The Printed Owl Computer History

Nerd

2011-12-24T09:34:00.001-08:00

The term "nerd" comes from an original spelling "knurd." The term is originated at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the late 1940s. Students who party and rarely study are called "drunks," while students who are always studying are known as "knurds" (drunks spelled backwards). The TV show Happy Days gives the phrase its national popularity.
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The year the World Wide Web

2011-12-22T17:22:00.001-08:00

1993 is the year the World Wide Web makes its prolific debut. In January 1993, there are only fifty web servers in existence. By October 1993, the number of web servers increases to approximately 500. Through the entire year of 1993, web use grows at a 341,634% annual growth traffic rate. The Word Wide Web is here!
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WiFi

2011-12-21T17:47:00.001-08:00

The IEEE publishes the 802.11 networking standard in 1997 as an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and an access point. As the standard is worked into computers and peripherals, its use begins to climb, especially as a home networking product. The 802.11-compatible standard is later dubbed "WiFi" which helps further market and popularize the wireless networking technology.
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The first spell checker

2011-12-20T16:51:00.001-08:00

In order to cope with a personal shortcoming, Stanford University researcher Les Earnest develops the first automated spell checker in 1966. Stand-alone spell checker programs eventually appear for CP/M computers in the late 1970s, followed by packages for the IBM PC in 1981. By the mid 1980s, the spell checker is a common feature in word processing programs.
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The C language

2011-12-19T15:59:00.001-08:00

Bell Labs engineers Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie develop the C language in the early 1970s. Thompson first develops the language "B" based on the Basic Combined Programming Language (BCPL) and is used in UNIX system development. Ritchie builds on B in 1973 to create a new language called "C," which inherits Thompson's taste for concise syntax, high-level functionality, and detailed features.
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Apache

2011-12-17T12:00:00.001-08:00

The Apache web server is established in February 1995 when a small group of webmasters begin coordinating updates and patches to the public domain NCSA Web server program. The first public release of Apache is delivered in April 1995. The Apache Software Foundation is formed and the Apache web server subsequently becomes one of the most widely deployed web server products in the world.
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Simula

2011-12-16T18:52:00.001-08:00

Ole-Johan Dahl and Kristen Nygaard develop Simula at the Norwegian Computing Center in the mid 1960s. Simula is designed to process complex and intensive data for ship simulations. It introduces many key concepts of object-oriented programming including objects and classes, inheritance, and virtual functions. Simula is used as the basis for Bjarne Stroustrup's development of the C++ language.
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Usenet

2011-12-15T17:55:00.001-08:00

Usenet's roots go back to 1979 when the idea of sharing information and news within a community of computer users is realized by two graduate students. They develop conferencing software and connect computers at Duke and the University of North Carolina. Usenet grows and subsequently turns into a network that connects tens of thousands of sites around the world, from mainframes to PCs.
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Spam

2011-12-13T17:56:00.001-08:00

The term "spam" is believed to be derived from the Spam sketch on the BBC comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus. The sketch features a small restaurant in which every item on the menu includes Spam meat. With the commercialization of the Internet, the term was adopted to mean something excessive and undesirable (like the menu in the sketch) in the context of email and user group postings.
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FORTRAN

2011-12-12T17:19:00.001-08:00

The FORTRAN programming language is developed at IBM in 1957. FORTRAN represents a major milestone in computing. The language provides a higher-level way to program, replacing machine and assembly code. FORTRAN catches on quickly as complex programming is done in hours instead of weeks. It is adopted by the scientific and military communities and is used extensively in the space program.
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Dbase

2011-12-11T06:41:00.001-08:00

Jet Propulsion Laboratory programmer Jeb Long develops Dbase in the late 1970s. Long's file management program is written in FORTRAN and runs on a UNIVAC computer. A few years later, he works with Wayne Ratliff to create a PC version of the program, which they name Dbase. Dbase and subsequent releases become enormously popular, bringing database management to homes and small businesses.
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The Electric Pencil

2011-12-10T07:26:00.001-08:00

Michael Shrayer develops a program that allows people to create, edit, store, retrieve and print documents on a personal computer. Completed in late 1976, his yearlong effort results in the first PC word processing program called The Electric Pencil. In 1979, Micropro International releases the first commercial descendant of The Electric Pencil, called WordStar.
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NLS

