Editing Desktop computer (section)

===Origins===
[[File:Apple II IMG 4212.jpg|right|thumb|[[Apple II]] computer]]
Prior to the widespread use of [[Microprocessor|microprocessors]], a computer that could fit on a desk was considered remarkably small; the type of computers most commonly used were [[minicomputer]]s, which, despite the name, were rather large and were "mini" only compared to the so-called "[[Mainframe computer|big iron]]". Early computers, and later the general purpose high throughput "[[Mainframe computer|mainframes]]", took up the space of a whole room. [[Minicomputer|Minicomputers]], on the contrary, generally fit into one or a few refrigerator-sized racks, or, for the few smaller ones, ''built into'' a fairly large desk, not put ''on top'' of it.

It was not until the 1970s when fully programmable computers appeared that could fit entirely on top of a desk. 1970 saw the introduction of the [[Datapoint 2200]], a "smart" [[computer terminal]] complete with keyboard and monitor, was designed to connect with a [[mainframe computer]] but that did not stop owners from using its built-in computational abilities as a stand-alone desktop computer.<ref name="wood">Lamont Wood, [http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9111341 "Forgotten PC history: The true origins of the personal computer"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080814215757/http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9111341 |date=2008-08-14 }}, ''Computerworld'', 8 August 2008</ref> The [[HP 9800 series]], which started out as programmable calculators in 1971 but was programmable in [[BASIC]] by 1972, used a smaller version of a [[minicomputer]] design based on ROM memory and had small one-line LED alphanumeric displays and displayed graphics with a plotter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hewlett Packard 9830A – Complete History of the HP9830A |url=https://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/HP9830A.html |website=history-computer.com|date=4 January 2021 }}</ref> The [[Wang 2200]] of 1973 had a full-size [[cathode-ray tube]] (CRT) and cassette tape storage. The [[IBM 5100]] in 1975 had a small CRT display and could be programmed in BASIC and [[APL (programming language)|APL]]. These were generally expensive specialized computers sold for business or scientific uses.<ref name="Timeline of Computer History">{{Cite web |title=Timeline of Computer History |url=http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?category=cmptr |access-date=May 7, 2014 |publisher=Computer History Museum}}</ref>