Re: homebrew computer - where to start?

On Sat, 3 Sep 2005 21:22:51 -0400, "jm" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Not "really" being wrapped up in computers back when the Z80, the Altair and
>so on came out, I had forgotten about the KIM and so on. My question is -
>trying to sort out my memory here - was the Altair 8800 sold be SWTP? OR a
>different monster altogether? I DO recall the Altair now that it has been
>mentioned - but may be getting it confused with South West Technical
>Products - products.

The Altair 8800 was 'advertised' on two issues of Popular Electronics
circa the beginning of 1975. You can see it here:

http://www.computermuseum.20m.com/popelectronics.htm

I bought mine in January 1975 and assembled it over the next month or
so. It was sold my MITS, which was a company that used to make
calculator kits, back in the days when calculators were expensive and
selling kits actually made some money. They also had contracts with
NASA, I think. But after the huge budget cuts of 1970, after we got
to the moon, and the gasoline crisis, all hell broke loose and
companies like MITS went into red ink and started looking for
something else to do. Luckily, Intel had just had Intersil drop a
contract (but largely paid for, already) for a cpu for a terminal, for
which they were making the 8008, if I recall. Intel was rolling that
into the 8080 to sell as a micro just about the time MITS was starving
and looking for work. The Altair 8800 was the result.

But I'm open to corrections on the above. That's just what my poor
memory reminds me of.

SWTP was, at least from my point of view, a later-on company. I
hadn't heard of them until well after the Altair 8800 assembly I did.

Jon
.

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