Claims of the first personal computer
Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2019 1:11 pm
Hello all,
I sent an email to Ian Matthews about some questionable claims I found on the commodore.ca web page. To avoid broadening the discussion too far, I'll focus on one in particular:
https://www.commodore.ca/commodore-prod ... -computer/
Commodore PET – The Worlds First Personal Computer
After a brief exchange with Ian, I reiterate my claim that this statement is false. However, Ian did not offer a definition of "personal computer", and the page above doesn't either. So let us start with an actual definition from a 3rd party source. Looking through Google Books, the Wiki's definition is fairly typical: "Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or technician". So in that light...
Can anyone offer a cogent argument about why the PET can be considered a personal computer, whereas, for example, the Sol-20 cannot?
Both were sold in completely assembled form. Both included a keyboard for input and used a monitor for output. Both included an operating system analog in ROM, which in the case of the PET was Commodore BASIC and the Sol was the user's choice of a monitor program, terminal program or BASIC. Both were used simply by taking them out of the box, plugging them in, and turning them on. Both initially used cassettes for program storage and later added floppy disk and other devices. Both were sold directly to end-users, specifically for personal use. The Sol, however, pre-dates the PET by about a year.
I cannot find any definition where the PET is a personal computer and the Sol is not. I would like to hear of any you might suggest.
At that point, can anyone offer a cogent argument about why the MCM/70 is not the first personal computer?
This little-known machine, built right here in Canada, pre-dates the PET by three years. It used the Intel 8008 CPU, had a built-in keyboard and display, and had an operating system in ROM that booted directly into the APL programming language. It came with one build-in cassette drive and had a slot for a second - IIRC later models came with two pre-installed. Like both of the machines mentioned above, it was intended to be sold to end-users for their personal use, was delivered completely assembled, and was set up simply by plugging it in and turning it on.
Again, if someone can come up with a definition found in the literature that includes the PET but not the MCM/70, I'd love to hear it.
I sent an email to Ian Matthews about some questionable claims I found on the commodore.ca web page. To avoid broadening the discussion too far, I'll focus on one in particular:
https://www.commodore.ca/commodore-prod ... -computer/
Commodore PET – The Worlds First Personal Computer
After a brief exchange with Ian, I reiterate my claim that this statement is false. However, Ian did not offer a definition of "personal computer", and the page above doesn't either. So let us start with an actual definition from a 3rd party source. Looking through Google Books, the Wiki's definition is fairly typical: "Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or technician". So in that light...
Can anyone offer a cogent argument about why the PET can be considered a personal computer, whereas, for example, the Sol-20 cannot?
Both were sold in completely assembled form. Both included a keyboard for input and used a monitor for output. Both included an operating system analog in ROM, which in the case of the PET was Commodore BASIC and the Sol was the user's choice of a monitor program, terminal program or BASIC. Both were used simply by taking them out of the box, plugging them in, and turning them on. Both initially used cassettes for program storage and later added floppy disk and other devices. Both were sold directly to end-users, specifically for personal use. The Sol, however, pre-dates the PET by about a year.
I cannot find any definition where the PET is a personal computer and the Sol is not. I would like to hear of any you might suggest.
At that point, can anyone offer a cogent argument about why the MCM/70 is not the first personal computer?
This little-known machine, built right here in Canada, pre-dates the PET by three years. It used the Intel 8008 CPU, had a built-in keyboard and display, and had an operating system in ROM that booted directly into the APL programming language. It came with one build-in cassette drive and had a slot for a second - IIRC later models came with two pre-installed. Like both of the machines mentioned above, it was intended to be sold to end-users for their personal use, was delivered completely assembled, and was set up simply by plugging it in and turning it on.
Again, if someone can come up with a definition found in the literature that includes the PET but not the MCM/70, I'd love to hear it.