2011-12-09T17:34:00.001-08:00

Douglas C. Engelbart and a group of Stanford Research Institute researchers demonstrate the online system NLS on December 9, 1968. Developing the project since 1962, NLS features such things as hypertext, object addressing and dynamic file linking, and an x-y display coordinate system. Those on hand also see the debut of the computer mouse.
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IBM PC

2011-12-08T16:48:00.001-08:00

IBM sells its personal computing division to Lenovo Group on December 8, 2004. The deal makes China-based Lenovo the third-largest PC maker in the world, behind Dell and Hewlett-Packard. For IBM, the deal ends a twenty-five year run in the PC market but gives them a partnership with Lenovo, providing a franchise in the world's fastest, and soon to be largest, information technology market.
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Flight Simulator

2011-12-06T16:43:00.001-08:00

Bruce Artwick's newly formed company named subLOGIC releases Flight Simulator for the Apple II in 1979. The first flights featured 2-D line grid landscapes and simple instrument gages. The game is licensed to Microsoft in 1982 and evolves into one of the best-known software programs serving a worldwide community of virtual pilots with add-ons and upgrades.
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RadioShack

2011-12-05T16:27:00.001-08:00

Brothers Theodore and Milton Deutschmann open a one-store retail and mail order operation in downtown Boston in 1921. They choose the name RadioShack, which is a term for the small, wooden structure that houses a ship's radio equipment. The Deutschmanns think the name is appropriate for a store that will supply the needs of radio officers aboard ships, as well as ham radio operators.
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Robots

2011-12-04T05:57:00.001-08:00

The 1921 play "Rossum's Universal Robots" introduces the word "robot" to the English language. Czech playwright, novelist, and essayist Karel Capek coins the term as derived from the Czech word robota, meaning work or serf. The word robot usually conjures up images of clanking metal contraptions, however the robots in Capek's story are human-like droids.
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MySQL

2011-12-03T06:34:00.001-08:00

Finnish programmer Michael Widenius develops the open source database product MySQL in 1996. MySQL becomes a popular alternative to other commercial SQL products due to its open source code and that it can be downloaded for free. Over time, MySQL registers millions of users and records tens of thousands of daily downloads, becoming a serious competitor to commercial database management systems.
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Computer graphics

2011-12-02T16:31:00.001-08:00

Boeing Corporation art director William Fetter coins the term "computer graphics" in 1960. Fetter uses the phrase to describe new graphic methods he is pursuing during his aircraft cockpit design. One of the most memorable early computer graphic images from Fetter's project is that of a human figure, often referred to as the "Boeing Man."
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The AS/400

2011-11-29T03:31:00.001-08:00

IBM introduces its AS/400 midrange system in 1988. Whereas most other minicomputer vendors are seeing their market eroded by PCs and client/server systems, IBM has reasonable success with its AS/400 series. By 1998, IBM is selling an AS/400 computer system to a customer every 12 minutes in a working day. In 2000, the AS/400 is renamed the iSeries server.
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Linux

2011-11-28T14:47:00.001-08:00

Linux is created by Finnish computer scientist Linus Torvalds in 1991. Torvalds decides to rewrite Unix from scratch and give away his work for free. The ability to see the source code, to improve it, and share it with others inspires many programmers to dedicate sleepless nights to work on it. Linux is eventually improved to the point where it becomes more popular than many commercial Unix packages.
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H316 Kitchen Computer

2011-11-27T07:01:00.001-08:00

Honeywell releases its H316 Kitchen Computer in 1969. At $10,600, this computer is marketed to the wealthy and savvy housewife. The computer requires about two weeks worth of programming to operate and can be programmed to keep track of various things like golf scores, investments, dinner menus, and membership lists of charity organizations.
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Stanford University

2011-11-26T07:37:00.001-08:00

Stanford University creates the Stanford Industrial Park in Palo Alto, California in 1950. The goal is to create a center of high technology close to the university in order to raise money. This is the genesis of Silicon Valley, the world famous technology area that radiates outward from Stanford University and lies between the Santa Cruz Mountains on the west and the Coast Range to the southeast.
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CompuServe

2011-11-25T14:46:00.001-08:00

CompuServe is founded in 1969 as a computer time-sharing service. In 1979, CompuServe becomes the first to offer electronic mail capabilities to personal computer users. One year later it becomes the first to offer real-time chat online. By 1982, the company is providing wide-area networking capabilities to corporate clients. Today, Compuserve is owned by America Online.
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Booting

