IBM PC - 30 years old today

Written by Historian

Friday, 12 August 2011

The IBM 5150, the first major product to carry the name 'Personal Computer', was launched on August 12, 1981.

We take a look back and a look forward in two separate articles.

ibmpc

IBM PC Model 5150, launched August 12 1981

To learn more about this remarkable and iconic machine - at the same time staid and boring but that has an enduring legacy see our account of the IBM PC.

The anniversary has led many to suggest that we have entered an era where the PC or rather the desktop computer no longer holds sway. In To be a programmer in a post PC era we look at the influence of the IBM PC over the past 30 years and the implications of developing in a world where there is no longer a single dominant platform.

Related news:

IBM reaches its 100th anniversary

30 years ago - Microsoft signs contract with IBM to create MS-DOS

Mitch Kapor and Lotus 1-2-3

The spreadsheet was a remarkable invention and yet the people who pioneered it didn't reap all the rewards they should have. Today we take spreadsheets for granted, but there is fascinating stor [ ... ]

+ Full Story

HAL 9000 - A Fictional Computer

HAL is an entirely fictional machine and yet it seems to stir something in the soul of the computer scientist. Why?

+ Full Story