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by dowager_dan99 409 days ago
keep the historical context in mind. There were people who wanted a computer at home and people who wanted to bring home the experience they got with access to powerful mainframe & minicomputers at work or school, so there was both a push to build your own computer and a desire to build IO devices like teletypes. The combo, all-in-one is the real revolution (IMO) that you got with the Apple II or the Sol. The TRS-80s and PETs feel a lot more like early commercialization in comparison. Woz was motivated by showing off what he could create, because that's how he communicated. It makes sense that a keyboard and TV - with graphics - shows off way better, same with being able to program in basic "... for $300 you can build a computer that's so good you can type programs on it and run them..."