Note that this discussion centers on the development of the desk-top individual computer (“PCs”), as compared to large, sophisticated “mainframe” computers used by industry. The “PC” was one of the most significant technological developments of the twentieth century. PCs had massive effects on the nature, quality, and structure of the work place, where they were largely responsible for the emergence of “post-industrial society” and for an “information revolution.” By comparison, PCs had minor impacts on individual personal lives in the 1980s. It was not until the following decades that PCs dominated the lives of the common man. Primary sources include:
- “Impact to Social Process: Computers in Society and Culture”, Chapter 12 of Sheila Jasanoff et al., eds., Handbook of Science and Technology Studies (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1994) http://www.si.umich.edu/~pne/
The personal computer was based on the “microchip revolution”. Introduced by Apple in 1977, the personal computer allowed management of individual finances, quick word-processing, and desktop publishing from individual workstations, including the home. Businesses could manage payroll, mailing lists, and inventories from one small machine. Gone were the ledgers of the past.
The “Silicon Valley” of California, which was the home to Apple and many of the other firms that produced the processors that made these computers run, became the symbolic heart of the American technological economy. The ‘80s also saw the development of the Internet, which established the paradigm for an information network of such power and scope that eventually changed the world in ways that could barely be foreseen at the time.
In 1979, there were fewer than 1 million personal computers being used in this country. IBM, previously known for manufacturing mainframe computers, debuted its first personal computer, the 5150, loaded with Microsoft’s newly announced MS-DOS operating system in August 1981. The IBM imprimatur told corporate America that this was a business machine, not a toy. IBM made the unbelievably fateful decision to adopt an “open architecture,” meaning that it would tell everyone how its personal computers worked so there would be plenty of add-on equipment, and, thus, IBM’s type of computers became standard. Consumers could buy the 5150 at ComputerLand and Sears, with the base model retailing for $1,565 (equivalent to more than $4,000 today). The machine weighed about 25 pounds, which was considered compact at the time. In its first 8 months on the market, 50,000 units were sold. The IBM Personal Computer would eventually become the standard platform used in business.
In 1982, the Commodore 64 (“The C64”) took the nation by storm because of its price and the new capabilities that it offered. In addition to its unheard of $400 price tag, it also had 64 Kb of RAM. This amount of RAM far surpassed any of the previous models, and it was one of the major selling points that made this personal computer system one of the best-selling models of all time. The Commodore 64 was marketed toward the mass population, and this model was the first portable model with a color display. As with previous models and brands, however, it still used cassette tapes as media for data storage with an optional floppy disk drive. The C64 sold like hotcakes. Between 1983 and 1986, it commanded 30-40% of the low-end computer market share and sold about 2 million units a year.
In 1982, instead of going with its annual tradition of naming a “Man of the Year”, Time Magazine named the computer its “Machine of the Year”. A senior writer noted in the article, “Computers were once regarded as distant, ominous abstractions, like Big Brother. In 1982, they truly became personalized, brought down to scale, so that people could hold, prod and play with them.”
In 1984, the Apple MacIntosh (“The Mac”) made its appearance in the personal computer market. For $2500, computer users could own a unit that had several added features than the computers from the previous decade. “The Mac” was the first successful mouse-driven computer with a graphical user interface. Introduced in a commercial during the 1984 Super Bowl, The Mac quickly became popular with its 128 Kb of RAM and its already installed 3.5” floppy disk drive. Users were delighted to use unique MacIntosh programs. The Mac debuted with a price tag of $2,495 (just over $5,800 today). Around 250,000 were sold in the first year.
In 1985, Microsoft introduced Windows, which allowed for multi-tasking with a graphical user interface.
During the 1980s, public school systems and universities across the United States threw themselves headlong into the PC revolution, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in computer systems, accessories, and software. Tech companies eager for new customers were happy to oblige, and a new educational market was born. Soon it became common for most schools (some of which were perpetually under-funded) to assemble their expensive new computers in one place for group instruction. Thus was born the computer lab.
The Apple II series hit U.S. education in a big way during the 1980s, with Apple giving out almost 9,000 Apple II machines to eligible schools in California starting in 1983. By 1987, more than one million Apple IIs were in use at American schools. That created a huge installed base that quickly became flooded with educational titles. One estimate from 1987 says there were 8,000 to 9,000 educational packages for the Apple II alone.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was widely predicted that computers would soon revolutionize many aspects of home and family life as they had business and education practices in the previous decades. Mothers would keep their recipe catalog in “kitchen computer” databases and turn to a medical database for help with child care; fathers would use the family’s computer to manage family finances and track automobile maintenance. Children would use online encyclopedias for school work and would be avid video gamers. Home automation would bring about the intelligent home of the 1980s. Morning coffee would be brewed automatically under computer control. The same household computer would control the home’s lighting and temperature. Robots would take the garbage out, and be programmed to perform new tasks via the home computer.
