History Of Computers1978-1985

1978-Dan Bricklin & Bob Frankston creates a first spreadsheet program called VisiCalc Spreadsheet Software

-George Perlegos, while in Intel, develops the first EEPROM

-BBS (Bulletin Board System) is put online.

- Apple Introduces their first OS, Called Apple DOS 3.1

-John Shoch and Jon Hupp at Xerox PARC develop the first worm

-5.25 inch floppy disk becomes an industries standards

-Richard Bartle and Rub Trubshaw creates the first MUD

1979-Epson releases the MX-80 which soon becomes an industry standard for dot matrix printers.

-Usenet is first established. Usenet is a location where millions of different users have access to millions of different articles written about various different topics.

-The Motorola 68000 microprocessor exhibited a processing speed far greater than its contemporaries

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1980

-Hewlett Packard introduces its HP-85. A microcomputer with 16kB of RAM and a 5-inch CRT display.

-IBM introduces RISC

-Commodore ships the VIC-20, which later becomes the worlds most popular computer costing only $299.95.

1981-August 1980 MS DOS 1.0 was released

-The game port is first introduced on IBM computers.

-Adam Osborne completed the first portable computer, the Osborne I, which weighed 24 pounds and cost $1,795. 

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1982-Peter Norton creates Norton Utilities

-The first luggable computer is introduced.

-Commodore introduces the Commodore 64

-Sony begins selling the first Audio CD players October 1, 1982.

- AutoCAD is introduced

-Rich Skrenta a 15-year old high school student creates the first known Computer virus known as The Elk Cloner. …

1983-The HX-20 becomes the first notebook-sized portable computer is introduced by Epson.

-Wang Laboratories creates the single in-line memory module (SIMM)

-Apple introduced its Lisa.

-Novell introduces NetWare.

-Microsoft windows was announced November 10, 1983.

1984-Fujio Masuoka invents flash memmory.

-The first desktop laser printer the HP Laser Jet is first introduced in May 1984.

-The game Tetris is first released in the USSR June 6, 1984.

-Microsoft introduces MS-DOS 3.0 for the IBM PC AT and MS-DOS 3.1 for networks.

-IBM introduces the Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) video card with higher resolution, more colors, and a quicker response then previous video cards.-IBM develops EGA. (Enhanced Graphics Adapter) a video standard with a higher resolution (640 x 350) and offers more colors (16 from a palette of 64) when compared to earlier standards.

1984-On January 24, 1984 the Apple Macintosh is introduced.

-Apple Introduces System 1

-IBM released its PC Jr. and PC-AT. The PC Jr. failed, but the PC-AT, several times faster than original PC and based on the Intel 80286 chip, claimed success with its notable increases in performance and storage capacity, all for about $4,000. It also included more RAM and accommodated high-density 1.2-megabyte 5 1/4-inch floppy disks. …

-IBM PC Division (PCD) introduces its first portable computer, the IBM Portable weighing in at 30 pounds.

-Microsoft creates a new hardware and peripheral division March 29, 1984.

1985- Commodore introduces the Commodore 128 PC with 8502 processor 128 kB of RAM and ROM cartridge port.

-The Amiga 1000 is released.

-Software Arts assets are sold to Lotus. Software Arts is most well known for its VisiCalc program.

-The first Gamepad is introduced by Nintendo.

-Dell releases its first computer, the "Turbo PC.“

-Microtek introduces the world's first 300-dpi black-and-white sheetfed scanner.-Microsoft and IBM begin collaboration on the next-generation operating system (OS/2).

1985-CAT1 wiring is introduced.

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The Elk Cloner’s Virus Poem

Elk Cloner: The program with a personality It will get on all your disks

It will infiltrate your chipsYes, it's Cloner!

It will stick to you like glueIt will modify RAM too

Send in the Cloner!

<

1979Atari introduces the Model 400

and 800 Computer. Shortly after delivery of the Atari VCS game

console, Atari designed two microcomputers with game

capabilities: the Model 400 and Model 800. The two machines

were built with the idea that the 400 would serve primarily as a

game console while the 800 would be more of a home

computer. Both sold well, though they had technical and marketing

problems, and faced strong competition from the Apple II, Commodore PET, and TRS-80

computers.

<

Amiga 1000Commodore’s Amiga 1000 sold

for $1,295 dollars (without monitor) and had audio and

video capabilities beyond those found in most other personal

computers. It developed a very loyal following and add-on

components allowed it to be upgraded easily. The inside of the case is engraved with the

signatures of the Amiga designers, including Jay Miner as well as the paw print of his

dog Mitchy. <

IBM Portable <

Apple MacintoshApple Computer launched the

Macintosh, the first successful mouse-driven computer with a graphic user interface, with a single $1.5 million commercial during the 1984 Super Bowl. Based on the Motorola 68000

microprocessor, the Macintosh included many of the Lisa´s features

at a much more affordable price: $2,500.

Apple´s commercial played on the theme of George Orwell´s "1984" and

featured the destruction of Big Brother with the power of personal computing found in a Macintosh.

Applications that came as part of the package included MacPaint, which

made use of the mouse, and MacWrite, which demonstrated

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)

word processing. <

LisaThe first personal computer with a

graphical user interface, its development was central in the move

to such systems for personal computers. The Lisa´s sloth and high

price ($10,000) led to its ultimate failure.

The Lisa ran on a Motorola 68000 microprocessor and came equipped with 1 megabyte of RAM, a 12-inch

black-and-white monitor, dual 5 1/4-inch floppy disk drives and a 5

megabyte Profile hard drive. The Xerox Star — which included a system

called Smalltalk that involved a mouse, windows, and pop-up menus — inspired the Lisa´s designers. <

Epson Hx-20 <

Hp-85 <

OSBORNE I

The price made the machine especially attractive, as it

included software worth about $1,500. The machine featured a

5-inch display, 64 kilobytes of memory, a modem, and two 5 1/4-inch floppy disk drives.<

Luggable Computer

the luggable computer is an early computer that was easier to move than other computers, weighing around 15 to 30 pounds. These computers had a

small CRT display and keyboard as one unit, in some cases the keyboard was separate. While not anything like

laptops, these computers offered several benefits for mobility when

compared to the standard computer at the time. <

Commodore 64

 The C64, as it was better known, sold for $595, came with 64KB of RAM and featured impressive graphics. Thousands of software titles were released over the lifespan of the C64. By the time the C64 was discontinued in 1993, it had sold more than 22 million units and is recognized by the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest selling single computer model of all time. <

VIC-20 <