TI-99/4A discontinued October 28, 1983

TI-99/4A discontinued October 28, 1983

42 years ago today, on October 28, 1983, Texas Instruments announced it was discontinuing the TI-99/4A computer and withdrawing from the home computer market. It was a stunning admission of defeat for a company that had everything it took to absolutely dominate the home computer market: vertical integration, name recognition, pre-existing relationships with retailers, and a compelling design. Let’s look at what went wrong.

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IBM PC 5150 Revision A vs Revision B

IBM PC 5150 Revision A vs Revision B

October 27, 1982 is the date on the IBM 5150 Revision B BIOS, making this week as good of a time as any to look over the differences between the Revision A and Revision B IBM PC 5150. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Revision A vs Revision B IBM PC 5150? Maybe more importantly, is one of them more rare than the other?

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Windows 8 released Oct 26, 2012

Windows 8 released Oct 26, 2012

Thirteen years ago this week, on October 26, 2012, Microsoft released Windows 8. Let’s just say Windows 8 was not their finest moment. It was their most significant UI redesign since Windows 95, and it flopped. Oddly, two of the most beloved Windows versions ever, Windows 7 and Windows XP, were also released in the same week, several years apart.

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Windows XP released October 25, 2001

Windows XP released October 25, 2001

It was 24 years ago this week, on October 25, 2001, that Microsoft released Windows XP. I find it interesting that Microsoft released two of the most beloved Windows versions in the same week, 8 years apart, and another one of the worst Windows versions, Windows 8, in the same week, but after these two.

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Windows 7 released Oct 22, 2009

Windows 7 released Oct 22, 2009

On October 22, 2009, Windows 7 was released. It went on to become one of the most popular Windows versions of all time, providing a much needed bounce back after Windows Vista. Two of the most beloved Windows versions ever, Windows 7 and Windows XP, were both released in the same week, 8 years apart.

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Who bought Gateway computers?

Who bought Gateway computers?

There are two ways to look at the question of who bought Gateway computers. Who bought the company, and who bought the computers. Gateway’s computers didn’t have the best reputation, but people loved the company until they didn’t. Gateway fell hard and fast, and various turnaround efforts failed. What happened to Gateway 2000 was Acer bought them on October 17, 2007.

Gateway was originally known as Gateway 2000, but changed its name as the millennium approached so as not to sound dated.

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Spyware invented October 16, 1995

Spyware invented October 16, 1995

30 years ago today, on October 16, 1995, Roland Vossen accidentally invented spyware in a Usenet post. Well, not exactly. He didn’t invent spyware so much as he invented the term. His Usenet post contained the first recorded use of the word “spyware.”

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When SCO fired Darl McBride

When SCO fired Darl McBride

It was 16 years ago today on October 14, 2009, that SCO fired its CEO, Darl McBride. And it was about 13 months ago, on September 16, 2024, that McBride died at the age of 64 of complications from ALS.

His termination from SCO ended his time as the most hated man in technology. McBride architected SCO’s Business strategy of suing companies for contributing code to Linux, or even for using Linux.

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What happened to Ashton-Tate and dBase

What happened to Ashton-Tate and dBase

Microsoft Access didn’t exist in the MS-DOS era. Microsoft wasn’t even a player in databases until relatively late in the MS-DOS era. The dominant database during most of the DOS era was a company called Ashton-Tate. They had a product called dBase II that ran on CP/M machines and dominated that era. It ported over to the IBM PC and dominated there as well. Ashton-Tate’s dBase II and its successor, dBase III, became the de facto standard for databases on microcomputers. On October 12, 1991, Borland acquired Ashton-Tate for $439 million. It was a colossal mistake.

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Commodore’s knockoff Atari joystick from 1982

Commodore’s knockoff Atari joystick from 1982

When Commodore released its VIC-20 computer in 1981, one of the peripherals it also released was a matching joystick. Cast in white plastic like the VIC-20, the Commodore VIC-1311 looked like an albino Atari joystick from the same time period. The resemblance was uncanny, and Atari took notice. On October 11, 1982, Atari sued.

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