1951
Jay Forrester files a patent application for the matrix core memory.
1979
VisiCalc is first demonstrated by Daniel Bricklin and Robert Frankston at the West Coast Computer Faire. The application was conceived in 1977 by Brickman. The original protypes were written by Dan and Bob on a borrowed Apple II computer. VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet software, is the program that makes a business machine of the Apple II and proves to be the original “killer app” for early personal computers. VisiCalc (an amalgam of the words visible calculator) automated the recalculation of spreadsheets. One hundred cells were re-calculated in about twenty seconds. A huge success, more than one hundred thousand copies will be sold in the first year.
1987
The Rusty n’ Edie’s BBS goes into operation in Youngstown, Ohio. Operators Russell and Edwina Hardenburgh grow the system from a single line to over a hundred lines (and computer systems). In 1993, the system will be busted by the FBI for piracy, and Rusty will later be pulled into a landmark lawsuit for distributing scanned Playboy photos.
1993
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates approves a plan by product manager Russ Siegelman to create an online service and include it as part of the next Windows release. Code-name during development: Marvel
1995
Sega of America begins shipping the Saturn video game system in the US. Thirty thousand units are shipped to 1,800 Babbage’s and Software, Etc. and Toys ‘R Us stores for the initial launch, with ten game titles available in all. Sega begins a US$50 million marketing campaign to promote the system. The system is designed around a pair of 28.8 MHz 32-bit microprocessors and a parallel processing architecture. Price: US$349, or US$399 with VirtuaFighter
1998
In a survey of 3,002 persons conducted by Pew Research Center twenty percent of the people in the United States go online for news at least once a week. This figure translates into 36 million people, as a random sample.
Richard Miller, president of VM Labs in Los Altos, California, hosts a telephone conference to reveal a bit more about Project X, their forthcoming answer to platform-based home gaming and entertainment. According to Miller, Project X is an all-in-one solution for digital-based hardware manufacturers such as makers of DVD players, digital satellite receivers, televisions, etc. Their one-chip replaces MPEG-2 architecture at little or no added cost to the hardware manufacturer.
1999
Yahoo! launches Yahoo! Radio.
2001
The Solaris/IIS worm infects Solaris boxes up to version 7, and then scans for IIS machines susceptible to the folder traversal vulnerability and then replaces the default web page with foul language.
2004
Nintendo unveils the Nintendo DS handheld video game system, featuring an ARM 9 3D processor, an ARM 7 2D processor, a dual backlit 3-inch LCD screens, a DS compact card slot, a GBA cartridge slot, a wireless 16-player local communications, 802.11b wi-fi connectivity, a D-pad controller, face and shoulder buttons, a touch screen with a stylus, headphone and microphone jacks. Nintendo also announces that it’s working on a new console code-named “Revolution”.
Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) unveils the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld video game system, featuring dual 333MHz MIPS R4000 processors, 32MB RAM, 4MB embedded DRAM, a 4.3-inch diagonal 16:9 wide screen backlit 480×272 pixel TFT LCD 16 million color display, a 1.8GB Universal Media Disc (UMD) drive, a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot, a USB 2.0 slot, 802.11b wi-fi connectivity, a D-pad controller, face and shoulder buttons, an analog joystick, headphone and microphone jacks, a USB 2.0 slot, a Memory Stick PRO Duo slot, an IrDA infrared sensor, stereo speakers, and a lithium-ion battery. The system is scheduled for release in Japan in December and in the US in March. Weight: 260 grams
2005
AOL Mail (also known as AIM Mail) free webmail service is goes public. Accounts each have a 2GB storage limit. Visit the official AOL Mail website.
2006
Version 3.9 of the OpenNTPD is released. OpenNTPD is a Unix system daemon implementing the Network Time Protocol to synchronize the local clock of a computer system with remote NTP servers. Visit the official OpenNTPD website.
Version 10.1 of the SUSE Linux open source operating system is released.
2008
A major Security Flaw in Google allows spammers to send through their SMTP servers. Google patched that one up quick
Facebooks’ CTO Adam D’Angelo leaves the company
Kait Duplaga had her macbook stolen. However, with the “Back to my Mac” feature, she was able to remote into it, turn on the camera and take some pictures of the thief. Friends recognized the thief and police nabbed the suspect. How come they don’t talk about that in their commercials?
RIM Introduces the Blackberry Bold (9000 model) with HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access)
2009
To Appease Regulatory approval, Verizon must sell part of the Alltel Network, in which they bought in 2008 for $28.1 billion. AT&T purchased the bulk of that, for $2.35 billion. AT&T would get wireless spectrum licenses, network assets and 1.5 million subscribers in 79 service areas within 18 states.
Microsoft files for debt offering to the SEC for $4 billion. They declined to state why they needed the money.
Evernote launches it’s Application for Blackberry phones.
Greece stops Google street view from continuing their mapping of the country. Their concern was not about taking pictures of the buildings, but how long those images intend to stay up, how Google handles interesting situations that get captured by the camera.
Apple rejects “Jesus Face” where you can put your face on the body of Jesus.
2011
Eric Schmidt announced the ChromeOS and a new notebook called “Chromebook”. Samsung Chromebooks went on sale at $399 for a WiFi model. 3G models would be coming out soon. The Chrome store would also be available to install apps and several web-based software programs will also become available.
2013
Researchers develop a thermal invisibility device, measuring 5 cm wide, able to “cloak” objects from heat.