• Today, 50 year ago

    From Stefan Ram@3:633/280.2 to All on Wed Nov 27 01:54:58 2024
    Today [2024-11-27], 50 years ago [1974-11-27]:

    Popular Electronics features the Altair 8800.

    My date is actually a bit early! Only few sources say it was the
    December issue, while most say it was the January issue. Subscribers
    then might have gotten the December issue at the end of November.
    So, that's how "1974-11-27" is somewhat possible, but probably
    something like "1974-12-27" is more correct.

    From the SERPs: The Altair 8800 was promoted on the cover of
    Popular Electronics and became the first commercially successful
    microprocessor-based computer. Ed Roberts and Bill Yates finished
    the first prototype in October 1974 and shipped it to Popular
    Electronics in New York via the Railway Express. Bill Gates and
    Paul Allen saw the Altair 8800 on the cover of the January 1975
    issue of Popular Electronics, and they approached the MITS.



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    * Origin: Stefan Ram (3:633/280.2@fidonet)
  • From Bob Eager@3:633/280.2 to All on Wed Nov 27 21:11:10 2024
    On Tue, 26 Nov 2024 14:54:58 +0000, Stefan Ram wrote:

    Today [2024-11-27], 50 years ago [1974-11-27]:

    Popular Electronics features the Altair 8800.

    My date is actually a bit early! Only few sources say it was the
    December issue, while most say it was the January issue. Subscribers
    then might have gotten the December issue at the end of November. So,
    that's how "1974-11-27" is somewhat possible, but probably something
    like "1974-12-27" is more correct.

    https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/70s/1975/ Poptronics-1975-01.pdf

    --
    Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

    Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
    http://www.mirrorservice.org

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  • From Scott Lurndal@3:633/280.2 to All on Thu Nov 28 02:40:53 2024
    Reply-To: slp53@pacbell.net

    Bob Eager <news0009@eager.cx> writes:
    On Tue, 26 Nov 2024 14:54:58 +0000, Stefan Ram wrote:

    Today [2024-11-27], 50 years ago [1974-11-27]:

    Popular Electronics features the Altair 8800.

    My date is actually a bit early! Only few sources say it was the
    December issue, while most say it was the January issue. Subscribers
    then might have gotten the December issue at the end of November. So,
    that's how "1974-11-27" is somewhat possible, but probably something
    like "1974-12-27" is more correct.

    https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/70s/1975/
    Poptronics-1975-01.pdf

    Hmm. About $2500 in 2024 dollars. No wonder I didn't get one
    back in the day...


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    * Origin: UsenetServer - www.usenetserver.com (3:633/280.2@fidonet)
  • From Rich Alderson@3:633/280.2 to All on Thu Nov 28 10:07:01 2024
    Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> writes:

    Scott Lurndal <scott@slp53.sl.home> wrote:
    Bob Eager <news0009@eager.cx> writes:
    On Tue, 26 Nov 2024 14:54:58 +0000, Stefan Ram wrote:

    Today [2024-11-27], 50 years ago [1974-11-27]:

    Popular Electronics features the Altair 8800.

    My date is actually a bit early! Only few sources say it was the
    December issue, while most say it was the January issue. Subscribers
    then might have gotten the December issue at the end of November. So,
    that's how "1974-11-27" is somewhat possible, but probably something
    like "1974-12-27" is more correct.

    https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/70s/1975/
    Poptronics-1975-01.pdf

    Hmm. About $2500 in 2024 dollars. No wonder I didn't get one
    back in the day...

    Yes. I REALLY wanted one, but that was out of my league.

    I was applying to graduate schools. My wife pointed out that I could go to grad school, or buy a toy computer, but not both.

    Maybe should have bought the computer? Nah.

    --
    Rich Alderson news@alderson.users.panix.com
    Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
    omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
    --Galen

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