Note Type
Object Specific InformationNote
This particular Altair 8800 was purchased from the estate of it's original owner. It was built from a kit manufactured around April 1975. This had the MITS Intel 8080 CPU board, MITS 4k SRAM board and Dazzler (1) dual boards installed. The MITS 1k SRAM was included but not installed. A complete set of original documentation was also included.
This machine has been thoroughly tested, lightly cleaned and is 100% functional.
According to in-person correspondence between David Greelish and Mr. and Mrs. Prosser (Nancy Harbig Prosser, executor for the estate of George Paul Harbig and sister of the decedent), email correspondence between David Nowak of Retro Tech Restoration and a letter of provenance provide by the estate executor, this Altair (serial number 221236K), was originally purchased by Mr. Harbig sometime in 1975, fully built, tested, operated and upgraded by him (1k SRAM board replaced with 4k SRAM board and Dazzler (1) added).
It remained in his possession until his death on April 25th, 2023 (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/george-harbig-obituary?id=51748647) in Jacksonville, FL at which time it's ownership was transferred to his estate and Mrs. Prosser. Mr. and Mrs. Prosser contacted David Greelish (ClassicComputing.com) also in Jacksonville, FL in order to have the computer appraised. Mr Greelish contacted David Nowak (RetroTechRestoration.com) to inspect and test the computer as part of it's appraisal. The computer was appraised for $4,200. Mr. Nowak then purchased the computer and all it's documentation directly from the estate of Mr. Harbig for $4,300 and it was hand-delivered by Mr. Greelish to Mr Nowak in Tallahassee, FL.
It is unknown what this computer was used for by Mr. Harbig. The lack of serial or other data storage cards and the covering of all the I/O connector mounting holes with a metal grate indicates that this machine was probably soley used as a platform for the Dazzler (1) video output device. No software, photos or personal documentation was available showing Mr. Harbig's use of the computer.Note Type
General NotesNote
The Altair 8800 is a microcomputer designed in 1974 by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) and based on the Intel 8080 CPU.[2] It was the first commercially successful personal computer.[3] Interest in the Altair 8800 grew quickly after it was featured on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics[4] and was sold by mail order through advertisements there, in Radio-Electronics, and in other hobbyist magazines.[5][6] The Altair 8800 had no built-in screen or video output, so it would have to be connected to a serial terminal (such as a VT100-compatible terminal) to have any output. To connect it to a terminal a serial interface card had to be installed. Alternatively, the Altair could be programmed using its front-panel switches.
According to the personal computer pioneer Harry Garland, the Altair 8800 was the product that catalyzed the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s.[7] The computer bus designed for the Altair became a de facto standard in the form of the S-100 bus, and the first programming language for the machine was Microsoft's founding product, Altair BASIC.[8][9]
References
1. Reimer, Jeremy (2005-12-15). "Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
2. Jeremy Reimer (2012-12-07). "Total Share: Personal Computer Market Share 1975-2010". Jeremy Reimer.
3. Rojas, Raúl (2001). Encyclopedia of computers and computer history. Chicago [u.a.]: Fitzroy Dearborn. ISBN 1-57958-235-4.
4. Dorf, Richard C., ed. The engineering handbook. CRC Press, 2004. Copyright catalogs at the Library of Congress. January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics was published on November 29, 1974. File:Copyright_Popular_Electronics_1975.jpg
5. Newscientist Sept 21 gallery: March of the outdated machines
6. Young, Jeffrey S. (1998). "Chapter 6: 'Mechanics: Kits & Microcomputers'". Forbes Greatest Technology Stories: Inspiring Tales of the Entrepreneurs. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-24374-4.
7. Garland, Harry (March 1977). "Design Innovations in Personal Computers". Computer. 10 (3). IEEE Computer Society: 24. doi:10.1109/c-m.1977.217669. S2CID 32243439. "There is little question that the current enthusiasm in personal computing was catalyzed by the introduction of the MITS Altair computer kit in January 1975."
8. Ceruzzi, Paul E. (2003). A History of Modern Computing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. p. 226. ISBN 0-262-53203-4. "This announcement [Altair 8800] ranks with IBM's announcement of the System/360 a decade earlier as one of the most significant in the history of computing."
9. Freiberger, Paul; Swaine, Michael (2000). Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-135892-7.
