Altair 8800

An original model Altair 8800.

The Altair 8800 is an 8-bit personal computer created by MITS and the first sold in January, 1975 as either fully assembled or as a kit computer. It became the commercially successful microcomputer and helped kick start the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s, including the company Microsoft who, prior to their incorporation, wrote Altair BASIC for the computer. However, MITS's inability to produce enough computers to meet demand, and their lack of hardware and software support meant that it didn't capture the market fast enough, so, but the time the Apple II, TRS-80, and Commodore PET reached the market in 1977, it was quickly forgotten.

The Altair 8800 uses an Intel 8080 CPU, and created and popularized the S-100 bus. The only built-in input and output was a series of switches and LEDs on the case's front panel. If the user wanted any complex IO, they had to hook the computer up to a terminal, teletype, tape reader, or similar device, none of which were initially made by MITS.

The design of the 8800 influenced the Altair 680.

Personal

The Altair 8800 was long since obsolete by the time I became interested in computers, and nobody I knew had even heard of the device. I first learned about the existence of the Altair 8800 from the computer documentary Triumph of the Nerds. I thought it looked interesting, but still didn't have any access to it, and the documentary didn't mince words with how useless it was, so I never really sought one out.