Once Upon a Pocket: Programmable Calculators from the Late 1970s and Early 1980s and the Social Networks Around Them

Programmable pocket calculators of the mid-1970s opened up a new segment of the personal computing devices market. Calculator users established clubs, magazines, and conferences, and their interaction with manufacturers shaped the products´ further development. This article explores one of the understudied roots of personal computing, through the evolution of the user communities formed around the TI-59 and HP-41C calculators.