Who invented the personal computer? THE greatest human invention of all time is often considered to be the printing press, because it enabled people, for the very first time, to mass produce and distribute information. The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg. However, more modern inventions, particularly those that involve technology, cannot easily be traced to one or two individuals. They are more likely to be developed than invented, evolving from the cumulative efforts of many people. This is true for a modern invention that, in the course of history, will surpass the television and telephone as one of the world's most important innovations: the desktop, or personal, computer. Of course, the PC evolved from giant mainframe computers, but desktop computing - both the concept of it, as well as the design - was also its own innovation. Credit is duly attributed to Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, co-founders of Apple, Inc., the company behind the iPod and the Mac, and to IBM, the company that coined the phrase "personal computer." But if you were to check the records at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, you'd find that patent # 224,415, issued July 25, 1972, for a device called a "computer terminal" is registered to three people you've never heard of: Jack Frassanito, Gus Roche and Phil Ray. In the late 1960s, Frassanito, a young industrial designer, joined the San Antonio, Texas firm CTC founded by Roche and Ray. The company's first product was called the Datapoint 3300, an upgrade to a mechanical teletype machine. But Roche dreamed of making a desktop computer for personal use. The company feared people would be intimidated by a strange new machine, so they wanted it to look familiar in size and appearance. Frassanito was given the job of designing the device so that it would resemble an IBM typewriter. They would market the new computer as an electronic replacement for a mechanical card-punch machine. Fitting all of that hardware and circuitry into such a tight space caused overheating problems, so CTC approached a company called Intel to make a microprocessor, or "chip," to run the computer. A computer chip had never been used this way before. Intel did not produce the chip fast enough for CTC, and the team found another system for their computer, but the chip Intel developed would set the company on a new path. The microprocessor is itself one of the most important innovations in the development of the PC. CTC unveiled their new device, the Datapoint 2200, in 1970. Early computers were used primarily for accounting, calculating and data storage purposes. Later, people using the computers found its potential as an information sharing and communication tool, transforming the personal computer into a device everyone could use. But every PC today can trace itself back to the Datapoint 2200. Today's lesson fulfills the following New York standards: English Language Arts: 1c, 3c, 3d, 4a, 4b, 5a. To order Classroom Extra for your school go to nypost.com/esignup or call 1-212-801-0127. --- New York Post Activities The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue offers fun computer classes and workshops, computer camps and field trips. Visit apple.com for info. The story of the PC is as much about users finding new ways to put their computers to work as it is about engineers and technicians. Can you "invent" a new way to use your computer in your life? The personal computer is 40 years old. Can you envision what computers will be like in another 40 years? Write an essay about your computer for the future.

Originally published by Robin Wallace.

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