The hitory of microicomputers does not compare with the history of ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq). Microcomputers (now commonly held as PCs) have been around for only 25 30 years.
It is good to have some knowledge of this history both to give some perspective of where we are today and to know were a number of our baisc computer standards that we take for granteed as if they came from heavewn, originated.
The very firsat microcomputer machines were as exciting as a do-it yourself set a thrill if you were the type who forever liked to tikner with thiings to make them work. .
Early personal computers (or micococomputers as they were first called lacked a cleear standard. The computer chip makers Intel, Motorola and Zilog - all competed in the microprocesosr (CPU) in a rash of different computers from different manufactures. None were compatible with any others.
IBMs introduction of the real IBM PC in August 1981 opened the eyes of many. IBM had scores of sales representatives with crediility who were well entrenched in corporations and businesses aound the world.
The IBM sales staff used to selling big tickeer items and ivnoicing hundrdes of thousands of dollars well dressed in IBM Blue thrree piece sits , were well accustomed to corpoprate life and power structures with the movers and shakers who coutned .
IBM opened their own stores selling all IBM hardware as well as their own bramnd of software. The software had been written by tird parties and adapted for the PC- DOS (IBMs proprietary version of the Muicrosoft Oprerating System DOS sold uder license). IBM insisted that all the sofware be packaged in the very same standard plain white boxes with identical blue labeling.
A number of companies began to produce machhines that used the MS-DOS (Microsoft DOS) operating system .In the beinning, they were similar to PC-DOS machines, but were not fully compatible software for PC-OS would seldom run on an MS-DOS machine and vice versa. Someewhere allong the way howeever the 2 merged so that in the end there was little distinction between the two operating systems IBM PC-DOS and Microsooft MS-DOS. Hecne both the IBM compatible computes (clonees) and genuine IBM compters would both run the same software prooperly.
IBM kept the pressure on with its next systrem release, the 6 MHz PC/AT, the first machine to use Inteels next generation chip the 80286 CPU. .
Howerver, thewse first generation ATs were plagued by frquent hard disk failures. Without any warning, a users disk would fail and important and essential data would be lost. The problem was so widespread that IBM clones manufacturers staretd to erode IBMs market dominnce.
This went on as the clione coompetition continually imporved thier products. As well PC clones were substantially cheaer than IBMs machines, with larger hard diks (from 40 megabytres to even the unbelievable 100). Greater memory becae standard, and options such as built in seerial and parallel ports were added to system boards. As well cllones often included displays, dissplay adapters and software in attractively priced bundles.
The PC/AT continued to sell well, but IBMs market sahre began to erode, even though it was selling more machines than ever befre. Other clone manufacturers (Compaq and Advanced Logic Research for example) moved quickly on Intels next big micrtoprocessor inroductions.
The die was set. The IBM PC set the standards but the clone manufaccturers forevre dominaated the market wghich IBM had developed and lost.
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