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Common Myths and Misconceptions in Computing History
Why tidy stories about computing history so often mislead, how myths form, and a few habits for checking popular claims about who did what, and when.
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Myths and Misconceptions
Popular stories about computing history, checked against what is known.
The Computer Bug Story: What the Moth Does and Does Not Prove
A moth taped into a 1947 logbook is often said to explain the word bug. Here is what the entry shows, and why engineers used the word well before then.
The Internet and the Web Are Not the Same Thing
The internet is a global network of networks; the web is one service that runs on it. Learn the difference, how each developed, and why the mix-up persists.
The Transistor Doubling Rule Known as Moore's Law
Moore's law is an observation about how fast chip makers added components, not a law of nature. Learn where it came from and why it has been revised.
The Turing Test: What It Is and Is Not
The Turing test comes from Alan Turing's 1950 imitation game. Learn what he proposed, what it was meant to show, and how it is commonly misread today.
The Year 2000 Problem: Panic, Preparation and Reality
The Y2K problem came from two-digit year storage. See why it was a real concern, how organizations prepared, and why the quiet outcome is still debated.
Who Invented the Computer? Why There Is No Simple Answer
No single person invented the computer. The answer changes with whether you mean a design, a working machine, an electronic one, or one that stores programs.
Xerox, Apple and the Story of the Graphical Interface
A familiar tale says Apple took the graphical interface from Xerox. The record is more tangled: ideas moved between many labs, and credit is shared.
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How Computers Work The core ideas inside a computer, explained through the history of how they developed. Computing by Decade A decade-by-decade tour of what computing looked like and what changed. Preserving Computing History How old machines, software and data are saved, restored and kept readable. Glossary and Word Origins Plain-language explanations of computing terms and where they come from.