Technology | Nostalgia | 1980s | Life Story
Remembering the IBM PC and Compatibles
Personal memories of using an IBM PC XT and Amstrad PC1640 in the 1980s
This is an updated version of an article I wrote a few years ago for some of my now-defunct blogs.
Immediately Successful
The original IBM PC was released in 1981, and it was popular right from the start. One reason for its popularity was the IBM name. Other factors included its open standards and expansion slots.
Developers supported the PC by writing software and making expansion cards. Before long, almost any application software you could think of was available for the PC.
Even the video output came from an expansion card, which provided users with flexibility and choice.
Compatibles
After the BIOS was reverse engineered, compatible machines appeared on the market. One of the early ones was a fairly large and heavy ‘portable’ machine from Compaq.
