Sembra che questi due articoli:
H. Edward Roberts, W. Yates, "ALTAIR 8800 Minicomputer, Part 1. The most powerful minicomputer project ever presented - can be built for under $400", Popular Electronics, Volume 7, Number 1, (1975) pp. 33-38
H. Edward Roberts, W. Yates, "ALTAIR 8800 Minicomputer, Part 2. Practical use of the computer, including programming", Popular Electronics, Volume 7, Number 2, (1975) pp. 56-58
scatenarono nei primi giorni dell'anno 1975 in Paul Allen e Bill Gates (quando Microsoft non era ancora nata) la voglia di sviluppare Altair BASIC. Li potete leggere col tocco originale, qui. Ne vale la pena perché troverete frasi come queste:
- "The era of the computer in every home - a favorite topic among science-fiction writers - has arrived!" - così iniziava il primo articolo;
- "It is the most powerful computer ever presented as a construction project in any electronics magazine. In many ways, it represents a revolutionary development in electronic design and thinking."
- "This means that you can write an extensive and detailed program. The basic computer has 256 words of memory" - e si parlava di word da 8 bit, cioè la sua memoria era di 256 byte...
- "The basic computer is a complete system" - ma non aveva né tastiera né monitor, perché:
- "The program can be entered via switches located on the front panel, providing a LED readout in binary format."
- "When the bit pattern, and thus the hardware, is changed, we have what is referred to as "software"" - abbastanza chiaro, o no?
- "Fundamental programming concepts are simple enough to master in a relatively short time. However, to become an efficient programmer requires a lot of experience and a large amount of creativity" - vero ancora oggi
e tante altre ancora...
Chi sa però dirmi perché ho intitolato il post Still Crazy After All These Years? :-)