West Coast Computer Faire
Encyclopedia
The West Coast Computer Faire was an annual computer industry conference and exposition most often associated with San Francisco, its first and most frequent venue. The first fair was held in 1977 and was organized by Jim Warren and Bob Reiling. At the time it was the biggest computer show in the world, intended to popularize the personal computer
in the home. The West Coast PC Faire was formed to provide a more specialized show. However, Apple stopped exhibiting at the West Coast Computer Faire, refusing to exhibit at any show other than Comdex that also had PC based exhibits.
In 1983, Warren sold the rights to the Faire for US$3 million to Prentice Hall
, who later sold it to Sheldon Adelson
, the owner of Interface Group and COMDEX
. In total sixteen shows were held, with the last in 1991. After Jim Warren sold the show, it had a few more good years, and then declined rapidly.
industry. It took place on April 16–17, 1977, in San Francisco Civic Auditorium & Brooks Hall, and saw the debut of the Commodore PET
, presented by Chuck Peddle
, and the Apple II
, presented by then-21-year-old Steve Jobs
and Steve Wozniak
. At the exhibition, Jobs introduced the Apple II to a Japan
ese textile maker, Mizushima Satoshi, who became the first authorized Apple dealer in Japan.
There were about 180 exhibitors, among them Intel, MITS
, and Digital Research
. More than 12,000 people visited the fair.
The 2nd West Coast Computer Faire was held March 3–5, 1978, at the San Jose Convention Center. This event had the first-ever microcomputer chess
tournament, won by Sargon
.
The 3rd West Coast Computer Faire was held November 3–5, 1978, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The 4th West Coast Computer Faire returned to San Francisco in May 1979 at Brooks Hall and Civic Auditorium. Dan Bricklin demonstrated VisiCalc
, the first spreadsheet
program for personal computers.
At the 5th West Coast Computer Faire, held in March 1980, Microsoft
announced their first hardware product, the Z-80 SoftCard
, which gave the Apple II CP/M
capabilities.
The 6th West Coast Computer Faire was held in April 1981, when Adam Osborne
introduced the Osborne 1
.
The 7th West Coast Computer Faire saw the introduction of the 5MB Winchester disk drive for IBM PC
s by Davong Systems. It was held on March 19–21, 1982 in San Francisco. That year's conference also featured a Saturday breakout session, titled "THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER", with eight talks delivered in a three-hour period. One of these was (as listed in the program):
P.C. — It's Impact on the MicroComputer Industry
Bill Gates, President
Microsoft
10800 N.E. 8th #819
Bellevue, WA 98004
At its peak, all available spaces for exhibits were rented out, including the balcony of Civic Auditorium, and the hallway to the restrooms in Brooks Hall (Where Bob Wallace ("Quicksoft") introduced "PC Write")
The 8th West Coast Computer Faire was held from March 18–20, 1983.
Subsequent West Coast Computer Faires were held in Moscone Center
in San Francisco.
The 16th West Coast Computer Faire was held from May 30 to June 2, 1991, at Moscone Center in San Francisco.
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
in the home. The West Coast PC Faire was formed to provide a more specialized show. However, Apple stopped exhibiting at the West Coast Computer Faire, refusing to exhibit at any show other than Comdex that also had PC based exhibits.
In 1983, Warren sold the rights to the Faire for US$3 million to Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall is a major educational publisher. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6-12 and higher-education market. Prentice Hall distributes its technical titles through the Safari...
, who later sold it to Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Gary Adelson is an American casino magnate. Adelson is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., the parent company of Venetian Macao Limited which operates The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center...
, the owner of Interface Group and COMDEX
COMDEX
COMDEX was a computer expo held in Las Vegas, Nevada, each November from 1979 to 2003. It was one of the largest computer trade shows in the world, usually second only to the German CeBIT, and by many accounts one of the largest trade shows in any industry sector...
. In total sixteen shows were held, with the last in 1991. After Jim Warren sold the show, it had a few more good years, and then declined rapidly.
History
Some people refer to the first fair as the birth of the personal computerPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
industry. It took place on April 16–17, 1977, in San Francisco Civic Auditorium & Brooks Hall, and saw the debut of the Commodore PET
Commodore PET
The Commodore PET was a home/personal computer produced from 1977 by Commodore International...
