March 19: Internet Explorer (IE 8) Released

Mar 18, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Microsoft

IELogo

2009 – The face of browsers was changing. Mozilla had made a major push for the browser market and Google had entered into the market with the Chrome browser. In the meantime, Microsoft was getting pressure from the European Union for it’s bundling of the browser on the operating system. Still, Internet Explorer continues on and releases IE8

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 19

• IBM PC jr is discontinued
• Apple releases the Mac IIfx
• Palm introduces the M500 and M505 handhelds

Related articles

• Microsoft comes clean with Internet Explorer distrust (slashgear.com)
• Browser Wars: The Demise of Internet Explorer (epiphanysearch.co.uk)
• Internet Explorer Commercial Song! | Alex Clare – “Too Close” (thinksoul25.com)

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 18: .AERO Domains Begins Resolving

Mar 17, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Geek

aero

2002- The .aero domain, or domain on aviation, begins registering. The resolution of the .aero domain would happen on Sept 2nd.

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 18

• CRT iMac is removed from Apple Store
• SATAN Security tool released

Related articles

• March 15: Symbolics.com – First Registered Domain (dayintechhistory.com)
• March 1: Steve Wozniak Builds His First Computer (dayintechhistory.com)
• March 5: Homebrew Computer Club Established (dayintechhistory.com)

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 17: AOL Finishes Acquisition of Netscape

Mar 16, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: AOL, Day in Tech History

aol

1999- America Online(AOL) completes the acquisition of Netscape Communications Corporation. The acquisition started in Nov. 24, 1998. The acquisition was a $10 million arrangement in stock and cash.

Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark were the founders of Netscape. The Netscape browser would be discontinued in December 2007, and ultimately end support on March 1, 2008.

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 17

• Apple files suit to Microsoft and HP
• Office 97 Small Business Edition is released
• Tim Paterson contacts Microsoft on intent to sell MS-DOS

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 16: WikiWikiWeb – First Wiki

Mar 15, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Internet

wikiwikiweb

1995- The worlds first Wiki was created as Ward Cunningham invites people to add and edit content. WikiWikiWeb was officially launched on March 25th, as A Wiki is a database that can be a community collaboration. Six years later, Wikipedia is launched.

From: ward
To: stevep
Subject: New Service on PPR
Date: Thursday, March 16, 1995 11:06AM

Steve — I’ve put up a new database on my web server and I’d like you
to take a look. It’s a web of people, projects and patterns accessed
through a cgi-bin script. It has a forms based authoring capability
that doesn’t require familiarity with html. I’d be very pleased if
you would get on and at least enter your name in RecentVisitors. I’m
asking you because I think you might also add some interesting
content. I’m going to advertise this a little more widely in a week
or so. The URL is http://c2.com/cgi-bin/wiki. Thanks and best
regards. — Ward

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 16

• Wireless Telephone is invented
• Sci-Fi announces the name change to SyFy
• Mac OS X Server 1.0

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 15: Symbolics.com – First Registered Domain

Mar 14, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Internet

symbolics

1985- 25 years ago, Symbolics.com became the first domain registered on the World Wide Web.  In fact, if you go to their website, they have a countdown clock to the historic event. The company made Lisp machines (workstations), most notably, the 3600 series. Since then, the site was purchased by XF.com Investments (now, XF.com) – Aron Meystedt. No purchase price was disclosed for the domain.

Note – the first domain ever created was Nordu.net, but was never registered.

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 15

• IBM 1050 Data Communications System
• First Unix manual page for cc
• Cisco acquires Webex for $3.2 Billion
• Twitter Launches

Related articles

• March 4: IBM Purchases Ferrite Core Memory Patent (dayintechhistory.com)
• March 2: Microsoft Antitrust Activities Hearing (dayintechhistory.com)
• The First Domain on the Internet Has Been Sold — Symbolics.com Has Been Purchased By XF.com Investments (prweb.com)

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 14 – Rick Rolled: Never Gonna Give You Up hits Number 1

Mar 13, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Geek

Rick Astley

Happy National Pi Day – The celebration of 3.14

1988 - It’s the song that found it’s rebirth and the term “Rick Rolled” became a urban saying. Of course, we are talking about Rick Astley and the song: Never Gonna Give You Up. It hit #1 on the charts. Of course, it’s internet fame has turned this into a whole new beast.

