1972
Jon Postel creates the first Telnet specification in Request for Comment 318 (RFC 318), entitled “Ad hoc Telnet Protocol”. Read the full text of RFC 318. At the time of the posting, there is no official telnet protocol.
The first portable cell phone call takes place in New York City. The call was placed by inventor Martin Cooper. The phone is ten inches tall, three inches deep, an inch and a half wide, and weighs thirty ounces. Cooper’s so-called ‘’shoebox” model will replace car phones that weigh more than thirty pounds and cost thousands of dollars.
1982
Atari declares this day National Pac-Man Day when it introduces the game as a video game cartridge for the Atari 2600 Video Computer System (VCS) at the suggested selling price of US$44.95. The game will become the best-selling cartridge ever for the 2600. The Atari 2600 Video Computer System (VCS) version of PAC-MAN was written by Todd Fry. Some say this was the video game industry’s first brass ring for a programmer. Fry was given three months and, ultimately, a million dollars to generate the 2600 code for the game. Sales will fall off nearly as quickly as they had topped the charts, however, due to relatively poor gameplay and visual quality.
1984
International Business Machines (IBM) unveils the PC Convertible, the company’s first laptop computer. It features an 4.77MHz Intel 80c88, 256KB of RAM (expandable to 512KB), a monochrome CGA-compatible LCD screen, and dual 720KB 3.5″ floppy drives, and a built-in carrying handle. It is the first IBM computer to feature standard 3.5″ floppy disk drives. Visit the official IBM website.
1989
Compaq introduces the Compaq Deskpro 286e computer in the US, featuring 1MB RAM, five expansion slots, VGA graphics, and a mouse port. Price: US$2,699 – US$3,599
2000
In the case of United States v. Microsoft, US District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson issues a forty-three page Conclusions of Law, ruling that Microsoft acted illegally to protect its operating system monopoly and used its monopoly position in an attempt to monopolize the web browser market. CEO Bill Gates, who looses nearly twelve billion dollars of net worth as the company’s stock price drops fifteen percent from its value at the end of trading the previous day’s trading, publicly states that the company will appeal the ruling. Analysts predict that, pending Microsoft’s imminent appeal, the case could be tied up in courts for another twenty years. By the close of trading, concern over Microsoft drive the NASDAQ composite index down 349 points. Read Jackson’s Conclusions of Law online at Harvard.
2002
Zarurus SL-5500Sharp Electronics releases the Zaurus SL-5500 handheld computer in the US, featuring the Lineo Linux operating system, an Intel 206MHz StrongARM processor, 64MB RAM, a CompactFlash slot, a Secure Digital slot, a 320×240 pixel resolution 16-bit color screen, a keyboard, and a lithium-ion battery. Price: US$500 Weight: 6.8 ounces
2004
Version 4.2.1 of the Self programming language is released. Self is an object-oriented programming language based on the concept of prototypes. The language was primarily used as an experimental test system for language design in the eighties and nineties; however, its development is on-going. Visit the official Self website.
2007
The open source blogging engine Habari is first released. Habari is a community developed engine written in PHP that runs on web servers as a blog platform. Visit the official Habari website.
2008
Exec Ian Rogers leaves Yahoo Music for Topspin Media
Apple passes Wal-Mart in Global Music sales
Intel unveils plans for a “Netbook” computer
Motorola announces it will eliminate 2600 jobs in a restructure effort.
Microsoft and Yahoo meet again to try and work out a Deal in the merger talks.
2009
Senators Olympia Snowe and Bill Nelson introduce a bill to try and curb any SMS and email SPAM.
Comcast suffers a email server outtage. The server was down until 2:45 PM
2010
Apple releases the iPad – 16 and 32 GB models without 3G (will be released at the end of April). $499 and $599
2013
154 days after acquiring Lucas Arts, Disney shuts it down. They dissolved the gaming company directly into Disney
Bitcoin wallet service Instawallet shuts down after online attack