Sharing knowledge was part of computing from the start
Computers were expensive, poorly documented, and unreliable in their early years. Anyone who wanted to use one had good reasons to talk to others who were facing the same problems. Groups of users therefore formed early, long before the era of home machines.
Two well-known examples come from corporate computing. SHARE, formed in the mid-1950s, brought together users of IBM scientific computers so they could exchange programs and fixes. DECUS, the user society for Digital Equipment Corporation machines, began in the early 1960s with a similar purpose. In both cases, customers found that sharing software saved everyone time, and the vendors found that supporting such groups could be good for business. These organizations helped establish habits, such as exchanging libraries and bug reports, that later hobbyist groups echoed.
Amateurs before the microcomputer
Interest outside business and academia grew gradually. A group of amateurs in the United States formed the Amateur Computer Society in the mid-1960s and circulated a newsletter among people building their own machines, mainly from surplus parts. Hobbyists of this kind were rare and technically skilled, and their machines were small, slow, and not widely useful.
That began to change in the early 1970s, when the arrival of microprocessors made it feasible to build a small computer at a price that a determined individual could afford. Newsletters such as People’s Computer Company, which started in the early 1970s, encouraged ordinary readers to learn programming. Ted Nelson’s 1974 book Computer Lib argued that people should understand and control computers rather than leave them to experts.
The Altair and the kit moment
In January 1975, Popular Electronics magazine featured the Altair 8800, a computer sold by MITS as a kit. It had few features by later standards, with switches and lights instead of a keyboard and screen. Even so, it showed there was a market for individuals who wanted a machine of their own, and it inspired many readers to try building or buying one. This was part of the wave of microcomputer kits that opened computing to people outside institutions.
Kits created a need for community. Buyers had to assemble hardware, find or write software, and troubleshoot problems that no manual explained. Clubs filled that gap.
The Homebrew Computer Club
The best-known gathering was the Homebrew Computer Club, which started meeting in the Bay Area of California in 1975. Its meetings typically combined talks, demonstrations, and time for members to show what they were working on. Participants swapped circuit ideas, software, and rumors about new parts.
Many people who later worked in the personal computer industry attended at one time or another. Accounts commonly place Steve Wozniak among the regulars, and the Apple I came out of that environment, though Apple’s story involved far more than the club. The Homebrew club also hosted debates about whether software should be shared freely or sold, which became a lasting theme.
One famous example was a 1976 open letter in which Bill Gates complained that people were copying Altair BASIC without paying. The reaction showed a real tension between a culture of sharing and the idea that software was a product, a tension that never fully went away.
It is worth keeping the picture in proportion. Homebrew was one of many groups, and attributing the whole personal computer revolution to a single club would be a mistake.
A wider network of clubs and media
Clubs formed in many places across the United States, Britain, and elsewhere. Some were tied to a specific machine, with members who owned the same brand, while others were general. Common activities included:
- regular meetings with demonstrations and talks
- newsletters with listings of programs and hardware tips
- libraries of shared software, often on cassette tapes or floppy disks
- group purchasing and swap meets for parts
- helping newcomers, including schools and libraries, get started
Magazines amplified this network. Byte began in 1975 and became a prominent hobbyist publication, and Dr. Dobb’s Journal, which started in 1976, published work on small versions of the BASIC language and other tools. Printed listings of programs let readers type them in at home, which was a clumsy but widely used way to share software.
Moving online
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, many hobbyists were using modems to connect their computers. Bulletin board systems, which were home-run computers that others could call, became places to trade programs, ask questions, and chat. In many ways they were the online version of the club meeting.
Later, as personal computers entered mainstream homes and offices, user groups became less central, though they continued for popular platforms. Newsgroups, forums, and eventually the web took over many of their roles. The pattern of people helping one another continued in online communities.
Why it mattered
These communities made several contributions to computing history.
- They lowered barriers. A newcomer could find help from experienced enthusiasts, which was valuable when manuals were poor.
- They spread software and ideas. Shared programs and tips reached people faster than formal publishing.
- They fed the industry. Some members became founders or employees of computer companies, and clubs served as informal testing grounds for products.
- They shaped attitudes. Debates about sharing, ownership, and openness that began in these circles still echo in discussions about software licensing.
As with most of computing history, the main lesson is that spreading a technology takes many people. Designers built the machines, but communities taught others to use them, and that work was just as important in turning computers into personal computers.