On 05/06/2024 16:37, Sellam Abraham via cctalk wrote:
*snip* You mentioned that an Altair 8800 and even a subscription to Popular Electronics was too much for your 9 year old self, but the TRS-80 wasn't? Perhaps I misinterpreted. At any rate, it matters not: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERSONAL COMPUTER. There, I've done it. You can all move on with living again. You Are Welcome. Sellam
To quote a popular Australian childrens show, "It's just monkeys singing songs, mate", meaning "There's no reason to over think it"
The argument as to what defines a personal computer is as nuanced and varied as "what defines a retro computer". No-one will ever agree, because no-one has exactly the same opinions on what defines such a thing. There is literally no way for everyone to nail down a precise definition, because everyone's definitions are different. Attempting to justify your position is ultimately pointless, because you will never get a majority to agree with your position.
To spin things round to a personal opinion of mine (not related to the "Personal Computer" argument here), i'm of the opinion that the "minicomputer" never died. Modern multicore x86 servers with attached iSCSI SANs and ultra high speed connectivity are topologically similar to a PDP-11 with a bunch of RL02's serving a room full of VT220's. But then there's a lot of people who would scoff at the comparison. But that's my opinion.
As someone once said "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, and they all stink."
Josh Rice
