The rise of the personal computer

By the mid-1970s, personal computers were starting to make their way into the market place in a meaningful way. The term personal computer was used when the Altair 8800 was introduced in December 1974. The first Apple computer was released 2 years later. By the mid-1980s, there were many personal computers for technologists and hobbyists to choose from, including the PC from IBM, the Commodore 64, and the Atari Amiga. The following image shows the Sinclair ZX81 computer from 1982. Despite its limited 1 KB memory, this very ZX81 would start yours truly on the path to becoming a computer nerd:

Users of early personal computers were free from depending on system administrators for mainframe access. The personal computer spawned a new generation of programmers who now had more control over their devices than ever before. Advancements in microelectronics created increasingly better personal computers and the prices continued to fall. Early applications for personal computers included word processing, spreadsheet programs, and—of course—games.