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 14

• Microsoft releases XBox in Europe
• NEC announces they will be getting into the computer market
• Apple releases the Power Macintosh computer

Related articles

• February 6: Alan Shepard Golfs on Moon, Steve Wozniak Leaves Apple (dayintechhistory.com)
• March 3: Pac-Man vs. Odyssey2′s K.C. Munchkin (dayintechhistory.com)

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 13: Microsoft’s Initial Public Stock Offering (IPO)

Mar 12, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Microsoft

Microsoft

1986-$21.00 a share was the first price for stock in Microsoft. 2.5 million shares were sold, raising the price to 27.75 and netting the company 61 million initially. Since then, the highest it has gone was 57.91 on Dec 24th, 1999. Yet with about 10 stock splits and several dividends in the 24 years, people definitely got their money’s worth. If you would have purchased 100 shares in 1986 and let those shares ride until today, you would have 102,400 shares of stock at appx. $29 a share.

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 13

• Apple and Bandai demonstrate the Pippin Atmark Multimedia computer
• JTS sells Atari to HIACXI
• Jerry Jalava gets the first prothstetic thumb drive

Related articles

• March 2: Microsoft Antitrust Activities Hearing (dayintechhistory.com)
• February 1: Microsoft Bids for Yahoo (dayintechhistory.com)

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 12: First CeBit Conference

Mar 11, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Geek

cebit

1986- It’s full name is Centrum der Büro- und Informationstechnik (Centre of Office and Information technology). CeBit actually was started in the 70′s with the Hanover fair. However, the two separated in 1986 when it was decided that together, the two were not doing too well. Since then, CeBit has grown to be a very important conference for all IT.

CeBit expanded in 1999, and the sponsor brought the show to Asia, Australia, Turkey, and the US.  CeBit runs 5 days in Hanover, Germany.

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 12

• V-Chip technology becomes mandatory in televisions
• AOL buys Bebo
• 2007 - Hulu launches in the US

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 11: First Digital MP3 Music Player – MPMan

Mar 10, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Music

First MP3 Player

1997 - Although the MP3 player was technically been around since the 80′s, the first Digital Music Player was first introduced. Eiger Labs shows off the MPMan at CeBit. For $250, you get a 32 MB model to hold 8 of your favorite songs. The 1998 release was only shadowed by the Rio PMP300, which overshadowed Eiger Labs.

MPMan was manufactured by the South Korean company SaeHan Information Systems, and was the first mass-produced portable solid state digital audio player. It came with a docking station to connect to your computer. The MPMan also has a rechargable battery and only weighed 65 grams.

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 11

• Apple Macintosh discontinues the Mac IIcx
• HP acquires TrueLogica
• iTunes 8.1 is released

Related articles

• January 20: Apple Lemmings Ad (dayintechhistory.com)
• Infographic Shows Smartphone Rise and MP3 Player Demise for Music (geardiary.com)

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

March 10: Uncensored Bulletin Board System Launched

Mar 9, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers @geekazine    No Comments    Posted under: Day in Tech History, Google

BBS

1988- Ignatius T. Foobar launches one of the more interesting and long-lasting Bulletin board systems in the Uncensored BBS. Of course, his name was really Art Cancro, but Ignatius used an Altos 586 running Citadel/UX software. This BBS is still running to this day, even though dial-up access has been discontinued since 2001.

Wikazine – Full show notes for March 10

• Richard D Kenadek is sentenced in the Davy Jones Locker BBS case
• Gene Roddenberry‘s ashes are launched into space
• Google releases Android 1.1

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download