Hacker News with Generative AI: Personal Computers

The Hobby Computer Culture (technicshistory.com)
From 1975 through early 1977, the use of personal computers remained almost exclusively the province of hobbyists who loved to play with computers and found them inherently fascinating.

History, Computing, Technology, Personal Computers

187 points by cfmcdonald 14 days ago | 101 comments

Personal Computer Origins: The Datapoint 2200 (thechipletter.substack.com)
As We May Think, The Mother of All Demos, The Xerox Alto; all were breakthroughs in thinking about how to make the computer more personal. They were not, however, the true antecedents of the first ‘personal computers’. Instead, that line of descent runs through something much less visionary, capable or expensive: the humble computer terminal.

Personal Computers, Computer Terminals

31 points by rbanffy 17 days ago | 2 comments

Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer (goto10retro.com)
You might think that Apple, Commodore or perhaps Radio Shack made the first personal computer, but you’d be wrong. Although the Apple I appeared in 1976, and then in 1977 the Apple II, Commodore PET and TRS-80 all appeared, there was one personal computer that preceded them all: The MITS Altair 8800 from 1975, considered the first commercially successful personal computer.

History, Personal Computers, Retro Computing, Technology

111 points by rbanffy 36 days ago | 60 comments

Little things that made Amiga great (datagubbe.se)
To most people, the Amiga is probably synonymous with the Amiga 500 and that machine was, above all, a video game: something into which you plonked 3.5" floppy disks that transported you to strange, wonderful worlds and hours of fun.

Retro Computing, Video Games, Personal Computers, Nostalgia

11 points by andsoitis 76 days ago | 2 comments

From ACS to Altair: The Rise of the Hobby Computer (technicshistory.com)
The Altair’s surprising power derived ultimately from the nerve of MITS founder Ed Roberts.

History, Computing, Personal Computers

41 points by cfmcdonald 96 days ago | 3 comments

The Coleco Adam: An 8-Bit Personal Computer Failure (goto10retro.com)
The Coleco Adam was a personal computer (really, a home computer) system released by Coleco in 1983.

Retro Computing, History, Hardware, Personal Computers

10 points by rbanffy 105 days ago | 1 comments

The Commodore Penny Farthing Adventures (amigalove.com)
As seems to be my way, I’ve just gone down one of the longest-running multi-year rabbit holes I can remember and I somehow made it back to the surface.

Retro Gaming, Commodore, Personal Computers, Gaming History

44 points by erickhill 117 days ago | 6 comments

Ask HN: Is onboard audio still good enough compared to dedicated Sound Cards? (ycombinator.com)
Recently, I upgraded my outdated PC to a Z890 motherboard, primarily because it was significantly discounted compared to AMD alternatives.

Audio, Hardware, Personal Computers, Technology, Comparisons

66 points by monkburger 127 days ago | 73 comments

Once again, the only way forward is the Mac (macworld.com)
Personal computers started out simple. So simple that you could just type in programs and run them, save them, and even give them to your friends. But over time, things got more complicated. A lot more complicated.

Personal Computers, History, Operating Systems

8 points by scarface_74 193 days ago | 0 comments

Microsoft is launching a $349 desktop PC (windowscentral.com)

Microsoft, Hardware, Personal Computers, Technology, Pricing

6 points by doener 199 days ago | 5 comments

The Atari ST is my favourite 16-bit machine (rubenerd.com)
The Atari ST family of machines are my favourite of the 16-bit era.

Retro Computing, Personal Computers, Atari, 16-bit

9 points by Brajeshwar 210 days ago | 5 comments

What's so great about the Atari ST? – by Paul Lefebvre (goto10retro.com)
This article by William Blair appeared in several magazines and newsletters in early 19861. I really thought it captured the vibes of Atari at the time. The ST was well-received and Atari was really starting to turn things around in 1986, which might have been the most positive year for news, sales and the overall Atari experience.

Retro Computing, Atari, Personal Computers, History

7 points by rbanffy 211 days ago | 1 comments

What was the intention with the Commodore 128? (stackexchange.com)
The Commodore 128 was intended to be a fully-compatible, more professional, upgrade to the popular Commodore 64.

Retro Computing, Commodore, History, Technology, Personal Computers

6 points by amichail 261 days ago | 0 comments

Qualcomm reportedly eyeing Intel's PC design biz and more (theregister.com)

Qualcomm, Intel, Personal Computers, Acquisitions, Business

7 points by beardyw 273 days ago | 0 comments

Forum on the Future of Personal Computers, 1981 [video] (youtube.com)

Personal Computers, Technology, History, Video

7 points by ohjeez 284 days ago | 0 comments

How WASD became the standard PC control scheme (2016) (pcgamer.com)

Gaming, History, Input Devices, Personal Computers

78 points by ibobev 307 days ago | 80 comments

A few weeks with the Pocket 386, an early-'90s-style, half-busted retro PC (arstechnica.com)