All this was predicted to be commonplace by the end of the 1980s, but by 1987 the predicted revolution was “in shambles”, with only 15% of American homes owning a computer. Virtually every aspect that was foreseen would be delayed to later years or would be entirely surpassed by later technological developments. The home computers of the early 1980s could not multitask, which meant that using one as a home automation or entertainment appliance would require it be kept powered on at all times and dedicated exclusively for this use. Even if the computers could be used for multiple purposes simultaneously, other technical limitations predominated; memory capacities were too small to hold entire encyclopedias or databases of financial records; floppy disk-based storage was inadequate in both capacity and speed for multimedia work; and, the home computers’ graphics chips could only display blocky, unrealistic images and blurry, jagged text that would be difficult to read a newspaper from.
The computers that were bought for use in the family room were either forgotten in closets or relegated to basements and children’s bedrooms to be used exclusively for games and the occasional book report. Home computers of the 1980s have been called “a technology in search of a use”. In 1984 Tandy executive Steve Leininger, designer of the TRS-80 Model I, admitted that “As an industry we haven’t found any compelling reason to buy a computer for the home” other than for word processing.” A 1985 study found that, during a typical week, 40% of adult computer owners did not use their computers at all. Usage rates among children were higher. But, that use was most often “gaming”.
Namco released Pac-Man as an arcade game in Japan on May 22, 1980, and later in the United States in October 1980. Pac-Man is considered one of the highest revenue generating video games of all time, bringing in over $2.5 billion as of the 1990s. Its popularity spawned over 30 licensed spin-offs on multiple gaming systems and computer platforms. Atari became the first company to register a copyright for two computer games, “Asteroids” and “Lunar Lander”, on June 17, 1980.
In 1980, “Nintendo” was unknown in America. Ten years later, according to David Sheff, author of “Game Over,” a book about Nintendo, Super Mario was “more recognized by American children than Mickey Mouse.” More than Apple or IBM, it was Nintendo that brought computers to the American home and made the media interactive. Video games became so common in American households that in the early 1990s, Sheff reports, “Nintendo netted as much as all the American movie studios combined and profited more than any of them, and more than the three television networks combined.” (The Real ‘80s : If You Think It Was Just a Decade of Greed, You Missed the Revolution, by Daniel Aks, Los Angeles Times Nov. 13, 1994) (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-13-tm-62250-story.html)
It would take another 10 years for technology to mature, for the graphical user interface to make the computer approachable for non-technical users, and for the World Wide Web to provide a compelling reason for most people to want a computer in their homes.
Pac-Man Fever, Buckner & Garcia, writers: Gary Lee Garcia / Gerald Martin Buckner https://youtu.be/XY_ESTnBlS0
I got a pocket full of quarters, and I’m headed to the arcade
I don’t have a lot of money, but I’m bringing ev’rything I made
I’ve got a callus on my finger, and my shoulder’s hurting too
I’m gonna eat them all up, just as soon as they turn blue‘Cause I’ve got Pac-Man fever (Pac-Man fever)
It’s driving me crazy (driving me crazy)
I’ve got Pac-Man fever (Pac-Man fever)
I’m going out of my mind (going out of my mind)
I’ve got Pac-Man fever (Pac-Man fever)
I’m going out of my mind (going out of my mind)I’ve got all the patterns down, up until the ninth key
I’ve got Speedy on my tail, and I know it’s either him or me
So I’m heading out the back door and in the other side
Gonna eat the cherries up and take them all for a ride‘Cause I’ve got Pac-Man fever (Pac-Man fever)
It’s driving me crazy (driving me crazy)
I’ve got Pac-Man fever (Pac-Man fever)
I’m going out of my mind (going out of my mind)
I’ve got Pac-Man fever (Pac-Man fever)
I’m going out of my mind (going out of my mind)I’m gonna fake it to the left, and move to the right
‘Cause Pokey’s too slow, and Blinky’s out of sightNow I’ve got them on the run, and I’m looking for the high score
So it’s once around the block, And I’ll slide back out the side door
I’m really cookin’ now, eating everything in sight
All my money’s gone, so I’ll be back tomorrow night‘Cause I’ve got Pac-Man fever (Pac-Man fever)
It’s driving me crazy (driving me crazy)
I’ve got Pac-Man fever (Pac-Man fever)
I’m going out of my mind (going out of my mind)
Hyperspace, Buckner & Garcia, 1982 (This catchy song describes the experience of playing the game Asteroids. ‘Hyperspace’ was the ‘oh no I’m about to get hit’ button that would teleport your ship randomly to somewhere that was safe from asteroids —at least for the moment.) https://youtu.be/oiah0VeM6p0
Asteroids around me, don’t know where to run,
I’m somewhere between the moon and the sun
I’m in command of three ships and there’s more on the way
I’m a space cadet, I can really play!Hyperspace,
Push on the button and I’m back in the race,
Hyperspace,
Shootin’ my rockets all over the place,I’m invisible now, but I’ll be back again,
Kickin’ the thrust, ’cause I just gotta win, I just gotta win,There’s a ship on the rise and he’s shootin’ at me,
I rotate my ship and at the count of three
I fire and shoot and blow him out of the sky
Push on the button and wave bye-byeHyperspace,
Push on the button and I’m back in the race,
Hyperspace,
Shootin’ my rockets all over the place,I’m invisible now, but I’ll be back again,
Gonna kick in the thrust, ’cause I just gotta win, I just gotta win,Hyperspace,
Push on the button and I’m back in the race,
Hyperspace,
Shootin’ my rockets all over the place,I’m invisible now, but I’ll be back again,
Kickin’ the thrust, ’cause I just gotta win, I just gotta win,Hyperspace,
Push on the button and I’m back in the race,
Hyperspace,
Shootin’ my rockets all over the place,I’m invisible now, but I’ll be back again,
Gonna kick in the thrust, ’cause I just gotta win, I just gotta win,Asteroids all over me, don’t know where to run,
I’m somewhere between the moon and the sun
I’m in command of three ships and there’s more on the way
I’m a space cadet, I really know how to play!Hyperspace,
Push on the button and I’m back in the race,
Hyperspace,
Shootin’ my rockets all over the place,I’m invisible now, but I’ll be back again,
Gonna kick in the thrust, I just gotta win, I just gotta win,Hyperspace,
Push on the button, push on the button
Hyperspace,
Shootin’, shootin’ all over the place,I’m invisible now, but I’ll be back again,
Gonna kick in the thrust, I just gotta win!Hyperspace,
Shootin’, shootin’, shootin’, shootin’Hyperspace!
