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[Recorded Dec 10, 2007]
The Commodore 64 was an 8-bit home computer
released by Commodore International in
August, 1982, and during it's lifetime
(between 1982 and 1994), sales totaled close
to 17 million units, making it the
best-selling single personal computer model
of all time. Approximately 10,000 commercial
software titles were developed for the
Commodore 64 including development tools,
office applications, and games.
The C64 made an impressive debut at the 1982
Winter Consumer Electronics Show, as recalled
by Production Engineer David A. Ziembicki:
All we saw at our booth were Atari people
with their mouths dropping open, saying, 'How
can you do that for $595?'
The term personal computer was a common term
in the early 80's and was used as early as
1972 to characterize Xerox PARC's Alto.
During this era of microcomputer innovation,
the market was dominated by the IBM Personal
Computer (IBM PC), the Commodore 64, the
Atari 8-bit family, the Apple II, Tandy
Corporation's TRS-80s, and various CP/M
machines.
Although the history of the Commodore is
rich, the histories of the people and the
companies that developed these early personal
computers are also critical to the personal
productivity tools and business solutions we
often take for granted in our daily lives.
This panel discussion is a celebration of the
Commodore 64 computer and how it spawned a
tremendous market for home, small business,
distributed and networked technology.
Tags : Computer History Commodore 64 Jack Tramiel Steve Wozniak PC |
