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The IBM PC turns 25, my wife turns *cough*
On this August 12, 2006 the IBM PC turns 25. I guess this makes the IBM PC an antique. Has it really been that long? It is pretty amazing how far the PC has come since IBM starting making them. Twelve engineers developed the first IBM PC called the IBM 5150, which had a mere 16K of memory onboard. Try running iTunes on that. The revolutionary breakthrough of the early PC was because IBM's PC was the first to really hit the mainstream market and become synonymous with the term computer. Just 38 years earlier in 1943 the chairman of IBM at the time, Thomas Watson was quoted as saying "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Apparently he was wrong. Happy Birthday IBM PC, if you are still around in someone's collection. Your children (for the most part) serve us well. You have really made the world a different place.[Via BBC News]
Oh, and a quick Happy Birthday to my wife today as well. Today she is turning...*cough*!
Comments
8
Subscribe to commentsRJAug 13th 2006 12:21AM
That's funny - it's my wife's birthday today too. Why's this worth a comment? I just can't answer that.
Ryan CarterAug 13th 2006 12:52AM
Happy Birthday to your wife as well. I remember using these old IBM machines with 5.25" floppies. Those were the days. I wouldn't trade my new PC for one of those however.
KudzuAug 13th 2006 11:17AM
My parents got me and my brother a $2,000 Olivetti-made AT&T PC back around 1987. If thad one 460kB floppy. I remember running WordPerfect 4.2 on it. I am 36 now and love computers. I have my parents to thank for my interest. RIP, Mom.
LphantAug 13th 2006 12:49PM
My PC has 9 years old! :D
Bye!
KudzuAug 13th 2006 2:08PM
Ooops. I meant "360kB," above. ;-)
Hamman SamuelAug 14th 2006 3:25AM
This is a bit late, but I thought I'd join in the celebrations too! "The journey of many miles begins with a single step" Where would laptops and palmtops be if IBM hadn't broken the markets and made the "Personal computer" idea sellable. Hurray IBM!
TimAug 14th 2006 8:45AM
My first PC was an Apple II, 1984? with a Zenith monochrome green screen. I was 4 at the time and my parents never let me know that other games existed besides math blaster...then I discoverd Roadrunner.
Later, we purchased a clone PC in 1987. A 386 SX 25MHz, 2 MB Ram, 100MB harddrive...with a turbo button which would toggle between 12/25MHz. At times, I couldn't handle the blazing speed of 25MHz and would turn off the turbo. Wolfenstein 3D, Duke Nukem, Commander Keane... those were the days.
IBMAug 16th 2006 9:03AM
Don Estridge who the lead the PC development team was killed in a plane crash in '85. I wonder what he'd make of the pervasive PC technology we're smothered in today ?
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/builders/builders_estridge.html