Who remembers the Acorn? From the mid-80s to the late 90s, this computer was the technology of choice for legions of primary schools across the UK. With a graphical interface, three-button mouse, and applications which all used more or less the same menus (much like Mac and Windows computers today), the Acorn was both easy and satisfying to use.
It’s gratifying to learn that in a sense the Acorn has not gone away. The RISC chip, which lay at the heart of the Acorn computer, was developed by a company called ARM Holdings. According to a report in the UK’s Daily Telegraph today, ARM is still going strong, thanks to the fact that it developed the technology that drives many of the world’s smartphones.
So, as far as the Acorn is concerned, it’s a case of gone, but certainly not forgotten.