Talking of calculators, my first full time job was selling HP calculators and Apple computers which was appropriate, but not necessary for my second full time job as a calculator. Yes my job title was calculator, where I did actuarial calculations on insurance products for variations.
So I went from selling them, to being one :) //m On Mon, 11 Mar 2019 at 9:43 pm, Bill Degnan via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > On Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 4:50 AM Brent Hilpert via cctalk < > cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > > On 2019-Mar-10, at 5:16 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: > > > On 3/10/19 2:18 PM, Murray McCullough via cctalk wrote: > > >> Historians, though not all, credit this development as the > > >> beginning of the electronic-computing revolution that was truly > > underway by > > >> the mid-70s. > > > > > > Scotty, more power to the Reality Distortion Field! > > > > > > It's not an out-to-lunch suggestion. > > > > The digital pocket calculator was the first mass-market digital > electronic > > device to be put in the hands of the consumer. > > > > Yes, all of us here know there were digital computers and other digital > > electronic devices around many years before, > > but the digital pocket calculator has a significant place at the > > beginnings of the transition to the ubiquity of such technology in > everyday > > life, > > as opposed to being behind-the-scenes in business, labs, and industry. > > > > One can argue the transition would have happened without the > > pocket-calculator market - > > just how influential it was in driving the innovation can be debated - > but > > the historical fact is it was there, > > and a large market in the context. > > > > Reading this thread... > > > > Not sure why this suddenly became a thing to debate, but I will add that > the multifunction function 1960s calculators were called "desktop > computers" by publishers then > > https://www.vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread_record.cfm?id=536 > > Also, I did an talk at HOPE on the subject of the how the early handheld > calculator class fit into the development of micro computers a few years > later. The talk was my take on the subject anyway. > > Bottom line, one should avoid putting the modern 2019 definition a > microcomputer/personal computer into what people were talking about in the > mid 60s into the 70s "small/personal/microcomputer". > > Also, the significance of the single chip vs multi chip or single board > CPU...is independent of the intended use or capacity/capabilities of the > computer they went into. Over time the significance of a "single chip" CPU > will fade. Modern computers no longer rely on this approach anyway, it was > only a blip in time that "single chip cou" mattered as much. > > My opinion of course > > Bill > > Bill > > > > -- *Blog: RetroRetrospective – Fun today with yesterday's gear…….. <http://www.jongleur.co.uk/blogs/>* *Podcast*: *Retro Computing Roundtable <http://rcrpodcast.com/>* (Co-Host)
