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From: dbercel@toto.uucp (Danielle Bercel, MIS Systems Programming)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Intel Microprocessors
Message-ID: <16456@toto.uucp>
Date: Thu, 6-Aug-87 21:26:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: toto.16456
Posted: Thu Aug  6 21:26:53 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Aug-87 01:13:23 EDT
References: <1112@lznv.ATT.COM> <399@aucs.UUCP> <3225@cucca.columbia.edu> <880@bdmrrr.bdm.com> <234@etn-rad.UUCP> <4633@iucs.UUCP>
Reply-To: dbercel@sun.UUCP (Danielle Bercel, MIS Systems Programming)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 40

>In article <234@etn-rad.UUCP> jru@etn-rad.UUCP (0000-John Unekis) writes:
>        Let`s face it, If IBM hadn`t made the mistake of using an Intel
>	processor in the PC, Intel wouldn`t be in the Microprocessor
>	business today. 

Long before IBM was in the PC business, AND before there was an
Apple, or any of the exisiting companies/computers around today
Intel produced the 4004. It was this chip that started the
entire personal computer industry off and running. It was the
first real CPU on a chip. Albeit, not very powerful.

The Intel 4004 was followed by the 8008 and then the 8080. Zilog
followed with the Z80 and Motorola came up with the 6500 (01?).
After that, the industry began forming along the lines we are
familar with today.

For those of you not old enough to remember when personal computing
got started it was 1973-74. Then after Intel came out with the 8-bit
CPU, the New Mexico company MITS began selling (as a kit!) the MITS
Altair 8800. This was now 1975-76. This is where the S100 bus came
into the picture and why some people still look for S100 products.

At the time, 4K of dynamic RAM was a *LOT* of memory and many
people used Teletypes for terminals. CRTs as we know them were
kits, poor quality, and typically ran at 110 baud. 300 baud was
considered fast. No joke. I remember sitting at my first 300 baud
terminal and saying, "How can I read it? It's moving too fast."

Once the Altair 8800 became popular all the stuff we take for
granted today began taking shape. The period of 1975 - 1978
was the time of birth for a lot that we use today. Bill Gates's
implementation of BASIC (which he did for the Altair) was to 
become the standard and led directly into Microsoft. Apple
was formed and as an alternative to the Altair 8800 it was
very attractive indeed. 

Anyway, that's enough history. The point being, with or
without IBM Intel would have done just fine.

danielle