2011-11-24T09:03:00.001-08:00

Booting is the process that loads the operating system from the disk into the computer's memory. The term booting or bootstrapping is inspired by the legend of the Baron Munchhausen. Munchhausen was an 18th century German Nobleman who told tall tales about himself, including the ability to pull himself out of the sea by his bootstraps.
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The first Internet service provider

2011-11-23T04:16:00.001-08:00

The world's first public Internet service provider is established in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1989. Software Tool & Die begins "The World ISP, A Public Information Utility," equipped with a Sun computer, six 2400 bps modems, homemade modem cables, and basic account-creation software. The first online customer logs on in November 1989.
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RFID

2011-11-22T15:04:00.001-08:00

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) was developed during World War II. RFID transponders placed on an aircraft would give the appropriate response to an interrogating signal so that friendly aircraft could be distinguished from enemy aircraft. Today, RFID technology is being used in many applications including meds tracking, people and animal tracking, toll collections, and inventory control.
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BABAR experiment

2011-11-21T16:10:00.001-08:00

The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center's BABAR experiment maintains the largest known computer database on record. The experiment is a collaboration of 600 physicists observing collisions between subatomic particles to understand how matter shapes our universe. The experiment generates up to 500 gigabytes of data per day that is sent continuously to the experiment’s custom built database.
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The Lisa Computer

2011-11-20T08:35:00.001-08:00

Apple Computer announces the Lisa Computer in 1983. Lisa officially stands for Logical Integrated Software Architecture. The Lisa's significance in computing history is that it is the first commercial computer with a GUI and mouse designed for the mass market. Although critically acclaimed, the Lisa generates relatively low sales numbers due to its $10,000 price tag.
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The History of Computers

2011-11-19T06:19:00.001-08:00

A floating-point division bug is discovered in Intel's Pentium chip by University of Kentucky math professor Thomas Nicely in November 1994. The story circulates through the media leading attorney generals in eight states to file liability suits against Intel causing a public relations disaster for the company. Intel's first-ever chip recall results in a $475 million charge against company earnings.
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Computer science

2011-11-18T15:30:00.001-08:00

"Computer science is not as old as physics; it lags by a couple of hundred years. However, this does not mean that there is significantly less on the computer scientist's plate than on the physicist's: younger it may be, but it has had a far more intense upbringing!" - Physicist Richard Feynman.
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Spammer files suit

2011-11-17T15:02:00.001-08:00

Cyber Promotions files a lawsuit against America Online (AOL) in November 1996. The suit comes about as AOL blocks undeliverable junk e-mail generated by Cyber Promotions. The spammer files suit in U.S. district court and argues that it has a right to send junk e-mail and that AOL had no right to restrict its ability to send junk e-mail. The District Court rules in AOL’s favor in two separate decisions.
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Inkjet printers

2011-11-16T15:40:00.001-08:00

IBM invents the first inkjet-based printer in 1976. It takes twenty years of research and incremental developments including Siemens "drop-on-demand" inkjet technology, HP's "thermal" technology, and Epson's "piezo-electric" technology to overcome the challenges of producing a practical and affordable commercial inkjet product. Hewlett Packard releases the first personal inkjet printer in 1988.
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The Cathedral and the Bazaar

2011-11-15T16:36:00.001-08:00

Eric S. Raymond publishes his essay "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" in 1997. Based on his observations of the software industry and his own software management experiences, Raymond describes his "Bazaar" model for software development as the basis of Open Source Software. The paper is published as part of a book in 1999 and becomes the manifesto of the Open Source Software movement.
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2001: A Space Odyssey

2011-11-14T19:30:00.001-08:00

The epic drama of adventure and exploration "2001: A Space Odyssey" is released in 1968. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the story depicts a space crew that sets off on a spaceship controlled by HAL 9000, a revolutionary computer system. HAL endangers the crew's lives for the sake of the programmed mission and must be overcome by the crew.
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Hypertext

2011-11-13T08:18:00.001-08:00

Ted Nelson coins the term "Hypertext" in 1965. He foresees a future where millions of people will be publishing hypertext on a worldwide network at a time when few people understand the concept. His writings describe a system that would allow users to aggregate meaning in snippets, in the order of their choosing rather than to a pre-established structure fixed by the author.
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Sun Microsystems

2011-11-12T13:08:00.001-08:00

Sun Microsystems is established in 1982 by Stanford University students Vinod Khosla, Scott McNealy, Bill Joy and Andy Bechtolsheim. The company derives its name from "Stanford University Network" and delivers its first UNIX workstation design while the group is still attending Stanford. Sun quickly becomes a recognized vendor of technical workstations.
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Sydney J. Harris

