Retro Computing Archives

GIF’s June 1987 debut

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 15, 2026June 15, 2026

On June 16, 1987, the GIF file format made its debut. That’s right, GIF predates the modern Internet. The first web browsers supported GIF because it was already very popular in the early 1990s and well supported.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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Intel’s Pentium FDIV bug and recall

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 12, 2026June 12, 2026

On June 13, 1994, a mathematics professor discovered a bug in Intel’s then-new Pentium CPU. Intel’s new CPU was fast, but it couldn’t divide correctly. The bug became known as the Pentium FDIV bug. It resulted in Intel recalling 60 and 66 MHz Pentium CPUs in stepping levels prior to D1, and 75, 90, and 100 MHz Pentium CPUs in steppings prior to B5. The recall cost Intel $475 million and might have caused reputational damage if more viable competitors had been available at the time. Collectors prize a surviving Pentium CPU with the FDIV bug today.

Dave Farquhar

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The failed 3Com and US Robotics merger

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 11, 2026June 11, 2026

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

Dave Farquhar

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Texas Instruments Speak and Spell

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 10, 2026June 10, 2026

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.

Dave Farquhar

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Apple II: Launched June 10, 1977

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 9, 2026June 16, 2026

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. Some people say June 5, 1977 was the Apple II’s introduction date, but June 5 was the Commodore PET. The Apple II was just a few days after.

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.

Dave Farquhar

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

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 8, 2026June 8, 2026

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.

Dave Farquhar

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First Commodore PET sold, June 5, 1977

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 5, 2026June 5, 2026

On June 5, 1977, at the summer Consumer Electronics Show, Commodore had its PET 2001 personal computer on display after showing a prototype at the January 1977 show. Chuck Peddle said Commodore took its first distributor order on that day, giving Commodore a case for being the first of the 1977 Trinity to sell a prebuilt personal computer, or at the very least, the first to demonstrate a working unit, having done so in January. It cost $495, quickly raised to $595.

Dave Farquhar

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AMD 486DX4 released June 4, 1995

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 4, 2026June 4, 2026

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.

Dave Farquhar

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Cyrix 486DLC CPU: Introduced June 1992

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 2, 2026June 2, 2026

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.

Dave Farquhar

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Intel 8088s and non-Intel non-clones

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 1, 2026June 1, 2026

The Intel 8088 CPU made its debut June 1, 1978. It rose to fame as the CPU powering the IBM PC, PC/XT, and tens of millions of PC and XT clones from the 1980s. But did you know Intel wasn’t the only company that manufactured 8088 CPUs? No fewer than nine other companies produced exact copies of the Intel 8088, and they did it with Intel’s cooperation. In this blog post, I’ll explain why.

Dave Farquhar

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