To build on this, it's a shame that many people don't acknowledge the contributions that Xerox has made to the computer industry. IIRC, they develop the GUI and the mouse. We have the Xerox PARC to thank for these inventions.
Xerox PARC was a think tank for many of the technologies we take for granted today, including the GUI. They didn't make it a commercial success (Apple is credited with that), but the concept was generated there.
Apple, Commodore, Atari and a number of others drew their inspiration from Xerox PARC, each of them developing their own variations on the same theme in order to avoid any IP conflicts. But in my view, it was Commodore that really drove the innovations we enjoy today. Between the Commodore 64, which is still one of the best selling computers of all time and the Amiga, they had the best and most innovative technology of the infancy of the PC. It's a shame that they couldn't market themselves out of a paper bag (which is one of the biggest reasons for Apple's and Microsoft's success). It's a shame that they have been relegated to a footnote in the history of the PC - and much of that is because they were Silicon Valley outsiders.
Chuck Peddle, Bill Herd, Jay Miner, Carl Sassenrath, Dave Haynie and too many other Commodore engineers are the people I think deserve the credit for the actual innovation that drove the success of the PC.
As an aside, for anyone who is interest in the history of early PCs, I HIGHLY recommend
On The Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore. Looks like it's out of print right now, but if you can find, beg or borrow it, it's a great and very interesting read.
EDIT: Looks like this is about to go into its second printing, with a new title:
Amazon.com: The Commodore Story: A Company on the Edge: Brian Bagnall: Books