2011-11-11T16:27:00.001-08:00

"The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers." - Sydney J. Harris, American journalist.
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Computer Associates

2011-11-10T17:35:00.001-08:00

Charles B. Wang starts Computer Associates International, Inc. (CA) in 1976. CA's first product is called CA-SORT, which delivers full-function sort, merge and copy capabilities for the OS/390 market. CA develops a successful strategy of providing multi-platform software products for its customers. After going public in 1981, CA grows into a worldwide leader in technology products and services.
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The PCjr

2011-11-09T18:46:00.001-08:00

IBM announces the PCjr in November 1983. Following the success of the IBM PC, IBM attempts to capture the home market with the IBM PCjr. The $1,300 computer has an 8088 processor, comes with a CGA monitor, and a single 5-1/4 inch floppy disk drive. Predicted to be a huge success, the computer fails to compete with other portables coming onto the market. The PCjr is discontinued in 1985.
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The 4004 CPU

2011-11-08T03:09:00.001-08:00

Intel releases the 4004 CPU in November 1971. The 4004 is the first computer on a chip and ushers in the era of the microprocessor. The combination of memory and processor on a single chip dramatically reduces size and cost while increasing computer speed. This event is the latest in the evolution of the vacuum tube to the transistor to the integrated circuit.
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Spacewar

2011-11-06T08:00:00.001-08:00

The world's first computerized video game, Spacewar, is developed by Steve Russell on a DEC PDP-1 computer at MIT in 1962. Spacewar is a multiplayer space-combat simulation inspired by Doc Smith's "Lensman" science fiction novels. The game has been essentially under constant development since 1962 and is still played today.
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Identity theft

2011-11-05T07:54:00.001-07:00

In November 2002, Federal investigators charge three men in the largest case of identity theft in U.S. history. The case involves a massive identity theft scheme with more than 30,000 victims and and over $2.7 million in losses. The thefts take place within Teledata Communications, a Long Island, New York company that provides computer access to consumer credit reports.
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Election results

2011-11-04T18:10:00.001-07:00

CBS Television is the first to use a computer to predict election results during the 1952 Presidential contest. By 8:30 election night, a UNIVAC computer predicts an electoral vote of 438 for Dwight D. Eisenhower and 93 for Adlai Stevenson. These numbers appear dubious to the CBS news staff and are not reported to viewers. The official electoral vote: 442 for Eisenhower, 89 for Stevenson.
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UNIX Programmer's Manual

2011-11-03T16:48:00.001-07:00

The first edition of the UNIX Programmer's Manual is released on November 3, 1971. Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie compile the manual two years after the two Bell Telephone Labs programmers develop the original UNIX operating system. The manual is divided into seven sections and includes over sixty commands.
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NET Act

2011-11-02T14:55:00.001-07:00

A twenty-two-year old senior at the University of Oregon is the first person to be convicted under the No Internet Theft Act (NET Act) in November 1999. The student is sentenced to two years of probation for making copies of software available for download from a university web site. A related 1999 study estimates that software piracy will account for nearly $12 billion in lost revenue for the software industry.
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Dr. Dobb's

2011-11-01T16:16:00.001-07:00

Dennis Allison and Bob Albrecht publish the "Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics and Orthodontia" in late 1975. The name "Dobb's" comes from an attempt to put together Allison and Albrecht's first names. Shortened to Dr. Dobb's Journal, the newsletter evolves into the highly popular monthly publication for computer programmers and developers.
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Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

2011-10-31T14:46:00.001-07:00

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 is the first comprehensive legislation in the U.S. to identify and provide for the prosecution of crimes committed through and against computer systems. In 1989, a Cornell University student becomes the first person prosecuted under the 1986 law for deploying a virus that shuts down computers at NASA, Purdue University and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
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The Mark 1

2011-10-30T08:04:00.001-07:00

The Mark 1 computer is developed by Harvard graduate Howard H. Aiken at IBM in the early 1940s. Officially known as the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC), the machine can add or subtract two numbers in three-tenths of a second, multiply them in four seconds, and divide them in ten seconds. The computer is 50 feet long, 8 feet tall, and weighs approximately 5 tons.
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The Internet

2011-10-29T05:21:00.001-07:00

The Internet is born on October 29, 1969. UCLA computer science professor Leonard Kleinrock leads a team of engineers in sending the first message from one remote computer to another on ARPANET. The actual message sent from UCLA to the Stanford Research Institute is the text "lo."
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Computer science

