It has been approximately forty years since the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics announced the beginning of the personal computer revolution with the MITS Altair 8800 on the cover. It's been debated many times, but most historians acknowledge the Altair as the world’s first commercially successful, mass-produced personal computer, and that its creator, Ed Roberts, was the “Father of the personal computer.” Well, January has come and gone, but where was the celebration? Where was the education for those people who do not make it their hobby or regular concern? Neither the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California or the Living Computer Museum in Seattle, Washington have uttered a word about it in social media. I can't say that I've searched every page of their main web sites, but I don't see it mentioned there either.

I don't understand. Just how can this be? This was THE major event and not just a footnote in the history of the modern "personal" computer. In the case of the Living Computer Museum, the Altair literally launched the career and fortune of its founder Paul Allen, along with his partner Bill Gates. Wouldn't you think that both of these institutions would have been planning for this for some time? If I worked at either one, I would have been prepared with special announcements, articles, audio and video, and especially special exhibits. But alas, I don't work at either, because I don't have a Ph.D, connections or a best-selling book. Go ahead and call it "sour grapes" if you wish, but c'mon, I'm just a humble self-made computer historian (20+ years), yet I can easily recognize major events to be acknowledged in the history of computing.

I wouldn't make such a big deal, but I was truly dumbfounded to discover this today while searching the internet for any coverage of the event. There was a little coverage in the online press, but very little. It's a tremendous shame that the general population is not really aware of the Altair, perhaps like the Model T, and then Ed Roberts, sort of like Henry Ford. As big a fan as I am of Steve Jobs, most people might think the entire personal computer ecosystem was built by only two men, Jobs and Bill Gates. Back to the museums though; isn't this their basic, primary charter, to teach about computer history? The cultural history isn't just about the machines either, it's about the people, but they failed to talk about either in this case. Yeah, I'm going to say it... you should both be ashamed CHM and LCM. All the resources, all the staff, but where is the focus for what your core purpose is?

Ed Roberts died of pneumonia in April 2010. He was then known as Dr. Roberts, and he practiced his gift in the small town of Cochran, Georgia. His story is also one to inspire, and it's the stuff of the American dream, and in finding fulfillment in ultimately becoming what you really wanted. I wrote an article about him after his death, plus, I actually had the opportunity to meet him and to conduct an audio interview with him in 1995. Learn more about Ed Roberts, the Altair 8800 and the start of the personal computer revolution, here:

Remembering Ed Roberts

Classic Computing, Ed Roberts interview 1995

The Kit That Launched The Tech Revolution