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The First Hungarian PC

Description (English)

Proper-16 personal computer

Hungary’s first IBM PC-clone was also one of Europe’s first IBM PC/XT clone. It was produced around 1982 at the Coordination Institute for Computer Sciences (Számítástechnikai Koordinációs Intézet, SZKI). The Institute founded its own branch for manufacturing personal computers (Sci-L). PCs working in CP/M operating systems (M08X, Proper-8) and PCs compatible with MS-DOS were both produced there. Proper’s computers had an unusual brown housing with vacuum-formed elements: the machine suited the atmosphere of socialist offices very well. Similarly designed dot-matrix printers were also made for this computer type (they were the MP-80). The price of the Proper-16 in February, 1985 was 420,000 forints for the cheapest configuration, while the ultimate, most complete, configuration was sold for more than 1,300,000 forints. (Leasing cost was 30-42,000 forints per month). The average monthly salary was approximately 6,000 forints at that time. One can imagine that these computers weren’t intended to be used by average people…


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Object Information

Date
1982

Publisher
Hungarian Museum for Science, Technology and Transport

Rights
Hungarian Museum for Science, Technology and Transport

Creator
Gábor Faix Coordination Institute for Computer Sciences (Számítástechnikai Koordinációs Intézet, SZKI)