Information AboutHome Computer |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT HOME COMPUTER | |
| home computers | |
| home computer | |
|
on an Amstrad CPC 464 in the 1980s.]] , featured a version of the BASIC programming language.]] A home computer was the description of the second generation of Desktop Computers , entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s. They are also members of the class known as ''' Personal Computers '''. These computers typically cost much less than business, scientific or engineering-oriented desktop personal computers, and were generally less powerful in terms of memory and expandability. However, a home computer often had better graphics and sound than contemporary business personal computers, and was usually sold for purposes of education, game play, and personal productivity use. The home computer became affordable for the general public due to the mass production of the silicon chip based , they were designed to used by the average consumer, not necessarily an electronics hobbyist. BACKGROUND After the success of systems like the RadioShack TRS-80 and the Apple Inc. Apple II in 1977, large numbers of new machines of all types began to appear during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The boom was further facilitated by the 1979 release of VisiCalc , a software application which helped extend computer usage into business markets. Some offerings became market mainstays for years, such as the BBC Micro , ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 . To some extent, low-end home computers competed with Video Game Consoles . The markets weren't entirely distinct, as both had the ability to be used for games. During the peak years of the home computer marketplace, scores of types of machines were produced, usually with little or no compatibility between manufacturers or even within product lines of one manufacturer. The introduction of the IBM Personal Computer in August 1981 eventually lead to standardization in personal computing, largely due to the system's open architecture, which encouraged production of third-party clones of the unit. While the Apple II would eventually be displaced by the IBM PC , Apple Computer 's 1984 release of the Apple Macintosh would create a new model for the home computer which IBM-compatible computers would eventually emulate. The declining cost of IBM-compatible "office" personal computers on the one hand, and the greatly increased graphics, sound, and storage capabilities of dedicated video game consoles on the other, eventually made the market segment for home computers vanish before 2000. A computer purchased for home use today will be very similar to those used in offices, with compatible peripherals, operating systems, and application software. TECHNOLOGY Many home computers were superficially similar, some having a very Cheap-to-manufacture Keyboard integrated into the processor unit and displaying 20–40 column text output on a home television. The use of a television set is very nearly a definition of a home computer, although monitors dedicated for use with a computer were also available in this market segment. Most home computers used the ubiquitous Compact Audio Cassette s as a (notoriously slow and sometimes unreliable) storage mechanism since Floppy Disk drives were very expensive at the time. In contrast to modern computers, home computers most often had their OS stored in one or more ROM chips. The OS was usually only a BASIC Interpreter , with the applications performing all other OS duties. The term Software commonly denoted application programs sitting 'above' the OS to perform a specific task, e.g. Wordprocessor s or Games . Home computers were mostly based on 8-bit Microprocessor technology, typically the MOS Technology 6502 or the Zilog Z80 . A notable exception was the TI-99 series, released in 1979 with a 16 bit TMS9900 CPU. USE TODAY As many older computers have become obsolete, it has become popular amongst enthusiasts to simulate these machines and their environments with Emulation Software . NOTABLE HOME COMPUTERS .]] The list below shows the most popular and/or historically significant home computers of the late 1970s and of the 1980s. It includes their initial year of release as well as their region/country of origin. The most popular releases (pre-1985) in the USA were: the '' TRS-80 '' (1977), the'' Apple II '' (1977), the '' Atari 400/800 ''(1979), the '' Commodore VIC-20 '' (1980), the '' IBM PC '' (1981), the '' Commodore 64 '' (1982), and the '' Apple Macintosh '' (1984). Until the introduction of the IBM PC in 1981, computers such as the Apple II and TRS 80 also found considerable use in office work. The division of personal computers into the "office" segment and the "home" segment was more definite after the IBM PC standardized the expectations of an office computer. Previously this segment would have been typified by CP/M microcomputers usually requiring the services of specialists or dedicated early adopters to make them usable in a commercial environment. A plethora of home computers came out during this period, but most failed to have a significant impact on the US market or the history of home computing and as such are not mentioned (this includes machines not sold/known in the USA). Different models in a line of compatible computers are listed as a whole, such as the Apple II and TRS-80 families. (For a comprehensive overview of home computers, i.e. not just the most notable ones given below, see the List Of Home Computers .) 1970s
1980s did.]]
REFERENCES SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|