David L. Farquhar on technology old and new, computer security, and more
In 1986, it seemed like everyone was talking about VCRs, especially VHS VCRs. But this was an example of it taking years to become an overnight sensation. The first VHS VCR, the JVC HR-3300, was announced September 9, 1976. JVC started selling it in Japan on October 31, 1976.
Compuserve was an online service for dialup modems from the 1970s to the 1990s. It was a way of getting online and communicating with others before the Internet was generally available to individuals. Later, it became a primary way for individuals to connect to the Internet, turning itself into an Internet Service Provider. But over time, it faded away into history. Here’s what happened to Compuserve.
On September 6, 2001, HP announced its intention to acquire Compaq for $25 billion. It was a stunning end for what still seemed to be one of the rising stars of the PC industry. I also think it proved that bigger isn’t always better. The HP-Compaq merger arguably made sense at the time, but both companies had alternatives that would have suited them better. On May 23, 2012, HP announced the end of the Compaq brand, a stunning end for what had been the largest technology merger in history.
We’re now 33 years into Eternal September. You have to be older than about 52 to know what I’m talking about. But if you started college before the fall of 1993, especially if you were studying computer science, you know all about the September that never ended. And no, it’s not some kind of followup to that Beach Boys’ compilation album called Endless Summer. It doesn’t have anything to do with that Green Day song either. Instead, it’s a phase of the life of the Internet.
The phrase “the September that never ended” originated in a Usenet post on alt.folklore.computers by Dave Fischer, dated January 26, 1994.
On September 3, 2025, Microsoft released version 1.1 of its 6502 Basic as open source. This code formed the basis for Applesoft Basic on the Apple II series as well as Commodore Basic on all of Commodore’s 8-bit computers, including the C-64. It was the same code that Jack Tramiel licensed for a flat $25,000 and then included in more than 15 million computers.
The code could be built into ROM or it could load from tape or disk and execute from RAM. One of the reasons this code proved so influential was because millions of Commodore computers booted straight into it from ROM.
What did the original Amiga design team do after the Amiga went to market and Commodore wasted the opportunity? Jay Miner went back to designing medical devices, but three other members of the team designed the first color handheld game console, which, ironically, became the Atari Lynx. The Lynx reached the market September 1, 1989.
On September 1, 1982, the Commodore 64 launched. Its name referred to the amount of memory it had on board: 64 kilobytes. And it was the first computer with 64K of memory to sell for under $600.
On August 31, 1994, software publisher Adobe bought Aldus for $446 million. Both companies were known for graphics products. Aldus’ most popular product was Pagemaker, a page layout program. Adobe’s most popular products were illustrator and Photoshop. The three products were frequently used together, and this merger brought them together under one roof.
Prior to August 1983, the concept of copyright applying to computer software wasn’t settled law. Companies had sued one another for copyright violation, but prior to Apple taking Franklin Computer to court for copying the ROMs and the operating system disks for the Apple II and Apple II+ computers, no case had gone to trial. On August 30, 1983, Apple prevailed over Franklin.
The privacy, or lack thereof, around streaming media has been bothering me lately. I’m sure some people would ask what took me so long. And I’m sure others would say I am overreacting. But it is a problem not very many people have talked about, and even fewer have tried to solve and then talk about. For me, the tipping point was the acquisition of Roku, a company I have long admired, by Fox, a broadcasting company. A media company, Fox or otherwise, tracking what I watch and injecting ads is way too Max Headroom for me, which led me to seek a Roku alternative.