Re: Microcomputers As A Space Spinoff

seewebsite@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (John Savard) wrote:

I also saw an op-ed piece about how computers would be behemoths that
filled rooms if it hadn't been for the Apollo space program...

I've been a science and business writer since 1973, fairly well
plugged in at Intel, TI, Motorola, and IBM as well as other IT and
telecomm vendors, and with a strong interest in tech history. I
believe it would be very hard if not impossible to find a
knowledgeable figure in these fields to support that argument.

From the NBS "Tinkertoy" days onward, there have *always* been larger,
more lucrative, and nearer-term civilian markets for the next step in
compact circuitry than all military and space applications put
together. Yes, the latter would often pay top dollar for the bleeding
edge -- but that was more than offset by their demands for testing,
vibration/heat/radiation hardening, security, etc.

Space enthusiasts determined to find "spinoff" justifications should
stick to Teflon, Velcro and Tang. Those are bogus, but not as broadly
and comprehensively bogus as "space drove progress in ICs and
microcomputers."


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