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Cyberrebate.com: The worst dotcom-era idea?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 18, 2026May 18, 2026 1 Comment

The dotcom bubble was full of absurdities. A common business model was giving away software or services and finding unconventional ways to make money off it, a model we today call “freemium” and that may or may not involve spyware. Geocities with its free web hosting was a good example. But Cyberrebate.com took it to an extra special level of absurdity. It gave away actual physical merchandise and had a scheme to try to make it profitable. Cyberrebate made its debut May 16, 1998, and closed its doors exactly 3 years later, on May 16, 2001.

Processor Technology Corporation and the SOL-20

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 15, 2026May 15, 2026 0 Comment

Processor Technology Corporation was a personal computer company founded in April 1975, by Gary Ingram and Bob Marsh in Berkeley, California. Their first product was a 4K byte RAM board that was compatible with the MITS Altair 8800 computer but more reliable than the MITS board. They followed it up with a series of memory and I/O boards including a video display module. But their most famous product was a computer called the SOL-20.

Texas Instruments 486SXL CPU

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 1 Comment

On May 14, 1992, Texas Instruments licensed Cyrix‘s 486SLC and 486DLC technologies. The agreement allowed Cyrix to use Texas Instruments’ manufacturing facilities, and for TI to create derivative chips from Cyrix’s technology. In the end, TI didn’t make as many chips for Cyrix as SGS-Thomson or IBM did, but TI did end up making interesting derivatives of Cyrix’s CPUs, including the 486SXL-40, the fastest 386-class CPU ever made. But without the burst transfer feature that Intel and AMD 486s have, none of TI’s 486s ended up performing quite up to par with an Intel or AMD 486.

How Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary became rich

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 13, 2026May 13, 2026 2 Comments

Kevin O’Leary, who calls himself Mr. Wonderful, is one of the most divisive stars of the reality TV series Shark Tank. Like Mark Cuban, O’Leary made much of his fortune in technology. But while Cuban is a dotcom billionaire, O’Leary made his money through a different model, selling software at retail. In this blog post, we will map out how Mr. Wonderful became rich. May 13 is a happy anniversary for him, but I can think of a major toymaker who doesn’t call him Mr. Wonderful, and doesn’t think there’s much of anything wonderful about him at all.
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Why the Wannacry outbreak was so bad

Dave Farquhar security May 12, 2026May 12, 2026 1 Comment

On May 12, 2017, ransomware named Wannacry started spreading across the globe, infecting and encrypting Windows systems by exploiting CVE-2017-0144, a flaw that a two-month-old Microsoft patch, MS17-010, had fixed.

It quickly became one of the biggest Windows outbreaks ever. Why was it so bad, and what could have made it go better?

Sony Betamax VCR: Born May 10, 1975

Dave Farquhar 1980s May 11, 2026May 11, 2026 1 Comment

The consumer VCR turns 51 this week. On May 10, 1975, Sony introduced the Betamax. Although Betamax lost the famous format war, it kicked the door open, being the first VCR format that mere mortals could aspire to own and use.

Dell buys Alienware, May 8, 2006

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 8, 2026May 8, 2026 3 Comments

On May 8, 2006, corporate and straitlaced Dell completed its purchase of Alienware, a maker of edgy gaming computers. It was a long courtship. Dell considered buying Alienware for four years before making the deal. And the tie-up of this odd couple has worked. At the time of this writing, Dell has owned Alienware for 20 years, twice as long as it didn’t own it.

Intel Pentium II introduced May 7, 1997

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 7, 2026May 7, 2026 8 Comments

29 years ago, on May 7, 1997, Intel introduced its Pentium II processor. It wasn’t the first followup to the very successful Pentium. But the Pentium II overcame problems with the Pentium Pro that kept it from gaining more widespread mainstream acceptance.

Adobe’s subscription model

Dave Farquhar Software May 6, 2026May 6, 2026 10 Comments

Before May 2013 there was always question about whether you actually owned software after you paid for it. But before May 6, 2013, you certainly had more control. That was the day Adobe switched to a subscription-only model for its creative software. Other companies followed suit, notably Microsoft with its office suite.

First desktop computer: Datapoint 2200

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 5, 2026May 5, 2026 1 Comment

The first desktop computer dates to earlier than you probably think. And officially at least, it was an accident. Great inventions often are. But it was surprisingly similar to desktop computers that followed it.

Design work on the first desktop computer commenced in 1969, and it hit the market in May 1970. Yes, you read that right. It predated the Apple II and even the Altair 8800 by several years, and the IBM Personal Computer and IBM compatibles by more than a decade. And it wasn’t built in Silicon Valley either. But this ahead-of-its-time oddball is the direct ancestor of your modern desktop or laptop computer, right down to the Intel processor design.

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