LESSON 1 HISTORY OF MICROCOMPUTERS Cont..
<![CDATA[
1991-1993 Maturity
Intel 486, CD-ROMs, agreements, mergers, breakups, DEC Alpha, PDAs, Intel Pentium, IBM/Motorola PowerPC
1991
January
A judge rules that Mosaic Software infringed on Lotus Development <http://www.lotus.com>'s copyrights on Lotus 1-2-3. [217]
WordPerfect ships WordPerfect 2.0 for the Macintosh. [560.18]
Sun Microsystems <http://www.sun.com> begins shipping the SPARCstation 2. [173.81]
Compaq Computer <http://www.compaq.com> reports its first billion dollar quarter. [113]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> releases Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Excel for Windows 3.0. [123]
February
MIPS Technologies <http://www.mips.com> unveils the R4000 RISC processor architecture. [167.13]
March
Sierra On-Line and Broderbund announce their intention to merge companies. [499.14]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> discontinues the Macintosh IIcx. [75] (October 1990 [597.90,95])
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> spins off its entire printer and typewriter division to a New York investment firm. The company Lexmark <http://www.lexmark.com> is born. [121]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> unveils the TrueType font specification. [416.196]
Advanced Micro Designs releases its first clone chips of Intel <http://www.intel.com>'s i386DX, the Am386DX, at speeds of 20- to 40-MHz. [19] [141] [176.75] [477.127] [540.64]
Advanced Micro Designs ships the 1-millionth Am386 microprocessor. [141]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> announces the Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> BallPoint Mouse, incorporating mouse and trackball technology in a pointing device for laptop computers. [123]
April
Intel <http://www.intel.com> introduces the 20-MHz i486SX microprocessor. The i486SX is like the 486DX, but without the math coprocessor. Price is US$258. Speed is 16.5 MIPS. [26] [177.103] [296] [477.127] [540.64] [62]
The December 1990 dismissal of Ashton-Tate's lawsuit against Fox software over a copyright claim on the dBase language is reversed. [26] [548.345]
May
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> ships its System 7.0 Macintosh operating system, two years after its announcement, for US$100. [27] [46] [75] [346.243] [414.230] [416.196] [548.159] (1990 [176.65])
AT&T <http://www.att.com> and NCR sign a merger agreement. [172.58]
Lotus Development <http://www.lotus.com> announces Lotus 1-2-3 for the Macintosh. [414.231]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> announces QuickTime software, for integration of dynamic media for Macintosh computers.
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> announces Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Visual BASIC for Windows. [123]
June
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> releases MS-DOS 5.0. It adds a full-screen editor, undelete and unformat utilities, and task swapping. GW-BASIC is replaced with Qbasic, based on Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com>'s QuickBASIC. [28] [146] [479.128]
Intel <http://www.intel.com> introduces the 50-MHz 486 microprocessor. Speed is 41 MIPS. This new 486 employs 0.8-micron technology. [62] [36] [152]
Lotus Development <http://www.lotus.com> wins its spreadsheet copyright lawsuit against Santa Cruz Operations <http://www.sco.com>, who is ordered to remove SCO Professional from the market within two months. [548.340]
Tandy introduces its low-cost CDR-1000 CD-ROM drive for PCs. At US$400, including drive and controller card, it is about half the price of other CD-ROM drives. [21] (MAR [527.15])
July
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> and IBM <http://www.ibm.com> sign a technology sharing agreement, to integrate the Mac into IBM <http://www.ibm.com>'s enterprise systems, to allow future RISC-based Macs to use IBM <http://www.ibm.com>'s Power PC chip, to work together on common multimedia standards, and to cooperatively produce a new object-oriented operating system. [22] [37] [46] [170.13] [205.13] [414.231] [525.3]
Borland International <http://www.borland.com> buys database competitor Ashton-Tate for US$440 million.
