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Please, stand at attention in the presence of the (horns sound - "ta da!") - IBM System/23 Datamaster!
This large, extremely heavy (95 lbs/43 kg) all-in-one desktop computer system, was designed to be taken out of the carton, set up, checked out and operated by first-time users.
The Datamaster combined word processing and data processing in a single machine to give small businesses the big benefits of information processing.
The same engineers who design the Datamaster went on to help designed the IBM PC, the computer system which started the PC revolution which exists today.
The power supply and motherboard both pull-out from the back of the system for easy access. This can be done whether or not the system cover has been removed.
As you can see, the 8-inch floppy drives are very large, with several heavy-duty components. These large and heavy drives are rather uncommon for 1981 - most other computer systems had switched to
Seen to the left is a memory board which plugs into the motherboard.
It is very unusual, with all of the chips piggy-backed with an identical one.
This is either to double the memory capacity, or to add redundancy, as early RAM chips apparently failed (open) prematurely, and doubling them up greatly increased the lifespan of the memory board.
$10,000 for a couple of KB's? I think I'll pass. It's interesting to see how the computer evolved so quickly over the past 30 years. According to Moore's law, the transistor count in a CPU doubles every 2 years. We are already up to 2M. We are getting faster by the year. It is hard to find someone today that doesn't have a computer at their house. It would actually be a hindrance for whoever doesn't have one. Today everything is based off the internet, school, work, and play. Even musicians are composing all of their music online before they even play it in real life.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable!! That computer is huge, and for $10,000, I am at a loss for words. The memory board is loaded with fat pieces, and just looks so bulky. That is a big difference in 30 years. This computer uses BASIC as its operating system. I am using Windows XP to write this comment, which means I'm actually using a GUI (graphic user interface). Oh, where would we be without GUI's? :)
ReplyDeleteO WOW! What is that thing? It is amazing how technology has changed throughout the years. I can't imagine how slow that computer might have been, and $10,000 for that? No thank you, I too will pass on this one. But then again, without these computers that were first published I don't think we would have the computers we have today. I can imagine the trouble that people might have gone through using that computer, so they strived for better computers. Come to think that without these first inventions, I don't think technology would have come this far. No reason to freak out actually, all we have to do is JUST IMAGINE the hard times people have gone through with this computer, and be THANKFUL for the computers we have today!
ReplyDeleteI sit here and type on my eight pound, inch thick, 14 inch screen and just laugh. To me a computer weighing over 20 pounds is considered old and antiquated. Sure, my computer was pricey but definitely not $10,000 pricey. My, my, my how technology has evolved. And yes, Moore's law is correct. Similarly priced computers will double in speed every 18-24 months. And so far that's been true. But as we continue to beg for it to be faster, it's getting harder for science to keep up with our demands. Society is constantly pushing and because of that push it's given us incredible things such as a sleeker design and faster speed of our computers. We DON'T have to wait for 2 hours for something to download but maybe thirty seconds. Does this mean that our time nowadays is worth more or are we just WAY INCREDIBLY more impatient? I think the latter.
ReplyDeleteComputers are sold at not only being the fastest, but also the best looking. There are laptops out there that are based off artists designs and creations. Certain companies even let you be the artist and design the cover you wish to use. So incredible.
-Brittney
It is amazing how far technology has progressed since the first computer. The first computer was so big and it looks so heavy that you wouldnt be able to move it to a different room in your house even if you wanted to. Now these days they have such small portable computers that are readily accessible.
ReplyDeleteThe speed of computers has changed drastically as well. Whenever we want to look at something it only takes a matter of seconds before it appears on the screen. In today's society, it would be nearly impossible to work with a computer that took two hours to download. Not only have computers been upgraded, but phones as well because now you can look up things on the internet without having a computer, a cell phone is the only needed device to search the web.
That picture of the inside, I'm pretty sure my car has less moving parts. Is that an alternator?! What is that doing inside a computer? I have worked on many old computers before and they sure makes today's computers seem very impressive. The amount of processing power and data we can store in such tiny spaces these days is incomprehensible. Like Brittany also commented, we now have devices that fit in the palm of our hands and have the ability to surf web anywhere in the world. And yet just a few decades ago all we had was something like the IBM System/23 Datamaster.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see the first personal computer. The invention of the semi-conductor micro chip really changed everything. The early computers took up a full room. The early version of RAM is kind of a joke. It's interesting to know they would release a product that they knew could just fail permanently at any given time. The personal computer did bring computing to a great deal of people who had no touch with a computer before then. The orginal computers were more reserved for science labs and research centers. The thought we could have them in our homes really started the digital revolution. Once it was accessable it helped organize industry a great deal and accounting departments everywhere rejoiced. It was able to help a lot of number crunching. The original computers couldn't do much it didn't even have color, but it was the first medium for the gaming industry. The clasic 8bit, and 16bit video games started an industry that's a giant today. It became the artistic outlet for entire groups of people and the entertainment for their customers.
ReplyDeleteI really can't believe how far computers have come in such a short amount of time. Seeing this computer just makes me laugh every time I look at it. I have a 28" monitor that is probably bigger than that entire computer. The green screen brings back memories though, I can still remember my dads first green screen lab top where their was no user friendly interface, all navigation was done through DOS config. The $10,000 price tag blew me away, that would be probably closer to $15,000 by todays standards. And $15,000 today could probably buy you 10 cutting edge. I can't believe the size of all the parts, the ram alone is bigger than half of my computer. The inside of it is just a gross mess of wires heat sinks and silicone.
ReplyDelete