| Ref: |
Day |
Month |
Timeline event |
Cat: |
| E1138 |
2 |
Jan |
Dan Bricklin, Bob Frankston and Dan Fylstra found Software Arts |
9 |
| E1139 |
|
Jan |
Tandy TRS-80 Microcomputer System Model I |
1 |
| E1140 |
|
Mar |
IMSAI Manufacturing enters Chapter 11 with debts of $1.5 million. |
1 |
| E1141 |
|
Mar |
Zilog Z-8000 MPU |
4 |
| E1142 |
4 |
Apr |
Microsoft's 8080 BASIC receives the 'Million Dollar Award' for its 8080 BASIC - the first for MPU software |
9 |
| E1143 |
|
Apr |
Intel magnetic bubble 1MByte memory chip launched |
10 |
| E1144 |
|
Apr |
Software Arts contracts with Personal Software to market VisiCalc |
9 |
| E3741 |
|
May |
The Financial Times suggested PCs would sell at less than £100 within five years - Sinclait achieved that in less than a year |
13 |
| E1145 |
11 |
May |
VisiCalc - Visible Calculator - spreadsheet launched at West Coast Computer Faire |
9 |
| E1146 |
|
May |
NEC PC-8001 - Japan's first microcomputer |
1 |
| E1147 |
|
May |
Processor Technology stops its operation |
1 |
| E1148 |
|
May |
Seattle Computer Products prototypes its S-100 compatible 8086 card |
10 |
| E1149 |
1 |
Jun |
Intel 8088 MPU with 10m cycles/sec - used on IBM PC |
4 |
| E1150 |
22 |
Jun |
Dave Lebling, Marc Blanc and Albert Vezza from MIT found InfoCom |
9 |
| E1151 |
|
Jun |
3Com Corporation founded by Bob Metcalfe after leaving Xerox PARC |
10 |
| E1152 |
|
Jun |
Apple II Plus |
1 |
| E1153 |
|
Jun |
Apple SilenType |
10 |
| E1154 |
|
Jun |
Motorola 68000 - 32-bit - equivalent of 68000 transistors |
4 |
| E1155 |
|
Jun |
Texas Instruments TI-99/4 in production - it would sell 2.8m units |
1 |
| E1156 |
|
Jul |
MT MicroSystems launched its Pascal/MT compiler for CP/M - sold 100k copies |
9 |
| E1157 |
|
Jul |
Sinclair Research founded |
1 |
| E1158 |
|
Aug |
Apple UCSD Pascal launched |
9 |
| E1159 |
|
Aug |
Ross Perot of EDS offered to buy Microsoft - no deal agreed |
9 |
| E1160 |
|
Aug |
Wayne Ratliff launches Vulcan database software - would become dBase II |
9 |
| E1161 |
|
Sep |
Apple's board approves a project that would become the Macintosh |
1 |
| E3742 |
|
Sep |
WordPerfect Corporation founded |
9 |
| E1162 |
17 |
Oct |
VisiCalc launched for the Apple II - becoming its killer-ap eventually selling 700k copies |
9 |
| E1163 |
|
Oct |
Activision founded by David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, Bob Whitehead and Jim Levy |
8 |
| E1164 |
|
Oct |
FCC introduced new tougher RF regulations |
4 |
| E1165 |
|
Oct |
Steve Mayer and Ray Kassar's Atari 400 and 800 |
1 |
| E1166 |
|
Oct |
Tandy TRS-80 Model II |
1 |
| E1219 |
1 |
Nov |
Seagate Technology founded |
10 |
| E1167 |
|
Nov |
Apple agrees for Xerox to buy 100k Apple shares at pre-IPO rates in return for more access to its PARC developments |
1 |
| E1168 |
|
Nov |
Apple team visits Xerox PARC to see its developments including the Alto computer |
1 |
| E3743 |
|
Nov |
INMOS founded by Iann Baron, Richard Petritz and Paul Schroede |
4 |
| E1169 |
|
Nov |
Milton Bradley Microvision, the first handheld console released |
7 |
| E1170 |
|
Dec |
Atari agrees a deal for Sears to sell its computers |
1 |
| E1171 |
|
Dec |
Ethernet launched at Xerox PARC |
10 |
| E1172 |
|
Dec |
Microsoft Adventure |
8 |
| E1173 |
|
Dec |
Microsoft Typing Tutor - TRS-80 |
9 |
| E1175 |
|
|
Acorn System 75 - first product similar to Sinclair MK14 |
6 |
| E1174 |
|
|
Acorn System 1 kit released at £80, designed by Sophie Wilson, a student |
6 |
| E1176 |
|
|
AppleWriter 1.0 word processor released |
9 |
| E1177 |
|
|
Ashton Tate founded |
9 |
| E3744 |
|
|
AT&T established the UNIX System Laboratories |
9 |
| E1178 |
|
|
Atari Asteroids coin-op game |
8 |
| E1179 |
|
|
Atari Lunar Lander coin-op |
8 |
| E3745 |
|
|
Bill Joy established the Computer Systems Research Group and created UNIX BSD |
9 |
| E3746 |
|
|
Bill Lowe at IBM produced a maket analysis of PCs defining a business and computer sector |
1 |
| E1180 |
|
|
Bill von Meister founded The Source |
12 |
| E1181 |
|
|
Canon researcher discovers inkjet printing by accident |
10 |
| E1182 |
|
|
Cellphones - first tested |
2 |
| E1183 |
|
|
Commodore 3032 name used for PET in Europe to avoid a name-clash |
1 |
| E1184 |
|
|
Compukit UK101 - a UK version of the Ohio Scientific Superboard II single-board computer |