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> vice president Brad Silverberg quote: DOS will be "with us forever. We've learned how passionate people are about DOS.". [40]
Sun Microsystems <http://www.sun.com> introduces the SPARCstation ELC, and the SPARCstation IPX. [171.80]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> changes the name of OS/2 v3.0 to Windows NT. [40]
Advanced Micro Devices <http://www.amd.com> introduces the 25-MHz Am386SX. [477.127] [540.64]
August
Symantec <http://www.symantec.com> acquires Zortech Inc., maker of C++ compilers for DOS, Windows, OS/2, Macintosh, and UNIX. [42]
The ban on business is lifted on the Internet. [56]
September
Intel <http://www.intel.com> introduces the 16-MHz i486SX microprocessor. Speed is 13 MIPS. [62]
Digital Research Inc. releases DR DOS 6.0, for US$100. DR DOS 6.0 is the first PC operating system to include disk compression software. [43] [548.366]
The PCMCIA card specification v2.x is released. [206.68]
October
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com>, Motorola <http://www.mot.com>, and IBM <http://www.ibm.com> officially sign an accord on technology sharing. Apple and IBM <http://www.ibm.com> will jointly develop the PowerOpen Specification, based on IBM <http://www.ibm.com>'s AIX operating system.
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> and IBM <http://www.ibm.com> create Kaleida, to create a hardware-independent multimedia scripting language. [399.32] [414.231]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the Macintosh Classic II (replacing the Macintosh Classic). It features a 16-MHz 68030, System 7.0.1, 2MB RAM, 40MB hard drive, B/W monitor, floppy drive, for US$1900. [46] [75] [417.148] [579.96]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the OneScanner gray-scale page scanner, for US$1400. [417.109]
Quote from IBM <http://www.ibm.com>'s Lee Reiswig: "We will be enhancing OS/2 until the late 1990s." [47]
Sun Microsystems <http://www.sun.com> begins licensing the new chipset used in the SPARCstation 2. [173.81]
November
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> and Intel <http://www.intel.com> sign a 10-year joint development agreement to create a series of integrated processors. [48]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> announces the Multimedia Edition of Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Works 2.0 for Windows, on CD-ROM. [123]
Sega sues Accolade, claiming that Accolade should pay royalties to Sega for creating Sega titles, and that Accolade's games mislead people into thinking they were produced for or licensed by Sega. [548.364]
December
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> ships QuickTime 1.0. [75]
Lotus Development <http://www.lotus.com> ships Lotus 1-2-3 for the Macintosh. [548.159]
Quote by Aaron Goldberg, of International Data <http://www.idcresearch.com> Corp.: "I don't know if anyone has tried to run Windows on a 286 machine, but frankly I'd rather have knitting needles in my eyes.". [169]
Novell <http://corp.novell.com> buys Digital Research. [478.3]
S3 <http://www.s3.com> introduces the 911 graphics chip, incorporating GUI acceleration with VGA compatibility. [176.75]
Hewlett-Packard introduces its first color image scanner, the HP Scanjet IIc. The 400 dpi 24-bit flatbed scanner is priced at about US$2000. [413.157]
Hayes Microcomputer Products <http://www.hayes.com> announces LANstep, a network operating system for small offices. [451.A8]
Intel <http://www.intel.com> begins the design process of its sixth-generation processor, to follow the Pentium processor. [519.108]
1992
January
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> chairman John Sculley coins the term Personal Digital Assistant, referring to hand-held computers that typiclly operate via a stylus on a LCD display. [541.67]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> reports a year-end loss, for the first time, of US$564 million, on revenues of US$64.8 billion. [49]
NeXT <http://www.next.com> announces that a version of the NextStep OS will be made for Intel <http://www.intel.com> PCs. [206.289]
February
Five years of arbitration with Intel <http://www.intel.com> ends, with Advanced Micro Devices <http://www.amd.com> being awarded full rights to produce and sell its Am386 line of processors. [141]
March
