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2022-08-26
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u<t0>
While the machine was originally
intended to be used by engineers, the
KIM-1 quickly found a large audience
with hobbyists. A complete system
could be constructed for under $500
with the purchase of the kit for only
$245, and adding a used terminal and a
cassette tape drive. The KIM-1 had one
great advantage over the Altair. The
components were delivered wave
soldered to the printed circuit board.
This made the units much more
reliable, and established a broad base
of identically designed computers.
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The KIM 1 <Press Key>
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Many books were soon available,
demonstrating small assembly language
programs, including The First Book of
KIM, by Jim Butterfield and others. As
the system became more popular, BASIC
became a common additions, requiring
an 8KB memory expansion. BASIC was
loaded off of tape -- a 15 minute
ordeal.
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Gordon Moore of Intel revised his
1965 prediction about transistor
density, from doubling every 12 months
to doubling every 18 months. This
becomes known as Moore's Law -- and
still is in effect, though the
doubling is more like every 24 months
in 2004.
In March of 1976, Steve Wozniak
and Steve Jobs finished work on a
computer circuit board they called the
Apple I computer, and formed the Apple
Computer Company on April Fool's Day.
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The Original Apple <Press Key>
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Commodore had to be rescued from
the pressure put upon them by chip-
supplier Texas Instruments. This meant
an infusion of cash from Irving Gould,
which Jack Tramiel used in 1976
onwards to purchase several second-
source chip suppliers -- including MOS
Technology, Inc -- in order to
guarantee supply. He agreed to buy
MOS, which was having financial
troubles, only on the condition that
chip designer Chuck Peddle join
Commodore directly as head of
engineering.
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Once Chuck Peddle took over,
he convinced Tramiel that calculators
were already a dead-end. They should
turn to home computers. Peddle
packaged his existing KIM-1 in a metal
case, with a QWERTY keyboard,
monochrome monitor, and tape recorder,
to produce the Commodore Personal
Electronic Transactor -- the PET. The
prototype was displayed at the January
1977 Winter Consumer Electronics Show.
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The Commodore PET <Press Key>
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The PET monitor was driven by a
new built-in display driver chip, so
no external terminal was required. The
ROM firmware was expanded to include
BASIC 2.0 (from Microsoft) as well, so
the machine was up and running as soon
as the power was turned on.
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And so two of the three most
important pioneering home computers
were unveiled at the West Coast
Computer Faire in April of 1977.
Commodore Business Machines showed its
PET, priced at $600. The PET computer
line was used primarily in schools,
due to its modest price and tough
all-metal construction (some models
were labelled "Teacher's PET"), but
didn't compete well in the home
setting where graphics and sound were
important.
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