I don’t know where to run
Hyperspace!
Gonna kick in the thrust, I just gotta win!Hyperspace!
(fade)
The Bill Gates Song by David Pogue, https://youtu.be/tYEiDOKr6cs
I’ve been a geek forever, And I wrote the very first DOS.
I put my software and IBM together, I got profit, and they got the loss!
I write the code that makes the whole world run, I’m gettin’ royalties from everyone.
Sometimes it’s garbage, but the press is snowed, You buy the box, I sell the code.
Every software company is doing Microsoft’s R&D. You can’t keep a good idea down these days.
Even Windows is a hack ,We kinda based loosely on the Mac. So it’s big, so it’s slow, You’ve got nowhere to go!
I’m not doing it for praise! I write the code that fits the world today, Big mediocrity in every way.
We’ve entered planet domination mode, You’ll have no choice, you’ll buy my code. I am Bill Gates, and I write the code!
Steve Jobs’ Song, The Entrepreneurs, https://youtu.be/OeGb2u0SSQo
His given name was Abdul Jandali the day he was born February 24th of ’55. At a San Francisco hospital, his mother would decide that adoption was the best for him to thrive. The mother and new parents, Paul and Clara, signed the forms over happy tears, perhaps regretful sobs. They decided on a name to call him, Steve would be their choice and assume the father’s family name of Jobs. In school, Steve was a loner, very smart, he skipped a grade. He met Steve Wozniak at Homestead High. Later, they designed and sold Blue boxes, for free calls which made the Wozniak/Jobs team solidify.
For a while, he lived a hippie life, tried drugs, and India. In ‘76, Apple Computer now, their name. That name came from a commune orchard where he’d spent some time. The Apple 1, a circuit board, still far from fame. They raised some funding and together, made the Apple 2, an all-inclusive unit that became the rage. The two Steve’s were now millionaires, though Jobs, the man in front. By ‘84, the Macintosh now set the stage. The CEO was Sculley, and Jobs headed Macintosh. A riff grew over profitability. Jobs wanted the Mac discounted, and Sculley, he, did not. In ‘85, Jobs left Apple, regrettably.
In ’86, Steve funded spinout Pixar, you may know. $10 million, for their independent urge. Two decades later, Disney paid him $7.4 billion; There was even talk Disney/Apple might merge. In ‘89, he met Laurene, in ‘91, they wed and had three children, Reed, Erin and Eve. Lisa, born in ‘78 was Job’s other child while her mother, Chrisann was still dating Steve. Jobs founded NeXt, who made workstations and later software. Berners-Lee used one to make the World Wide Web. 12 year later, nearly bankrupt, Apple bought NeXt to get Jobs. He returned and brought them out of their low ebb.
Through his teams, he made the iMac, product branding was supreme in ‘01, the iPod, MacBook in ‘06 The iPhone, iPad, and iTunes simplified our lives the App Store created millions of addicts. In ’03, pancreatic cancer, Steve’s diagnosis for nine months, alternative meds, he tried. Sadly, his condition worsened for the next eight years. On October 5, of ’11, Steve Jobs died. Jobs was brilliant, and impatient, and a bully, some would say. His demanding nature pressed to innovate. But, he led his teams to create the impossible to do and Steve changed the world at an incredible rate.
On a BBC radio show where interviewees are asked to choose eight music tracks with special significance to them, Bill Gates selected the Beatles song “Two of Us” as one of them, saying that it summed up his relationship with Steve Jobs. https://youtu.be/j03CvjgW880
Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone’s
Hard earned pay
You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going homeTwo of us sending postcards
Writing letters
On my wall
You and me burning matches
Lifting latches
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going homeYou and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out aheadTwo of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo
In the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going homeYou and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out aheadTwo of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo
In the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home[We’re going home, you better believe it. Goodbye.]