This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of NEC's first personal computer (a microcomputer at that time), the PC-8001. On August 5, the "PC-8001 40th Anniversary Press Conference" was held with the people concerned at that time as guests (related article).
How was PC-8001, the origin of NEC's personal computer, made? How was the predecessor training kit TK-80 born? At the press conference, I was able to hear the story of Mr. Kazuya Watanabe, who is the central figure, and Mr. Tomio Goto, who was the development leader.
Here, for those who want to go one step further and learn about the company's early PC development, "Japanese made computers!" Published in 2010. 』(My book, ASCII new book) reprinted the interview with Mr. Kazuya Watanabe.
Kazuya Watanabe, the driving force behind the spread of TK-80 microcomputer technology throughout Japan
Kazuya Watanabe (Kazuya Watanabe)
Born in Nagano prefecture in 1931. Graduated from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Yamanashi. Joined NEC in 1965. He was mainly involved in the development and manufacture of ICs and LSIs, and was the team leader for entering the personal computer business with the microcomputer kit "TK-80" in 1976 and the personal computer "PC-8001" in 1979. After 1981, he became the president of the personal computer division, the manager of the company, and the managing director of NEC Home Electronics, and became the president of Novell in 1990 and the chairman of the company in 1997. Since 1998, he has been a Managing Director of Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and a Director of Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CERO).
Planets and training kits
1975 is the year of the fall of Saigon for the United States. In the January issue of the magazine "Popular Electronics," a device with small lamps and switches lined up in a blue metal case was introduced. This is the debut of the earliest personal computer "Altair 8800" (hereinafter referred to as "Altair"), which can be said to be the great ancestor of the personal computer that we usually use.
Legend has it that it was none other than Popular Electronics magazine Les Solomon who brought this historic computer to a small company called MITS, the publisher. It all started when he saw a reader's letter saying, "I want a computer that I can own," and he consulted with MITS owner and friend Ed Roberts. The name "Altea" would, of course, be the name of the star (Altair = Hikoboshi of Tanabata in Japan). It is the name of the star system that is the setting for the movie "Forbidden Planet", and the name of the daughter who lives with her father on the planet. The truth comes from the name of the planet that Les Solomon's 12-year-old daughter appears in Star Trek. Machines, the great ancestors of personal computers, were never thought of in the conference rooms of major computer makers.
At Altea, the operating speed of the personal computer we are using now is one-thousandth, and the memory space is 256 bytes, which is one millionth (not 256 kilobytes). From now on, the computer is too simple, but if we add peripherals later, we can create a system that is close to the small computer used by companies at that time. For this computer, a young programmer at Honeywell and a Harvard student made a programming language called "BASIC" that could be used by the general public, and this became a company called Microsoft.
If the great ancestors of American personal computers were based on letters sent by magazine readers, the great ancestors of Japanese personal computers also started from a surprising place.
The early American personal computers (called microcomputers in Japan at that time) evolved into the personal computer industry while being fused with the hippie culture from the cage. On the other hand, one of the Japanese microcomputers has evolved into the personal computer industry, but the other is a product that is incorporated into home appliances and industrial equipment and is "entered with a microcomputer" and eventually "fully automated". There is a big feature in the point that it was created.
One of Japan's earliest microcomputers, and the product that had a decisive influence on the microcomputer and personal computer industries after that, was released by NEC (currently NEC) in August 1976, the year after Altea. -80 ".
The "TK-80" is a one-board microcomputer (a microcomputer consisting of a single bare board) equipped with the company's microcomputer chip μCOM80, and "TK" means a training kit. Even if you buy it for 88,500 yen, only the parts in the plastic bag are in the box, and the user has to assemble it by himself using a soldering iron. However, while Altea in the United States had to connect an expensive teletype terminal or display device to actually use it, the TK-80 has an 8-digit LED display like a calculator and another calculator. Hexadecimal keys like this were attached from the beginning.
The design that can be easily tried and the sales policy that can be said to be a "strange plan" from NEC at that time suddenly caused a "microcomputer boom" in the Japanese archipelago. I think Japanese people who like new things, like small things, and tech lovers also helped. By 1977, one-board microcomputers will appear from about 10 companies including major domestic electric manufacturers.
There is no doubt that the technology cultivated here was incorporated into Japanese home appliances and industrial equipment that swept the world in the 1980s. And it goes without saying that it will continue to maintain a domestic market share of 60% and lead to NEC, which is said to be the kingdom of personal computers. The contribution to the Japanese electronics industry, which was full of Japanese-made parts when the lids of personal computers around the world in the 90's were opened, is not irrelevant.
