IBM decided in 1980 to market a low-cost single-user computer as quickly as possible. On August 12, 1981, the first IBM PC went on sale. There were three operating systems (OS) … 展开

"Operationally Compatible"
The first thing to think about when considering an IBM-compatible computer is, "How compatible is it?"— BYTE, September 1983 展开

One of the strengths of the PC-compatible design is its modular hardware design. End-users could readily upgrade peripherals and, to some degree, processor and memory … 展开

Although the IBM PC was designed for expandability, the designers could not anticipate the hardware developments of the 1980s, nor the size of … 展开

Non-compatible MS-DOS computers: Workalikes
At the same time, many manufacturers such as Tandy/RadioShack, Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment Corporation, Sanyo, Texas Instruments, Tulip, 展开

The main reason why an IBM standard is not worrying is that it can help competition to flourish. IBM will soon be as much a prisoner of its standards as its competitors are. Once enough IBM … 展开

During the 1990s, IBM's influence on PC architecture started to decline. "IBM PC compatible" becomes "Standard PC" in 1990s, and later " 展开