| Found in | Work cat.: NUCMC data from Computer Hist. Museum for Collection of Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1 computer materials, 1959-1984 (In 1960, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) launched its first computer, the PDP-1 (Programmed Data Processor-1); the computer was designed in three and a half months by Ben Gurley; he based his system on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory TX-0 and TX-2 computers and used DEC's initial product, a series of interconnectable circuits known as "Laboratory Modules," to create the PDP-1; the PDP-1 was the world's first commercial interactive computer, and was used for process control, scientific research, and graphics applications, as well as to pioneer timesharing systems; the PDP-1 also made it possible for smaller businesses and laboratories to have access to much more computing power than ever before; though the PDP-1 was produced in relatively small quantities (just over fifty) its impact was significant; for DEC, it was the first in a long line of computers that focused on interactivity and affordability; for the user, the PDP-1 represented an unprecedented freedom of human-machine interaction, spurring the creation of hacker culture at MIT, Bolt Baranek and Newman (BBN), and elsewhere; inspired programmers created early debugging, text editing, music and game programs, including the first computer video game, Spacewar!)
|