MIPS Technologies <http://www.mips.com> ships the 100-MHz R4000 processor. [557.134]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> launches its first TV advertising campaign, for Windows. [123]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> buys Fox Software for 1.36 million shares of Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com>'s common stock. [123] [389.29]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> and IBM <http://www.ibm.com> found Taligent <http://www.taligent.com>, to work on a platform-independent operating system. [206.289] [400.6] (1991 OCT [205.95] [399.32] [431.87])
IBM ships OS/2 2.0. [477.165] [479.128]
Quarterdeck Office Systems <http://www.qdeck.com> ships DESQview X. [477.165]
Intel <http://www.intel.com> and Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> announce the Advanced Power Management (APM) specification for laptop computers, which allows the system to shut down power to system resources not currently in use. [477.126]
Intel <http://www.intel.com> introduces the i486DX2 microprocessor, with clock speeds of 25/50-MHz (external/internal). For the most part, the DX2 is just a 25-MHz 486 that internally runs twice as fast. Price is US$550. Speed is 41 MIPS. [152] [177.103] [477.128] [540.64] [62]
April
Cyrix <http://www.cyrix.com> introduces the 25-MHz Cx486SLC microprocessor. It features an internal 32-bit data path, but with a 16-bit external data path. It includes a 1KB cache, but no coprocessor. Price is US$119. [477.129] [402.65] [540.64]
Ehman, Inc., a Macintosh peripherals company, closes, with US$4 million in debts. [423.75]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> ships Windows 3.1. 1 million copies of the new and upgrade versions are sold through retail channels within the first 50 days. [75] [123] [388.6] [477.165] [479.128] (MAY [509.177] [534.130])
May
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the 33-MHz 68040-based Macintosh Quadra 950 (replacing the Quadra 900). It includes 8MB of RAM, 230/400MB hard drive options, and 24-bit video supporting 19-inch color monitors. Prices range from US$7200-9200. [46] [75] [420.149]
Sun Microcomputers' Sunsoft division introduces the Solaris 2.0 operating system for Intel <http://www.intel.com>-based PCs. [174.13]
June
Intel <http://www.intel.com> introduces the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local-bus standard for PC systems. [545.359] [551.197] (June [477.102])
Mass Microsystems begins shipping its FloptiPak 21 21MB Floptical drive for the Macintosh. Price is US$700. [423.117]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> and Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> sign a "divorce" document, allowing source code sharing for current versions operating systems up to September 1993. [68]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Chairman Bill Gates receives a National Medal of Technology for Technical Achievement from US President George Bush. [123]
July
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> discontinues the PowerBook 100. [75]
Advanced Micro Devices <http://www.amd.com> begins work on a fifth-generation x86 processor (in the class of Intel <http://www.intel.com>'s Pentium chip). [206.96]
Lotus Development <http://www.lotus.com> wins a preliminary judgement over Borland International <http://www.borland.com> in its spreadsheet copyright suit. Borland International <http://www.borland.com> removes its Lotus 1-2-3 compatibility macros from Quattro Pro and releases it. [548.343]
August
The first version of the VESA VL-Bus standard for PCs is ratified. [545.358]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the PowerBook 145, replacing the PowerBook 140. It features a backlit supertwist LCD display, 25-MHz 68030 processor, System 7 operating system, 4MB RAM, 40 MB hard drive, and weighs 6.8 pounds. Price is US$2149. [46] [75] [423.113] [578.201]
The number of users of Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com>'s System 7 reaches 4 million. [46]
Compaq Computer <http://www.compaq.com> introduces its first printer, the Compaq Pagemqrq. [113]
Intel <http://www.intel.com> introduces the 33/66-MHz i486DX2 microprocessor. Speed is 54 MIPS. [62]
September
Intel <http://www.intel.com> introduces the 33-MHz i486SX microprocessor. Speed is 27 MIPS. [62]
Borland International <http://www.borland.com> ships Quattro Pro for Windows. [548.159]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> receives its first PowerPC 601 processor for testing. [584.173]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> introduces the 20/40-MHz and 25/50-MHz 486SLC2 microprocessors. They feature a 16KB cache and optimized instruction set, but no internal math coprocessor, and only a 16-bit data path. [477.129]
October
