The personal computer is 25 years old.
With the advent of the personal computer, a new era in the development of computing technology began. Without understatement, a new stage has come in the development of human civilization. The Internet, digital media, CD, DVD, a revolution in the music and film industry, the emergence of new cultural traditions in all developed countries of the world. The invention of the PC can be compared with the invention of the automobile, telephone or television.
However, on August 12, 1981, almost no one guessed how the new IBM product would affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people. The Observer writes about the fate of those people through whom a personal computer was born and made a real revolution in technology.
First, this is a team of 12 IBM engineers who, under the leadership of Don Estridge (Don Estridge), worked on the secret project of the IBM PC 5150 ( photo ). The prototype for its creation was the super-successful Apple II model ( photo ). In fact, it was Apple that invented personal computers. Model Apple II was released in 1977, but did not become standard. Starting in 1981 and so far under the name "personal computer" all over the world mean the platform created by IBM. IBM engineers worked 12 months on tight deadline. They traveled all over America in search of the necessary components. For example, an Intel chip was chosen for the CPU.
Secondly, it is Bill Gates and his company Microsoft. This man was one of the few who believed in the enormous potential of the PC. IBM's secret project urgently needed the necessary software. Young programmer Bill Gates, who had just dropped out of university shortly before, was at the right time in the right place. He got an operating system for IBM and achieved favorable terms for a contract, according to which he could also sell this OS separately from computers. Thanks to the MS DOS operating system and Bill Gates personally, the IBM PC platform has become the standard platform for hundreds of thousands of diverse applications, making Gates the richest person in the world, which he still remains today.
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Apple very quickly lost the market because it used proprietary interfaces and an operating system.
David Bradley, one of IBM's 12 engineers who worked on the project, says that the reason for the popularity of the IBM PC was in absolute openness. They used Intel processors and the Microsoft operating system, which were sold separately from the PC. Engineers tried to publish absolutely all the information that they themselves possessed about the architecture of the IBM PC and about the interfaces. If someone wanted to write an application for the IBM PC, he received all the necessary information and a guarantee that the standards would not change over time.
The first model of IBM PC 5150 was equipped with a microprocessor Intel 8088, which worked at a clock frequency of 4.77 MHz, 64 KB of RAM and a floppy disk drive for five-inch floppy disks. Marketers expected to sell 242 thousand cars within five years, but this figure was already exceeded in the first month. Interestingly, the IBM PC 5150 model was produced for almost six more years, up to April 2, 1987, with only minor changes in configuration.
The fate of the people who are involved in the creation of the IBM PC, has developed differently. For example, Bill Gates became the richest man on the planet, and the chief engineer of the project, Don Estridge, died in a plane crash on August 2, 1985. IBM lost the leadership in the PC market to Compaq in 1994, and last year sold its PC division in China Lenovo company.
However, on August 12, 1981, almost no one guessed how the new IBM product would affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people. The Observer writes about the fate of those people through whom a personal computer was born and made a real revolution in technology.
First, this is a team of 12 IBM engineers who, under the leadership of Don Estridge (Don Estridge), worked on the secret project of the IBM PC 5150 ( photo ). The prototype for its creation was the super-successful Apple II model ( photo ). In fact, it was Apple that invented personal computers. Model Apple II was released in 1977, but did not become standard. Starting in 1981 and so far under the name "personal computer" all over the world mean the platform created by IBM. IBM engineers worked 12 months on tight deadline. They traveled all over America in search of the necessary components. For example, an Intel chip was chosen for the CPU.
Secondly, it is Bill Gates and his company Microsoft. This man was one of the few who believed in the enormous potential of the PC. IBM's secret project urgently needed the necessary software. Young programmer Bill Gates, who had just dropped out of university shortly before, was at the right time in the right place. He got an operating system for IBM and achieved favorable terms for a contract, according to which he could also sell this OS separately from computers. Thanks to the MS DOS operating system and Bill Gates personally, the IBM PC platform has become the standard platform for hundreds of thousands of diverse applications, making Gates the richest person in the world, which he still remains today.
')
Apple very quickly lost the market because it used proprietary interfaces and an operating system.
David Bradley, one of IBM's 12 engineers who worked on the project, says that the reason for the popularity of the IBM PC was in absolute openness. They used Intel processors and the Microsoft operating system, which were sold separately from the PC. Engineers tried to publish absolutely all the information that they themselves possessed about the architecture of the IBM PC and about the interfaces. If someone wanted to write an application for the IBM PC, he received all the necessary information and a guarantee that the standards would not change over time.
The first model of IBM PC 5150 was equipped with a microprocessor Intel 8088, which worked at a clock frequency of 4.77 MHz, 64 KB of RAM and a floppy disk drive for five-inch floppy disks. Marketers expected to sell 242 thousand cars within five years, but this figure was already exceeded in the first month. Interestingly, the IBM PC 5150 model was produced for almost six more years, up to April 2, 1987, with only minor changes in configuration.
The fate of the people who are involved in the creation of the IBM PC, has developed differently. For example, Bill Gates became the richest man on the planet, and the chief engineer of the project, Don Estridge, died in a plane crash on August 2, 1985. IBM lost the leadership in the PC market to Compaq in 1994, and last year sold its PC division in China Lenovo company.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/4256/
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