Datapoint: The Lost Story of the Texans Who Invented the Personal Computer Revolution
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Forget Apple and IBM. For that matter forget Silicon Valley. The first
personal computer, a self-contained unit with its own programmable processor,
display, keyboard, internal memory, telephone interface, and mass storage of
data was born in San Antonio TX. US Patent number 224,415 was filed November
27, 1970 for a machine that is the direct lineal ancestor to the PC as we know
it today. The story begins in 1968, when two Texans, Phil Ray and Gus Roche,
founded a firm called Computer Terminal Corporation. As the name implies their
first product was a Datapoint 3300 computer terminal replacement for a
mechanical Teletype. However, they knew all the while that the 3300 was only a
way to get started, and it was cover for what their real intentions were - to
create a programmable mass-produced desktop computer. They brought in Jack
Frassanito, Vic Poor, Jonathan Schmidt, Harry Pyle and a team of designers,
engineers and programmers to create the Datapoint 2200. In an attempt to reduce
the size and power requirement of the computer it became apparent that the 2200
processor could be printed on a silicon chip. Datapoint approached Intel who
rejected the concept as a "dumb idea" but were willing to try for a
development contract. Intel belatedly came back with their chip but by then the
Datapoint 2200 was already in production. Intel added the chip to its catalog
designating it the 8008. A later upgrade, the 8080 formed the heart of the
Altair and IMSI in the mid-seventies. With further development it was used in
the first IBM PC-the PC revolution's chip dynasty. If you're using a PC, you're
using a modernized Datapoint 2000.
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Lamont Wood has been a freelance writer covering the computer and technology field or more than 30 years, writing hundreds of articles for scores of magazines, plus nine books. Wood’s clients over the years have included publications in U.S., Canada, England, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Hong Kong, China, and the Philippines, including Computerworld, Smart Enterprise, Scientific American, the Chicago Tribune, and scores of others. His career made him a front-line witness to the history of the personal computer industry, putting him in contact with some of its leading figures while he reported on its events and trends.
Prior to becoming a freelance writer, from 1980-1982 Wood was a publicity writer for Datapoint and became familiar with the firm’s remarkable story and the chief personalities behind it—and saw over the subsequent decades how that story was ignored or discounted by the rest of the industry.
A resident of San Antonio (Datapoint’s home) Wood is married, has twin adult sons, and is a grandfather.
