Article View: alt.folklore.computers
Article #621421Re: Old word processors
From: Quadibloc
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2018 04:17
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2018 04:17
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3315 bytes
On Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 2:31:44 PM UTC-6, han...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > I still maintain that before the IBM PC, personal computers were > still a specialty niche market. Yes, there were Radio Shack > and Apple computers out there. But in _relative_ terms, the > number of users was still very small. The IBM PC definitely boosted the popularity of the microcomputer. But before the IBM PC, a *lot* of small businesses were using CP/M systems to perform accounting functions. The Kaypro, for example, was not obscure or a niche product. Apple II computers were in widespread use in schools. And a lot of people, not just a few adventurous hobbyists, had either a Commodore 64 (or a PET or VIC-20), a TRS-80 (or a Radio Shack Color Computer), or an Atari 400 (or 800). The IBM PC didn't vastly increase the popularity of microcomputers, but it did quickly become the standard, particularly after cheap clones became available so that people with a Commodore 64, considering perhaps an Atari ST, could instead get on the bandwagon. So the businesses with CP/M machines got IBM PCs, and the home computer users with Commodore 64s or the like also got machines compatible with an IBM PC, even if they didn't spring for an IBM PCjr. That did mean that the IBM PC architecture had a wider pool of users than anything before it. But it consolidated what was there to a large degree, as opposed to increasing the adoption of microcomputers. That would have happened in any event, since the need and desire for computing power was there, and microprocessors were making it available more cheaply. John Savard
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X-Received: by 10.200.16.134 with SMTP id a6mr7394605qtj.27.1521951425740; Sat, 24 Mar 2018 21:17:05 -0700 (PDT) X-BeenThere: alt.folklore.computers@googlegroups.com Received: by 10.200.17.142 with SMTP id d14ls2008577qtj.12.gmail; Sat, 24 Mar 2018 21:17:04 -0700 (PDT) X-Received: by 10.200.33.143 with SMTP id 15mr15050915qty.25.1521951424881; Sat, 24 Mar 2018 21:17:04 -0700 (PDT) X-Received: by 10.31.161.197 with SMTP id k188mr4182237vke.8.1521951424508; Sat, 24 Mar 2018 21:17:04 -0700 (PDT) Path: mbox-mo1.pugleaf.net!c39ni1049qta.0!nntp.google.com!k53no498602qtc.1!postnews.google.com!glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2018 21:17:04 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <784f741a-e2b9-45db-be4d-3dadc905b18a@googlegroups.com> Complaints-To: groups...@google.com Injection-Info: glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com; posting-host=72.143.224.57; posting-account=1nOeKQkAAABD2jxp4Pzmx9Hx5g9miO8y NNTP-Posting-Host: 72.143.224.57 References: <87k1ub4vgf.fsf@usenet.ankman.de> <396ec331-b5a3-4137-ac0f-c45471afccb7@googlegroups.com> <87fu4y4d8m.fsf@usenet.ankman.de> <dng0oe-0hq.ln1@Telcontar.valinor> <nejuadhun30mn34o7tvqbs6fhaq9d42m9m@4ax.com> <dce9e1b3-38a3-4815-b8e3-f788819f24d0@googlegroups.com> <p94p0f$uul$1@dont-email.me> <784f741a-e2b9-45db-be4d-3dadc905b18a@googlegroups.com> User-Agent: G2/1.0 MIME-Version: 1.0 Message-ID: <eb68ea4e-439f-446d-a0a8-0687cc19be83@googlegroups.com> Subject: Re: Old word processors From: Quadibloc <jsa...@ecn.ab.ca> Injection-Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2018 04:17:04 +0000 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit