Editing Generation X (section)

=====Rise of home computing=====
[[File:Apple II tranparent 800.png|thumb|upright=1.0|An 8-bit 1977 [[Apple II (1977 computer)|Apple II]]]]
Gen Xers were the first children to have access to [[personal computer]]s in their homes and at schools.<ref name="GenMap" /> In the early 1980s, the growth in the use of personal computers exploded. Manufacturers such as [[Commodore International|Commodore]], [[Atari]], and [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] responded to the demand via [[8-bit computing|8-bit]] and [[16-bit computing|16-bit machines]]. This in turn stimulated the software industries with corresponding developments for backup storage, use of the [[floppy disk]], [[zip drive]], and [[CD-ROM]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Clark Northrup|first=Cynthia|title=The American economy : a historical encyclopedia|url=https://archive.org/details/americaneconomyh12nort|url-access=limited|publisher=ABC Clio|year=2003|isbn=978-1-57607-866-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americaneconomyh12nort/page/n166 144]}}</ref>

At school, several computer projects were supported by the Department of Education under [[United States Secretary of Education]] [[Terrel Bell]]'s "Technology Initiative".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Saettler|first=Paul|title=The evolution of American educational technology|publisher=Libraries Unlimited|year=1990|isbn=978-0-87287-613-2|pages=166}}</ref> This was later mirrored in the UK's 1982 Computers for Schools programme<ref>{{Cite book|last=Younie|first=Sarah|title=Teaching with Technologies: The Essential Guide|publisher=McGraw-Hill Education (UK)|year=2013|isbn=978-0-335-24619-9|pages=20}}</ref> and, in France, under the 1985 scheme ''[[Computing for All|Plan Informatique pour Tous (IPT)]].''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mourot|first=Jean J.|title=La dernière classe 1984-1990|publisher=Le Scorpion Brun|year=2013|isbn=979-10-92559-00-2|pages=71}}</ref>