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The history of the personal computer as a mass-market consumer electronic device began with the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s. A personal computer is one intended for interactive individual use, as opposed to a mainframe computer where the end user's requests are filtered through operating staff, or a time-sharing system in which one large processor is shared by many individuals.
It was designed and invented by John Blankenbaker of Kenbak Corporation in 1970, and was first sold in early 1971. Unlike a modern personal computer, the Kenbak-1 was built of small-scale integrated circuits, and did not use a microprocessor. The system first sold for US$750. Only 44 machines were ever sold, though it's said 50 to 52 were built.
Glenn A. Beck (background) and Betty Snyder (foreground) program ENIAC in BRL building 328. (U.S. Army photo, c. 1947–1955) ENIAC (/ ˈ ɛ n i æ k /; Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) [1] [2] was the first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer, completed in 1945.
The Compaq Portable was the first PC-compatible portable computer created in 1982. The first shipment was in March 1983 and was priced at US$2,995 (equivalent to $9,759 in 2024). The Compaq Portable folded up into a luggable case the size of a portable sewing machine, similar in size to the Osborne 1.
This is a list of early microcomputers sold to hobbyists and developers. These microcomputers were often sold as "DIY" kits or pre-built machines in relatively small numbers in the mid-1970s.
Obsolete technology website — Information about many old computers. old-computers.com — Web Site dedicated to old computers. oldcomputer.info — Web site with information about many old computers. History of Computers — online magazine featuring pictures and information about many computers made between the 1970s and the early 1990s
Human computers were used to compile 18th and 19th century Western European mathematical tables, for example those for trigonometry and logarithms.Although these tables were most often known by the names of the principal mathematician involved in the project, such tables were often in fact the work of an army of unknown and unsung computers.
Human mathematicians (a job role called a "hand-computer") could make calculations at a similar speed, but not continuously for the same lengths of time. Dr Howlett commented: One day EB ‘Bart’ Fossey, an excellent hand-computer (still with what used to be called the Atlas Computer Laboratory ), settled down beside the machine with his desk ...