Today, the August 12 marks the 30th anniversary of the IBM Personal Computer. The IBM 5150 was IBM’s first ‘PC’.
The first PC had the following specifications :-
- 4.77Mhz Intel 8088 CPU with optional 8087 math coprocessor
- 16KB,256KB or 640KB RAM
- CGA Video
- One or two 160kb 5.25” floppy drives
- Optional hard drive
When the machine was first released, it could run the following operating systems :- PC-DOS, CPM-86, but also the UCSD D-PASCAL system.
Could you use one of these PCs today to perform that same daily tasks you would do on a modern PC or Mac? Someone has given it a go. Have a read of Can You Do Real Work With the 30-Year-Old IBM 5150?
Sadly, I don’t own one of these in my collection. The earliest PC I owned was a clone 286 PC. I then had a 386, 486, Pentium etc.