TECH SPEC TUESDAY Olivetti Programma 101 About this machine: The Programma 101, or Perottina or P101, manufactured by Italian company, Olivetti, was one of the first programmable calculators mass produced. It was launched in 1964 for $3,200 (or around $32,700 in 2025 dollars). In addition to arithmetic functions, the Programma 101 was a true stored-program computer. It was built completely out of discrete devices like transistors and diodes since it predated integrated circuitry. NASA used the Programma 101 to plan the Apollo 11 moon landing. CPU: Custom transistor logic Memory: ~240 bytes Storage: Magnetic cards Graphics: Numerical displays Networking: None Notes: One of the first desktop programmable calculators Image credit: MIC Torino (Russel2), CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MIC_Torino-Olivetti_P101.png vintage.computer
The Olivetti Programma 101 (1964) was one of the first desktop programmable computers. With magnetic cards and discrete transistor logic, it helped bring computing out of labs and onto desks, even supporting Apollo-era calculations. #TechSpecTuesday #VintageComputer #Olivetti