MITS & Altair 8800 Pioneers: Remembering Ed Roberts and the Birth of Personal Computing

In this exclusive roundtable discussion, host David Greelish sits down with key figures from the early days of MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), the company that sparked the personal computer revolution with the Altair 8800. Panelists Robert (Bob) Zaller, Earl Ley, Pam Hollowman and Terrence (Terry) Sheen share firsthand accounts of working alongside the legendary Ed Roberts in Albuquerque. The discussion spans the company's humble beginnings in model rocketry and electronic calculators to the chaotic "mad dash" of 1975 when the Altair hit the cover of "Popular Electronics." Discover the behind-the-scenes struggles of a cash-strapped startup, the military backgrounds that shaped their discipline, and the charismatic leadership of the man often called the "Father of Personal Computing." "Computer Notes" – https://archive.org/details/computernotes "Popular Electronics" January 1975 – https://archive.org/details/197501PopularElectronics "Radio-Electronics" July 1974 – https://archive.org/details/radioelectronics45unse_5 Watch David Greelish's exclusive, rare and full 1995 interview with Ed Roberts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUOGYbuIdClNz-xZk9hooRWp727ooBtuo Watch David Greelish's Apple Lisa documentary film, "Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa" at no cost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psAeTDYezdo 0:00 – Introduction to the Panelists 1:02 – MITS: Beyond the Wikipedia Definition 1:49 – Air Force Origins: The "Blue Suitor" Days 3:46 – Ed Roberts and the First Microprocessors 5:14 – The Real Goal: Starting a Company to Buy an Airplane 6:56 – From Missile Guidance to Model Rocketry Telemetry 8:42 – Programming on the CDC 6600 Supercomputer 11:51 – The Calculator Era: Discrete Chips and Early Kits 15:34 – Marketing to Olson Electronics 17:36 – Late 1973: The Spark of the Microcomputer Idea 19:02 – MITS Success Secrets: Injection Molds and Professional Cases 22:24 – Competition from TI & HP: The Pivot to the Altair 24:50 – The Mad Dash for the January 1975 Popular Electronics Cover 25:53 – Designing the Altair Case: Why it was so Large 28:24 – Survival Mode: Layoffs and Financial Struggles 30:41 – Creative Financing: Working with Suppliers and Distributors 35:45 – Negotiating with Intel for the 8080 Chip 39:20 – The Chaos of Success: 1,000 Orders and the Redesign 42:14 – Manufacturing: Using NASA-Trained Technicians in Albuquerque 44:57 – The "Lunar Lander" Test: Quality Control for Assembled Units 48:43 – Advertising and the Legacy of David Bunnell 50:33 – Remembering Ed Roberts: Personality and Leadership Style 56:41 – Reflections on a Historic Time in Technology