What is the Mark-8 Minicomputer?
The Mark-8 Minicomputer was the first real “hobbiest” computer. (there was another computer which beat the Mark-8 by a few months, the Scelbi-8, but that was less known, and lacked the front panel controls which made the Mark-8 similar to comercial computers.) The Mark-8 was important for microcomputer revolution of the 1970’s. It’s significance can best be understood only by understanding the the state of computers in the mid 1970’s. At this time, high-schools and colleges were teaching programming and computer sciences, but all available computers were enormous and expensive. Usually a small computer would cost $10,000 or more, and even a starter PDP-8 was around $5000. Bill Gates described how he and fellow high-school students would sneak into a local college just to play with their computer. Most couldn’t even imagine a “personal computer.” At this time, digital electronics was a common hobby. The neighboorhood Radio Shack store was stocked with many more integrated circuits, than
