The Parametron, invented by Eiichi Goto in 1954, is a logic element that utilizes ferrite cores and parametric oscillation. It was used in the PC-1, Japan's first university-built stored-program computer, which became the fastest computer in Japan in 1958, significantly influencing the country's early computer development and scientific research.

In the 1990s, playing a computer game often required understanding the underlying computer system, including editing files like autoexec.bat. Users sometimes created boot disks specifically configured to launch a single game.

IBM's 4 Pi aerospace computers were integral to the Space Shuttle's first flight on April 12, 1981, managing critical systems below the crew deck. A fifth computer was available as a backup in case of a catastrophic failure of the primary systems.