2011-10-28T14:01:00.001-07:00

Purdue University establishes the first formal computer science department and degree program in October 1962. Computer science had been taught at many universities prior to 1962, but students received degrees in other disciplines, usually mathematics or electrical engineering. The first computer science related courses were offered by Harvard University in the late 1940s.
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Computer generated film

2011-10-27T15:34:00.001-07:00

Bell Telephone scientist Edward Zajac creates the first computer generated film in 1963. The film "Simulation of a two-giro gravity attitude control system" shows how the path of a satellite could be altered as it orbits the Earth. The animation is created on an IBM 7090 mainframe computer. Soon after, other scientific researchers begin to develop computer generated films to graphically describe their activities.
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The laser printer

2011-10-26T16:18:00.001-07:00

Xerox researcher Gary Starkweather invents the laser printer in 1969. Starkweather uses a laser beam with the xerography process to create a laser printer method. Remarkably, Xerox shows little initial interest in his invention. Starkweather persists and continues to refine the laser printer technology. He completes the first working laser printer in 1971.
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The VAX

2011-10-25T14:51:00.001-07:00

Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX computer is released on October 25, 1977 at the company's annual meeting of shareholders. VAX is an acronym for Virtual Address eXtension. It is the first commercially available 32 bit machine and a major milestone in computer history. The Vax is built from the ground-up along with its highly successful Virtual Memory System (VMS) operating system.
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CICS

2011-10-24T15:14:00.001-07:00

Customer Information Control System (CICS), one of IBM's most durable and long-lasting products, is released in 1968. The architecture for the product allows it to be incorporated into new platforms over the ensuing years. Recent reports found that over 90% of U.S. Fortune 500 companies, and most state and national governments, rely on CICS for their core business functions.
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WordPerfect

2011-10-23T08:13:00.001-07:00

The WordPerfect word processing program is written for Data General minicomputers in 1982 by Satellite Software International. The program is ported to the IBM PC as the company renames itself WordPerfect Corporation. The program's popularity takes off with WordPerfect 4.2 in 1986, and becomes the de facto standard word processor until the mid 1990s, when it is eclipsed by Microsoft Word.
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Sketchpad

2011-10-22T02:59:00.001-07:00

Ph.D. student Ivan Sutherland uses the TX-2 computer at MIT to develop the Sketchpad computer program in 1963. Sketchpad is the first computer program to utilize a complete graphical user interface. It uses an x-y point display as well as a light pen. The program also pioneers the use of objects and instances, shedding light onto object oriented programming.
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Red Hat Linux

2011-10-20T08:09:00.001-07:00

Red Hat Linux is released in October 1994. In need of new open source software products to sell, the ACC Corporation agrees to market and distribute Marc Ewing's Red Hat Linux product. As sales take off, the ACC Corp changes its name to Red Hat Software, Inc. Red Hat subsequently becomes the most popular brand of Linux in the world.
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Black Monday

2011-10-19T03:30:00.001-07:00

On October 19, 1987, the S&P 500 loses 20.5%, the Dow Jones loses 22.6% and the NASDAQ goes down 11.3%, marking the largest one-day decline in stock market history. One of the major causes of the crash is the use of automated computer program trading. During the rapid decline, the markets are found to be controlled more by computers rather than by investor decisions.
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Google

2011-10-18T04:00:00.001-07:00

Google transitions from a search engine into a multi-faceted information services company in 2002. Having increased its search engine capability to three billion web documents, the company sets a new course. In 2002, Google launches an enterprise search appliance application, Google News, an advertising key word program, and Froogle, a shopping search engine.
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Web banner ads

2011-10-17T05:38:00.001-07:00

The inevitable occurs in October 1994: the first banner ad appears on a World Wide Web page. HotWired, an early and prolific website content creator, is credited with inventing the banner ad motif. The first banner ad is a 320 by 40 pixel graphic stating "Have you ever clicked your mouse here?" The ad appears on HotWired.com and is linked to the AT&T website.
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Computer memory

2011-10-16T06:48:00.001-07:00

Dr. F.C. Williams develops the first computer memory storage system in the mid 1940s. In November 1946, he demonstrates the use of a cathode ray tube to store a single binary digit. By autumn 1947, working with Tom Kilburn, they are able to store 2,048 bits over a period of a few hours. The Williams tube becomes the first random-access memory device for a modern computer.
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MP3s

