Retro Computing

The failed 3Com and US Robotics merger

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
The failed 3Com and US Robotics merger

On June 12, 1997, 3Com and US Robotics merged at a cost of $8.5 billion. At the time, it was the merger of the two biggest names in their respective fields, and it seemed poised to become a telecommunications giant. Instead, it ended up being the beginning of the end for one storied brand and the beginning of a sharp decline for the other. In this blog post, we will look at what went wrong. Read more

Texas Instruments Speak and Spell

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Texas Instruments Speak and Spell

My first experience with a computer wasn’t with a desktop machine or a game console. It was with an orange handheld device called a Texas Instruments Speak and Spell. Many Gen Xers born in the early 70s can probably say the same thing. Texas Instruments announced Speak & Spell on June 11, 1978.

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Apple II: Launched June 10, 1977

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Apple II: Launched June 10, 1977

On June 10, 1977, Apple launched the Apple II, one of the first pre-built desktop computers. It went on to sell about 6 million units over the course of the next 17 years, making it the longest lived and most successful of the three micro computers that arrived on the market in 1977.

In its original configuration, it sold for $1,295 with 4 KB of RAM, and it plugged into a household cassette tape recorder for storage. Apple did not sell monitors until 1983, so you could either acquire a composite monitor or a third-party RF modulator that allowed you to use it with a television.

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Eagle Computer: The rise and fall of an early PC clone

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Eagle Computer: The rise and fall of an early PC clone

When it comes to 80s computer brands, few flew as high as Eagle Computer flew in 1983. The aptly named company was selling 12,000 computers a month and had been doubling sales every quarter under the leadership of a talented CEO. Then Eagle lost its CEO, Dennis Barnhart, in a crashed Ferrari on the day of its IPO, June 8, 1983. In this blog post, we’ll explore the reasons Eagle Computer fell, because there was more to it than just the tragic story involving its CEO.

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Cyrix 486DLC CPU: Introduced June 1992

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Cyrix 486DLC CPU: Introduced June 1992

In the first week of June 1992, Cyrix debuted its 486DLC CPU. Cyrix didn’t have its own fabrication plants so they made arrangements with Texas Instruments to manufacture the chips in May 1992. Part of the agreement allowed TI to make its own derivatives of the chips. The 486DLC was really more a 386DX/486SX hybrid than a true Intel 486 clone. It plugged into a 386DX socket and had the 486 instruction set and 1K of L1 cache. Clock for clock the Intel 486 was faster, though the 486DLC had its uses.

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Coleco Adam computer

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Coleco Adam computer

The Coleco Adam computer was a 1983 attempt by toy and game console maker Coleco to enter the growing home computer market. Critics and consumers looked forward to the computer after Coleco unveiled it June 5, 1983, but it never lived up to that anticipation. Coleco discontinued the Adam in 1985. Nevertheless, the Adam remains an interesting might-have-been.

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AMD 486DX4 released June 4, 1995

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
AMD 486DX4 released June 4, 1995

On June 4, 1995, AMD released its DX4 CPU, about six months after Intel released its DX4 CPUs. The AMD CPUs weren’t quite as fast as Intel’s DX4s, but they proved very popular because of their value for money. While I didn’t see AMD’s DX4 in many name-brand PCs, smaller manufacturers, especially local clone shops, sold them extensively. In the June 5, 1995 issue of Infoworld, an unnamed AMD spokesperson said they expected to sell 12 million 486-class chips by the end of 1995.

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When Chrome passed Internet Explorer for the first time

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
When Chrome passed Internet Explorer for the first time

It was on April 30, 2012 that Chrome passed Internet Explorer in market share for the first time. It took nearly 14 years for someone to pass the former afterthought in the Microsoft Plus pack to become the dominant browser. The two browsers jockeyed for the lead for two weeks, with Chrome overcoming IE for good on May 14, 2012.

With Chrome taking over, we traded one monopolist, Microsoft, for another, Google.

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Webvan: The too much, too early dotcom

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Webvan: The too much, too early dotcom

Some dotcom-era startups were just bad ideas, and others were bad timing. I think Webvan was in the bad timing category. Today there is nothing especially odd about the idea of ordering groceries over the Internet. Several successful companies use some kind of variant of that business model today with success. On April 26, 2001, Webvan had an especially bad day. It pulled out of the Atlanta market, laid off 885 employees, and planned a 1-for-25 reverse stock split in a desperate attempt to keep its stock listed. This was just 13 days after its CEO, George Shaheen, resigned, on April 13, 2001.

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When Microsoft retired Clippy

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
When Microsoft retired Clippy

Clippy was the unofficial nickname of the office assistant, a feature present in Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Office 2000. His proper name was Clippit, but nobody I knew called him that. Clippit, or Clippy, was inspired by Microsoft Bob, a misguided attempt to make Microsoft Office friendlier, more helpful, and easier to use. But most frequently, it was more annoying than any of those other things. On April 11, 2001, Microsoft announced the Office Assistant would no longer be enabled by default in future versions. Clippy was retiring. And there was much rejoicing.

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