We asked Mr. Kazuya Watanabe, who is in charge of TK-80, how it was created.
Completed training kit TK-80. It uses NEC's microcomputer chip μPD8080A compatible with Intel 8080, and has 512 bytes of memory (up to 1K bytes).
He may know the computer better than others
――What kind of company was NEC when you joined Mr. Watanabe?
"I joined the company in 1965, but I thought it was a wonderful company. I am doing microelectronics at the time when transistors are changing to ICs, so I think that it will develop very much in the future. I entered. "
――At that time, wasn't the impression of the Denden family still strong?
"That's right. In addition to making equipment for Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, I also did big electronic tubes such as transmission tubes for broadcasting stations. I didn't do consumer products at all. Microwave satellite communication was a flower at that time, but it was on the ground. Then, it was around the time when the current Tomei microwave route was created by skipping the parabola set up on Mt. Futako. It will increase the number of telephone channels. "
――Speaking of NEC, many people have the impression of a TV commercial with a huge parabolic antenna.
"At that time, I think that the company that makes such satellite communications, exchanges, broadcasting equipment, and machines of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation had the image of a high-class company. It is technically and quality-wise."
Mr. Watanabe is said to have been enrolled in Kokusai Electric (later Hitachi Kokusai Electric) for about 10 years before NEC and was engaged in the design of vacuum tube type radios. Until shortly before that, this company was the only national policy company called Kokusai Denshin Denshi, which conducts overseas communications in Japan, and was dismantled by KDD (Kokusai Denden) and the company under the direction of GHQ. Mr. Watanabe was in charge of a communication device that was carried on a jeep to be delivered to the Defense Agency. "I can't imagine it even if I imagine it now. It was almost like a stove in terms of energy." .. Hitachi Kokusai Electric will become one of the leading companies in semiconductor manufacturing equipment in later years, but at that time, I was attracted to NEC, which is engaged in microelectronics.
Mr. Watanabe, who joined NEC, is assigned to a department called the Semiconductor Applied Technology Department. When selling transistors, he was in charge of counseling customers such as "How to replace circuits made with vacuum tubes with transistors?" And designing himself. Soon, ICs (integrated circuits) that collect transistors on a single chip became mainstream, and in 1971, Intel released the world's first microprocessor, the "4004."
――What was the moment when you learned about the microcomputer?
"The moment I knew it, it seemed to suddenly appear in front of me, but I said that the department that manufactures NEC's ICs would be a" microcomputer chip from now on. "Around the same time as Intel, it was called μCOM4. I made a 4-bit microcomputer. However, when it comes to making semiconductor chips, thousands of them can be made at one time. Inside the company, there is a voice saying, "Is there any use for manufacturing in such a large quantity?" At that time, I was ordered to sell a microcomputer chip. "
――Why did Mr. Watanabe have a white arrow?
"At that time, I was in charge of a system for automatically inspecting manufactured ICs. I was using a computer and said,'He may know the computer better than others.'" (Laughs) I think there was something that seemed to me. "
He was appointed as the manager of the microcomputer sales department, and was given a quota of selling 100 million yen in chips in half a year. However, the transistor was a "replacement from the vacuum tube", but the microcomputer chip starts by drawing out the needs that did not exist at all until now. "I have never thought about using a microcomputer chip for my product over there. I can't talk about it." It seems that he will be searching in the dark as it is, but it was Mr. Watanabe who immediately raised his waist and moved.
"First of all, I'm investigating what kind of market the 4004 is used in the United States. At that time, the microcomputer club was beginning to be formed in the Bay Area of California. The club newsletter" People's Computer "" Doctor Dobbs " Around the time the Journal was first published, I also went to that meeting, where there were only hippie-like people in jeeppan and rough clothes, but they said, "I use computers for toys. I used to say things that I couldn't think of in Japan at the time, such as "It's an era." It was an era when people said, "It's unscrupulous to use." It's a lie now, but it really was that mood. "
It is not unreasonable to say that the upper management is "unscrupulous" considering the situation in the mid-1970s. The 1970s was an era in which the social recognition of computers was advanced, with transactions between banks called secondary online and cash dispensers beginning to be developed, centered on city banks. However, around 1975, the computer was still a device that was seated in a specially air-conditioned computer room and reserved for time. You might want to deny it because you're going to use it for fun.
――Where was the sales destination for the microcomputer?
