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Published 12th August 2026<br>Updated 13th August 2026<br>Est. Reading Time: ~18-22 minutes

45 years ago today, on 12th August 1981, the computing landscape changed forever. IBM launched the Personal Computer, the vessel that kickstarted x86's popularity in computing at offices and homes alike. It was, of course, not a feat IBM achieved by itself - the IBM-compatible "clone" market is what helped keep the ecosystem prominent in the long run. But I like to think a big part of its success was its keyboard. Not the perfect layout as most may agree, but certainly a competent, well-built keyboard - the Model F/XT. Thus to celebrate, in the most appropriate way for Admiral Shark's Keyboards, we will look at this keyboard, where it came from, and what it became. Of course, with context as needed, including what led to the IBM PC, and both who and what was behind it.

Contents

In the run upDatamasterPersonal Computer5291 & 5292Portable Personal ComputerSystem 9000TPC and EMRAcknowledge​mentsFurther reading & resourcesSources<br>In the run up

SCAMP prototype[1]<br>5100 Portable Computer[2]<br>5120 Computing System[3]

Before the PC, IBM released products adjacent to a personal computer, and toyed with the idea of a personal computer throughout the 1970s. The PC's type number, 5150, places it in the lineage of the 5100 Portable Computer, and the 5110 and 5120 Computing Systems. 5100 in turn is an evolution of a prototype computer known as SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable), which was developed at the IBM Palo Alto Scientific Center in 1973.[4] William C. Lowe, an executive in the IBM General Systems Division (GSD) at the time, was considered instrumental in foresting this prototype. The 5100 was touted as a "personal computer" by some in the media, but it was a very expensive and not accessible to many people. It was notable for being portable though (for 1975), emphasised as IBM's smallest computing system to date at that point.[5]

Aquarius concept[6]<br>Atari 800[7]

Tommy R. Hardy, a now-veteran IBM designer, conceptualised some interim ideas for a personal computer, including the "Yellow Bird" in 1976 and the "Aquarius" in 1977, both vaguely wedge-shaped in a form factor not unlike the later Commodore VIC-20, 64, etc., albeit bigger. Aquarius even made it to a pre-production prototype, but ultimately dismissed due to lack of confidence in its use of bubble memory modules. When Atari's 8-bit computers launched in 1979, IBM also considered aquiring Atari and utilising the 800 as a basis for the PC. Hardy also conceputalised a pearl-white, IBM-branded 800 to this end,[6] but this idea proceeded no further. The next big thing, though, is Datamaster.

Datamaster<br>IBM 5322 System/23 Datamaster[8]<br>5324 Datamaster[9]

It would be impossible to have a discussion about the PC and its keyboard without talking about the IBM System/23 Datamaster, an influential experience for IBM that aided them in the PC's development and its keyboard. The 5322, the original "desktop" (all-in-one) Datamaster, was released in July 1981. It was followed by the 5324 "floortop" (tower) Datamaster, announced on 18th May 1982.[10] They were Intel 8085-based microcomputers intended to run business applications written in BASIC.<br>The development for Datamaster began in February 1978, and its hardware was ready by July 1980. However, as recalled by IBM engineer David J. Bradley, who worked on Datamaster, its launch was delayed by a year and to just a month before PC thanks to IBM deciding to develop the Datamaster's BASIC more in line with the IBM System/34 midrange computer's implementation of it.[11] The 5322's styling is attributed to Tommy R. Hardy via its U.S. design patent (275,285), which was filed on 4th February 1980. The design at that stage was largely like the finished product, though the keyboard layout is slightly...