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> and Motorola <http://www.mot.com> announce the PowerPC 601 microprocessors, in 50-MHz and 66-MHz versions. [540.64]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com>'s "Cognac" project team first successfully boots up a prototype Power Macintosh using a Power PC 601 processor. [584.173]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the PowerBook 160. It features a 10-inch 16-grayscale backlit supertwist LCD display, 25-MHz 68030 processor, System 7 operating system, 4MB RAM, 512 KB video RAM, external monitor port, 40 MB hard drive, and weighs 6.8 pounds. Price is US$2429. [46] [75] [578.201]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> introduces its ThinkPad laptop computer, with a radical new pointer device. [75] [582.91]
One year after the introduction of Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com>'s PowerBook, sales of US$1 billion make it the first personal computer to break that threshold. [75]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> ships Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Windows for Workgroups 3.1, which integrates networking and workgroup functionality. [123] [210.38] (NOV [477.165])
November
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> announces QuickTime for Windows. [46] [75] [120]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> ships Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Access Database for Windows. [123]
Digital Equipment <http://www.dec.com> unveils the 150-MHz Alpha 21064 64-bit microprocessor. [32] [175.15] [386.61] (February [540.64]) (September [557.134])
Sun Microsystems <http://www.sun.com> announces the low-end SPARCclassic workstation for US$4300 and high-end SPARCcenter 2000 multi-processor server. [175.15]
December
Novell <http://corp.novell.com> buys AT&T <http://www.att.com>'s UNIX Systems Laboratories, gaining all rights to the UNIX source code, for US$150 million. [79] (1993 DEC [219.141])
(fall) A US federal court rules that Advanced Micro Devices <http://www.amd.com> does not have the right to use Intel <http://www.intel.com> microcode in its microprocessors. [477.92]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces its first personal digital assistant at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. [421.129]
Novell <http://corp.novell.com> purchases Digital Research Inc. for US$80 million. [219.141]
Creative Labs <http://www.creaf.com> introduces the Sound Blaster 16 with Advanced Signal Processor, a 16-bit stereo PC sound card. [221]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> buys the Foxbase company. [494.6]
Hewlett-Packard <http://www.hp.com> introduces the HP LaserJet 4 laser printer. [361.43]
The Multimedia PC Marketing Council ups the requirements for MPC compliance to a 16-MHz 386SX processor. [601.77]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> and Sharp announce an agreement to codevelop a personal digital assistant, based on Apple's software and Sharp's hardware. [420.125]
Hewlett-Packard <http://www.hp.com> unveils the HP PainJet XL300 color thermal ink-jet printer. It supports PCL 5C and PostScript Level 2, and includes a LocalTalk connector, Centronics parallel port, and RS-232 serial port. The PC-compatible version has a list priceof US$3500. For the Macintosh, an extra US$2000 is required for PostScript and an additional 4MB of RAM. [420.127]
1993
January
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> shows off test versions of its Newton Personal Digital Assistants at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show. [46]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> reports a year-end loss, of US$4.96 billion, on revenues of US$64.5 billion. This is the highest single-year loss for any US company in history. [50]
Novell <http://corp.novell.com> ships UnixWare. [548.159]
Cyrix <http://www.cyrix.com> announces the 486S processor. [540.64]
Stac Electronics <http://www.stac.com> files a lawsuit against Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> over inclusion in MS-DOS 6.0 of file compression, which it claims infringes on Stac's patents. [51]
February
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the Macintosh PowerBook 165c. It features a 33-MHz 68030, 68882 math coprocessor, 80 MB hard drive (optional 160 MB), 8.9-inch disgonal color passive-matrix LCD screen, 4 MB RAM (optional 14 MB), 512 KB video RAM, for US$3399. It weighs 7 pounds. [579.120]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> ships the 10 millionth Macintosh computer. [46] [75]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> announces nine new systems in its RS/6000 line, priced between US$4000 and US$25000. [52] [163.88]