"Until then (in the IC era), our business partners were home appliance makers, air conditioners, cash registers, etc. What was impressive was the development of the world's first electronic knitting machine in a project with Silver Seiko. Bring the completed electronic knitting machine to the NEC board meeting, and when I do it with Giko Giko, the word "NEC" is knitted into a pattern in red letters. Tane (laughs) "
--There is an argument that Japanese semiconductors started up with calculators.
"Since we made μCOM for calculators, Casio, Sharp, and Omron had a lot of momentum with calculators at that time. I think that the first application of semiconductors was calculators. In the case of calculators, the makers themselves. I had been assembling circuits before, so I could just sell the chips. The first Sharp transistor calculator (Compet CS-10A) was literally an electronic desk calculator. It was about the size of a register and cost more than 500,000 yen. It became really small and cheap when I started using LSIs and microcomputers. With Silver Seiko, the electronic knitting machine "AmuAmu", We co-developed the first domestically produced computer sewing machine called "Memoria" with Mr. Serpent's Eye Sewing Machine. "
――It's an era of selling complains about having a microcomputer.
"There were various things related to air conditioning, such as polar bears. And I think that it is not well known, but PPC (copier) is one of the products that the power of the microcomputer was amazing. It seems that it was difficult to adjust the density. However, it was a big thing that I came to control it with a microcomputer. "
In the history of computers, there is an "analytical engine" of Babbage in the United Kingdom, which was inspired by the Jakar type loom, but it is no coincidence that the application of microcomputers was electronic knitting machines and sewing machines. The main use of 4-bit microcomputers was to replace what was previously done by mechanical devices. In particular, it came to be called "mechatronics" in combination with Japan's specialty of precision mechanical technology. Another example of using a 4-bit microcomputer is a cash register. Before the introduction of the microcomputer into the register, it was a mechanical keyboard, so women who hit the cash register often suffered from tendonitis, but the microcomputer realized a "feather touch" register that does not burden the fingers. It was worth visiting each manufacturer one by one, and although the range of use is still limited, microcomputers have begun to sell.
I can't sell a better microcomputer than the original one
――It will soon be an 8-bit era.
"At NEC, it's μCOM8. To tell the truth, microcomputers at that time were made by researching American-made microcomputers. For example, 8080 is the best technology at that time, so I can't see it. I don't have it. "
-Is it reverse engineering (analyzing the products sold and extracting the necessary information)?
"That's right. However, when I analyzed it, I found that the 8080 had a technical problem. So, NEC said," Let's get ahead with a product that is not the same as the 8080 but an improved one. " I made a chip called "μPD753". However, this doesn't sell at all. "
――Why didn't you sell?
"At first, I didn't know the reason either, but when I met Mr. Kei Shiina and Mr. Nobuhiro Sato, the president of Sword Computer, he said,'I use the 8080, but I don't intend to use the μPD753.' Certainly, the 8080 may have performance problems, and I admit that NEC's product is excellent, but we have a second source (a product developed by one manufacturer, licensed by another manufacturer). It is a problem if it is not available from multiple companies (chips with the same specifications can be procured from multiple companies). What should we do if NEC cuts off the supply? " One reason is that the 8080 has a lot of technical data. Since it is published by Intel, it is possible to talk with American engineers if it is 8080. However, μPD753 is useless because no one knows it. The point is, "whether it's a de facto standard (de facto standard project)" is very important. The words of the two of you have dropped your eyes. "
――What happened to that?
"I went back to the company and told the technician that this wasn't the case, so I told him to make the exact same guy. I think there's a technician's pride, but we're in business. That's why. All the technicians turn sideways or down. I can understand my feelings. "
Whereas 4-bit was mainly used as a replacement for mechanical devices, 8-bit is already a good computer in itself. In fact, the sword computer mentioned in Mr. Watanabe was one of the first to work on a product equivalent to the current personal computer for office use. In 1974, the "SMP80 / 20" equipped with 8080 was released for 3.5 million yen when a minicomputer with similar performance cost more than 10 million yen. Sword, which soon became known as "Sony for computers," was one of the driving forces behind its leap forward, with software called "PIPS."
