@DarthAzrael 4 November 2021 more from that month

The Altair 8800 featured the Intel 8080 CPU, an 8-bit CPU running at 2 MHz. The Altair could be ordered as a kit or fully assembled but assembly added almost 50% to the price. And you couldn't expect much for your $439 outlay...even the memory had to be purchased separately. 1 KB, 2 KB and 4 KB memory cards were available with a total of 8K being a desirable amount if you could afford it. If you wanted any software then you had to be prepared to pay extra...a lot extra. In addition, what we are really talking about is not ready to use software but tools to use to create your own software. For example, BASIC would set you back $350 to $750 depending on the version you purchased though this would be discounted with additional hardware purchases (i.e. if you bought more RAM, and some sort of I/O expansion). And unless you bought a terminal with keyboard for another $780 to $920 then be prepared to program your new computer by flipping switches and early on luxurious expansion options like a terminal weren't available. When ordering software you had to specify whether you wanted that on paper tape or cassette tape. At some point an 8-inch floppy drive became available but that would have been a very expensive option in the 1970s. Read more: https://hive.blog/retrocomputing/@darth-azrael/the-mits-altair-8800 #retrocomputing #Altair #Altair8800 #Computers