NeXT <http://www.next.com> announces that it will drop its hardware line, to focus on becoming a larger player in the object-oriented software industry. Approximately 50,000 NeXT <http://www.next.com> machines were built in total. [53] [206.289] [222] [508.73]
The US Federal Trade Commission votes on whether to charge Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> with unfair trade practices. The vote is a tie. Another vote will be taken in following months. [59] [128] [548.348]
Digital Equipment <http://www.dec.com> announces the 200-MHz Alpha 21064 processor. [540.64]
Sun Microsystems <http://www.sun.com> ships the 50-MHz Sun SuperSPARC processor. [557.134]
March
Texas Instruments <http://www.ti.com> and Dell settle their lawsuit, with Dell paying cash royalties to Texas Instruments <http://www.ti.com>. [548.368]
Amstrad begins shipping the Amstrad Pen Pad PDA600 Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) in England. It is the first PDA to be shipped. The Pen Pad weighs under a pound, is 1 inch thick, and features a 240x320 resolution 3x4 inch screen. It uses a 20-MHz Zilog Z8S180 microprocessor, and can run for 40 hours on three AA batteries. It includes 128KB RAM, with a PCMCIA expansion slot for memory expansion to 2MB. [545.143]
Lou Gerstner replaces John Akers as chairman of IBM <http://www.ibm.com>. [464.14]
Intel <http://www.intel.com> introduces the Pentium processor. It uses 32-bit registers, with a 64-bit data bus, giving it an address space of 4 GB. It incorporates 3.1 million transistors, using 0.8-micron BiCMOS technology. Speeds are 60-MHz (100 MIPS) and 66-MHz (112 MIPS). Prices are US$878 (60-MHz) and US$964 (66-MHz).
The Software Publishers Association reports that MS-Windows applications are outselling MS-DOS programs for the first time. [479.128]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> introduces the MS-DOS 6.0 Upgrade, including DoubleSpace disk compression. 1 million copies of the new and upgrade versions are sold through retail channels within the first 40 days. [55] [123] [210.37] [388.6] [389.29]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> ships Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Encarta, the first multimedia encyclopedia for a computer. [123]
April
Motorola <http://www.mot.com> Corp. ships the first PowerPC 601 chips. The processors use 2.8 million transistors, with 3 execution units. [57] [428.209]
Compaq Computer <http://www.compaq.com>, Intel <http://www.intel.com>, Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com>, and Phoenix Technologies <http://www.ptltd.com> define the Plug and Play specification for PCs. [122]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> releases the OLE 2.0 specification for Windows development. [479.129]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> demonstrates a prototype Macintosh running on an 80-MHz PowerPC 601 processor. [46]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> reports that there are 25 million licensed users of Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Windows. [123] [389.29]
Gateway <http://www.gateway2000.com> 2000 ships its 1 millionth PC. [183]
Novell <http://corp.novell.com> ships NetWare 4.0. [548.159]
Advanced Micro Devices <http://www.amd.com> ships its first Am486 processors, the 40-MHz Am486DX, and the 25/50-MHz Am486DX2. [141] [540.64]
May
Lotus Development <http://www.lotus.com> ships Lotus Notes 3.0. [548.159]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> releases OS/2 2.1, now including Windows 3.1 support. [60] [479.129]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> formally launches Windows NT 3.1. [123] [374.4] (July [548.159]) (July 1992 [387.98] [479.129])
The PCI Special Interest Group completes the version 2.0 specification of the PCI local-bus standard for microcomputers. [545.359] [549.201]
NeXT <http://www.next.com> ships NextStep v3.1 for Intel <http://www.intel.com>-based PCs. [206.289]
MIPS Technologies <http://www.mips.com> announces availability of the 150-MHz 64-bit R4400 RISC microprocessor. [242] (June [557.134])
June
The United States Environmental Protection Agency officially launches the Energy Star program. Together with 50 major PC manufacturers, the Energy Star guidelines are designed to reduce idle power use of computer system components. [600.26]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> expands its PowerBook line with the PowerBook 180c and 145B. [46]
