the microcomputer that caused me to drop out. >> if you don't have one, you will be amazed what these little gadgets can do. >> the idea was that ordinary people might have a use for computers. now, it took awhile to figure out what those uses might be. >> the main thing was spreadsheets and word processing. the computer was the best typewriter you could ever have. it gave you a new way to write. you could change things around and check your spelling and it would always look perfect. >> bottom line numbers. >> my dad had the large ledger sheets, done them all by hand and i remember taking a computer to show them a spreadsheet and suddenly, he understood the value of a personal computer. >> there is a drastic mindset change in the whole country about what a computer was. it happened in a very short period of time. >> gather round. we'll tell you a little more about the system. >> here at the west coast computer fair, the speed of development in this industry is so great that each day virtually outdates the previous one.