What might be considered the pre-cursors to personal computers?

zbeckabee

Surprisingly, the history of computers is a long one, with the abacus being considered the first, developed over 5,000 years old. By sliding the beads arranged on the rack, merchants could keep track of business transactions. The device is still in use today. Later, in Europe the use of pencil and paper to record transactions replaced the need for the abacus. It was not until the 17th century that the next step was taken to develop a counting machine. The 17th- through 19th-century generations of proto-computers relied upon mechanical parts--gears and levers--that moved to calculate mathematical problems. The first was built by Wilhelm Schickard in 1623, followed by a device designed by mathematician-turned-philosopher Blaise Pascal in 1642. A few more: Pascal's Pascaline: Only 50 prototypes were ever developed Leibniz's calculator could multiply! The first desktop computer: the Arithometer http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/book/chapter1.html Jul 15 06, 8:36 PM

starNumberA399

That is an amazing and very thorough response. However, the question pertains specifically to PERSONAL computers. I was looking for - Commodore 64, Texas Instruments Home Computer, Osborne, etc. Jul 16 06, 10:51 PM

Create a Free FunTrivia ID to add to, request more/new answers, or edit this entry

Who has a scheme that legally uses prisoners to break up and recycle personal computers? Why do computers crash? In computers, who invented the GUI environment? When were the first computers developed?

1 Computers, Computers, Computers Test your knowledge of computers with these questions about software, programming languages, operating systems, and virus protection programs. Science for Kids Average 10 Q computerwiz1 Oct 27 09 543 plays 2 Sinclair Computers This Quiz covers the popular home computers of the 1980's manufactured by Sinclair. Operating Sytems Very Difficult 10 Q mekon May 22 01 1035 plays 3 Broken Computers All of these phrases are fractured computer programs, parts, slogans, companies, etc. That is, they are composed of words that sound somewhat like the computer term. For example- My Crows Off= Microsoft. Don't use any punctuation in your answers. Fractured Words Average 15 Q crisw May 15 02 4074 plays