IBM's first PCs lure time travelers
Not too long ago I was nostalgic for an old HP computer I had seen in the 1980s. It was sort of a first attempt at a PC, although price-wise , it was only within the reach of professionals. HP wasn't the only one to try such a thing, and one of the most famous attempts was the company that arguably started the PC world: IBM. Sure, there were other companies that made PCs before the IBM PC, but it was the computer that cemented the idea of a computer on a desk or in your home more than any computer before him. Even now, our giant supercomputers boot up like a vintage PC from 1981 for a few minutes each time it boots. But the PC was not IBM's first personal machine, and in fact the IBM 5100 was not only personal, but also portable. Well, portable by the standards of the 1970s which also had very heavy video cameras and portable computers like the Osborne 1.
The IBM 5100 had a brief three-year life from 1975 to 1978. A 16-bit processor clocked at 1.9 MHz drove a 5-inch CRT monitor and you could have between 16K and 64K of RAM as well as a fair amount of ROM. . In fact, the ROMs were the key feature and a giant switch on the front let you choose between an APL ROM and a BASIC ROM (assuming you bought both).
Computer enthusiasts of the 1970s loved BASIC, so it was the object of desire for many. The entry price of around $9,000 crushed those dreams, however – that was even more money back then than it would be today. The idea was influential, however, and there was even a dedicated book published about the machine. Like the HP computer, the primary mass storage was via a tape drive. You can even get an add-on to make it work as an IBM remote terminal or use the serial port for a modem. If the screen was too small, a BNC connector on the back could drive an external monitor.
Oddities
A typical IBM 1401 weighed 5 tons, so portability meant a truck!It might sound funny to think that a 55-pound computer with a CRT is portable. But it was a time when computers sat on raised floors in special rooms with exotic power systems. Before that, the army had the most portable computer, also from IBM, which was an IBM 1401 on a special truck.
APL may seem like an odd choice, but at the time it was a prestigious language. Of course, this also meant that the machine had to deal with the weird character set and keystrokes needed for APL at that time. However, APL was very powerful at manipulating large datasets and if you dropped $10,000 on a computer, that's probably what you had in mind. Other workstations - like HP's - made you use BASIC which didn't have much functionality to deal with high level math and matrices, especially in those days.
Not too long ago I was nostalgic for an old HP computer I had seen in the 1980s. It was sort of a first attempt at a PC, although price-wise , it was only within the reach of professionals. HP wasn't the only one to try such a thing, and one of the most famous attempts was the company that arguably started the PC world: IBM. Sure, there were other companies that made PCs before the IBM PC, but it was the computer that cemented the idea of a computer on a desk or in your home more than any computer before him. Even now, our giant supercomputers boot up like a vintage PC from 1981 for a few minutes each time it boots. But the PC was not IBM's first personal machine, and in fact the IBM 5100 was not only personal, but also portable. Well, portable by the standards of the 1970s which also had very heavy video cameras and portable computers like the Osborne 1.
The IBM 5100 had a brief three-year life from 1975 to 1978. A 16-bit processor clocked at 1.9 MHz drove a 5-inch CRT monitor and you could have between 16K and 64K of RAM as well as a fair amount of ROM. . In fact, the ROMs were the key feature and a giant switch on the front let you choose between an APL ROM and a BASIC ROM (assuming you bought both).
Computer enthusiasts of the 1970s loved BASIC, so it was the object of desire for many. The entry price of around $9,000 crushed those dreams, however – that was even more money back then than it would be today. The idea was influential, however, and there was even a dedicated book published about the machine. Like the HP computer, the primary mass storage was via a tape drive. You can even get an add-on to make it work as an IBM remote terminal or use the serial port for a modem. If the screen was too small, a BNC connector on the back could drive an external monitor.
Oddities
A typical IBM 1401 weighed 5 tons, so portability meant a truck!It might sound funny to think that a 55-pound computer with a CRT is portable. But it was a time when computers sat on raised floors in special rooms with exotic power systems. Before that, the army had the most portable computer, also from IBM, which was an IBM 1401 on a special truck.
APL may seem like an odd choice, but at the time it was a prestigious language. Of course, this also meant that the machine had to deal with the weird character set and keystrokes needed for APL at that time. However, APL was very powerful at manipulating large datasets and if you dropped $10,000 on a computer, that's probably what you had in mind. Other workstations - like HP's - made you use BASIC which didn't have much functionality to deal with high level math and matrices, especially in those days.
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
