 8800. Some fanatics even drove to
Albuquerque and camped out in the parking lot to wait for their kits. But Roberts was on the hardware side of
the pc revolution, and in order to sell his computer hardware he contracted
with 2 young computer geeks named Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who had modified
a version of the public domain BASIC computer language to run on the Altair,
and enable it to actually do things.
Gates
father was an attorney in Seattle, and the concept of computer programs
– or software – being licensed – not sold outright –
was created. When Ed
Robert sold a profitable computer kit, he had a hefty cost of goods sold, and
he had to buy all the parts needed for the next kit. But when
Gates and Allen’s new company – named Micro Soft (2 words) sold a
copy of the BASIC, the price was high and the cost just that of a floppy
disk. By 1977
Roberts had sold his business and became a doctor in a small Southern town,
and seemed bitter on his experience. Through email I had talked to Roberts around
1995, the 20th anniversary of the PC. He was not very cooperative
and reneged on a promise to do a radio interview. There seemed
to be a rift between Roberts and the Microsoft founders, but upon his death
Gates and Allen were kind enough to issue this statement: We are
deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and early mentor, Ed Roberts,
and our thoughts and prayers are with his family. You can
read my History of the PC
Revolution online. |
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For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2009 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html PO Box 31522 Spokane, Wa 99223-1522 (509)624-7230 |
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