Altair

1974 - Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) puts out the first ever “Do it yourself” Altair 8800. You would get it through Popular Mechanics Magazine, then assemble it yourself. This is a turning point in home computer setup. The price for an Altair 8800 kit – $397 – and it included Microsoft Altair BASIC.

This Day in Tech History podcast show notes for December 19

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• DirectX 9 is released
  
• RIAA switches from suing users to ISP
  
• Samuel Clemens patents suspenders