IBM BASICThe IBM Personal Computer BASIC, commonly shortened to IBM BASIC, is a programming language first released by IBM with the IBM Personal Computer, Model 5150 (IBM PC) in 1981. IBM released four different versions of the Microsoft BASICinterpreter, licensed from Microsoft for the PC and PCjr. They are known as Cassette BASIC, Disk BASIC, Advanced BASIC (BASICA), and Cartridge BASIC. Versions of Disk BASIC and Advanced BASIC were included with IBM PC DOS up to PC DOS 4.
Floppy diskRemovable disk storage medium8-inch (200 mm), 5.25-inch (130 mm), and 3.5-inch (90 mm) floppy disks8-inch (200 mm), 5.25-inch (130 mm) (full height), and 3.5-inch (90 mm) drivesA 3.5-inch (90 mm) floppy disk removed from its housingA floppy disk, diskette, or floppy diskette is a type of disk storage made from a thin, flexible disk coated with a magnetic storage medium.
IBM PC DOSIBM PC DOS (an acronym for IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System), also known as IBM DOS or PC DOS, is a discontinued disk operating system for the IBM Personal Computer, its successors, and IBM PC compatibles. It was sold by IBM from the early 1980s into the 2000s. Developed by Microsoft, it was also sold by that company to the open market as MS-DOS.
IBM Personal ComputerThe IBM Personal Computer (model 5150), often referred to as the IBM PC, is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatiblede facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a team of engineers and designers at International Business Machines (IBM), directed by William C. Lowe and Philip Don Estridge in Boca Raton, Florida.
Read-only memoryRead-only memory (ROM) is a form of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be electronically modified after the manufacture of the memory device. Read-only memory is useful for storing software that is rarely changed during the life of the system, also known as firmware. Software applications, such as video games, for programmable devices can be distributed as plug-in cartridges containing ROM.
Hard disk driveA hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical computer data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnetic material. The platters are paired with magnetic heads, usually arranged on a moving actuator arm, which read and write data to the platter surfaces.Disk controllerA disk controller is a controller circuit that enables a CPU to communicate with a hard disk, floppy disk or other kind of disk drive. It also provides an interface between the disk drive and the bus connecting it to the rest of the system. Early disk controllers were identified by their storage methods and data encoding. They were typically implemented on a separate controller card.
Power-on self-testA power-on self-test (POST) is a process performed by firmware or software routines immediately after a computer or other digital electronic device is powered on. POST processes may set the initial state of the device and detect if any hardware components are non-functional. The results of the POST may be displayed on a panel that is part of the device, output to an external device, or stored for future retrieval by a diagnostic tool.Xebec CorporationXebec Corporation, formerly Microcomputer Systems Corporation, was an American computer hardware company active from 1969 to 1989. The company was primarily known for their data storage products, especially their hard disk controller ICs. A major customer of Xebec was IBM, who used their disk controllers extensively in the PC XT in 1983, their first PC with a hard drive preinstalled.
Intel 8087The Intel 8087, announced in 1980, was the first floating-point coprocessor for the 8086 line of microprocessors. The purpose of the chip was to speed up floating-point arithmetic operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root. It also computes transcendental functions such as exponential, logarithmic or trigonometric calculations.
DIN connectorThe DIN connector is an electrical signal connector that was standardized by the Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN), the German Institute for Standards, in the mid 1950s, initially with three pins for mono, but when stereo connections and gear appeared in the late 1950s, versions with five pins or more were made. The male DIN connectors (plugs) feature a 13.2 mm diameter metal shield with a notch that sets the orientation in which plug and socket can mate.
Floating-point arithmeticComputer approximation for real numbersAn early electromechanical programmable computer, the Z3, included floating-point arithmetic (replica on display at Deutsches Museum in Munich).In computing, floating-point arithmetic (FP) is arithmetic on subsets of real numbers formed by a significand (a signed sequence of a fixed number of digits in some base) multiplied by an integer power of that base. Numbers of this form are called floating-point numbers.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.