History of Computers - Altair 8800

The Altair 8800 was one of the first microcomputers available for personal use. Although its abilities were somewhat limited, it proved to be a powerful indicator for what simple home computers could do and helped spark a personal computer revolution.

Origin

The Altair 8800 was a computer developed by MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) in 1975. The Altair 8800 was

Significance

The Altair 8800 was one of the first computers available for personal use. Before the Altair 8800, computers were generally in the hands of wealthy corporate institutions. The Altair 8800 also was responsible for the rise of Microsoft as a computing industry giant. Microsoft's first product, the History of Computers - Operating System Altair BASIC, was designed for the Altair 8800.