In order to know the state of the microcomputer at that time, I will touch on PIPS a little. In the world of microcomputers, there has been an era in which there is only a method of "writing a program in BASIC if you want to calculate something and find an answer". Then, in 1979, software called "VisiCalc" appeared in the United States and changed the situation completely. It is a so-called spreadsheet software, and it can be said that it is a great ancestor of "Excel" that we are indebted to. Considering that spreadsheet software is now used from household accounts to simulations of complex systems, it is not hard to imagine how the appearance of this software was an epoch-making event. Around the same time as this VisiCalc, "PIPS" debuted in Japan as software that does not require programming (it was said to be a non-plumming language or a simple language). PIPS is different from so-called spreadsheet software, but it is as new as VisiCalc in that it displays a two-dimensional table image on the screen and operates it interactively. What is interesting is that PIPS was software devised by Mr. Hiroshi Mochizuki, an end user who was at the sales office of the Bank of Japan Head Office at that time. 8-bit microcomputers had such potential, but in 1975, their use was just beginning.
I didn't intend to sell it as a computer
8-bit microcomputers were more than 4 bits in that they could not be sold without opening up the market. Moreover, if the buyer does not have the ability (literacy) to master it, there will be no motivation in the first place. In Japan, the demand for 4-bit is still the majority, and some people said that they don't need 8-bit. Therefore, μCOM80 did not sell desperately anyway.
For user education, Mr. Watanabe will open "NEC microcomputer classrooms" all over the country. Partly because the recognition of the microcomputer itself was gradually increasing, employees from small companies to large companies gathered. However, he tried hard to study whether he could make a product using a microcomputer in-house, but he couldn't learn it easily.
"How did computer education work at that time? You used to give lectures using blackboards and textbooks in the classroom. But then, it's hard to ask three or four times. I don't understand. However, when I try to experience the reaction of a computer directly with the real thing, I quickly realize what I couldn't understand until 30 minutes. That's why I had to make teaching materials, so I decided to develop teaching materials. "
--This is especially true for computer education.
"Since the microcomputer chip itself is a computer, we make it on a printed circuit board, but the problem is input / output equipment. At that time, the terminal called ASR-33 was famous, but the so-called teletype I connect them, but then I can only bring one into the classroom. Moreover, the teacher can only show one of them, and the important students cannot play with it or touch it. That will have an educational effect. It can't be "
――So I made the teaching materials that each student can have!
"That's right. I decided to develop a one-board computer that not only sits on everyone's desk but also has input / output devices, because it would be the most efficient. That is the TK-80. However, I did not make this with the intention of selling it as a computer, but made it with the idea of "What should I do to get to know the microcomputer?" Therefore, the name TK is "Training". It will be a kit. "
However, it was also the beginning of the hardship after deciding to make teaching materials. NEC was a representative computer maker, but I don't think we can get any in-house cooperation to create such teaching materials. Therefore, in the microcomputer sales department, Tomio Goto, Akira Kato, and Mikio Handa will play a central role in the development of the one-board microcomputer. The department itself has just been established, and about half of the departments, including Mr. Kato, are newcomers of the year. It was a series of trials and errors, and it was like they were studying themselves, but it helped them because there were people with various know-how around the electronics company.
In this way, the "TK-80" is born, which has 8 digits of 7-segment LED like a calculator, 20 keys like a calculator, and can be used as long as a power supply is prepared. However, the 7-segment LED is a display device that lights up and becomes the character "day" (8). This does not allow you to display all the hexadecimal numbers used by your computer (0-9, 10-15 are represented by A, B, C, D, E, F). Therefore, although it is out of the ordinary, I decided to display B and D in lowercase letters as "b" and "d". Mr. Watanabe laughs, "From the design concept of the time, it's a story of Hanahada sideways clothes."
I thought I could sell 200 units, but I sold tens of thousands
"However, even though we are trying to make teaching materials, we are trying to make computers. We were in the semiconductor manufacturing and sales department, so even though it is small, it is a violation of the rules internally when it comes to making equipment. Moreover, since NEC is making a good computer, it was impossible to put out a toy-like computer like the TK-80 as a finished product. Therefore, for assembly like a so-called plastic model. As a kit, I put the parts in a plastic bag, packed them in a box, put them in a beautiful cosmetic box, and sold them. However, the fact that it was a kit made it more meaningful as a teaching material. "
――Because you do it from the work of incorporating it into the board.
"However, technical materials are required to be applied in such a way. Therefore, we actively disclosed such technical materials and related information. At that time, a large manufacturer disclosed the technical materials. That was a complete violation, wasn't it? That's not the case with ordinary companies. NEC didn't do that, except for the TK-80. "
The TK-80 was born for the first time by breaking through various preconceived ideas. And one more thing, NEC does something strange to its competitors. That is, in September 1976, a microcomputer service room called "Bit-inn" was opened in the Radio Kaikan in Akihabara. Until then, large manufacturers were proud to make high-end products such as NEC's telephone exchanges and satellite communications. That's why I heard a voice saying, "NEC is making toys in Akihabara and gathering a lot of amateurs to do something." However, many people come to Bit-inn every day. On Saturdays and Sundays, Mr. Watanabe and other TK-80 officials were busy consulting with customers.
