Editing Popular Electronics (section)

== Personal computers ==
[[File:Roger Melen, Lee Felsenstein, and Harry Garland.jpg|thumb|[[Roger Melen]], [[Lee Felsenstein]], and [[Harry Garland]] (shown in 2013) introduced ground-breaking personal computer products in Popular Electronics: [[Cromemco Cyclops|Cyclops Camera]] and [[Cromemco Dazzler|TV Dazzler]] (Melen and Garland); [[Pennywhistle modem|Pennywhistle Modem]] and SOL Computer (Felsenstein).]]
There is debate about what machine was the first personal computer, the Altair 8800 (1975), the [[Mark-8]] (1974), or even back to [[Kenbak-1]] (1971). The computer in the January 1975 issue of ''Popular Electronics'' captured the attention of the 400,000 or so readers. Before then, home computers were lucky to sell a hundred units. The Altair sold thousands in the first year. By the end of 1975 there were a dozen companies producing computer kits and peripherals using the Altair circuit bus, later renamed the [[S-100 bus]] and set as an IEEE standard.

The February 1975 issue featured an "All Solid-State TV Camera"<ref>
{{cite magazine | author = Terry Walker |author2=Roger Melen |author3=Harry Garland |date=February 1975 | title = Build Cyclops, First All Solid-State TV Camera |magazine= Popular Electronics | volume = 7 | issue = 2 | pages =27–31 | publisher = Ziff Davis}}</ref> by three [[Stanford University]] students: Terry Walker, [[Harry Garland]] and [[Roger Melen]]. While the [[Cromemco Cyclops|Cyclops Camera]], as it was called, was designed to use an oscilloscope for the image display, the article mentions that it could also be connected to the Altair computer. It soon was, the authors got one of the first Altair computers and designed an interface for the camera. They also designed a full color video display for the Altair, [[Cromemco Dazzler|"The TV Dazzler"]],<ref>
{{cite magazine | author = Terry Walker |author2=Roger Melen |author3=Harry Garland |author4=Ed Hall |date=February 1976 | title = Build the TV Dazzler |magazine= Popular Electronics | volume = 9 | issue = 2 |pages=31, 37–40 | publisher = Ziff Davis}}</ref> that appeared on the cover of the February 1976 issue. This was the start of [[Cromemco]], a computer company that grew to over 500 employees by 1983.<ref>[http://infolab.stanford.edu/pub/voy/museum/pictures/display/3-5-CROMEMCO.html Cromemco Display at Stanford]</ref>

The internet did not exist in 1975 but [[time-sharing]] computers did. With a [[computer terminal]] and a [[modem]] a user could dial into a large multi-user computer. [[Lee Felsenstein]] wanted make low-cost versions of modems and terminals available to the hobbyist. The March 1976 issue had the "[[Pennywhistle modem|Pennywhistle Modem]]"<ref>
{{cite magazine | author = Lee Felsenstein |date=March 1976 | title = Build the Pennywhistle - The Hobbyist's Modem |magazine= Popular Electronics | volume = 9 | issue = 3 | pages =43–50 | publisher = Ziff Davis}}</ref> and the July 1976 issue had the "SOL Intelligent Terminal".<ref>
{{cite magazine | author = Robert M. Marsh |author2=Lee Felsenstein |date=July 1976 | title = Build SOL, An Intelligent Computer Terminal |magazine= Popular Electronics | volume = 10 | issue = 1 | pages =35–38 | publisher = Ziff Davis}}</ref> The SOL, built by [[Processor Technology]], was really an Altair compatible computer and became one of the most successful personal computers at that time.

''Popular Electronics'' had many other computer projects such as the Altair 680, the  Speechlab voice recognition board<ref>[http://www.s100computers.com/Hardware%20Folder/Heuristics/SpeechLab.htm Speechlab voice recognition board]</ref> and the [[COSMAC ELF]]. They did not have the field to themselves. A dedicated computer magazine, ''[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]'', was started in September 1975. It was soon followed by other new magazines. By the end of 1977, fully assembled computers such as [[Apple II]], Radio Shack [[TRS-80]], and the [[Commodore PET]] were on the market. Building computer kits was soon replaced by plugging in assembled boards.

In 1982, Popular Electronics helped to introduce personal computer programming with its Programmer’s Notebook column written by Jim Keogh . Each column focused on a game programming. The column continued onto Computer & Electronics Magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Books-Jim-Keogh/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AJim+Keogh |title = Amazon.com| website=Amazon }}</ref>