Posted on 11/07/2015 8:00:04 PM PST by Olog-hai
Many people don't know the history of the Kenbak-1 Digital Computer, but it's considered to be the world's first commercially available personal computer, and one is going up for sale in just a few minutes. [...]
It didn't have a microprocessor at all, and contained only 256 bytes (you read that correctly) of RAM. No more than 50 units were ever made, although a few have been popping up for sale in the last few years. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at engadget.com ...
Don’t recall who made it, but remember using a computer at work in the late 1980s, early ‘90s that used a cassette tape as a hard drive.
I was born in to the age of plywood computers. My pops built kit computers. I learned to program each of them.
Not that I care. I don’t care about any of them. He probably has a 1st edition Mac in his garage. But I have other things to worry about.
I do know I have a couple ZX81 for any freepers that would be interested in buying them.
In the late 60’s I worked for Siliconix. We had a computer that we used punch cards and paper tapes in. Size of a large refridgerator. Seems 100 years ago.
I had one of these.
So,,,in the nerd world is this the equivalent of finding the original 1968 mustang from bullitt?
Commodore made computers that used cassette storage, until they made the Amiga..............then they were gone.
Kaypro used floppies.
And had a 312 modem built in.
It was a suitcase.
I had a Tandy Color Computer that used a cassette, but also took ROM cartridges.
I have to think back but yeah the TRS-80? and a lot of the other early systems used the cheap, available and convenient cassette tape recorder for storage, a real bitch if it ate the tape you just spent hours inputting code to.
It even has a steering wheel.
Almost portable.
What’s the S&H on this puppy?
With it’s steering wheel, it drives itself. LOL
Commodore wasn’t much later. It had an optional tape drive.
Yep, I had a TRS-80 that I bought for my office back in 1984. The business collapsed for lack of clients. The TRS-80 was sold off to someone not long after. Floppys, how quaint.
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