The
Altair 8800
It might look like a boring blue box, but the Altair 8800 was something remarkable. It was the first of its kind - the first Personal Computer. It was launched at a time when expensive mini-computers were used in some businesses and schools, and electronic calculators were just becoming affordable. But a computer in your home? That was science fiction!
But after 45 years, why does it even matter? Is using an Altair relevant in any way? Yes! The Altair is still a great introduction to low-level computing. It's based on the same princples as all modern computers, and can be used to learn how the core of a computer works. It's an interactive history lesson!
That big box is what originally shipped in '74/75 - no screen, no keyboard, no hard drives. Everything you did, you did with the switches on the front (no, really!) but it wasn't long before hobbyists added terminals, ported operating systems, and created actually useful software. Heard of Microsoft? Their very first product was BASIC for the Altair.
Want to try it yourself?
The Altair 8800 has something of a cult following, and a modern recreation has appeal for not just those who owned an original, but for those of us who wanted one and missed out. Not to mention anyone who is just a fan of computers from the "olden days".
You can
build your own Altair 8800 clone for less than $200
with basic soldering skills, and once you've got it working you can not only enjoy the
blinkenlights
but actually learn to write software. A little strapped for cash just now? just
go to this website
and use the web-based sim!
There's a lot to be said about starting at the lowest level when it comes to software design, and it doesn't get much lower than flipping swiches in binary to enter Intel 8080 OpCodes. The good news is that there is lot of vintage documentation to help you - after all, computers were new to everyone back then!
When you connect an Altair to your PC or Mac as a terminal, you can play Zork or run the original Micro-soft BASIC. Ever heard of CP/M? It was all the rage 40 years ago, and if you are bored of DOS or Linux, you might like to give it a try.
Kits and Simulators are available today!
An Altair-Duino
built from a kit.
1974 was a different time..
The world of technology (and well, everything) was very different in 1974. A typical nerd was busy with a soldering iron, making radios and trying to build an electronic calculator. The idea of owning a computer was pure fiction. Even if you did manage to build one, what could you do with it? No internet, no Windows, no Minecraft.. But without the Altair, the home computer and everything that came from it - Microsoft, Apple, the Internet, Google - wouldn't have gotten the same start.
This site tries to capture some of details about the Altair, then convince you to build your own, and give you some things to do with it!