What happened to ARCNET

What happened to ARCNET

ARCNET was the first commercially available local area network standard, beating both Ethernet and Token Ring to market. Conceptually, it had similarities with both, and because it was inexpensive and efficient, it was popular for a good 15 years or so. ARCNET was an abbreviation for Attached Resource Computer NETwork. But you’re probably using some variant of Ethernet to read this blog post. So what happened to ARCNET?

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David Bunnell, vintage computer magazine publisher

David Bunnell, vintage computer magazine publisher

David Bunnell, born July 25, 1947, was the founder of three of the most successful computer magazines of all time. He even edited two of them simultaneously, straddling two very different worlds.

He was not only a pioneer of tech journalism, he is one of the all-time greats. Bunnell wasn’t just a great tech journalist. He would have been great in any specialty. I am sad to say they don’t make them like him anymore.

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The Caldera-Microsoft Lawsuit of 1996

The Caldera-Microsoft Lawsuit of 1996

On July 23, 1996, Novell sold the intellectual property of Digital Research to Linux vendor Caldera. The common thread the two companies had was Ray Noorda. Noorda had been CEO of Novell and was Novell’s largest shareholder, and Caldera was part of Noorda’s Canopy Group, where he incubated startups. The very next day, Caldera filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, accusing it of violating sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

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Amiga 1000: Ten years ahead of its time

Amiga 1000: Ten years ahead of its time

On July 23, 1985, Commodore introduced its Amiga 1000 computer. And let’s just say the world wasn’t ready for it yet. Dave Haynie, a Commodore engineer who worked on the later models, has said there was no such thing as a 1980s computer. There were 1970s computers and 1990s computers, and it was the Amiga that dragged the rest of the industry into the 1990s.

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The First Microsoft Product

The First Microsoft Product

On January 2, 1975, Microsoft announced Altair Basic, their first product. It was a programming language for the MITS Altair 8800 computer, a product that let people write their own software for the new computer. The makers of the computer licensed Altair Basic on July 22, 1975, and sold $16,005 worth of product by the end of the year.

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The MCI Worldcom merger, bankruptcy, and scandal

The MCI Worldcom merger, bankruptcy, and scandal

On November 4th, 1997, MCI and Worldcom merged in a deal worth $37 billion. This was an attempt by two large telecommunications companies to to combine and rival AT&T, but instead it turned into one of the biggest scandals and bankruptcies of its era. On July 21, 2002, the combined company went bankrupt, setting a record at the time as the largest bankruptcy in history.

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Digital Research’s 1991 merger with Novell

Digital Research’s 1991 merger with Novell

On July 17, 1991, Novell bought Digital Research for $80 million, a merger of a pioneer in desktop computer networking with a pioneer in desktop computer operating systems. Novell saw Microsoft coming after its business on multiple fronts, and saw the acquisition of Digital Research as a defensive move to counter it.

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Intel founded July 18, 1968

Intel founded July 18, 1968

Intel was founded July 18, 1968, by semiconductor pioneers Gordon Moore (of Moore’s law fame) and Robert Noyce and investor Arthur Rock. Intel’s employee #3 was Andrew Grove. Moore, Noyce, and Grove had all worked together at Fairchild Semiconductor in the mid 1960s.

The name “Intel” means INTegrated ELectronics. Moore and Noyce didn’t want to name the company after themselves, as it would sound like “more noise.” With noise being an undesired property in electronics, they initially chose the name NM Electronics, using their initials, but changed the name to Intel less than two weeks after its founding. Intel was already a trademark of a hotel chain, so the young company bought the rights to the name.

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Reasons for Escom’s bankruptcy

Reasons for Escom’s bankruptcy

On July 15, 1996, German PC manufacturer Escom declared bankruptcy. But Escom wasn’t necessarily just an ordinary PC manufacturer. Escom went bankrupt less than 2 years after acquiring the Commodore and Amiga brand names and starting to use their technology. Were Commodore and Amiga cursed? Or was there something else going on that led to Escom’s bankruptcy?

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Nintendo Famicom and the secret of Nintendo’s success

Nintendo Famicom and the secret of Nintendo’s success

On July 15, 1983, the Famicom, or Family Computer, launched in Japan. Despite the name, the Family Computer was a game console, and it went on to shatter the Atari 2600’s record for the most sales worldwide by a game console. The Famicom remains one of the most successful and popular game consoles of all time, even if you know it better as the Nintendo NES, and even if it wasn’t as popular in Europe as it was in other parts of the world.

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