Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Replicating the PDP-8
By James Grahame
I'm not sure why someone would go to the trouble of building a non-functional replica of a DEC PDP-8 -- as a museum exhibit, perhaps? Whatever the reason, the Vintage Computer Festival site features a dozen or so shots of this wickedly cool looking replica. Besides, it's not often one gets to write about a computer with zero bits of core memory, no I/O and photocopied circuit boards.
Those who prefer PDP-8 replicas that actually work should check out Spare Time Gizmo's tiny PDP-8/E system. The main board measures only 4.2 x 6.2 inches and will cheerfully run standard DEC paper tape software without modification.
PDP-8 Replica Project [via Make]
