The Silicon Underground

Etoys.com and its rapid rise and fall

2026-11-02T12:10:07Z

So it’s November 1997. The Internet is catching on and you want to start an online business. You just need a big idea. How about selling toys on the Internet? That could be big, right? Hence etoys.com, a short-lived Internet

The post Etoys.com and its rapid rise and fall appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

IBM PC/XT drives stuck in the bay? How to free them

2026-07-11T20:38:28Z

If you are working on an IBM PC/XT model 5160 and need to remove a floppy drive, you may find it difficult to remove after removing the two visible screws that hold them in. If your IBM disk drive is

The post IBM PC/XT drives stuck in the bay? How to free them appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Johnston’s Electric Trains, St. Louis

2026-10-29T21:15:42Z

Johnston’s Electric Train Shop was a family-owned business in St Louis for about 50 years. As its name suggests, it was a storefront in St Louis’s Dutchtown neighborhood, and advertised itself as St Louis’ first hobby shop that specialized in

The post Johnston’s Electric Trains, St. Louis appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

When Federico Faggin left Intel

2026-10-30T22:56:43Z

It was 52 years ago today, on October 31, 1974, that Federico Faggin (pronounced FAHH-jeen), the mastermind behind the early Intel CPUs, left Intel to try something else. His next big thing was the legendary Zilog Z-80 CPU. Yet another

The post When Federico Faggin left Intel appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

IBM’s 2018 Red Hat acquisition

2026-10-29T11:10:05Z

It was eight years ago, on Oct 28, 2018, that IBM announced its intention to acquire Red Hat, the Linux vendor, for $34 billion. Its Aug 11, 1999 IPO had been the 8th largest first-day gain in the history of

The post IBM’s 2018 Red Hat acquisition appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

TI-99/4A discontinued October 28, 1983

2026-10-28T11:07:13Z

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

The post TI-99/4A discontinued October 28, 1983 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

IBM PC 5150 Revision A vs Revision B

2026-10-27T23:00:51Z

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 post IBM PC 5150 Revision A vs Revision B appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Windows 8 released Oct 26, 2012

2026-10-26T11:10:04Z

Fourteen 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

The post Windows 8 released Oct 26, 2012 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

How much you can make in an entry level cyber security job

2026-07-13T00:31:03Z

How much you can make in an entry level cyber security job is a good question. We’ve all heard there is a shortage of people in cyber security, and while the money is good, there are certain limits. In this

The post How much you can make in an entry level cyber security job appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Commodore 1600 VICmodem

2026-10-31T13:58:06Z

In 1982, computers seemed like a thing in the future for the majority of people. But Commodore was doing what they could to make them affordable. After creating the first color computer that would sell for less than $300, the

The post Commodore 1600 VICmodem appeared first on The Silicon Underground.