To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
I don't know what time frame you are talking about, but I am pretty sure that in first half of 1970 there was little or no proprietary software. Home computing only took off in 1980s, and it was Gates and AT&T who made the mess
In 1979, MS 8080 BASIC was the first micro-computer product to win the ICP Million Dollar Award.
ICP was the "International Computer Programs Directory," launched in 1964, as a guide to off-the-shelf commercial products.
The awards program was launched in 1970, with about thirty - mostly mainframe - candidates showing sales worth over $1 million.
The micro lowered the barriers to entry dramatically - and the rewards could be substantial.
"Caverns of Mars" for the Atari was written by kid in high school and would return $100,000 in royalties -
something like a quarter of million in today's dollars.




Member since:
2010-05-06
Only a very small number of people had computers at all.
I don't know what time frame you are talking about, but I am pretty sure that in first half of 1970 there was little or no proprietary software. Home computing only took off in 1980s, and it was Gates and AT&T who made the mess.