Bit-inn, which was opened on the 7th floor of Akihabara Radiokaikan, was a sacred place for people who were interested in microcomputers.
"University teachers, corporate engineers, researchers, as well as pilots and astronomers came and wanted to use it to calculate the solar eclipse. And a nurse came to manage the ample in the hospital. There was a talk that when I wanted to use it, and this time a livestock related person came and wanted to manage the delivery of cattle with this. There are a lot of needs for using microcomputers that we could not think of. It was a series of very surprising things. "
――The microcomputer boom has begun, hasn't it?
"Apart from that, I also made a" NEC Microcomputer Club ", but in less than a month, 10,000 people applied. Within a year, each company was a store like Bit-inn. I really felt that the wave of the masses that could not be prevented by the power of the company or somehow spreads in Akihabara. Bit-inn is in Akihabara. Later, I made it in Nagoya, Osaka, Yokohama, etc. "
――It will be taken up by the media as well.
"It was also featured in" Weekly Diamond ". An NEC executive read it and said," Our Watanabe is mentioned in the article as a big deck. What did you do? "(Laughs). The excitement of TK-80 was not so well known within NEC. "
The PC-8001, which was an early representative model of NEC, was released in September 1979. PUC with μPD780C-1 (Z80 compatible) 4MHz, ROM 24KB (maximum 32KB), RAM 16KB (maximum 32KB), suggested retail price 168,000 yen.
However, there was a voice from the company that it was "not the main business" for the fact that the device was not a device but a small computer in the sales department. At one meeting, he was told, "Stop playing with fire." Many people who deal with large computers see that microcomputers are not something that can be used with confidence like toys.
Meanwhile, the only person at the top who understood the efforts of Mr. Watanabe and others was Mr. Atsuyoshi Ouchi, who was said to be "Mr. Semiconductor of NEC" and later became the chairman. Mr. Ouchi was the one who said that the basics of management were "I will pay but not speak", and Mr. Watanabe was able to do as much as he wanted with a small number of people. Actually, Mr. Ouchi said that he wanted to make TK-80, but the sales department could make a computer, or when it was closed in all directions, he said, "Let's sell it as a kit."
The TK-80 was made with the idea that "it is for teaching materials, so if 200 units can be sold", but it was unexpectedly accepted as a computer and later called the "primary microcomputer boom". Make a big swell. TK-80 has sold about 25,000 kits in the two years since its release. As a result, it triggered the emergence of the latent needs for microcomputers in society. In response to this, in November 1977, the "TK-80 BASIC STATION," which enables the use of the BASIC language in combination with the TK-80, was released. In April 1979, the "COMPO BS", which was developed into a single case, will be released.
However, when I thought about developing a full-fledged personal computer based on this, I was shocked by the opposition from Mr. Atsuyoshi Ouchi, who I thought was my friend. NEC at that time did not have a route or a store to mass-market to the masses. Before that, there was no system in-house to make mass-produced products. I talked to Mr. Ouchi many times and managed to get permission with the promise that I would make everything from development to sales and support by myself without causing any inconvenience to the company. Then, in September 1979, the "PC-8001", which is a representative product of Japan's early personal computers, was released. This became the basis of the NEC personal computer business, and in 1980 it led to the NEC personal computer kingdom, which maintained a domestic market share of 60% or more.
When I asked Mr. Watanabe, "Why did you do well with TK-80? What is important in your work?", He gave the following four points.
1. 1. When an innovative market emerges, the best time to get involved is when 80% of the people involved are against it. 2. 2. Don't get caught up in preconceived ideas. If you are trapped, it will be difficult to connect to new things. 3. 3. Always see the user and realize it immediately. It is not good to just watch the movements of competitors. 4. Get information about what's happening in the world within 10 days. Informal information is especially valuable.
According to the materials that tell the story at that time, Mr. Watanabe visited semiconductor trading companies and microcomputer shops from Hokkaido to Kyushu on a weekly basis, and the company had been dating T-shirts and jeans, a third party that develops peripherals and software. It is said that he was dealing with young entrepreneurs who had never been before, in an inseparable manner. The points that made the TK-80 raised by four also worked in relation to people outside the company. Unexpected ideas and needs are unearthed from among them, and eventually they become the basic industrial structure of the personal computer business.
