Altair

Altair 8800 one of eWeek's top 5 vintage computers.

Oso posted this message in April 2005:

MITS Altair's 8800-The January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics heralded the arrival of the Altair 8800, a DIY kit based on Intel's third-generation microprocessor, the 8080.

It signaled to the general public that it was possible for them to own their own computer, and is widely credited with starting the PC revolution.

("And motivating Bill Gates to start Microsoft," says Klein.)

"Back then, computers were still these big machines that were unreachable, they were behind glass walls in universities or corporations, and only the high priests could get access to them," Ismail said.

"So to actually be able to have your own computer that you could control and even be able to put on your desk was pretty spectacular."

Adds Damer, "I think it is the media and emotional connection."

He suggests that Robert Cringley's 1996 PBS Special "Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires" popularized the computer.

The going rate for the Altair 8800 is anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000.

Though with so many produced, says Ismail, the value is slightly inflated.

- Oso, to reuse mailing list, April '05

Bill Gates letter to Hobbyists' Club, 1976

from this web site. According to Oso, Bill Gates once owned the Altair we now have, and there is documentation somewhere proving it. We should find that!!!

February 3, 1976

AN OPEN LETTER TO HOBBYISTS

By William Henry Gates III

To me, the most critical thing in the hobby market right now is the lack of good software courses, books and software itself. Without good software and an owner who understands programming, a hobby computer is wasted. Will quality software be written for the hobby market?

Almost a year ago, Paul Allen and myself, expecting the hobby market to expand, hired Monte Davidoff and developed Altair BASIC. Though the initial work took only two months, the three of us have spent most of the last year documenting, improving and adding features to BASIC. Now we have 4K, 8K, EXTENDED, ROM and DISK BASIC. The value of the computer time we have used exceeds $40,000.

The feedback we have gotten from the hundreds of people who say they are using BASIC has all been positive. Two surprising things are apparent, however, 1) Most of these "users" never bought BASIC (less than 10% of all Altair owners have bought BASIC), and 2) The amount of royalties we have received from sales to hobbyists makes the time spent on Altair BASIC worth less than $2 an hour.

Why is this? As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most of you steal your software. Hardware must be paid for, but software is something to share. Who cares if the people who worked on it get paid?

Is this fair? One thing you don't do by stealing software is get back at MITS for some problem you may have had. MITS doesn't make money selling software. The royalty paid to us, the manual, the tape and the overhead make it a break-even operation. One thing you do do is prevent good software from being written. Who can afford to do professional work for nothing? What hobbyist can put 3-man years into programming, finding all bugs, documenting his product and distribute for free? The fact is, no one besides us has invested a lot of money in hobby software. We have written 6800 BASIC, and are writing 8080 APL and 6800 APL, but there is very little incentive to make this software available to hobbyists. Most directly, the thing you do is theft.

What about the guys who re-sell Altair BASIC, aren't they making money on hobby software? Yes, but those who have been reported to us may lose in the end. They are the ones who give hobbyists a bad name, and should be kicked out of any club meeting they show up at.

I would appreciate letters from any one who wants to pay up, or has a suggestion or comment. Just write to me at 1180 Alvarado SE, #114, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87108. Nothing would please me more than being able to hire ten programmers and deluge the hobby market with good software.

Bill Gates

General Partner, Micro-Soft