The F-16 was the first production plane to use fly-by-wire technology. It had been previously tested in a NASA F-8 Crusader but making the leap to a production combat system was a big step.

The early F-16s (A/B models) used analog computers for their FBW system. The Block 25 and higher versions use digital computers.

The F-16 is inherently unstable for higher maneuverability. From what I've read, supersonic airflow tends to make a plane very stable. To increase maneuverability at high speed, the designers had to reduce stability at lower speeds. In the pre-FBW days, this made for some difficult to fly planes.

It's impossible to fly the F-16 without help from the computers. The fighter jocks sometimes call it the "Electric Jet", though the more common nickname is the "Viper". Few pilots use the putrid official nickname of "Fighting Falcon".

It's said that the F-16 has 5-way redundancy on the FBW system. There are 4 flight computers and one ACES II ejection seat. Quite a few F-16s crashed due to things like chaffed wiring. Quite a few others crashed due to G-LOC (G-Induced Loss of Conscientous (sp)), engine failures, etc. The plane has another nickname based on its appearance and accident record - "Lawn Dart."