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cessor from Intel, the 8008 - developed almost concurrently
with the 4004 - was a different story entirely. With its 8-bit
word length and more robust instruction set, the 8008 could
be employed in more applications than its 4-bit predecessor. It
wasn't as capable a processor as Weisbecker's
FRED
, but, at
the time of the 8008's introduction, the
FRED
microprocessor
existed only on the pages of
RCA
's technical literature.
It can easily be concluded that Kutt's
APL
computer wasn't a
risk-free venture. With his computer expertise and status, he
could easily have secured a top position with one of the North
American computer manufacturers that maintained a more con-
servative outlook on computer use. But he decided otherwise,
“because I always was more attracted to things that they said
could not be done.” By the end of 1971, Kutt was convinced
that his computer concept was sound and realistic, and that the
odds of turning it into a successful product were high. “Then,”
said Kutt, “you had to talk to people like Gord Ramer, who was
the first big guy that I had talked into it.” Soon, he would find
others.
