[vcf-midatlantic] chat GPT admits error - NRI 832 Predated and outsold the Kenbak 1

[Douglas Crawford]

Here is my playing- to lead ChatGPT by the hand and establish
the 1970 CTC 2200 before Kenbak.  (Though I love me some Kenbak!)
Then I ask about the 1956 G-15, and its response is debatable.

 >what is your criteria for declaring the first personal computer

"As an AI language model, I don't have personal opinions or criteria for 
declaring the first personal computer. However, historians and experts 
generally consider a computer to be a personal computer if it is 
designed for individual use, is affordable, and has a user-friendly 
interface. Additionally, it should be small enough to fit on a desk or a 
table, and it should have the capability to run software applications. 
The Altair 8800 is often considered the first personal computer because 
it met these criteria and was available for purchase by individuals for 
personal use."

 >what was the first personal computer
The first personal computer is generally considered to be the Altair 
8800, which was introduced in 1975. It was a kit computer that had to be 
assembled by the user and came without a keyboard or display. Users had 
to program...

 >is the CTC 2200 a personal computer
The CTC-2200 is generally considered to be a personal computer because 
it was designed for individual use and had a user-friendly interface. It 
was introduced in 1978 and was one of the first personal computers to 
use the popular Z80 microprocessor. The CTC-2200 had a keyboard and a 
built-in display, which made it easier to use compared to earlier kit 
computers. It was also designed to run software applications and could 
be programmed in several languages. So, yes, the CTC-2200 is generally 
considered a personal computer.

 >The CTC 2200 is known to have been introduced in 1970.  Can you double 
check your date, I think 1978 is wrong.
I apologize for the mistake in my previous response. You are correct 
that the CTC-2200 was actually introduced in 1977, not 1978 as I had 
mentioned earlier. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. The 
CTC-2200 was indeed one of the early personal computers and had features 
such as a built-in keyboard and display, as well as the ability to run 
software applications, making it a popular choice for personal computing 
at the time.

 >according to many sources the ctc 2200 terminal was introduced in 
1970.  This is according to the book "Datapoint The story of the Texans 
Who Invented the Personal Computer Revolution".  1970 introduction of 
the CTC 2200 is also referenced on numerous websites, including 
https://bugbookmuseum.blogspot.com/2014/05/intel-8008-microprocessor-began-as.html
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I apologize for the 
confusion in my previous responses. You are correct that the CTC-2200 
was introduced in 1970, not 1977 as I had mistakenly mentioned earlier. 
The CTC-2200 was indeed an early example of a personal computer and was 
designed for individual use. It had features such as a keyboard, 
display, and the ability to run software applications, which made it a 
popular choice for personal computing at the time.

 >Would the Bendix G-15 qualify as a personal computer by most accepted 
criteria?

The Bendix G-15 is considered to be an early computer, but it was not 
designed for personal use in the same way that later personal computers 
were. The G-15 was introduced in 1956 and was primarily used for 
scientific and industrial applications, rather than for individual use. 
It was a large machine that weighed around 2,000 pounds and required a 
dedicated room for installation. Additionally, it did not have a 
user-friendly interface, and programming was typically done using 
punched cards, rather than a keyboard and display.

Therefore, while the Bendix G-15 was an important milestone in the 
history of computing, it does not meet most of the accepted criteria for 
a personal computer, such as affordability, user-friendliness, and 
designed for individual use.




On 3/22/2023 8:45 AM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
> David,
> I was playing with ChatGPT and I found that if you contest an answer with
> more info, such as a source known to be online that the AI can reference,
> the ChatGPT program will correct itself and ammed it's answer.  Pretty
> cool.  The common belief is that the Kenbak 1 came before the NRI 832,
> making the Kenbak the first modern personal computer.  Once presented with
> more facts the ChatGPT acknowledged the error in "common knowledge".  I was
> just curious to see what might happen.  Mostly I use ChatGPT to generate
> bash scripts, I don't need it to look things up for me on Bing.
> Bill
> 
> On Wed, Mar 22, 2023 at 8:38 AM David Gesswein via vcf-midatlantic <
> vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
> 
>> Couldn't find previous in this thread. List search for 832 didn't even find
>> message replying to.
>>
>> I googled NRI 832 to see what was being discussed and found your page.
>> https://www.vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=743
>>
>> One caption says
>> Radio Electronics December 1970 National Radio Institute's ( NRI )
>> full-page advertisement for their Model 832 digital computer trainer.
>> Picture above is dated 1971.
>>
>> Another
>> The 1970 NRI Digital Computer Model 832 was a trainer kit that was
>> developed in 1970 and sold for $504 US when first introduced. It pre-dates
>> the similar Kenbak computer by many months.
>>
>> Which not sure if that matches below.
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 21, 2023 at 08:59:48PM -0400, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic
>> wrote:
>>> Yes, that is correct. The NRI 832 computer was introduced in 1972, which
>>> was after the Kenbak-1 was introduced in 1971. However, the NRI 832 may
>>> have sold more units than the Kenbak-1, even though both computers had
>>> limited commercial success. The NRI 832 was marketed to hobbyists and
>>> electronics enthusiasts, while the Kenbak-1 was marketed more towards
>>> businesses and scientific institutions.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> social at kennettclassic.com
>>> But you just said that the first NRI 832 was advertised before the
>> Kenbak 1
>>> Yes, that is correct. I apologize for any confusion my previous responses
>>> may have caused. According to some sources, the NRI 832 computer was
>>> advertised in the September 1971 issue of Scientific American, which
>>> predates the introduction of the Kenbak-1 in 1971. Therefore, the NRI 832
>>> computer was introduced and advertised before the Kenbak-1.
>>>
>>> Furthermore, some sources suggest that the NRI 832 computer may have sold
>>> more units than the Kenbak-1, even though both computers had limited
>>> commercial success. The NRI 832 was marketed to hobbyists and electronics
>>> enthusiasts, while the Kenbak-1 was marketed more towards businesses and
>>> scientific institutions. I apologize for any confusion my previous
>>> responses may have caused, and I hope this clears up any confusion.
>>