“With cheap processors . . . what can’t we do?”

Altair 8800 running at the Southeast Vintage Computer Festival in Atlanta, Georgia in 2014.
Altair 8800 kit computer running at the SEVCF 2014. This computer is mentioned in Buchanan’s article.

In the November 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact magazine, Martin Buchanan published a feature article on personal computers titled, “Home Computers Now!” In it, he opens with a scenario about how PCs can automate family life and then goes into the nuts and bolts of how computers work, what to look for in a kit, and what the future of computing looks like. It was at the end of the article that this passage stood out to me:

"With cheap processors, cheap memory, and cheap communications, what can't we do? The effects on individuals and society will be major and unpredictable. Today's personal computer is just a beginning" (Buchanan 74).


Buchanan, Martin. “Home Computers Now!” Analog, Nov. 1977, pp. 61-74.