U.S. District Court judge Vaughn Walker rules against Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> in its 63-month legal suit against Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> and Hewlett-Packard <http://www.hp.com>. The judge rules that 90% of the elements in Windows are covered by Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com>'s 1985 license from Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com>. Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> files an appeal. [61] [75] [123] [389.29] [548.338] [580.191]
Total sales of Apple Maqcintosh PowerBook Duo systems reaches 100,000. b[581.217]
Digital Equipment <http://www.dec.com> ships the 200-MHz Alpha 21064 processor. [557.134]
July
The US Federal Trade Commission votes a second time on whether to charge Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> with unfair trade practices. Again, the vote is a tie. [548.348]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the "AV" Macintosh systems, integrate telecommunications, video and speed technologies on the desktop for the first time. [46] [75] (JAN [140])
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> begins shipping Windows NT Workstation 3.1, and Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1. [535] [567.132] (AUG [66])
The US Federal Trade Commission decides to take no action against Intel <http://www.intel.com>, after three years of investigating complaints of forcing exclusive dealing practices. [64]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> introduces its clock-tripled 25/75MHz Blue Lightning 486-based processor. [65]
August
Sun Microsystems <http://www.sun.com> ships the 60-MHz Sun SuperSPARC processor. [557.134]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the Newton MessagePad 100 personal digital assistant at Macworld Expo, in Boston's Symphony Hall. It features 640KB RAM, 3MB of ROM storing applications and the operating system (Newton Intelligence), a low-voltage 20-MHz 32-bit ARM 610 microprocessor, 240x336 resolution LCD screen, PCMCIA expansion socket, data transfer of 9600bps, and runs on four AAA batteries. 50,000 units sell in the first 10 weeks, but only 80,000 are sold during the product's life. [46] [140] [271.N7] [424.187] [429.36] [545.148] [582.21] [588.61] (July [548.159])
The US Federal Trade Commission decides to cease investigating Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> for unfair trade practices. The US Department of Justice begins its own antitrust investigation of Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com>. [59] [128] [548.348]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> reports first US$1 billion sales quarter. [75]
Conner Peripherals <http://www.conner.com> sues IBM <http://www.ibm.com> for infringing on five of its patents. IBM <http://www.ibm.com> countersues Conner Peripherals <http://www.conner.com> for infringement on nine of its patents. [548.369]
A U.S. Federal Court judge rules in favor of Lotus Development <http://www.lotus.com> in its copyright infringement lawsuit against Borland International <http://www.borland.com>. Borland International <http://www.borland.com> stock falls to US$7 per share, from a one time high of US$82. [67] [103] [453.4] [548.343]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> loses its appeal of the ruling in favor of Microsoft in June, ending its legal battle against Microsoft Windows. [582.92]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> ships the Apple PowerCD, a portable CD-ROM drive that supports audio CDs and Kodak Photo CDs as well. [424.55]
Compton's New Media Incorporated receives a patent on multimedia search and retrieval technology, from the U.S. Patent and Trade Office. Compton's New Media then issues a statement claiming that anyone wishing to sell information in a multimedia format must pay them a license fee. [99] [468.8] [548.355]
September
The 1992 Joint Development contract between IBM <http://www.ibm.com> and Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com>, in which each company had access to the other's source code for OS/2 and Windows, expires. [501.102] [544.30]
Symantec <http://www.symantec.com> acquires Fifth Generation Systems, maker of backup and security utilities for various operating systems. [68] [548.365]
Berkeley Systems sues Delrina over Delrina's "Death Toasters" in the Opus N' Bill Screen Saver program. [548.378]
Gateway <http://www.gateway2000.com> 2000 introduces the industry's first VESA VL-bus system. [183]
Cyrix <http://www.cyrix.com> begins shipping the Cx486DX microprocessor. [507.26]