6 |
| E1185 |
|
|
Corvus Systems launches an interface card to a Winchester hard drive |
10 |
| E1186 |
|
|
Dennis Fairclough, Drew Major, Dale Neibaur and Kyle Powell found Novell |
9 |
| E1187 |
|
|
Mattel Intellivision launched, sold 3m units in its lifetime |
7 |
| E1188 |
|
|
DRI CP/M Version 2 launched to work with Winchester hard drives |
9 |
| E1189 |
|
|
DRI integrated CBASIC into CP/M. |
9 |
| E1190 |
|
|
DRI releases MP/M - Multi-Programming Monitor |
9 |
| E1191 |
|
|
Fairchild Channel F console is first to use ROM cartridges |
7 |
| E1192 |
|
|
First Computer Dealers' Exposition held in Las Vegas - COMDEX |
13 |
| E1193 |
|
|
General Instrument CP1610 MPU - used on Mattel Intellivision |
4 |
| E1194 |
|
|
GM Research 'MicroStar' aka 'The Small One' launched - a portable |
1 |
| E1195 |
|
|
GROMs - Graphics Read Only Memories from TI |
4 |
| E3747 |
|
|
Groupe Bull acquired R2E and its Micral product |
1 |
| E3748 |
|
|
Hal Chamberlin published 'Musical Applcations of Microcomputers' |
9 |
| E1196 |
|
|
Hayes Micromodem 100 and 200 |
10 |
| E1197 |
|
|
Hayes MicroModem II - 110/300 baud for Apple II $380 |
10 |
| E3749 |
|
|
Heathkit acquired by Zenith, new operation called Zenith Data Systems |
6 |
| E1198 |
|
|
Information Unlimited Software begin to sell EasyWriter |
9 |
| E1199 |
|
|
Intertec Data Systems Superbrain |
1 |
| E1200 |
|
|
USENET developed by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis of Duke University |
11 |
| E1201 |
|
|
John Ellenby founded GRiD Systems Corporation |
1 |
| E1202 |
|
|
John R Goltz and Jeffrey Wilkins launch CompuServe - its bulletin board and other services |
12 |
| E1203 |
|
|
Ken and Roberta Williams found Sierra On-line |
8 |
| E1204 |
|
|
Large Expanse Extra Perspective - LEEP - optical system was designed by Eric Howlett |
14 |
| E1205 |
|
|
Li-Chen Wang develops the Exatron stringy floppy tape drive |
10 |
| E3750 |
|
|
Mannesmann division merged with Tally - to become Mannesmann Tally |
10 |
| E1206 |
|
|
Micral 20 computing |
1 |
| E1207 |
|
|
Mike Lesk develops UUCP - Unix-to-Unix Copy program |
9 |
| E1208 |
|
|
Namco Galaxian coin-op |
8 |
| E1209 |
|
|
National Semiconductor National Advanced Systems - was Itel |
4 |
| E1210 |
|
|
Neil Colvin founds Phoenix Techologies, following the failure of Xitan |
1 |
| E1211 |
|
|
Niklaus Wirth develops the Modula-1 software language |
9 |
| E1212 |
|
|
Nobutoshi Kihara's Sony Walkman is released |
16 |
| E3751 |
|
|
Onyx Systems founded by Bob Marsh and Kip Myers to sell UNIX-based systems |
1 |
| E1213 |
|
|
Oracle 2 database released |
9 |
| E1214 |
|
|
Pac-Man software - #1 sales for VCS selling 7m copies |
8 |
| E3752 |
|
|
Phoenix Technologies Ltd founded by Neil Colvin |
1 |
| E3753 |
|
|
Pixar founded, originally as Graphics Group of Lucasfilm |
9 |
| E1215 |
|
|
Richard Garriott released his Akalabeth game |
8 |
| E3754 |
|
|
Robotics Institute founded at the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University |
14 |
| E1216 |
|
|
Sam Fedida and BT's Prestel - PRESs TELephone |
12 |
| E1217 |
|
|
SASI - Shugart Associates Systems Interface - becomes SCSI |
10 |
| E1218 |
|
|
Satellite Software International founded - would later become WordPerfect Corp |
9 |
| E1220 |
|
|
Sharp MZ-80K computer |
1 |
| E1221 |
|
|
Sierra On-line Mystery House game |
8 |
| E1222 |
|
|
Small Business Applications launches Magic Wand word processor |
9 |
| E1223 |
|
|
Star Raiders - Atari console version of Stellar Track |
8 |
| E3755 |
|
|
Tally merged with Mannesmann Präzisiontechnik to form Mannesmann Tally |
10 |
| E3756 |
|
|
Tangerine Computers founded by Paul Johnson |
1 |
| E1224 |
|
|
Tandata TD1400 Prestel adaptor |
12 |
| E1225 |
|
|
Tangerine Microtan 65 |
1 |
| E3757 |
|
|
Televideo founded by K Philp Hwang to produce computer terminals |
5 |
| E1226 |
|
|
Transpac X25 service in France |
11 |
| E1227 |
|
|
Trip Hawkins at Apple discusses buying Personal Software and VisiCalc for Apple stock - but fails to get Board approval |
1 |
| E3758 |
|
|
Tulip Computers founded |
1 |
| E1228 |
|
|
UNIX BSD released |
9 |
| E1229 |
|
|
VideoBrain Family Computer |
1 |
| E1230 |
|
|
Xerox Dolphin |
1 |
| E1231 |
|
|
Acorn System 2 |
6 |
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