Back in 1979 before they were computers by Dell and others there was Apple and IBM and Atari. My team and I were producing a television special on the coming of the information age titled The Information Society. We went to Cedar Rapids Iowa and walked into a Computerland retail computer store and started filming. This boy and his dad were there to buy a new computer. When I first posted a version of this clip, people asked me who he was and what happened to him. A subscriber using sophisticated software found him– Jay Ehrlich - and he is doing just fine in Chicago as a corporate executive.

Jay was a 12-year-old kid then. At the time there were about 800,000 computers being used in the world. Of course, out in the Silicon Valley (it wasn't called that yet) Steve Jobs and Steve Woz had already founded Apple making home computers and they were for sale in this store.

Computerland was one of the largest retail stores where computer hardware and software was available – predominantly focused on personal computers and their peripherals. Some of the notable computers and hardware available for sale were:

Apple II, released in 1977 was a popular personal computer series. It featured a MOS Technology 6502 processor, 4-48 KB of RAM, and support for color graphics.
Atari had just launched Atari 400 and 800 - 8-bit personal computers that used the MOS Technology 6502 processor. They were primarily designed for gaming and education and came with built-in support for Atari game cartridges.

The Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) was another early personal computer that used the MOS Technology 6502 processor. It featured a built-in monochrome monitor and a tape drive for storage.

TRS-80 Model I was introduced in 1977 and was an early personal computer developed by Tandy Corporation and sold through RadioShack stores. It used the Zilog Z80 processor and came with 4-48 KB of RAM, a built-in monochrome monitor and a cassette tape drive for storage.

Released in 1975, the IBM 5100 was an portable computer that predated the IBM PC. It used IBM's custom 16-bit processor and had 16-64 KB of RAM.

In 1979 the software available in retail stores for personal computers was relatively limited but there were several categories of software available, including programming languages, operating systems, productivity tools, games, and educational programs including:

CP/M was a popular operating system used on machines like the TRS-80 and Osborne 1. Apple II computers came with Apple DOS (Disk Operating System) for managing files and running applications.

BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was the most common programming language available. Most machines either came with a version of BASIC built-in or had it available as a separate software package.

Early word processors such as WordStar, Electric Pencil and Apple Writer were available offering users the ability to create and edit text documents.

VisiCalc, released in 1979, was the first electronic spreadsheet program and a significant factor in the success of the Apple II computer. It allowed users to perform financial calculations and manage data more efficiently than traditional paper-based methods.

In 1979 the computer gaming industry was in its infancy and many games were simple, text-based, or had rudimentary graphics. Some popular games available included:

Adventure (also known as Colossal Cave Adventure) was one of the first text-based adventure games. Players navigated a cave system using text commands to solve puzzles and interact with the environment.

Star Raiders was a groundbreaking space combat simulation game that featured real-time 3D graphics.

Akalabeth is considered one of the earliest computer role-playing games (RPGs) and a precursor to the popular Ultima series.

Microsoft Flight Simulator was started development in 1979 and provided a realistic simulation of flying various aircraft.

In 1979, computer classes like the one that Jay was in were new in junior high schools. Those schools that had computer classes taught introduction to BASIC Programming using the BASIC programming language. Plus a Computer Literacy course focused on introducing students to how computers could be used in everyday life. Students also learned keyboarding skills and how to use productivity software like word processors and spreadsheets. In addition students learned about databases, spreadsheets and word processors and computer Math that focused on using computers to solve mathematical problems.

At the request of many of my subscribers, I went and interviewed Jay and his dad today. Here is that interview:    • He Looks At His 12 yr. Old Self 41 Ye...  

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