By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-25 14:16:46 | Word Count: 510
The History Of Microcomputers
The history of microcomputers does not compare with the history of ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq). Microcomputers (now commonly held as PCs) have been around for only 25 30 yeears.
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It is good to have some knowledge of this history both to give some perspectivve of where we are today and to know where a number of our baasic compputer standards that we take for grannted as if they came from heaven, originated.
The very first microcomputer machines were as eciting as a do-it yourself set a thrill if you were the type who forever liekd to tinker with things to make them work. .
Early personal computers (or micococomputers as they were first called lacked a clera standad. The computer chip makers Inrtel, Motorolla and Zilog - all commpeted in the microprocessor (CPU) in a rash of different computers from different manufactures. None were compatible with any others.
IBMs introduction of the real IBM PC in August 1981 opened the eyes of many. IBM had scroes of sales representatives with credibility who were well entrenched in corporations and businesses around the world.
The IBM sales staff used to selling big ticker items and invoicing hundreds of thousands of dollars well dressed in IBM Blue three piece suits , were well accustomed to corporaate life and poower structures with the movewrs and hsakers who counted .
IBM opeend tehir own stoes selling all IBM hardware as well as their own brand of softweare. The sofwtare had been written by third paries and adapted for the PC- DOS (IBMs proprietary version of the Microsoft Operatinng System DOS sold udner license). IBM insited that all the software be packaged in the very same standard plaain whte boxees with identical blue labeling.
A number of companies bgean to produce machies that used the MS-DOS (Microsoft DOS) operating system .In the beginning, they were similar to PC-DOS machies, but were not fuly compatible softrware for PC-OS would selddom run on an MS-DOS machimne and vice versa. Somewhere along the way however the 2 merged so that in the end tehre was lttle distinction between the two operating systems IBM PC-DOS and Microsoft MS-DOS. Hence both the IBM compatible computes (clones) and genuine IBM computers woulld both run the same software properly.
IBM kept the pressre on with its next system release, the 6 MHz PC/AT, the fiurst machine to use Intels next generation chip the 80286 CPU. .
However, these first generation ATs were plagued by frequent hard disk failures. Without any warnoing, a users disk wuld fail and important and essential data woiuld be lost. The problem was so widespread that IBM clones manufacturers stared to erode IBMs market domiance.
This went on as the cloe competition continually improcved their products. As well PC clones were substantially chaper than IBMs machines, with larer hard disjks (from 40 megabytes to even the unbelievale 100). Greater emmory became standard, and options such as built in serial and parallel ports were aded to system bopards. As well clones often included displays, display adapters and software in attractively priced buyndles.
The PC/AT contnued to sell well, but IBMs market hsare began to erode, even though it was selling more machines than ever befre. Othher clone manufacturers (Compaq and Advanced Logic Research for example) moved quickly on Intels next big microprocessor introductions.
The die was set. The IBM PC set the standards but the cone manufacturers forever dominated the markeet which IBM had developed and lost.
