History of technology
The first real browser
The Web is so much a part of our lives today that it is hard to remember that not long ago we managed without it. One thing that was instrumental in the development of the Web was the Netscape browser. It was just 15 years ago that this first example of a popular browser was [...]
Unix is 40
Most home PC users are unaware of what is the most important operating system ever developed. Yes, it’s Unix and not Windows. That takes nothing away from Windows because Unix has played a unique role in general computing. Unix has reached its 40th birthday and eWeek commemorates it with a slideshow:
Forty years ago, a new [...]
The Internet Archive
I’ve previously mentioned the Wayback Machine, an archive of old Web pages. An even more comprehensive digital collection is being constructed at the Internet Archive. The site is described:
The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide [...]
Finding old computer games
Is there a DOS game that you loved and wished you had back? There are several sites that are keeping these games alive. Most games are probably single EXE files. It is interesting to note how small the files are. Remember that DOS worked with a limit of 640 KB of RAM. MakeUseOf gives four [...]
The Internet is 40
On September 2, 1969 a small but exceedingly important event took place. Almost no one paid it any attention. In fact, it was the beginning of the revolution that we call the Internet. (Not the Worldwide Web, that came 20 years later.) You can read what one of the participants in this historical event [...]
Missed opportunities
The history of technology is filled with instances of companies missing major opportunities. Xerox failing to capitalize on the pioneering work at its Palo Alto research facility and IBM missing the PC revolution are two of my favorite examples. These two and eight others are discussed in a PC World post, The 10 Stupidest Tech [...]
Profile of Steve Jobs
Anathema to some, adored by others, Apple CEO and founder Steve Jobs is always in the news. He has been one of the biggest influences in the tech world but his recent health problems have caused much speculation about his future role. Whatever his future at Apple, Jobs has had a profound influence on personal [...]
PCs from the 1980s
Ah, nostalgia. If you were one of the few who had a PC in the 1980s, you might enjoy a gallery of pictures of old PCs from the recently opened National Museum of Computing in London.
Remembering the HP-35 calculator
Recently, the IEEE History Center recognized the HP-35 handheld electronic calculator from the 1970’s with an award as a Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing. I owned one of these and a nifty device it was. eWeek has an article about it:
The HP-35 was HP’s first product that contained both integrated circuits and LEDs. [...]
How the Internet got its rules
It is amazing that the gargantuan Internet of today is still using pretty much the same rules and methods that were devised at its beginning 40 years ago. It is a tribute to those pioneers who put together the original structure. The New York Times has an article by one of those pioneers about how [...]
For computing history buffs
If you are like me and occasionally have nostalgic moments thinking about operating systems of days past, Computerworld has an article, Gone but not forgotten: 10 operating systems the world left behind. There is also a photo gallery accompanying the article.
Unix, which is still going strong, is approaching its 40th birthday and so Computerworld has [...]