[ops33]

I thought the first home computer was the Coleco Adam?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

IBM had earlier attempts at small computers than the IBM PC....which was designed as a Business Machine.

The IBM Instrument Division had a machine that had more Compute power and was designed for a niche market....have forgotten the number....

[Cheburashka]

I thought the first home computer was the Coleco Adam?
---
Once upon a time there were many microcomputers. They were made by various companies and had proprietary operating systems, i.e. o/s's owned by the company that made the computer. (This is where your Coleco Adam fit in.)

Then one day a company called IBM (you may have heard of them) announced that they were going to start making microcomputers, theirs would be called a PC (standing for Personal Computer). The operating system - known as DOS - was licensed from a little (at that time - they're somewhat larger now) company called Microsoft.

This PC, backed by the largest computer company in the world, caused a nuclear winter in the microcomputer industry, all the proprietary computers were exterminated, except for one - Apple Computers. Some of the other companies survived by licensing DOS from Microsoft, others stated fresh making computers using DOS - these became known as PC clones. Along the way there were many new improved models and upgrades for all these computers, PCs and clones.

Eventually IBM decided they couldn't make money making PCs, so they closed up their small computer division, and there was no pint in calling other brands PC clones, so they became known simply as PC's.

This is enough history, we haven't gotten out of the 80's. The event being celebrated is the introduction of the IBM PC twenty five years ago.