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50 Years Since the Microcomputer Revolution
In 1974, Gary Kildall got the first version working and changed the world of operating systems
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lamplighter
Joined 2013/04/13Visited 2024/10/11
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... Late in the summer of 1974, CP/M first started running on hardware. It became one of the first cross-platform microcomputer OSes, and revolutionized the hardware and software industries. You can now legally run the raw unbridled power of CP/M 2.2 anywhere you like The ancient Control Program for Microcomputers, or CP/M for short, has been enjoying a modest renaissance in recent years. By 21st century standards, it's unimaginably tiny and simple. The whole OS fits into under 200 kB, and the resident bit of the kernel is only about 3 kB. Today, in the era of end-user OSes in the tens-of-gigabytes size range, this exerts a fascination to a certain kind of hobbyist. Back when it was new, though, this wasn't minimalist " it was all that early hardware could support. The late great Dr Gary Kildall developed CP/M in his spare time from teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. On the side, he was moonlighting for a small five-year-old tech startup called Intel, which was working on its second microprocessor, the eight-bit 8008. First, Kildall wrote a small programming language for the 8008, which he called PL/M (Programming Language for Microprocessors) in playful reference to IBM's PL/I. Lacking working 8008 hardware yet, he prototyped this on a DEC PDP-10. ...
The ancient Control Program for Microcomputers, or CP/M for short, has been enjoying a modest renaissance in recent years. By 21st century standards, it's unimaginably tiny and simple. The whole OS fits into under 200 kB, and the resident bit of the kernel is only about 3 kB. Today, in the era of end-user OSes in the tens-of-gigabytes size range, this exerts a fascination to a certain kind of hobbyist. Back when it was new, though, this wasn't minimalist " it was all that early hardware could support.
The late great Dr Gary Kildall developed CP/M in his spare time from teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. On the side, he was moonlighting for a small five-year-old tech startup called Intel, which was working on its second microprocessor, the eight-bit 8008. First, Kildall wrote a small programming language for the 8008, which he called PL/M (Programming Language for Microprocessors) in playful reference to IBM's PL/I. Lacking working 8008 hardware yet, he prototyped this on a DEC PDP-10. ...
#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-08-03 05:50 PM | Reply
#@1 ... By 21st century standards, it's unimaginably tiny and simple. The whole OS fits into under 200 kB, and the resident bit of the kernel is only about 3 kB. ...
Yeah, that's about right.
My first home computer ran CP/M and it had an Intel 8080 CPU running at 2MHz, 64KB of memory and no permanent storage.
#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-08-03 05:55 PM | Reply
#2 | Posted by LampLighter
I remember the "no hard drive/only 5" floppies" days.
Still chuckle when I recall a friend marveling at the "blazing fast" speed of a new 66mHz computer, whistling from where he watched.
LOL
#3 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-08-03 06:01 PM | Reply
Sony's first desktop computer ran CP/M
#4 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-08-03 06:43 PM | Reply
@#3 ... I remember the "no hard drive/only 5" floppies" days. ...
5 1/4 inch floppies?
Youngster.
:)
Back in the 70's it was 8 inch floppies.
But both had "notches" that could be covered to provide "read-only" access.
As i said previously, I had no permanent storage, hard disk or floppy.
To boot the micro I had to key in a 100-step program that read an Intel-hex-format paper tape. That paper tape contained the CP/M OS.
Yeah, every time I wanted to use the micro, and I had shut it down from the prior time I used it, that was my boot sequence. After a few months, I got better at it, and it only took me 15 minutes or so to start up the micro.
Intel HEX en.wikipedia.org
... Intel hexadecimal object file format, Intel hex format or Intellec Hex is a file format that conveys binary information in ASCII text form,[10] making it possible to store on non-binary media such as paper tape, punch cards, etc., ...
#5 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-08-03 06:51 PM | Reply
#5 | Posted by LampLighter
Further back than me, for sure.
In the mid-80's, I had a Commodore 64 (dual 5" floppy slots, one for program, one for storing data. I heard a loud thunderclap in the near distance and started pulling out power strips that powered synths, recorder, monitors, the Commodore computer and separate floppy drive for those two floppies.
Everything was unplugged but the floppy drive when I saw a fireball outside the window. Lightning hit a tree in the front yard, dug a trench 10' to the outer wall, penetrated to the outlet and melted the inside of the floppy drive and the floppies that were in it. I was so fortunate I didn't lose everything else.
Instead of replacing the Commodore drive, I bought my first Macintosh. Still use Macs and several PCs in my recording studio.
#6 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-08-03 08:35 PM | Reply
@#6 ... I had a Commodore 64 ...
In some respects, I'd say that that Commodore had a very significant, I'll say - fertilization, of the home computer industry.
The micro that I had required a lot of tech to coax it into existence.
I mean, entering a 100-step program to load the paper tape for CP/M.
That Commodore, you turned it on, and it just worked.
Yup.
Kudos to Commodore.
#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-08-03 10:17 PM | Reply
@#6 ... I saw a fireball outside the window. Lightning hit a tree in the front yard ...
A video I remember...
Imagining looking out your window and seeing this...
Electrical fireball in Lachine (2013) www.youtube.com
... Oh my God, that is not cool ...
