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Commodore PET
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Computers
The Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) -- the first of several
personal computers released in 1977 -- came fully assembled and was
straightforward to operate, with either 4 or 8 kilobytes of memory, two
built-in cassette drives, and a membrane "chiclet" keyboard.
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Apple II
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Computers
The Apple II became an instant success when released in 1977 with it's printed
circuit motherboard, switching power supply, keyboard, case assembly, manual,
game paddles, A/C powercord, and cassette tape with the computer game
"Breakout." When hooked up to a color television set, the Apple II
produced brilliant color graphics.
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TRS-80
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Computers
In the first month after its release, Tandy Radio Shack's first desktop
computer -- the TRS-80 -- sold 10,000 units, well more than the company's
projected sales of 3,000 units for one year. Priced at $599.95, the machine
included a Z80 based microprocessor, a video display, 4 kilobytes of memory,
BASIC, cassette storage, and easy-to-understand manuals that assumed no prior
knowledge on the part of the consumer.
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Software & Languages
The U.S. government adopted IBM's data encryption standard, the key to
unlocking coded messages, to protect confidentiality within its agencies.
Available to the general public as well, the standard required an eight-number
key for scrambling and unscrambling data. The 70 quadrillion possible
combinations made breaking the code by trial and error unlikely.
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