Francois Gernelle

Co-developer of the Micral N, the earliest commercial, non-kit personal computer based on a microprocessor, Gernelle created the machine alongside André Truong Trong Thi for the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), starting in June 1972. Alain Perrier of INRA was looking for a computer for process control in his hygrometric measurements. The software was developed by Benchetrit, with Alain Lacombe and Jean-Claude Beckmann working on the electrical and mechanical aspects.

According to the Computer History Museum, the Micral N was the earliest commercial, non-kit personal computer based on a microprocessor (in this case, the Intel 8008).