Altair 8800
The Altair 8800 was an early home computer, then called a “microcomputer” to differentiate it from the refrigerator-sized “minicomputers”. With its toggle switches for input and LEDs for output (machine console), this device did not yet have the ease of use of later personal computers, but it was already called that by the manufacturer when it was launched on the market. After starting via the machine console, the operating system, programming environments – Altair BASIC was the first software distributed by Microsoft – or other programs can be loaded from external data storage; Input and output can then take place via a connected terminal. The Altair 8800 served as the core for further developments within the Homebrew Computer Club and thus had a significant influence on the development of the first personal computers.
The computer was developed in 1974 by Ed Roberts and his company Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) and was marketed as a kit starting in 1975 for $395 through advertisements in Popular Electronics, Radio-Electronics and other hobbyist magazines. The finished device cost $495, or around $2,400 in today’s purchasing power.
