"first" computer on the internet

[Eric Smith]

Chuck Guzis wrote:
> Well, if we're going to have fun with "first" claims, there's a 
> Washington Post article by Kenneth Baer that contains the following 
> interesting claim:
> 
> "Computers were quickly becoming more pervasive, too. VisiCalc, an 
> early spreadsheet program, was introduced in 1978 and quickly became 
> the first commercially successful piece of software"

I seem to recall there being a thriving market for commercial software 
for IBM mainframes by the early 1970s.

I suppose the claim depends on how you define "commercial success".  If 
you measure it by units sold (rather than dollars), and set a high 
enough bar, VisiCalc could be a "first".

Eric