Two Gigs, And Growing

By Fred Langa

August 23, 1999

(Two Gigs, And Growing :  Page 1 of 7 )

In this Article

Two Gigs, And Growing 1975 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984

Part One: The First Decade
BYTE was born in 1975, back when the idea of a computer of your own was something out of science fiction. The microcomputer industry was just getting started. In fact, there wasn't even a good name for small computers -- that is, not until BYTE coined the term "personal computer" in its May 1976 issue.

That's right -- the very term "PC" is a BYTE innovation. You don't have to take my word for it: The Oxford English Dictionary (considered the final arbiter on the origins and use of the English language) cites BYTE as the original source for PC and other terms such as back-slash, boot, bulletin (as in BBS), CD-ROM, clone, hacker, lap (as in laptop), transportable, users, WYSIWYG, and half a dozen others.

After you've read the time line info, click on over to the threaded chat area and tell us your favorite Byte anecdote or story, especially if you?re a long-term Byte reader. What did you like about Byte when you first read it? What innovations do you remember seeing first in its pages? What would you like to see in the future? Join in!

BYTE was there at the start and helped define the whole personal-computing genre as it grew and matured from a hobbyist pastime to an essential cornerstone of modern business.

As the computer industry changed, so did BYTE. For example, as off-the-shelf products began to replace the home-brew system of the earliest days, BYTE published the industry's first stand-alone and comparative reviews, built the world's first magazine-sponsored computer-testing lab, and published the first widely used microcomputer benchmarks.

 Page 1 of 7 Next page