Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (or "MITS") was founded by Edward Roberts in 1968.
Altair 680 Microcomputer (1974) by MITS
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Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (or "MITS") was founded by Edward Roberts in 1968.
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Altair 680 Inside
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(Altair photos above are courtesy of Skeeter, Electronic Surplus.)
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Altair 680b (above)
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(History -: Some sources say that the computer was named "Altair" after the planet Altair from a Star Trek television series episode "A Voyage to Altair." However, research provided by Ricardo Zelenovsky, states that there is no such episode, and the name may in fact be from a planed referred to in an early science fiction movie. "Forbidden Planet," where there is a planet called "Altair IV.") The Altair needed a method for users to write programs for it. Bill Gates and Paul Allen became aware of the Altair and developed a BASIC interpreter for it and sold it to MITS. Allen went to work for MITS, while Bill Gates went on to develop other software. They later founded Microsoft Corporation. |
History of Computing
An Encyclopedia of the People and Machines that Made Computer History
Copyright © 1982-2000, Lexikon Services "History of Computing" ISBN 0-944601-78-2