2011-10-15T07:51:00.001-07:00

Eiger Labs sells the world's first MP3 player in the summer of 1998 for $165. The 32 MB portable holds up to 32 minutes of near CD-quality audio or 64 minutes of FM stereo-quality audio. The player is very basic and is not user expandable, though owners can upgrade the memory to 64 MB by sending the player back to Eiger Labs.
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IBM 5100 Portable Computer

2011-10-14T03:53:00.001-07:00

IBM unveils the IBM 5100 Portable Computer in 1975. Code named Project Mercury during its development, the portable is a briefcase-sized minicomputer with 64 KB of RAM, a tape storage drive, a keyboard, and a built-in 5-inch screen. The machine weighs 55 pounds and starts at $9,000. The 5100 is IBM's first personal computer.
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Tim Berners-Lee

2011-10-13T03:07:00.001-07:00

Tim Berners-Lee begins work on a hypertext GUI browser and editor in October 1990. One month later he produces the first web server and web page. The first web server is nxoc01.cern.ch, later called info.cern.ch. The first web page is http://nxoc01.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html. Tim Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the World Wide Web.
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Tron

2011-10-12T03:52:00.001-07:00

One of the first computer generated movies, "Tron," is released in 1982. A hacker is split into molecules and is transported into a computer where he teams with a book keeping program and his girlfriend as they try to replace the enemy Master Control program with Tron, a heroic independent security program.
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3340 Winchester sealed hard disk

2011-10-11T03:52:00.001-07:00

In 1973, IBM ships the model 3340 Winchester sealed hard disk drive, the predecessor of all current hard disk drives. Nearly two decades earlier, IBM had developed the first computer with a hard disk drive, the IBM 305. The 305's disk drive came with fifty 24-inch platters and a total capacity of five million characters.
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ISDN and DSL

2011-10-10T04:35:00.001-07:00

Bellcore researcher Joseph Lechleider originates broadband technologies in the late 1980s. He demonstrates the feasibility of sending broadband signals via telephone lines, which starts the movement of analog to digital. This research effort eventually spawns new transmission technologies such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL).
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GO TO statements

2011-10-09T08:06:00.001-07:00

Computer Science professor Edsger W. Dijkstra writes his classic programming paper "Go To Statement Considered Harmful" in the Communications of the ACM in March 1968. This paper outlines Dijkstra's observation that the quality of programmers is a decreasing function of the density of GO TO statements in the programs they produce.
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NeXT computer

2011-10-08T08:08:00.001-07:00

Steve Jobs resigns from Apple Computer in 1985 to start a company called NeXT. The NeXT computer is intended to be an affordable supercomputer aimed at the academic market. Unfortunately, the computer fails in the marketplace as NeXT churns through $250 million in capital. The failure is due to its $6,000 price tag and the fact that there is no useful software for it.
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Grid Compass 1101

2011-10-07T03:11:00.001-07:00

The first true laptop computer is designed in 1979 by British engineer William Moggridge for Grid Systems Corporation. The $10,000 Grid Compass 1101 features a clamshell design and is one-fifth the weight of comparable computers. The computer runs from batteries, has 384-KB of bubble memory, and is equipped with a 320 by 200-pixel plasma display.
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Longest Internet domain name

2011-10-06T03:59:00.001-07:00

What is the longest Internet domain name in the world? According to the domain registrars, the longest legal domain name is 63 characters starting with a letter or number. The longest domain name in the world reportedly belongs to the official homepage of a Welsh, United Kingdom village called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
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Cray Research

2011-10-05T04:01:00.001-07:00

Computer designer Seymour Cray founds Cray Research in 1972. After several years of development, Cray Research's first product, the Cray-1 Supercomputer, is released in 1976. Faced with several costly development projects, the company runs out of money and files for bankruptcy in 1995. Cray dies of injuries suffered in a car accident on October 5, 1996 at age 71.
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The IBM 1401

2011-10-04T04:01:00.001-07:00

The IBM 1401 Data Processing System is released in October 1959. Priced at $2,500 per month, this is IBM's first affordable general-purpose computer for business. The 1401 is host to one of the earliest high-level business-oriented programming languages, Report Program Generator (RPG), which increases its usability and popularity. The IBM 1401 is the first computer to sell 10,000 units.
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The 386 microprocessor

2011-10-03T04:16:00.001-07:00

Intel Corporation introduces the 80386 microprocessor chip in October 1985. The 386 is a 32-bit microprocessor containing over 275,000 transistors on a single chip, capable of four million operations per second. This gives PCs as much speed and power as older mainframes and minicomputers and makes graphical operating environments like Windows and OS/2 practical.
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The PowerPC

