>
>
>
> > John,
> > I have the manuals for both systems. I don't get the impression that the
> > G-15 was sold as a "personal computer" in the same way as the Royal McBee
> > LGP-23/30 were. The Bendix has an analog computing aspect as well so
> it's
> > a different beast. I am sure people used them for some degree of
> personal
> > computing, but I never read about them that way
>
> There was an add-on analog element, (I've never seen one),
> but the G-15 was definitely a digital machine with drum
> memory and serial arithmetic. It was used a LOT by highway
> departments to plan "cut and fill" highway building
> projects. The difference may have been due to marketing
> people, but my understanding was that the G-15 was often
> used by one operator, and not shared like a corporate mainframe.
>
> Jon
>
>
No doubt it was capable of being operated by a single user, but that to me
does not make it a personal computer. The LGP-30 was used in schools and
offices not targeted for industrial use. There is really no reason why any
computer could not be a personal computer, if you know everything about it
and use independently and operate for personal use. It's really impossible
to claim any computer was the "first personal computer", but I like the
LGP-30 as one of the first. I bet someone used the BENDIX for fun once in
a while, too.
BIll
