乔布斯传 第53期:计算机俱乐部(1)

 The Homebrew Computer Club

家酿计算机倶乐部

The group became known as the Homebrew Computer Club,

新成立的组织叫做家酿计算机俱乐部，

and it encapsulated the Whole Earth fusion¹ between the counterculture and technology.

它如同《全球概览》一般，融合了反主流文化与科技。

It would become to the personal computer era something akin² to what the Turk's Head coffeehouse was to the age of Dr. Johnson,

这个俱乐部之于个人电脑时代，就如同土耳其人咖啡馆之于约翰逊博士

a place where ideas were exchanged and disseminated³.

那个时代，思想在其间得以交流和传播。

Moore wrote the flyer for the first meeting, held on March 5, 1975, in French's Menlo Park garage:

会议于1975年3月5日，在弗伦奇位于门洛帕克的车库中举行，摩尔为此写了传单。

"Are you building your own computer? Terminal, TV, typewriter?" it asked.

“你想搭建自己的计算机吗？抑或是终端机，电视机，打印机？”传单上这么写着，

"If so, you might like to come to a gathering⁴ of people with like-minded interests."

“如果是的话，来参加与你志趣相投的人们的聚会吧！”

Allen Baum spotted⁵ the flyer on the HP bulletin board and called Wozniak, who agreed to go with him.

艾伦·鲍姆在惠普的公告栏上看到了这张传单，然后打电话告诉了沃兹尼亚克，沃兹同意跟他一起参加。

"That night turned out to be one of the most important nights of my life," Wozniak recalled.

“那天晚上是我一生中最重要的夜晚之一。”沃兹尼亚克回忆道。

About thirty other people showed up, spilling out of French's open garage door,

另外还有差不多30人出现在当晚的聚会上，

and they took turns describing their interests.

弗伦奇的车库都被挤满了，大家轮流介绍自己的兴趣爱好。

Wozniak, who later admitted to being extremely nervous,

沃兹尼亚克--后来他承认自己当时极度紧张--

said he liked "video games, pay movies for hotels, scientific calculator design, and TV terminal design,"

说他喜欢 “视频游戏、酒店里的收费电影、科学计算器设计以及电视机设计 ”。

according to the minutes prepared by Moore.

摩尔的会议记录显示

There was a demonstration⁶ of the new Altair,

会上演示了阿尔泰计算机，

but more important to Wozniak was seeing the specification⁷ sheet for a microprocessor⁸.

但对于沃兹来说，更重要的是他见到了一枚微处理器的规格表。

As he thought about the microprocessor—a chip that had an entire central processing unit on it—he had an insight.

当他想到微处理器时--也就是带有一整块中央处理单元的芯片--他有了一个想法。

He had been designing a terminal, with a keyboard and monitor, that would connect to a distant minicomputer.

他一直在设计一台终端机，带有键盘和显示器，可以连接到一台小型机上。

Using a microprocessor, he could put some of the capacity of the minicomputer inside the terminal itself,

利用一枚微处理器，他就可以将小型机的一部分性能转移到终端机上，

so it could become a small stand-alone computer on a desktop⁹.

这样终端机就可以变成一台独立的小型台式机。

It was an enduring idea: keyboard, screen, and computer all in one integrated personal package.

这个主意在他脑海中萦绕了很久：键盘、屏幕、计算机整合在一套个人装置中。

"This whole vision of a personal computer just popped into my head," he said.

“我脑子里就突然冒出来这个关于个人电脑的设想， ”他说，

"That night, I started to sketch¹⁰ out on paper what would later become known as the Apple I."

“那天晚上，我开始设计后来成为 Apple I计算机的草图 。”

At first he planned to use the same microprocessor that was in the Altair, an Intel 8080.

起初他打算使用与阿尔泰上一样的微处理器，英特尔8080。

But each of those "cost almost more than my monthly rent," so he looked for an alternative.

但每一枚芯片“比我一个月的房租还贵”，所以他就开始寻找替代品。

He found one in the Motorola 6800, which a friend at HP was able to get for $40 apiece.

他找到了摩托罗拉6800，他有一个在惠普工作的朋友能以40美元一枚的价格搞到。

Then he discovered a chip made by MOS Technologies that was electronically the same but cost only $20.

之后他又找到了MOS科技公司制造的一款芯片，在电子特性上与摩托罗拉6800是一样的，但每枚只要20美元。

It would make his machine affordable¹¹, but it would carry a long-term cost.

这样一来他的机器的价格就会更低廉，让人买得起，但也为此付出了一个长期的代价

Intel's chips ended up becoming the industry standard,

英特尔的芯片后来成为了行业标准，

which would haunt Apple when its computers were incompatible¹² with it.

而苹果的电脑因为与之不兼容而饱受困扰。

重点讲解：

1.akin to 相似的；有亲密关系的；类似于

例句：Its size and cultural importance are akin to that of New York City's Greenwich Village.

它的规模与重要性类似于纽约的格林威治村。

2.agree to do 同意做某事；同意干某事；同意去做某事

例句：If I were to agree to do this, would you agree to the divorce?

如果我同意做的话你会同意离婚吗？

3.take turns 轮流；轮流换班；轮流做某事

例句：My husband and I take turns doing the dishes every night.

我丈夫和我每天轮流洗碗。

4.admit to doing 承认做了某事；承认做过；承认做某事

例句：I admit to doing my homework.

我承认我做了作业。

5.pop into 访问某人；匆匆走进；不假思索地到

例句：Those feelings and thoughts that pop into your head and cause you unrest are known as internal stressors.

那些情感和思绪突然闪现在你脑海，并导致你的不安，这被称为内部压力。

1 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

2 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

3 disseminated   

散布，传播( disseminate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。
• Berkovitz had contracted polio after ingesting a vaccine disseminated under federal supervision. 伯考维茨在接种了在联邦监督下分发的牛痘疫苗后传染上脊髓灰质炎。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 specification   

n.详述；[常pl.]规格，说明书，规范

参考例句：

• I want to know his specification of details.我想知道他对细节的详述。
• Examination confirmed that the quality of the products was up to specification.经检查，产品质量合格。

8 microprocessor   

n.微信息处理机

参考例句：

• I've got a typerwriter with a microprocessor.我有一台装有微处理机的打字机。
• I decided to write a program for a microprocessor.我决定为微处理机编制一套程序。

9 desktop   

n.桌面管理系统程序；台式

参考例句：

• My computer is a desktop computer of excellent quality.我的计算机是品质卓越的台式计算机。
• Do you know which one is better,a laptop or a desktop?你知道哪一种更好，笔记本还是台式机？

10 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 incompatible   

adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的

参考例句：

• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
• Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。