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

Clive Sinclair And The Small Home Computer Revolution

Not every computer innovation originated in the United States. Clive Sinclair was a designer who could make one transistor do the work of two or more. He built low cost and futuristic electronics by d [ ... ]

+ Full Story

Pre-History of Computing

When was the dawn of computing? We tend to date it from the middle of the 20th century when the first programmable computers were built in the UK, the USA and also in Russia and Germany. Prior to that [ ... ]

+ Full Story