Retro Computing Archives - The Silicon Underground

Windows NT 4.0: Released to Manufacturing July 31, 1996

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:00:58 +0000

It was 30 years ago this week, on July 31, 1996, that Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0 to manufacturing. The workstation version appeared on store shelves a month later, with the server version following in September. In many ways, version

The post Windows NT 4.0: Released to Manufacturing July 31, 1996 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Clive Sinclair: a US perspective

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:00:56 +0000

Who did more than any other person in history to make computers affordable? My nomination goes to Sir Clive Sinclair, who was born July 30, 1940. And I’m an American who never used one of his computers. Clive Sinclair: King

The post Clive Sinclair: a US perspective appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

IBM PS/2 E: The first Energy Star computer

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:00:46 +0000

On June 29, 1993, IBM released the first energy star computer, the IBM PS/2 E. The “E” stood for energy. But while it was undeniably more efficient than other desktop PCs, arguably it was a PS/2 in name only. To

The post IBM PS/2 E: The first Energy Star computer appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Advantages and disadvantages of Windows NT 3.1

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:00:38 +0000

I’ve talked a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of old milestone operating systems. But what were the advantages and disadvantages of Windows NT 3.1, first released July 27, 1993? That’s a fair question, and there are valid reasons it

The post Advantages and disadvantages of Windows NT 3.1 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

What happened to ARCNET

Dave Farquhar — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 11:00:14 +0000

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

The post What happened to ARCNET appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

David Bunnell, vintage computer magazine publisher

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:00:36 +0000

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

The post David Bunnell, vintage computer magazine publisher appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

The Caldera-Microsoft Lawsuit of 1996

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:00:49 +0000

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

The post The Caldera-Microsoft Lawsuit of 1996 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Amiga 1000: Ten years ahead of its time

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:00:23 +0000

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

The post Amiga 1000: Ten years ahead of its time appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

The First Microsoft Product

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:00:47 +0000

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

The post The First Microsoft Product appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

The MCI Worldcom merger, bankruptcy, and scandal

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:00:33 +0000

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

The post The MCI Worldcom merger, bankruptcy, and scandal appeared first on The Silicon Underground.