Can You Do Real Work With the 30-Year-Old IBM 5150?

Hello All,

Recently my Grandfather passed away. We were very close and this loss has been difficult for me. One hobby that my Grandpa shared with me was his love of computers and you can see the influence that it had on my life and career.  In memory of him I wanted to share some material related to the IBM 5150 – the first IBM PC.

He had worked for IBM for his entire post-military career as a computer engineer and programmer. The computers he worked on were the now classic room sized machines but when IBM released their first consumer PC he had to have one for his home. He saw so much potential in computers and it was always fun and interesting to hear his thoughts on the technology of today – especially being so connected to its roots.  I should add that he kept up with computers as time went on.

Today – I wanted to share an article in that vein of comparison between new and old.  In fact, if his still working 5150 comes my way, I’m hoping to write something similar.  The below article is a bit dated being written in 2011 but it’s a fun read especially for anyone with an interest in vintage computing.  I won’t go into it to much here, I’ll let the piece speak for itself.

Stay tuned to my blog for my own 5150 experiments!

–Derek

Can You Do Real Work With the 30-Year-Old IBM 5150? via PC World