computer history
How the Screenshot Became One of the Internet’s Most Powerful Tools
The surprising origins of a gesture we take for granted everyday.
The First Portable Computers Were the Size of an RV
Why the first 'portable' computers, produced before integrated circuits, would really stretch the term today. Some portables needed a truck to move.
The Greatest Computer Network You’ve Never Heard Of
How the PLATO system, a pre-internet online platform that first came to life at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the 1960s, quietly fostered some of the first digital natives.
The First Text Adventure Game Ever Is Finally Open Source
‘Colossal Cave Adventure’ is due for an update.
Jason Scott Is Archiving CD-ROMs and Floppy Discs From Closets Around the World
Game patches, spreadsheet software, FTP sites, software update files—the digital preservationist is saving rare bits of computer history that would otherwise be lost forever.
The Great Failure of Wang Laboratories, the David to IBM’s Goliath
The minicomputer maker Wang Laboratories ran an ad during the Super Bowl long before Apple did. So why did the company and its minicomputers become a footnote?
This Photo Shows How Computer Chips Were Made in 1975
Kickstarting the computer revolution involved using light to etch transistors in silicon.
How the Commodore Amiga Turned Andy Warhol into a Computer Artist
Commodore tried to upstage Apple by bringing out Andy Warhol and Deborah Harry for its Amiga launch event. It didn’t work, but Warhol showed genuine excitement for the platform.
Packard Bell Was the King of 90s Computing. What Happened?
When it was a radio-maker, Packard Bell had a reputation for quality products. When a PC clone startup bought the name, that reputation fell apart—fast.
The Year That the Entire Computer Industry Ran Out of Memory
For a few years in the mid-1980s, the RAM industry and the oil industry had a lot in common: Supply fluctuations could get severe. That’s why the most common kind of RAM was hard to find in the summer of 1988.
The Story of Shareware, the Original In-App Purchase
It wasn’t just about games. In the 80s and 90s, shareware democratized the way computer software was sold. Unfortunately, adware sort of dimmed its charm.
The Future of the World's Most Boring Software, the Word Processor
The word processor doesn't just deserve scolding. Here's an honest look at some budding word-processor innovation efforts. They're worth writing home about.