On Sun, 14 Jun 2026, Mike Katz via cctalk wrote:
The original PC was really not a very good machine, especially not for more
then $5,000. It was three programs that made is useful. Wordstar, Visicalc
(later Lotus 123) and DBASE II.
Those good software items are what made it successful.
Similarly, some say that Apple's success was reliant on VsiCalc.
It was only $5,000 if you bought a ridiculous bundle from IBM with
seriously inflated prices for commodity hardware, and all of
the software that you did NOT want. I hope that nobody other than college
administrators paid THAT.
Without unwanted software bundle, it was more like $2500
My first was $1320? plus about $600 for CGA and disk controller boards,
and then I put in my own 4116 RAM and floppy drives (same as TRS80), and
used my own CCTV composite monitor.
Google Gemini says $1565, including CGA (~$300)
True, IBM wanted about $3000 more for FDC and one drive, 48K (three rows
of 9 4116s), CGA board, and more than $600 for a color monitor!
Floppy controller board, and CGA were only available through IBM
initially, but the rest was same as TRS-80, etc. at about 1/10 the price.
IBM sold VisiCalc; Wordstar was independently from MicroPro; dBase II was
from Ashton Tate.
For a word processor, IBM tried selling "Easy Writer" by John Draper!
(included in the $5,000 bundle?)
Supercalc came out soon later, and was much cheaper than IBM's price for
VisiCalc,
Immediately after I started teaching in the college, my department chair
had me come in on the weekend, and he and I put RAM, FDC, CGA, and drives
into a couple dozen bare PCs.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred [email protected]
