Programma 101
A Programma 101
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| Type | programmable desktop calculator |
|---|---|
| Release date | 1965 |
| Memory | 240 bytes |
| Successor | Programma P102 |
The Olivetti Programma 101, also known as Perottina or P101, is the first commercial programmable "desktop computer". Produced by Italian manufacturer Olivetti, based in Ivrea, Piedmont, and invented by the Italian engineer Pier Giorgio Perotto, the P101 had the main features of large computers of that period. It was launched at the 1964 New York World's Fair; volume production started in 1965. A futuristic design for its time, the Programma 101 was priced at $3,200 ($24,500 if adjusted to 2016). About 44,000 units were sold, primarily in the US.
It is usually called a printing programmable calculator or desktop calculator because three years later the Hewlett-Packard 9100A, a model that took inspiration from the P101, was advertised by HP as a "portable calculator", in order to overcome the fears of computers and be able to sell it to corporations without passing through the corporate computer department.
The Programma 101 was able to calculate the basic four arithmetic functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), plus square root, absolute value, and fractional part. It was equipped with memory registers with features such as clear, transfer, and exchange, plus printing and halt for input. There were 16 jump instructions and 16 conditional jump instructions. Its features of conditional jump instructions, an alphanumeric programming language, an internal memory, and a data storage system define it as a "computer". Thirty-two label statements were available as destinations for the jump instructions and/or the four start keys (V, W, Y, Z). Routines on magnetic cards could be used without knowledge of programming.
Earlier computers were expensive and could only be used by experts. The P101 was easy and economical, and programs on magnetic cards allowed use without knowing the programming language.
Each full register held a 22-digit number with sign and decimal point or 24 instructions each consisting of a letter and a symbol.
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