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The Apple II At 30

Posted by kdawson on from the hacker's-dream-and-appliance dept.

turnitover sends us to eWEEK for an appreciation of the Apple II on the 30th anniversary of its shipping. An overview of the history of the Apple II puts it in context. A nice tidbit: how important the floppy drive was to sales. The article quotes Sellam Ismail, the proprietor of VintageTech, which maintains archives of computers, documents, and software: "You could think of the Apple II's importance on two levels — the Woz level and the Steve Jobs level." The former refers to its allure to hackers, and the latter to its appliance-like polish, a first for its time, There is also an interview with Woz, who says, "[A]t the start there were no computers in the home — we had to make the word computer compatible with homes."

6 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. Updated version. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Windows = Christian (Large userbase, heirarchical)
    Linux = Buddhism (Smaller userbase, approaching state of Nirvana)
    Mac = Islam

  2. Slots by TrashGod · · Score: 2, Funny

    From TFA: "[Jobs] opposed the inclusion of expansion slots... Woz himself had to demand their inclusion, and the two compromised on having four."

    Of course, the Apple ][ had seven (7) slots.

  3. uh huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    But does it run Vista?

    *duck*

  4. Re:What's changed in 30 years? by jollyreaper · · Score: 1, Funny

    What's the big thing that seems to have changed at Apple over 30 years? What's changed? Two things. First, changing the logo from that dated rainbow thing to a sleek and chic flat color. Second, sticking an "i" in front of every product. I eagerly await the deployment of the iRack.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGHty_S0TU0
    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  5. Re:Zonk 1, 2, and 3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'm assuming that's a braino, since the 'N' key is nowhere near the 'R' key.

    They're right next to each other on my keyboard, you insensitive clod!

  6. Re:What's changed in 30 years? by Purity+Of+Essence · · Score: 2, Funny

    There can't have been many even among those who had the skills who would have willingly attempted do-it-yourself surgery on so expensive of piece of unfamiliar hardware.

    I have. And I don't even have skills. But what I lack in skills I make up for in lack of money.
    --
    +0 Meh