The history of microcomputers can not compare with the history of ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq). Microcomputers (now commonly held as PCs) have been around for only 25 â € “30 years.
It is good to have some knowledge of this history, both some perspective of where we are to give and to know where some of our basic computer standards that we take for granted â € “as if they came from heaven, originated .
The very first microcomputer machines were as exciting as a do-it-yourself kit â € “a kick when you’re the type who always like to tinker with things to make them work..
Early personal computers (or micococomputers when they first were called in the absence of a clear standard, the computer chip makers â € “Intel, Motorola and Zilog -.. All games in the microprocessor (CPU) in a rash of different computers from different No manufacturers were compatible with all others.
IBMA € ™ s introduction of the real IBM PC in August 1981 opened the eyes of many. IBM had scores of representatives with the credibility that were rooted in good companies and businesses around the world.
The IBM sales staff â € “used to selling big ticker items and billing of hundreds of thousands of dollars â €” well dressed in â € œIBM Blue â € “three-piece suits, were well accustomed to business and power structures with the â € œmovers and shakersâ €? that counted.
IBM opened their own stores selling all IBM hardware and their own brand of software. The software was written by others and adapted for the PC-DOS (IBMA € ~ s own version of the Microsoft DOS operating system sold under license). IBM stresses that all software will be packaged in the same standard plain white boxes with identical blue labeling.
A number of companies began machines that the MS-DOS (Microsoft DOS) operating system used to produce it. In the beginning they were similar to PC-DOS machines, but were not fully compatible â € “software for PC-OS would rarely run on a MS-DOS machine and vice â €” versa. Somewhere along the way but the two together, so that at the end, there was little distinction between the two operating systems â € “IBM PC-DOS and Microsoft MS-DOS. Hence both the IBM-compatible computes (clones) and genuine IBM computers were both well run the same software.
IBM kept the pressure on her next release system, the 6 MHz PC / AT, the first machine to use Intel € ™ s next-generation chip, the 80286 CPU. .
However, these first-generation AT plagued by frequent hard disk failures. Without warning, a Usera € ™ s disk failure and important and essential data would be lost. The problem was so widespread that IBM clone manufacturers started IBMA € ™ s market dominance eroded.
This worked as the clone competition continually improved their products. As well as PC clones were substantially cheaper than IBMA € ™ s machines with larger hard drives (from 40 megabytes to even the unbelievable 100). More memory became standard, and options such as built-in serial and parallel ports are added to the system boards. Cloning and often included displays, display adapters and software in affordable bundles.
The PC / AT continued to sell, but IBMA € ™ s market share started to run, even though it sold more machines than ever before.Other clone manufacturers (eg Compaq and Advanced Logic Research) moved quickly on Intel microprocessor € ™ s next big releases.
The die was set. The IBM PC set the standards, but the clone manufacturers always dominated the market that IBM had developed and lost.