, presented by Chuck Peddle
Chuck Peddle
Charles Ingerham Peddle is an American electrical engineer best known as the main designer of the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor; the KIM-1 SBC; and its successor the Commodore PET personal computer, both based on the 6502....
, and the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, presented by then-21-year-old Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
and Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
. At the exhibition, Jobs introduced the Apple II to a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese textile maker, Mizushima Satoshi, who became the first authorized Apple dealer in Japan.
There were about 180 exhibitors, among them Intel, MITS
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems was an American electronics company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico that began manufacturing electronic calculators in 1971 and personal computers in 1975. Ed Roberts and Forrest Mims founded MITS in December 1969 to produce miniaturized telemetry...
, and Digital Research
Digital Research
Digital Research, Inc. was the company created by Dr. Gary Kildall to market and develop his CP/M operating system and related products. It was the first large software company in the microcomputer world...
. More than 12,000 people visited the fair.
The 2nd West Coast Computer Faire was held March 3–5, 1978, at the San Jose Convention Center. This event had the first-ever microcomputer chess
Computer chess
Computer chess is computer architecture encompassing hardware and software capable of playing chess autonomously without human guidance. Computer chess acts as solo entertainment , as aids to chess analysis, for computer chess competitions, and as research to provide insights into human...
tournament, won by Sargon
Sargon (chess)
Sargon is a line of chess-playing software for personal computers.-Origin:The original SARGON was written by Dan and Kathleen 'Kathe' Spracklen in a Z80-based computer called Wavemate Jupiter III...
.
The 3rd West Coast Computer Faire was held November 3–5, 1978, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The 4th West Coast Computer Faire returned to San Francisco in May 1979 at Brooks Hall and Civic Auditorium. Dan Bricklin demonstrated VisiCalc
VisiCalc
VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet program available for personal computers. It is often considered the application that turned the microcomputer from a hobby for computer enthusiasts into a serious business tool...
, the first spreadsheet
Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a computer application that simulates a paper accounting worksheet. It displays multiple cells usually in a two-dimensional matrix or grid consisting of rows and columns. Each cell contains alphanumeric text, numeric values or formulas...
program for personal computers.
At the 5th West Coast Computer Faire, held in March 1980, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
announced their first hardware product, the Z-80 SoftCard
Z-80 SoftCard
The Z-80 SoftCard was a plug-in card supplied by Microsoft for use with the Apple II personal computer, which did not have a Z-80 compatible processor and could not run CP/M. It had a Zilog Z80 CPU plus some 74LS00 series TTL chips to adapt that processor's bus to the rather different bus system...
, which gave the Apple II CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
capabilities.
The 6th West Coast Computer Faire was held in April 1981, when Adam Osborne
Adam Osborne
Adam Osborne was an American author, book and software publisher, and computer designer who founded several companies in the United States and elsewhere.- Computers :...
introduced the Osborne 1
Osborne 1
The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable microcomputer, released on April 3, 1981 by Osborne Computer Corporation. It weighed 10.7 kg , cost USD$ 1795, and ran the then-popular CP/M 2.2 operating system...
.
The 7th West Coast Computer Faire saw the introduction of the 5MB Winchester disk drive for IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
s by Davong Systems. It was held on March 19–21, 1982 in San Francisco. That year's conference also featured a Saturday breakout session, titled "THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER", with eight talks delivered in a three-hour period. One of these was (as listed in the program):
P.C. — It's Impact on the MicroComputer Industry
Bill Gates, President
Microsoft
10800 N.E. 8th #819
Bellevue, WA 98004
At its peak, all available spaces for exhibits were rented out, including the balcony of Civic Auditorium, and the hallway to the restrooms in Brooks Hall (Where Bob Wallace ("Quicksoft") introduced "PC Write")
The 8th West Coast Computer Faire was held from March 18–20, 1983.
Subsequent West Coast Computer Faires were held in Moscone Center
Moscone Center
Moscone Center is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. It comprises three main halls: Two underground halls underneath Yerba Buena Gardens, known as Moscone North and Moscone South, and a three-level Moscone West exhibition hall across 4th Street...
in San Francisco.
The 16th West Coast Computer Faire was held from May 30 to June 2, 1991, at Moscone Center in San Francisco.
External links
- Original article about the first faire by David H. Ahl in The Best of Creative Computing Volume 3 (1980)
- On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore (2005) Variant Press. Mentions the WCCF and the debut of the Commodore PET and Apple II.