The Microprocessor Turns 40: Intel's Monumental Accident

Forbes ^ | 11/15/2011 | Michael Kanellos,

[Kid Shelleen]

Today on the 40th anniversary of the 4004, the world’s first microprocessor, the world should salute Intel and the three inventors of that microchip for the accomplishment.

But let’s not forget that a little bit of luck and good lawyering helped too.

The 4004 was essentially a contract engineering assignment.

[Kid Shelleen]

Where were you in '71 ?

[SubMareener]

Underwater. ;-)

[mylife]

OMG I am getting old.

I learned 8080 microprocessors when they were cutting edge.

We put them on submarines and used them to handle individual signal processes to free up the mainframe.

We were high tech beeotch!!

[doc1019]

Using a typewriter. ;-)

[SamAdams76]

In 1971, I was just a little kid and I remember on Friday nights, I used to stay up late and see the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family on TV. By the time the Odd Couple came on, I was hustled off to bed.

Didn't know what a microprocessor was in those days but I did have one of those portable AM transistor radios that ran on a 9 volt battery and had one of those earplugs that only went in one ear because without stereo, why bother with two?

I used to sneak that radio under the covers at night where I'd listen to baseball games or some Top 40 radio.

[mylife]

You are an old salt!
I was still in 6th grade LoL

[mylife]

I still love radio.

I am listening to WBCQ on short wave right now.

[Wingy]

Working...sigh...

Actually, I was working at my 3rd job, the first having lasted a week. The second (better paying) lasted three months. The 3rd (better paying again) lasted 5 years until 1975. Next month I retire from my 5th job.

I saw my first handheld calculator in 1973. An HP35 for $400.00. Time moves on...

[Texas Fossil]

In 1971 I was in the Army.

I built my first PC in 1982. It was a cobbled mess built around a much modified TRS-80 motherboard. Z80 CPU, twin 5-1/4” floppy drives, tape storage (no hard drive), homebrew power supply, running NewDOS 80. I still have that thing on a shelf in my shop.

Brings back lots of memories.

The tech moment that I saw but missed the significance was “fiber optic cable”. I saw it in the 1980’s. All Electronics in CA advertised it in their parts catalog. I asked myself, “what possible use could it have”, “sure you can make a computer on one end of a room talk real fast to a computer on the other end of the room, but why”? Little did I know that they would wire the world with it.

[HangnJudge]

Where were you in '71 ?

Junior in High School

[Texas Fossil]

I still love radio.

So do I. Have been a Ham Op since 1976. Computers have drained the time, but that is my favorite hobby.

[mylife]

Moore, in fact, didn’t even buy a home computer until the 386 chip came out in the late 80s, he told me.

I was not happy that there was a standard until then.

My first computer was a 486 that I built. Then those SOBS came out with the Pentium and my software was obsolete! LoL

[mylife]

It is fun to combine both with software defined DSP radios.

But nothing replaces the magic of the golden age of radio.

[Kid Shelleen]

Remember when FM radio was considered “under ground” radio and was so progressive for playing songs longer than 3 minutes?

[Texas Fossil]

“the golden age of radio”

I still love my Collins Twins. Incredible equipment, even if the have “valves”. hee hee hee

Seriously, there is something special about the presence of audio from a tube type amplifier. And when it comes to RF front-ends, it was a very long time before anyone took solid-state front ends serious. They simply did not handle overloads well. Hybrid rigs were the norm for a long time.

A also love my old Atlas 210. The simplest radio, but an incredible crystal filter. Still have one that works. (have had my fingers in it with mods too).

[mylife]

I do! I loved that kind of radio!

I used to listen to “Fresh Air” out of Kent state university in the wee hours of the morning on WKSU

Truly underground radio.

[Yo-Yo]

The company, however, has also shown an ability to advance manufacturing at a rapid clip and combine marketing with high tech–the idea of putting a brand name like Pentium to a faceless component was a somewhat wacky notion back in the early 90s–to maintain margins and profits.

As I recall it, Intel went through several generations of microprocessors from the 8086 to the 80286 (commonly called just '286',) 80386 (386,) and the 80486 (486.)

The next generation should have been the '586', but other companies were making pin-for-pin clone chips of Intel's microprocessor, and using the same part numbers 80286, etc.

Intel decided to call their next generation chip the "Pentium" instead of the "586" because they could copyright the name Pentium, but couldn't copyright the name "586." Intel then started the "Genuine Intel Inside" ad campaign.

[unkus]

I am listening to WBCQ on short wave right now.

---

What brand Short Wave do you have?

Would you recommend CC Crain short wave radios?

I think Short Wave is good to have and will get one.

Thanks!

[mylife]

Before business executives ruined radio

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

Where were you in '71?

Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, First Marine Brigade, FMF