About everything - masterpieces of digital graphomania: the history of the world's first Personal Computer "Altair".

                                          
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 MASTERPIECES OF ELECTRONIC GRAPHOMANIA      
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                Volume 141                  
                                          
 "We did what we didn't need to do,
 we  built  that which  was not needed,
 we  experienced   fear,  which  not
 should have been tested."                   
                      Lyndon B. Johnson.   
                      Former US President   
                                          
          TRAVELS OF AMATEURS          
                                          
                Part 2                  
                                          
                                          
  Lieutenant Edward Roberts was a radio amateur
telecom  with great experience: he was still a teenager
built a device that controls the apparatus
for artificial respiration on relay and step-
vy seekers.  Already having entered service in
US Air Force, he tried to get rich by selling
by mail "designers" of radio control systems -
for models of rockets,radio telephones and
etc. However, it enjoyed particular success
kit for assembling a calculator for just
$179.  The product was such a success
home that Roberts retired in 1972,
to  entirely  dedicate work yourself in
own company MITS.                   
                                          
                                          
                                          
  The company consisted of 3 more friends of the lieutenant
Nanta,  a  the name was chosen in consonance with
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
here).                                     
                                          
                                          
  All  these events took place in the city of Albu-
kerke  (New Mexico),  "away from noise
urban", for 2000  miles from Silicon
valleys.                                   
                                          
                                          
  However klate 1974  times when
sets of  calculators MITS were sold
5000 pieces per month, passed. Large companies
we, having intercepted the idea, organized a massive
production and began to offer similar
devices  cheaper: in addition,  they are not
carried  the burden of overhead costs, costs
for development work... in the final
ge  former lieutenant and his MITS sold for
$1,200,000  and  received $200,000...
LOSS: this is the price of technical progress
sa.  The company  was threatened with bankruptcy and Roberts
decided on one last, desperate adventure...
development of  amateur... computer on
new microprocessor Intel-8080.         
                                          
                 -//-                     
                                          
  Now it’s already hard to imagine the absurdity
such an idea... “I can’t imagine for-
what you need  at home computer"  - these are words
Ollson, head of the company DEC (he gave this
computer DEC-1 of his “alma mater” - Mac
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and
it was next to him that the legendary layouts stood
darlings of the first hackers). One of the employees
IBM also  offered personal project
computer, but when asked about its use,
The research institute managed  only to offer... storage in
memory of culinary recipes.               
                                          
 So why did Edward Roberts,
cial  handicraftsman  and inventor, burden-
burdened with debts hundreds of thousands of dollars,
did the bank still give a loan for another 65 thousand? And
under what! - He promised to sell 800 by mail
do-it-yourself computer kits.
Bankers later recalled that they “considered him
madman" and expected that there would be buyers
from  strength 200... but they gave the money, which was surprising
Roberts himself also curled up.                      
                                          
  ...The author  is convinced that  accidents (and
especially miracles) do not happen: they are only
are perceived as such without knowledge of the reasons and previous
theory of the phenomenon.                            
                                          
                 -//-                     
                                          
  Excitement  started  a week before Christmas
1974 when the January one appeared (already
1975)  number  magazine  "Popular
Electronics".  The entire cover was occupied by photographs
graphics  computer, announced  as
"the world's first mini-computer kit,
which can compete with industrial
samples."  The price of the "construction-
ra"- $379 (“not inferior to existing
machines, but costs much less").
It was the legendary "ALTAIR" - the first in the world
re PC created by E. Roberts.             
                                          
  Actually, the author named it RE-8, in honor
magazine"Popular  Electronics", with which
collaborated also from amateur radio times
myung: now there are 3 versions, who will be first
came up with to give  him something more attractive
name (for example, in honor of a computer from
television series "STARTRACK", a popular
yes).                                      
                                          
  The author at that time there was no time for such empty
Tyakov:  disaster broke out: the only
finished computer sample (final
last  hope) was  lost by the company
delivery cargo by paths  from the province to
New York branch of the magazine "Popular
Electronics".  The editors are in despair and grief-
myki iz MITS decided to forge: "Alta-
ir", photographed on the cover of a magazine
la, in fact it was an empty box, li-
worn electronic circuits and, naturally, not
could perform no calculations."        
                                          