Motorola <http://www.mot.com> begins volume shipments of the PowerPC 601 chip. [582.107]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> debuts and ships its first PowerPC-based RS/6000 systems, the RS/6000 Model 250, using a single PowerPC 601 chip. [69.1] [212.191] (October [205.272] [557.134])
October
Motorola <http://www.mot.com> produces the first copies of the PowerPC 603, the second chip in the PowerPC family. [46] [71]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> announces Macintosh TV, which combines an Apple Macintosh, television, and CD-ROM. [46] [140]
NEC Technologies <http://web.nec.com> unveils the first triple-speed (450KBps) CD-ROM drive. [70]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> and Motorola <http://www.mot.com> introduce the 80-MHz version of the PowerPC 601 processor. [540.64] [557.134]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> and Motorola <http://www.mot.com> introduce the 66- and 80-MHz version of the PowerPC 603 processor. [540.64]
Atari sues Sega for patent infringement. [548.364]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> introduces the PowerBook Duo 250. It features a 33-MHz 68030, 4 MB RAM, 200 MB hard drive, 9-inch 640x400 85 dpi grayscale active matrix LCD screen. [75] [581.102]
Apple releases System 7 Pro. [583.55]
Advanced Micro Devices <http://www.amd.com> introduces the 66-MHz Am486DX2. [540.64]
WordPerfect releases WordPerfect for Macintosh 3.0. b[583.55]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> ships Windows for Workgroups 3.11. [479.129] [538]) (NOV [123])
November
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> releases OS/2 2.1 for Windows. [537.32]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> demonstrates a Macintosh Quadra 610 with an Apple-designed 486SX board, running MS-DOS, at Comdex. [424.33]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> quietly discontinues the Apple II product line. In its 17 year history, 5 million units were shipped. [46] [75]
Sales of Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com>'s PowerBook series hits the 1 million mark. [46] [75]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> releases MS-DOS 6.2. [72]
Benny S. Lee, of Everex Systems, Inc. is sentenced to one year in prison for manufacturing and selling counterfeit MS-DOS software. This is the first time a prison sentence is handed down for software counterfeiting in the U.S. [123]
December
Samsung Electronics Canada introduces its SyncMaster GL series of 14-, 15-, and 17-inch high-performance "green" monitors. [600.27]
Lotus Development <http://www.lotus.com> wins a preliminary judgement over Borland International <http://www.borland.com> in its spreadsheet copyright suit. Borland International <http://www.borland.com> removes its Lotus 1-2-3 compatibility macros from Quattro Pro and releases it. [548.343]
SunSoft (a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems <http://www.sun.com>) ships the first version of WABI, providing Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> Windows application compatibility on Solaris, Intel <http://www.intel.com>, and Sparc versions of UNIX. [73]
IBM <http://www.ibm.com> posts a year-end loss of US$8.1 billion, on total sales of US$62.7 billion. [75]
(mid) Wang Laboratories sues Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com>, claiming that Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com>'s OLE technology infringed on Wang Laboratories technology. [548.367]
(summer) The Multimedia PC Marketing Council sets the MPC Level 2 standard, dictating the minumum configuration required of a PC to run MPC-2 class software. The requirements are: a 486 processor, 160MB hard drive, double speed XA-ready multisession-capable CD-ROM drive, 16-bit sound card, and a 16-bit SuperVGA video card capable of 65,000 colors in 640x480 resolution. [501.87]
Novell <http://corp.novell.com> buys Unix System V. [392.1]
A Sixth District Court of Appeals overturns Advanced Micro Devices <http://www.amd.com>' 1992 win against Intel <http://www.intel.com>, claiming that the arbitrator had exceeded his jurisdiction. [141]
Apple Computer <http://www.apple.com> licenses its PowerPC Macintosh operating system ROMs to DayStar Digital. [424.33]
The VESA group begins working on version 2.0 of its VL-Bus design. [545.359]
Cyrix <http://www.cyrix.com> ships the Cx486DRx2 processor in 16/32-, 20/40-, and 25/50-MHz versions. The chips replace the Intel 386DX processors. Prices are US$300-400. [535.40]
Microsoft <http://www.microsoft.com> releases FoxPro 2.5 for Windows. [494.6]
Work begins on SCSI-3. [543]
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