Apple ][

The Apple II (stylized as Apple ][) was an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak (Steve Jobs oversaw the development of the Apple II’s unusual case and Rod Holt developed the unique power supply). It was introduced in 1977 at the West Coast Computer Faire by Jobs and was the first consumer product sold by Apple Computer. It had a MOS Technology processor running at just 1MHz with 4KB of RAM. Today’s iPhones have processors running at 1,800 times the clock speed with 500,000 times more RAM. Photo: Ralph Morse/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.

Tron: Legacy

Seoul, March 9 (Reuters) – Google’s AlphaGo computer program on Wednesday won the first of a series of five matches against one of the world’s best players of the complex board game, Go, marking a new milestone in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). South Korean professional Go player Lee Sedol, an 18-time international title winner, conceded defeat in a match broadcast live, with one Youtube stream watched by tens of thousands of people worldwide, and domestic cable gave frequent updates. AlphaGo, built by Google subsidiary DeepMind, made history in October, by becoming the first computer program ever to beat a human professional player at the ancient Asian board game. [Read more].

• Google’s AlphaGo AI Program Defeats One Of World’s Best “Go” Players, The Huffington Post, March 9, 2016

AlphaGo vs. Lee Sedol
Handout via Getty Images

Thirty Years’ War

Windows 1: where it all started for Windows. The original Windows 1 was released in November 1985 and was Microsoft’s first true attempt at a graphical user interface in 16-bit. It was notable because it relied heavily on use of a mouse before the mouse was a common computer input device. To help users become familiar with this odd input system, Microsoft included a game, Reversi (visible in the screenshot) that relied on mouse control, not the keyboard. Photograph: The Guardian.

• Windows turns 30: a look at the operating system through the ages, The Guardian, November 20, 2015