History Of The Microcomputer Revolution
History
Of The
Microcomputer
Revolution
"Raw Bytes Computer News"
Frank Delaney, Producer
Transcript of The Radio Series
Copyright © 1995 MTA
Micro Technology Associates
Broadcast on
KPBX FM 91.1
Spokane Public Radio
National Public Radio Network
Dedication
To Gary Kildall
And to All the People
Who Contributed to
And Created
The Microcomputer Revolution
And
To KPBX and
Public Radio
"The Theater of The Mind"
Support Public Radio
Foreword
1977 Pullman, Washington. I was working as a Sales Executive for the Xerox
Corporation. One of the Xerox Service Technicians and I were walking down
one of the main streets after work - headed for a local watering hole -
when we passed a Radio Shack store that had one of the new TRS-80 Microcomputers
on display in the window.
He said "I've been reading about these - let's go inside and look at it."
I wasn't sure why he would want to look at a computer - we were working
for the world's largest copier company and I had absolutely no interest
in computers. He walked up to this computer and began typing on the keyboard.
In less than a minute he had a message appearing on the computer screen
that kept repeating his name and "Xerox Corporation." I was both astounded
and fascinated. Here was an ordinary human being - a regular guy
- who walks up to a computer and gets it follow his commands! This was
a moment that changed my life.
I've been fascinated with microcomputers ever since. I started talking
to people and found out that no one knew much about them - they were so
new. I went back to Radio Shack and bought 2 books. One was on Digital
Computers which was very technical and hard to read. The other was on learning
BASIC for the TRS-80 which I found to be interesting and logical. Not having
a TRS-80, I just worked through the lessons in the book mentally.
In 1979 I left Xerox to become the Marketing Director of one of Spokane's
first Microcomputer companies. We sold Apples, Commodores, and CP/M systems
with names like Polymorphic, IMSAI, and Cromemco. I also worked with an
Apple II, learning Apple Basic to write small programs for myself. Later
I worked for Univac selling mainframe computers, and for a time with IBM
in their VAR program. By 1984 my desire to work with and program computers
- not sell them - caused me to make a career change to become a programmer.
I worked at KPBX as Business Manager/Programmer; writing their Membership Program, Classical
Library, creating many spreadsheet models, and bringing the accounting
in-house onto PC's. I did this using CP/M and MSDOS (Not IBM compatible)
PC's. Later we got a "modern" IBM AT.
In 1987 I started my own programming and support company. Over the years
now I have heard an incredible amount of misinformation about how "IBM
created the first PC," or "Microsoft first wrote BASIC," or "Isn't great
that Windows finally gives PC users a choice of operating systems."
On the 20th anniversary of the personal computer, I wanted to write a chronology
of what actually happened, and how the industry evolved. I began with a
general idea for several segments, which evolved to these 16. I think it
could have easily gone 20, as I have had to do a lot of editing. This series
reflects a lot of my own perspectives and biases, but I hope it gives you
a clearer understanding of The Microcomputer Revolution.
Table of Contents
Show Segment Title Page
1 The Historic Background 5
2 The Revolution Begins 7
3 The Washington State Connection 9
4 High School Kid's Computer Company 11
5 The World's First Commercially Available PC
13
6 What good is a computer without Software?
15
7 Send in the Clones 17
8 The First Operating System Standard 19
9 Home Brewing and Computers Named Apple 21
10 The Killer Application 23
11 IBM's Secret 25
12 The Deal of The Century 27
13 A Walk in the PARC 29
14 Send in the Clones again - Freud would have said
GUI-Envy 31
15 The PC Industry at Age 11 in 1986 33
16 Will the Circle Be Unbroken? 35
Bibliography 37
In computer news this week (February 1, 1995):
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Copyright © 1997-2006 William Thomas Sanderson.
Portions Copyright © 1995 MTA Micro Technology Associates
Frank Delaney
All Rights Reserved.
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