It has been 35 years since the birth of TK-80, and the times have changed drastically to enter the age of the Internet, but the basics of business related to digital may not have changed.
Scenery at the "Original TK-80 PC Demonstration and Symposium" held at Tokyo University of Science in 2010. From the left, Masanori Sakaki, Kazuya Watanabe, Tomio Goto, the authors of "Resurrection! TK-80", and the author on the far right.
This interview was posted "Japanese made a computer! Although the title of the book seems to be a little too enthusiastic, it was decided by Mr. H, who is in charge of editing, with the intention of paying homage to the computer developers in the early days of Japan. This is an excerpt from "Computer Shop Kaku Eri", which is an excerpt from an interview with a person who was particularly involved in the computer itself. At that time, I added an interview with Mr. Watanabe.
The reason why Mr. Watanabe wanted to appear is that the microcomputer played a role in the background that Japanese companies were able to play an active role in the 1980s due to the high economic growth of Japan until the 1970s. It was an era when semiconductors were said to be "industrial rice." As symbolized by the "entering a microcomputer" and "fully automatic" of home appliances, Japan starts with knitting machines and sewing machines that appear in the text, and incorporates microcomputers into cameras, cars, musical instruments, and industrial equipment.炊飯器のお焦げなくなり、エアコンで風邪ひくことが減り、カメラのピンボケがなくなったのはこの時期である。
渡邊氏へのインタビューで伺えるのは、日本の企業が先端テクノロジーを貪欲になかば盲目的に取り込んだことだ。それが、さまざまな分野で世界を席巻する原動力になったことを再認識したいと思ったからだ（日本の歴史教科書はそう語っているだろうか？）。いきなり、「半期にチップを１億円売れ」とはムチャな話かもしれないが、新しいものに乗り切ることが成功のもとだと日本企業は知っていたのだ。
そうした中で、NECという企業カラーが果たした役割はやはり大きい。日本のエレクトロニクス産業は、電電ファミリー系企業と民生品系企業に大きく分けられるが、この時代にはそれぞれの特徴が面白いように機能していた。前者は半導体を売るとともにコンピューターのパラダイムの変化を追い、後者は、身の回りを便利に楽しくすることを考えた。両者がともに製品を投入してせめぎあっていた地点がパソコンだったのだ。
もっとも、渡邊さんが、高級品を作るNECがオモチャみたいなコンピューターを作るのかという社内のムードと同じように、TK-80やPC-8001に取り組まなかったらそれも変わっていたかもしれない。
『週刊文春』の超人気連載だった上前淳一郎氏の『読むクスリ』の第一回は、まさにTK-80の話である。1980年代前半にマイコンがサラリーマンたちにどう捉えられていたか知るには貴重な資料といえる。渡邊和也氏の著書としては、『反骨のすすめ―NECパソコンの「父」が今、語る』（マイクロマガジン社刊）がある。また、ユーザー側の事情に関しては、『みんながコレで燃えた!NEC8ビットパソコン PC-8001・PC-6001』（アスキー書籍編集部、アスキー刊）がある。
今回は、渡邊和也氏、NECの鈴木正義氏のご協力でこの記事をあげることになった。この場を借りてお礼申し上げたい。
The miniature "Pasocom Mini PC-8001" (also appearing in other campaigns) that comes with the "LAVIE Pro Mobile" (a model limited to 500 units that uses the keyboard color of PC-8001) released to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the PC-800. It emulates PC-8001, and it seems that not only BASIC but also assembler works. Below is a mook published by ASCII. I interviewed Akira Kato and Yasuyuki Toki for the PC8001, and Takayuki Ozaki and Hirotoshi Matsuda for the PC-6001.
Satoshi Endo
Senior Researcher, Kakugawa ASCII Research Institute Co., Ltd. After working as the editor-in-chief of ASCII, he has been in his current position since 2013.雑誌編集のかたわらミリオンセラーとなった『マーフィーの法則』など書籍の企画も手掛ける。 Kakugawa ASCII Research Institute conducts research and consulting on the lifestyles of people in the age of smartphones and the Internet. His books include "Modern Programmer's Evening" (in the name of Hortens S. Endo, ASCII) and "Computer Shop Fighting".
Twitter: @ hortense667Mastodon: https://mstdn.jp/@hortense667
