Computer

June 19, 1984: X Window System

Jeffrey Powers @geekazine 3dnow, 3g, advanced micro devices, aggregator, AMD, AOL, aol software, apple iphone, Application programming interfaces, athlon processor, Bob Scheifler, Computing, day in tech history, Duron, duron processor, historical events, iPhone, iPhone 3GS, iTunes, Podcast, RSS, software glitch, stitcher, System software, technology history, x window system, X11, X11.app 0 Comments June 19, 2018

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1984 – Jim Gettys and Bob Scheifler announced collaboration of a new operating system in the X Window System. This gives the basic framework for a GUI. Currently, it is refered to as X11, R7.7.

I’ve spent the last couple weeks writing a window
system for the VS100. I stole a fair amount of code
from W, surrounded it with an asynchronous rather
than a synchronous interface, and called it X. Overall
performance appears to be about twice that of W. The
code seems fairly solid at this point, although there are
still some deficiencies to be fixed up.

We at LCS have stopped using W, and are now
actively building applications on X. Anyone else using
W should seriously consider switching. This is not the
ultimate window system, but I believe it is a good
starting point for experimentation. Right at the moment
there is a CLU (and an Argus) interface to X; a C
interface is in the works. The three existing
applications are a text editor (TED), an Argus I/O
interface, and a primitive window manager. There is
no documentation yet; anyone crazy enough to
volunteer? I may get around to it eventually.

Anyone interested in seeing a demo can drop by
NE43-531, although you may want to call 3-1945
first. Anyone who wants the code can come by with a
tape. Anyone interested in hacking deficiencies, feel
free to get in touch.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for June 19

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AOL Software glitch
Apple iPhone 3G S is released
X Window System is released

Computer/ Day in Tech History

June 16, 1997: NetPC Announced

Jeffrey Powers @geekazine aggregator, bob miner, cia, compaq, Compaq Deskpro, coney island, Databases, day in tech history, development laboratories, development labs, Gateway, Geek, geek history, Google, google docs, gravity, history, Inc., intel, iPhone, larry ellison, mainframe computer, Mark Hurd, operating system, oracle, Oracle Corporation, packard bell, pendulum clock, Personal computer, Podcast, roller coaster, SAP AG, sdl, software development, stitcher, technology history, twitter, windows 98 0 Comments June 16, 2018

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1997 – Several computer companies banded together to help create the NetPC. A disk-less computer that got all information, including install – from a corporate server or the Internet.

Basically, these would be similar to thin clients or “Dumb terminals” for work computers. No CD drive, no floppy disc and limited disk space. Cases were sealed so nobody could get inside to reconfigure the computer. Installs would be handled via the Internet, therefore, no personal software could be installed.

Microsoft and Intel unveiled the system at the PC Expo trade show. NetPC would work with Compaq, Dell, IBM, HP, Acer, Gateway 2000, Mitac, Misubishi, NEC, Pionex, and Groupe Bull computer companies to make the first group of NetPC computers.

The sub-$1,000 computer was a great idea that would work better today than in 1997. IBM dropped out of the project before the first NetPCs came out. They decided to make something their customers would use.

Microsoft finally pulled the plug at the Windows Engineering Conference in 1998 when John Frederiksen, lead project manager for thin clients acknowledged the phase-out process.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for June 16

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1657 – The first Pendulum Clock
1884 – Coney Island’s first gravity powered Roller Coaster
1988 – Intel releases the i386DX
1999 – Windows 98 SP1 is released
2008 – Google Docs gets PDF Support
2009 –iPhone OS 3.0

Computer/ Day in Tech History

June 9, 1986: Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center Opens

Jeffrey Powers @geekazine anniversary, cornell university, iPhone, iTunes, launches, Linux, linux kernel, mail marketer, national science foundation, pittsburgh super computing center, princeton, San Diego, stitcher, supercomputer, technology history, teragrid, United States 0 Comments June 9, 2018

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1986 – The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center opens. It links 5 supercomputer centers together – Princeton, San Diego, Illinois, and Cornell University. PSC is a leading partner in the TeraGrid, the National Science Foundation’s cyberinfrastructure program.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for June 9

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Linux Kernel 2.0 is released
iPhone 2.0 launches
MessageMedia and Revnet join to become North America’s largest e-mail marketer

Computer/ Day in Tech History

June 5, 1983: Coleco Adam Computer

Jeffrey Powers @geekazine apple, Apple II, bell telephone, Bob Hope, Coleco Adam, ColecoVision, computer, day in tech history, first computer, franklin institute, geek history, Google, Home computers, homeland security, jeff moss, June, oprah, Podcast, roger ebert, security advisory council, technology history, video RAM, Vocoder, voder, Zilog Z80 0 Comments June 5, 2018

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1983 – Coleco announced at the Consumer Electronics Show the Coleco Adam. It was their first attempt at a computer hybrid system – gaming and desktop computing. The $725 price tag didn’t hurt, either.

With a Zilog Z80 processor and 80 kB RAM with 16 kB video RAM, the Adam could do what you needed. Also available was a printer, tape drive, and spots for 3 expansion cards.

