Commodity computing: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:43, 5 February 2005

Revision as of 18:47, 5 February 2005

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The idea behind commodity computing began when [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] introduced the [[PDP-8]] in 1965. This was a computer that was inexpensive enough that a department could purchase one without convening a meeting of the board of directors. The entire [[minicomputer]] industry sprang up around products similar to this, unfortunately, each of the many different brands of minicomputers had to stand on their own, because there was no software and little hardware compatibility between them.

When the first general purpose [[microprocessor]] was introduced in 1974 it immediately began chipping away at the low end of the computer market, replacing [[embedded minicomputerssystems| embedded systemsminicomputers]] in many industrial devices.

This process accelerated in 1977 with the introduction of the first commodity - like computer, the [[Apple II]]. With the development of the [[Visicalc]] application in 1979, microcomputers broke out of the factory and began entering office suites in large quantities, but still thru the back door.