Diehardware

Diehardware MITS Altair 8800 The computer that started it all, the 8800 created a stir when it appeared on the cover of Popular Electronics in January 1975. While not exactly user-friendly (programs were entered by flipping switches on the front, and the interface consisted of a series of flashing LEDs), it's widely credited with launching […]

__ Diehardware __

__ MITS Altair 8800 __
The computer that started it all, the 8800 created a stir when it appeared on the cover of Popular Electronics in January 1975. While not exactly user-friendly (programs were entered by flipping switches on the front, and the interface consisted of a series of flashing LEDs), it's widely credited with launching the PC revolution. Microsoft's first product was a version of Basic written for the Altair 8800.

Introduced: 1975
Died: 1978
Resurrection Hot Spots

__ Apple II Series __
Introduced: 1977
Died: 1992
Resurrection Hot Spots:

The first commercial success of garage-computing wunderkinds Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, the Apple II is based on a 6502 chip and sports both hi-res and low-res color graphics, sound, two game paddles, and disk I/O. Apple first sold this 4K machine for $1,298.

__ Atari VCS/2600 __
Introduced: 1977
Died: 1988
Resurrection Hot Spots:

  • Atari Gaming Headquarters www.atarihq.com Games and history galore, with many links to emulation sites and companies still making Atari 2600 cartridges

The must-have home-gaming system before Nintendo and Sony took over, it was used for classics like Q*bert, Missile Command, Combat, and Pitfall.

__ Commodore VIC20/C64 __
Introduced: 1981
Died: 1992
Resurrection Hot Spots:

Many teenage hackers in the early '80s got their first exposure to computers with the Vic20 or its successor, the Commodore 64. Based on the 8-bit 6510 chip, both computers featured high-quality sound capabilities, sprite-based graphics, and the ability to load and save programs on tape.

__ Amiga 1000 __
Introduced: 1985
Died: 1987
Resurrection Hot Spots:

With its advanced GUI, dedicated animation chips, high-quality sound, and hi-res graphics, the Amiga offered the first multitasking OS sold on a PC - all for around $1,200. While Amigas were a commercial flop in the US, they flourished in Europe, with strong user bases in Germany and the UK.

__ NeXtcube __
Introduced: 1988
Died: 1993
Resurrection Hot Spots:

Underneath the 'cube's imposing black magnesium casing lurked a Motorola 68040 and a powerful mainframe-style I/O structure that helped the debut machine from Steve Jobs' second company run circles around other PCs of its time. But what really distinguished the 'cube was its Unix-based GUI, NeXTSTEP.