Athena Advanced Technologies

04/24/2013

Today in Computer History - April 24, 1984

Apple IIc Introduced

Apple Computer introduces its Apple IIc, a portable machine designed to have the same operating capacity as the standard IIe model. The machine came with 128 kilobytes of RAM and a 5 1/4 inch floppy disk drive.

The Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The result was a 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place. The c in the name stood for compact...

04/20/2013

Today in Computer History - April 20, 1951

MIT "Whirlwind" Computer Seen on Television

MIT demonstrates its Whirlwind machine on Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now" television series. Project director Jay Forrester describes the computer as a "reliable operating system," running 35 hours a week at 90-percent utility using an electrostatic tube memory that stores up to 2,048 16-digit words. The machine used 4,500 vacuum tubes and 14,800 diodes, taking up a total of 3,100 square feet.

Whirlwind I was a Cold War air defense computer system developed by the MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory for the U.S. Navy's "Whirlwind Program".[2] It is the first computer that operated in real-time[3],used video displays for output, and the first that was not simply an electronic replacement of old...

04/18/2013

April 18, 1986

This is really when the American computer hardware companies started to move forward in an age where it had hit a major roadblock in development. Without the Megabit Chip being used successfully, I'm not sure that Microsoft and other large operating systems and the computer graphics industry as we know it could EVER have developed to the point we are now (This is Simone posting, and this is my opinion on the matter, it might not be Eric's opinion).

IBM First to Use Megabit Chip

Newspapers report that IBM had become the first computer manufacturer to use a megabit chip -- a memory chip capable of storing 1 million bits of information -- in a commercial product, its Model 3090. The announcement is heralded as a notable triumph for American computer makers, whose work had been perceived as having fallen behind that of the Japanese electronics industry.

Harvard University President James Conant writes to IBM founder Thomas Watson Sr. to let him know that the Harvard Mark I, developed in cooperation between the two, was operating smoothly. The project was one of the many examples of wartime collaboration among the federal government, universities, a...

04/15/2013

Today in Computer History

April 15th, 1452
While only indirectly related to computers, he was a technological genius.
Happy Birthday, Leonardo da Vinci!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_vinci

April 15th, 1977
First West Coast Computer Faire Begins

The first West Coast Computer Faire begins, featuring the debut of the Apple II from Apple Computer. The new machine includes innovations such as built-in high-resolution color graphics. For about $1,300, buyers receive a machine and built-in keyboard, 16 kilobytes of memory, BASIC, and eight expansion slots.

The West Coast Computer Faire was an annual computer industry conference and exposition most often associated with San Francisco, its first and most frequent venue. The first fair was held in 1977 and was organized by Jim Warren and Bob Reiling. At the time it was the biggest computer show in the wo...

04/10/2013

Today in Computer History - April 10, 1943

"ENIAC" Project Underway

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania begin work on the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), a machine capable of the then-remarkable speed of 5,000 additions per second. ENIAC was shrouded in wartime secrecy since its main purpose was to compute "firing tables" for artillery shells. Before ENIAC, this was done by women (called "computers") working in large groups at mechanical desktop calculators. ENIAC was not completed until after the war (February 1946) but a generation of computer designers learned from its design and from the summer course given by Eckert and Mauchly at the Moore School. ENIAC could solve a wide range of general purpose computing problems, however, and was booked for two years in 1948. The ENIAC becomes public upon its completion in February 1946, when project leaders John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert proudly show off 1,000 square feet of plugs, switches, and lights that calculate 1,000 times faster than other machines at the time.

ENIAC (pron.:/ˈini.æk/ or /ˈɛni.æk/; Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer)[1][2] was the first electronic general-purposecomputer. It was Turing-complete, digital, and capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems.[3]

04/07/2013

Today in Computer History - April 7, 1979
The first RFC was published.

Short for Request For Comments, RFC is a memorandum describing methods, behaviors, research, or innovations applicable to the working of the Internet and Internet-connected systems.

Steve Crocker of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), released RFC #1, titled "Host Software".
The document introduced Host-to-Host communication with IMP (Interface Message Processor) software.

Each RFC has a unique number preceded by the letters RFC. If a revision needs to be made to a RFC a new number must be given to it. An example of a RFC is RFC2070, which is the Internationalization of the Hypertext Markup Language RFC.

The RFC is a standard mechanism for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to use for making proposals on improvements and changes to the internet. While not standards, these documents are often considered to reflect the spirit of the protocol, if not the complete set of guidelines.

In computer network engineering, a Request for Comments (RFC) is a memorandum published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) describing methods, behaviors, research, or innovations applicable to the working of the Internet and Internet-connected systems.

04/06/2013

Today in Computer History - April 6, 1992
Microsoft Releases Windows 3.1
Windows 3.1, originally codenamed Janus, was released on April 6, 1992.

Windows 3.1x was a series of 16-bit operating systems, produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. The series began with Windows 3.1, a successor to Windows 3.0. Subsequent versions were released between 1992 and 1994 until the series was superseded by Windows 95. Windows 3.1 was the first version of Windows to use the Windows Registry and enjoy major commercial success and software support.

Windows 3.1x is a series of 16-bitoperating systems,[1] produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during March 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0. Subsequent versions were released between 1992 and 1994 until the series was supersede...

04/06/2013