The Silicon Underground

Microsoft QuickBasic remembered

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:40 +0000

Microsoft QuickBasic was a commercially available programming language for MS-DOS, initially released August 18, 1985. Qbasic, the Basic interpreter included with MS-DOS versions 5 and 6, was a cut-down version of QuickBasic. Most notably, the bundled version lacked the ability

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Adobe Systems IPO August 20, 1986

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:07 +0000

On August 20, 1986, Adobe Systems held its initial public offering. Priced at around $11 per share, Adobe has split its stock six times since. Adobe: The sleeper tech stock of 1986 1986 was a good year for tech stocks.

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Chuck Peddle joins MOS Technology, August 19, 1974

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:53 +0000

On August 19, 1974, Chuck Peddle, Bill Mensch, Rod Orgill, Harry Bawcom, Ray Hirt, Terry Holdt, Wil Mathys, and Mike Janes quit their jobs at Motorola to venture out on their own, joining MOS Technology. The eight had worked on

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What happened to Egghead Software

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:00:36 +0000

Egghead Software was a US retail store that sold computer software from 1984 to 2001. It declared bankruptcy 25 years ago this week, on August 18, 2001, after an attempted reinvention as a dotcom selling online failed. Why did Egghead

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When the Internet reached half of US households

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 11:00:21 +0000

August 17, 2000 was a major milestone for the Internet. You could argue it’s the day the Internet went mainstream, completing the transition from something computer science students used in college to something their parents would use to buy books

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IBM PC Compact Printer model 5181

Dave Farquhar — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:03:49 +0000

The IBM PC Compact Printer is a bit of a misnomer, as it was really intended for the PCjr. But it ended up working with a bunch of other computers as well as part of its second act. Here’s the

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Commodore’s purchase of Amiga, August 14, 1984

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:00:26 +0000

On August 14, 1984, Commodore International purchased Amiga Corporation for $27 million, with the expectation of bringing Amiga’s multitasking computer with high-color graphics and sound to market within a year. It took a little longer than that, and it created

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IBM 5170 PC/AT

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:00:23 +0000

The IBM 5170 PC/AT, launched August 14, 1984, is a very popular retro PC, for several reasons. It was the last of the open architecture IBM PCs. And from 1984 to about mid-1987, it was the fastest and most expensive

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IBM PC introduced, August 12, 1981

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:03 +0000

45 years ago today, IBM introduced the original IBM PC. This computer changed the industry and change the world. There is no shortage of analysis about its impact, but I find a lot of it self-serving and, in some cases

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Red Hat’s successful 1999 IPO

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:00:29 +0000

It was 27 years ago this week, on Aug 11, 1999, that Red Hat, the Linux vendor, conducted its IPO. It was not the biggest IPO of 1999, and it wasn’t even the biggest Linux-related IPO of 1999. But Red

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