Unfortunately, the computer didn’t do as well as the company wanted. They expected a half-million sold by December, but didn’t reach that goal. Ultimately, the Coleco Adam was discontinued in 1985.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for June 5

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Apple II goes on sale
Bob Hope was declared dead on the Internet – which was not true
Jeff Moss joined the Homeland Security Advisory Council

Computer/ Day in Tech History

June 2, 1988: IBM PS/2 Model 70

Jeffrey Powers @geekazine AOL, bomb attack, business, carpet, ceo chris, chris hassett, CIH, computer architecture, Computer virus, day in tech history, geek history, Google, Hardware, history, IBM, IBM Model 70, IBM PC Series, IBM Personal System/2, June, mobile solution, model 70, OS/2, Podcast, Pointcast, ps 2, Safari, screensaver, stitcher, technology history, virus surfaces, windows 95 0 Comments June 2, 2018

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1988 – While not the first version of the PS/2, the Model 70 was introduced with the 80386 processor. 16, 20, and 25 MHz clock speeds. The Model 70 also used a 25 MHz Intel 486 processor in a complex called the Power Platform.

If you wanted to upgrade to the 80486, you would have to replace the PS/2’s BIOS chip along with the processor board.

The model 70-A21 sold for $11,295 and included 2 MB of RAM, 120 MB ESDI hard drive, MS-DOS and OS/2. If you wanted a monitor for it, you would have to put down an additional $595 for the 8512 VGA.

Model 70 was a desktop case and Model 80 was a tower. IBM also introduced the PS/2 Model 25 LS and PS/2 Model 50 Z.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for June 1

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IBM PS/2 Model 70
The CIH Computer Virus surfaces
Safari Carpet Bomb attack

Computer/ Day in Tech History

May 30, 1987: Compact Disc Video (CD-V) Format

Jeffrey Powers @geekazine attachment, caption, evening post, firefox, gecko, gecko engine, geek history, Google, Google Chrome, guinness book of world, guinness book of world records, guinness world record, history, internet explorer, Linux, linux distributions, mobile solution, mozilla, mozilla download, mozilla firefox, netscape, pennsylvania, Podcast, stitcher, technology history, turbolinux, Windows NT 3.51 0 Comments May 30, 2018

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1987 – North American Phillips Company introduced the compact disc video format. Using the same technology as LaserVision, the “CD’s with Pictures” would be gold in color and the same size as an audio CD. They could hold up to 800 MB – which would allow for a full length movie in SD, or a video music album.

The CD-V didn’t last that long, dissolving by 1991.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for May 30

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TurboLinux OS 7 released
Windows NT 3.51 released (adding Power PC support)
The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first paper in the US

Computer/ Day in Tech History

May 25, 1999: Corel WordPerfect Office 2000

Jeffrey Powers @geekazine Alec Guinness, AppleLink, Borland software, budget, Carrie Fisher, Chief executive officer, corel, Corel Presentations, Corel WordPerfect Office, Facebook, geek history, George Lucas, Google, Google Chrome, history, iTunes, Jedi, Mark Hamill, movie, New Hope, Paradox, Podcast, Quattro Pro, return, RSS, Science fiction, star wars, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, stitcher, technology history, Wi-Fi, wide web conference, WinZip, Word processors, WordPerfect, world wide web conference 0 Comments May 25, 2018

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1999 – A program first developed by Brigham young University for Data General minicomputers, WordPerfect was the word processing application for anyone using a computer in the 80’s and 90’s. I remember writing reports and papers using this software growing up, along with Quattro Pro for bookkeeping and printing daily reports at work. However, in 1994, WordPerfect started to gain some major competition when computers turned to GUI, and DOS was getting put on the back burner.

Corel, the owners of WordPerfect since 1996, wanted to ramp up production of not only the word processor, but also their other products in Quattro Pro, Presentations, Paradox and Corel Central. They company always said they wanted to be the “Pepsi version of MS Word (Coke)”.

Therefore, WordPerfect Office 2000 was released. It was not their first attempt of a suite (first rel. 1993), but was the first version released by Corel, and a path to their current version of the WordPerfect Office X7.

Like MS Office, WordPerfect Office can be purchased in Home and Student, Standard and Pro versions. Other features in the pack are Corel WinZip, Nuance Paperport, and NaturallySpeaking 3.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for May 25

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Phillips electronics released the Laservision
CERN holds the first World Wide Web conference
Google Street view is launched in the US
A signed Steve Wozniak Apple I sells for $671,000

Computer/ Day in Tech History

May 23, 1995: MySQL Released RDBMS

Jeffrey Powers @geekazine c syntax, core component, database management system, database program, geek history, gnu general public license, history, home video game, James Gosling, Java, java platform, java programming language, kevin mitnick, lex, lexer, MySQL, nec, Podcast, programmer, programming, rdbms, relational database management, Relational Database Management System, SQL, sql database, stitcher, sun, sun microsystems, technology history, use, video game market, Write Once Run Anywhere 0 Comments May 23, 2018

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1995– MySQL releases their SQL database program for web pages. This is known as a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). MySQL uses C and C++, the SQL parser used yacc and a hybrid of lexer called “sql_lex.cc”. Many different websites to this day use versions of MySQL, including us at Geekazine and the Day in Tech History.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for May 23