#8 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-08-03 10:38 PM | Reply
@#8
Forgot to add, the video is a minute long.
#9 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-08-03 10:49 PM | Reply
My wife was a court reporter back in the 80s and 90s, and the woman she trained under was all eight-inch floppy disks.
#10 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2024-08-03 11:31 PM | Reply
#7 | Posted by LampLighter
There were windows on both walls in the corner.
It turned into fire like you might see in a huge bomb explosion outside when that lightning hit.
In later years, I realized I lived because my hand hadn't reached that last plug for the Commodore floppy drive case.
#11 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-08-04 02:34 AM | Reply
@#11 ... It turned into fire like you might see in a huge bomb explosion outside when that lightning hit.
Yeah, ya don't f!!k with lightning.
If you try, you are likely to lose, big time.
#12 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-08-04 02:42 AM | Reply
#4 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-08-03 06:43 PM | Reply | Flag:
And Snoofy ran in your rectum.
#13 | Posted by linedrive at 2024-08-04 06:42 PM | Reply
And then there was...
www.bbc.co.uk
#14 | Posted by Corky at 2024-08-04 06:45 PM | Reply
we'd be better off without the personal computer.
#15 | Posted by Tor at 2024-08-04 06:48 PM | Reply
#15 | POSTED BY TOR
My computers are still very impersonal.
Wait till AI gets here in full force. It's gonna get real personal then.
#16 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-08-04 07:17 PM | Reply
My first computer was a Commodore 64 with reel to reel storage on cassette tapes. It took an entire tape and you had to flip it over to even load lemonade stand.
Because you couldn't save when I started out "modding" the game had to make the changes by hand each time. One time I mistyped an made the daily temperature roughly the surface of the sun I sold A LOT of lemonade that game.
#17 | Posted by TaoWarrior at 2024-08-04 07:47 PM | Reply | Funny: 1
#17 | Posted by TaoWarrior
Commodore 64 was also my first computer ... with a separate dual 5" floppy drive ...
#18 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-08-05 02:37 AM | Reply
Commodore 64 was also my first computer ...
I upgraded to the 64 from a VIC-20.
#19 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-08-05 02:40 AM | Reply
The Commodore 64, now that IS going back... my 1st computer as well.
I remember my 1st Commodore 64, my 1st Atari, the 1st time I played 'Pong' The first 'joystick' game I had, 'Night Driver', followed by 'Space Invaders', 'Asteroids'...
And the rest, as they say, was history.
The first 'real' computer that I loved was the Apple IIe. I remember staying up late with my nerdy D&D friend one weekend and playing 'Wizardry' for the first time. Those were the DAYS!
#20 | Posted by earthmuse at 2024-08-05 08:23 AM | Reply
And I lived it.
My first microcomputer TI-994A on cassette. My second Radio Shack Color Computer on single sided floppy (woo hoo I was cookin now...random access baby) that ran BASIC from some company never heard of...Microsoft..not TRSDOS programmed BASIC and assembly.
Databases was my interest...never games.
First network environment. Lantastic then Novell then Microsoft.
#21 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-08-05 05:57 PM | Reply
- TI-994A
You ARE old! Those had just come out when I had moved from nearby TI to the Silicon Valley.
I moved to Austin though in the mid 80's and was an early work at home person; all I needed was a phone... actual telephone lines... and I had a new PC, and was creating databases of technical people; software engineers mostly, for a recruiting database.
Faxes were new, lol!
#22 | Posted by Corky at 2024-08-05 06:08 PM | Reply
I was living just outside Silicon Valley I had a graphic design studio where I put together by hand the manuals for the budding software programs created to put me out of business. made me an early adopter... loved sticking it to the typesetters who said they'll never be replaced.
#23 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2024-08-05 06:16 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1
Corky,
You would be referring to the TI99-4 for $1100 in 79. 4A was later.
I got mine right on the tail end of its life cycle.
Sears was clearing them out for $100 early 80s prior to the IBM PC which changed the world.
I still remember the day standing at the bus stop with my new computer in hand.
$100 was a LOT of money for me.
My first IBM PC came with a (hold on to your hat) 10 Meg hard drive and 512K of RAM.
#24 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-08-05 06:55 PM | Reply
Anyone who has installed a regular 5.25 inch DVD drive, that was the exact size of a "half height' hard drive.
Hard drives came out in half height eventually but the IPM PC they were double that height.
My 10 Meg drive was double the height in size of half height drives. Half height drives enabled you to install 2 drives in a full height drive space.
Things have really shrunk since those days and much more of everything squeezed in the same space.
#25 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-08-05 07:10 PM | Reply
My friend and neighbor owned and operated a storefront for custom personal computers. One time, he built a machine for a local business for which the customer reneged on his order, and my friend and neighbor sold it to me at cost (approximately $800 in 1989).
Magnavox PC10-III 8080 CPU 8088 MATH coprocessor 640Kb RAM Hercules video processor 28 Kbaud Modem 40 MB Hard drive 5.25" high-density floppy drive 3.5" High-density floppy drive Orange-display monitor MS/DOS 3.3 (GUI) GeoWorks and Mouse and keyboard
The OS would only address 32 megabytes of RAM, so the hard drive was partitioned into two 20's.
The shizznit!
#26 | Posted by john47 at 2024-08-06 09:50 AM | Reply
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