2011-10-02T07:26:00.001-07:00

Apple, IBM, and Motorola announce an alliance to create the PowerPC on October 2, 1991. The PowerPC is based on IBM's Power microprocessor, one of the first superscalar RISC implementations. The alliance creates two other companies: Taligent to develop an object-oriented operating system for the PowerPC, and Kaleida Labs to develop multimedia software, tools and scripting languages.
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Stanford University

2011-10-01T07:08:00.001-07:00

California Governor Leland Stanford purchases 650 acres of land in 1876. He later buys adjoining properties to bring his farm to more than 8,000 acres. This land is the future site of Stanford University, which opens its doors on October 1, 1891. Through the 20th century, Stanford University establishes itself as a world-class engineering and technology institution at the center of Silicon Valley.
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Liquid Crystal Display

2011-09-30T05:12:00.001-07:00

American chemist Glenn Brown sparks a resurgence in liquid crystal research in 1958. Ten years later, the first operational liquid crystal display (LCD) is introduced by a group headed by George Heilmeier at RCA laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey. Today, LCD devices are used in a wide range of electronic equipment from palm-sized mobile phones to large-size TV screens and computer monitors.
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Geographic Information Systems

2011-09-29T04:05:00.001-07:00

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is the combination of relational databases with digitized maps. This includes computer programs for capturing, storing, checking, integrating, analyzing and displaying data about the earth that is spatially referenced. GIS systems are used primarily by governments, research institutes or any other body to handle processing large amounts of geographical data.
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Atari 2600

2011-09-28T04:00:00.001-07:00

The Atari 2600 game system is released in 1977. This is the first successful video game console to use plug-in cartridges instead of built-in games. It is bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a cartridge game. The Atari 2600 introduces the hobby called video gaming to a new segment of users.
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The Intel 4004 chip

2011-09-27T03:09:00.001-07:00

Intel scientist Ted Hoff designs the "computer-on-a-chip microprocessor" in 1968. His idea of a universal processor instead of custom-designed circuits is developed while working with an Intel client on calculator chip designs. His new chip is called the Intel 4004 and released in 1971. This microprocessor invention is credited as the start of the microcomputer industry.
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Computer viruses

2011-09-26T04:25:00.001-07:00

Computer virus predecessors began showing up in the 1960s, the first being a memory saturating program called Core Wars. A program called Elk Cloner, written for Apple II systems in 1982, is believed to be the first computer-spreading type of virus. The first IBM-PC virus called the Brain appears in 1986.
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Motorola

2011-09-25T08:11:00.001-07:00

In September 1928, brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin purchase a battery business in Chicago and start the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. In 1930, they create the brand name Motorola for the company's new car radio, linking "motor" with the suffix "ola" (sound). The company sells its first television in 1947 and also changes its name from Galvin Manufacturing to Motorola, Inc.
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George Boole

2011-09-24T05:50:00.001-07:00

Mathematician George Boole develops the foundation for binary algebra and logic in the late 1830s. He proposes logical expressions as equations, multiplication by the word "and" and addition by the word "or". This provides the basis for validation of statements that may be either true or false. Years later, Boole's two valued logic becomes the basis for electronic circuits and computer design.
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The first commercial modem

2011-09-23T04:09:00.001-07:00

The first commercial modem is manufactured in 1962. The Bell 103 by AT&T is the first modem with full-duplex transmission and frequency-shift keying. It has a speed of 300 bits per second. AT&T has the modem market all to itself up until 1968 when the Federal Communications Commission establishes competitive policies for modem use.
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Eliza Artificial Intelligence program

2011-09-22T03:58:00.001-07:00

MIT scientist Joseph Weizenbaum creates one of the best known Artificial Intelligence programs in the world in 1966. The 200 line program called Eliza replicates the conversation between a psychoanalyst and a patient by applying pattern matching rules to dialog to figure out its replies. Weizenbaum is shocked that his program is taken seriously by many users, who open their hearts to it.
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Internet Explorer

2011-09-21T03:59:00.001-07:00

In response to growing public interest in the Internet, Microsoft creates an add-on to the Windows 95 operating system called Internet Explorer in September 1995. The Internet Explorer 1.0 web browser is developed from a licensed copy of the Spyglass Mosaic browser. At the time of Internet Explorer's release, Microsoft's browser competitor Netscape has almost 80% of the entire web browser market.
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Prodigy

