UWM Researches the History of the Personal Computer

So, when did you decide a personal computer was right for you?

I remember watching films in school in the 60's that predicted that some day we would all have computers in our homes. At the time, IBM mainframes cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so that prediction seemed far, far away.

As the 60's rolled into the 70's, computers were still for business or millionaire use only, although their size was shrinking. By the end of the decade, you could purchase a personal computer kit for less than 500 bucks, although the finished product didn't have the ability to do very much.

The Apple Macintosh of the early 80's swept many up in its mystique, and a respectable number of homes featured computers. But they were still a tiny minority.

Today, almost 2/3 of US homes have a computer, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. So that bold prediction made so long ago has pretty much come true.

Today's FamilyFirst pick is a Lockergnome article about researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee researching the history of the personal computer. It's a fun read.

Click here

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