1989
Apple Computer announces the details of the System 7.0 operating system for the Macintosh.
IBM introduces the IBM PS/2 Model 55 SX computer, featuring a 16MHz 80386SX processor, MCA slots, a 30MB hard drive, 2MB DRAM, a 1.44 MB 3.5-inch floppy drive, a VGA, and a 13-inch color monitor. Price: US$3895 or US$4295 with a 60MB hard drive
IBM introduces the IBM PS/2 Model P70 386 computer, featuring MCA slots, a 20MHz 80386 processor, and a 60MB hard drive. Price: US$7695 or US$8295 with a 120MB hard drive Weight: 20 pounds
1990
May 7 through Wednesday, May 9, the United States Secret Service and the Arizona Organized Crime and Racketeering Bureau execute Operation Sundevil, raiding the homes and businesses of alleged computer hackers in Cincinnati, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Tucson, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.
1996
Apple Computer, Inc. informs their dealers that defective chips are the reason a number of their PowerBooks, Power Macs, and Performa computers are freezing up. They were also notified of AC problems causing cracks in the PowerBook laptops. Although Apple claims the problem with the defective ROM/cache and clock chips is a “business as usual” situation, eight thousand Apple distributors are notified with a promise to repair the problems free of charge over a seven year period.
Linus Torvalds decides to adopt Tux the penguin as a mascot for Linux.
The Securities and Exchange Commission charges six people with insider trading. Those charged include, William H. Lane III (Intuit’s chief financial officer), Kathleen Lane (his wife), and their friends and family members. The alleged trading took place after Lane confided in his wife information about a pending Microsoft buyout in October 1994 before it was publicly announced.
1997
Umax Computer announces the SuperMac C500LT/140 computer, featuring Macintosh compatibility, a 140 MHz PowerPC 603e processor, an 8X CD-ROM drive, a 1.2GB hard drive, a floppy drive, and two PCI slots. Price: US$999
2000
2001
A computer virus described as an “email worm” called Homepage strikes thousands of Microsoft Outlook users worldwide.
Microsoft Corporation states that their new Windows XP operating system will go on sale Thursday, October 25. Microsoft pledges to spend “hundreds of millions” of dollars to marketing the new system.
2004
Blogger introduces a major redesign, adding features including CSS-compliant templates, individual archive pages for posts, comments, and posting by email.
Konami of Japan files a complaint with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, asking for an injunction to prevent Roxor Games from selling their arcade cabinet conversion kits, along with payment of damages, based on “Konami’s patent and trademark rights in its Dance Dance Revolution arcade game” and unfair competition law. Konami alleges that the refitting of arcade cabinets “has been done in an infringing and unfair way.” This did not affect the PlayStation 2 game, which will be released as planned.
Microsoft releases Windows Mobile 5.0, at Microsoft’s Mobile and Embedded Developers Conference 2005 in Las Vegas. The system was codenamed “Magneto” during development. It will be first offered on the Dell Axim x51.
New York University’s Stern School of Business posts an article announcing that they have begun using an open source e-mail client.
2006
The Deleting Online Predators Act (H.R. 5319) of 2006 (DOPA) is brought before the United States House of Representatives by Republican Pennsylvania Representative (R-PA) Mike Fitzpatrick. The proposed act would amend the Communications Act of 1934, requiring schools and libraries that receive E-rate funding to protect minors from online predators in the absence of parental supervision when using “Commercial Social Networking Websites” and “Chat Rooms.” The act would prohibit schools and libraries from providing access to these types of websites to minors. The act also requires the institutions to be capable of disabling the restrictions for “use by an adult or by minors with adult supervision to enable access for educational purposes.” Read the full text of this bill and its variations at the website of the Library of Congress.
Firefly episodes were added to the iTunes Music Store for download as part of the FOX Television Classics collection, along with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost in Space. The Buffy episodes are initially listed in the order FOX originally aired them, but due to an overwhelming response fans, the episodes will later be re-listed in the order in which creator Joss Whedon originally intended.
real-time strategy game based in a fantasy world, where technology and magic coexist.
NeoOffice 2.0 Alpha 2 is released for the Power PC.
The staff of Planetboredom.net, a website that allows its users to submit short movies, games, and pictures for others to view, receive their first email. It is from Ava Paquette, a woman with a long history of legal campaigns against the enemies of Scientology, demanding that the site remove a video the staff had made during a free screening of “The Story of Book One,” a film about Dianetics, at the Toronto Church of Scientology on May 2nd. They refused to remove the content and were contacted soon after by their web host. The host had also received a threatening letter, and had decided to take down the video. There were no shortage of volunteers to resume the hosting, and the video’s downtime was only about an hour long.
2008
Apple announces Owners of PowerBooks and iBooks who purchased replacement power adapters after theirs began to spark should soon be eligible for a refund.
Facebook is lifting the 5000 friend cap
Atari announced they received a letter stating NASDAQ was delisting the game maker due to it not following the requirements
2013
It is revealed today that in February hackers stole $45 million from worldwide bank ATM’s with large numbers of criminals using fraudulent debt cards
YouTube launches paid channels – starting at .99 cents a month and some with 14 day free trials
NSA Internet spying guide is made public via the Freedom of Information Act