2011-09-20T04:00:00.001-07:00

Sears and IBM launch a national online service called Prodigy on September 20, 1988. Prodigy is an online videotext service costing $9.95 per month. Prodigy becomes one of the three leading online services before it loses ground to the World Wide Web in the mid-1990s. The company is bought out by its management in 1996 and becomes an Internet service provider.
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WebTV

2011-09-19T04:05:00.001-07:00

WebTV Networks, Inc introduces the first WebTV set-top boxes in September 1996. Web TV is described as a pioneering Internet appliance based on the premise that a consumer will enjoy email and web browsing without having to own or operate a PC. In August 1997, Microsoft buys WebTV Networks and begins offering television-based software products and associated network services.
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X-Windows

2011-09-18T07:55:00.001-07:00

The X-Windows graphical user interface system is conceived at MIT in 1984. The X-Windows name is derived from the W-Windows system developed previously at Stanford University. X-Windows is designed as a true client-server system, one part on the client machine, the other on a network server. X-Windows subsequently becomes the standard toolkit for building graphical applications on UNIX platforms.
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Computer keypunch operators

2011-09-17T05:02:00.001-07:00

The demand for computer keypunch operators reaches its historic peak during the 1950s and 1960s. Employing a staff of keypunch operators is essential for mainframe computer systems during this period. The job entails entering program instructions and data using a card keypunch machine, verifying and correcting results with card verifier machines, and operating a card sorting machine.
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Chief Technology Officer

2011-09-16T03:49:00.001-07:00

The emergence of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) takes place during the 1980s. The CTO is a business-focused extension of the R&D lab with the goal of increasing profits yielded from research projects. The CTO proliferates further during the mid 1990s to oversee the use of the multitude of emerging technologies coming from the growth of Internet and web-related technologies.
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Extreme Programming

2011-09-15T04:28:00.001-07:00

Kent Beck introduces the concept of Extreme Programming in March 1996. Extreme Programming is a conceptual software engineering framework that attempts to meet perceived rapid changes in business. The concept is later formalized by Beck, Ward Cunningham and Ron Jeffries, and is the subject of several professional and technical publications during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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WYSIWYG

2011-09-14T04:00:00.001-07:00

In Fall of 1974, Charles Simonyi, a young Stanford Ph.D from Hungary, refines a program that allows a user to view a graphical display of how a document will appear exactly as printed out. The document is shown with underlining, bold face, italics, and fonts of various styles and sizes. This capability is dubbed as "What You See Is What You Get" - WYSIWYG.
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Artificial intelligence

2011-09-13T03:46:00.001-07:00

Prominent computer scientist John McCarthy coins the phrase "artificial intelligence" in 1955 at a Dartmouth University conference devoted to the subject. Five years later, McCarthy invents the Lisp programming language, the preeminent computer language of Artificial Intelligence.
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Jack Kilby's microchip

2011-09-12T05:38:00.001-07:00

Texas Instruments scientist Jack Kilby demonstrates the first simple microchip on September 12, 1958. Working with borrowed and improvised equipment, he builds the first electronic circuit in which all of the components are fabricated on a single piece of semiconductor material half the size of a paper clip. Later, Kilby co-invents the hand-held calculator and the thermal printer.
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Isaac Asimov

2011-09-11T07:13:00.001-07:00

"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them." - Isaac Asimov
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Control Data Corporation

2011-09-10T03:47:00.001-07:00

The newly formed Control Data Corporation introduces the 1604 in 1957. The company becomes widely respected for its high-speed computers used in government and scientific installations. For the next 30 years, Control Data uses the CYBER trade name and produces a complete product line from workstations to mainframes. In 1999, Control Data is acquired by British Telecom's Syntegra subsidiary.
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EISA bus

2011-09-09T03:23:00.001-07:00

Compaq and nine other PC competitors work together to develop the Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus in September 1988. EISA is developed as an alternative to IBM's microchannel bus, and is more compatible with the earlier ISA bus. The primary reason for its development is to avoid paying a fee to IBM for its microchannel bus technology, which was introduced a year earlier.
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TCP/IP

2011-09-08T03:59:00.001-07:00

Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf present a paper in 1973 that describes a new protocol they call the Transmission-Control Protocol. In 1978, the TCP protocol is split into two parts: One part for processing messages and detecting errors and the other part for routing and delivery of data. The protocol is renamed TCP/IP and subsequently becomes the standard for all Internet communication.
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