                  -//-                    
                                          
 "You cannot create anything yourself  
 you need  just wait until  in events
 you will hear  footstep Gentlemen, and  then
 you need to grab him by the coat - that's all."
                                          
                           Bismarck.       
                                          
  Three months later, the small company MITS
could no longer cope with the huge flow of
Kazov:  accumulated  4000 dissatisfied
orders. One of the first buyers of auxiliary
minds that "it was an absolute, instant-
great, insane success"... Now it's worth
lay  for  backstage  "Great American
Dreams"  in search of reasons (and maybe doll-
waters)  third (or which one already?)
industrial revolution. The situation is classic
cheskaya: the “tops” could no longer do it, but the “bottoms”
didn't want it anymore, etc...                
                                          
                                          
  1. After the war, the United States concentrated
hugefunds and, most importantly, brains. It was
realized that the world will be ruled by the one who
owns information, ways to process it
boots and applications.                       
                                          
  2. Already by the beginning of the 70s, industry specialists
whether  it became clear: the growth rate of needs for
programmers are such that under the old
knowledge  things need  for programmers
will exceed the population. Exit-give
computer for each user to solve
its specific tasks  "in place". Then
you can  also get profit from the huge
quantity   programs  written  by ourselves
users - the fruit of the "collective mind"
with  which cannot be compared with any standard
zen programmers. And so it happened:
whether  networks of  computer stores have been created,
magazines... in the early days of this matter, MITS sent
drove a "propaganda brigade" across the USA  on a van,
showing everyone the first PC: wherever it is
visited, computer clubs appeared.    
                                          
                                          
  Soon a young man arrived from Boston to MITS
programmer Paul Allen - he brought adaptable
rated for  "Altair" BASIC (and before that
I had to write programs only in code
Dah)... Later, a certain Peter Norton will come
there is little way to restore deleted classes
ter and sent out his program by mail,
which was a huge success, etc.                                           
  3. The creation of microelectronics required
large investments, and mass production
promised (and then delivered) huge profits,
but it was necessary to CREATE a sales market  micro-
schemes After all, the first Intel microprocessors were NOT
FOUND SALES(!). E. Roberts bought a microphone
I8080 roprocessors for $75/piece, but they cost
they are 360 dollars each. That is why the price of the first
th  The PC was $397 and "looked ridiculous"
vorno low - it was all the same to buy it
what to steal."  Thus, computers in
The USA was practically distributed to everyone
"sharks of capitalism". And there were those who wanted it.   
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                          
     "The monkey decided to work: she found 
  chump, oh wellover it fiddling around." 
                                          
                            I.A. Krylov.   
                                          
                                          
     "Once you start programming, it is very difficult 
  refuse this activity."        
                                          
                            Ruben Herr.   
                            Ch. editor  
                            "PC MAGAZINE" 
                                          
                                          
             "They have nothing  to lose,  except 
  own circuits:           
             they will acquire allpeace." 
                                          
                            K.Marx.      
                                          
                                          
                                          
  So who bought this set of radio components?
lei from which it was also necessary to be able to
army "Altair", and then force it to work
nerd?                                   
                                          
  In addition, according to modern concepts, this
was not a PC at all: a box with toggle switches and lamps
kidneys (no display, no keyboard). Prog-
framing  in  binary  codes:
010111011011101: result on the scoreboard from mi-
glowing light bulbs... And what program (if
even and be able) can be placed in 256 BYTES
(that's not a typo) RAM?                   
                                          
  Who are these people who created not the “party of fools”
kov", and the non-profit organization "People-
nycomputer", fast attached to
"Altair" TV, keyboard, magnetic
background and  avidly reading articles like "MITS
DOS-Disk then Disk Copy Routine".           
                                          
 That's right, these were provincial teas
nicknames, amateurs (DUMMIES). And what do they want?
can I get it as a result?