Latest posts
- Dell buys Alienware, May 8, 2006May 08, 2026Dave Farquhar
On May 8, 2006, corporate and straitlaced Dell completed its purchase of Alienware, a maker of edgy gaming computers. It was a long courtship. Dell considered buying Alienware for four years before making the deal. And the tie-up of this The post Dell buys Alienware, May 8, 2006 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- Intel Pentium II introduced May 7, 1997May 07, 2026Dave Farquhar
29 years ago, on May 7, 1997, Intel introduced its Pentium II processor. It wasn’t the first followup to the very successful Pentium. But the Pentium II overcame problems with the Pentium Pro that kept it from gaining more widespread The post Intel Pentium II introduced May 7, 1997 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- Adobe’s subscription modelMay 06, 2026Dave Farquhar
Before May 2013 there was always question about whether you actually owned software after you paid for it. But before May 6, 2013, you certainly had more control. That was the day Adobe switched to a subscription-only model for its The post Adobe’s subscription model appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- First desktop computer: Datapoint 2200May 05, 2026Dave Farquhar
The first desktop computer dates to earlier than you probably think. And officially at least, it was an accident. Great inventions often are. But it was surprisingly similar to desktop computers that followed it. Design work on the first desktop The post First desktop computer: Datapoint 2200 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- How the Vectrex game console sunk a 124-year-old companyMay 04, 2026Dave Farquhar
On May 4, 1984, Milton Bradley, a leading producer of board games for 124 years, agreed to sell itself to Hasbro. Changes in the way people played games in the 80s, especially kids, put pressure on the company. In this The post How the Vectrex game console sunk a 124-year-old company appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- Microsoft’s open sourcing of 86-DOS and what it meansMay 03, 2026Dave Farquhar
On April 28, 2026, Microsoft unexpectedly open sourced 86-DOS. This is the direct ancestor to PC DOS 1.0. I’ve written a number of things about the controversies around PC DOS 1.0 and early versions of MS-DOS, so of course I The post Microsoft’s open sourcing of 86-DOS and what it means appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- Ad Lib bankruptcy: May 1, 1992May 01, 2026Dave Farquhar
Ad Lib, Inc. was a Canadian manufacturer of sound cards founded by Martin Prevel, a former professor of music and vice-dean of the music department at the Université Laval in Quebec City. Ad Lib’s best known product was an eponymously The post Ad Lib bankruptcy: May 1, 1992 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- Why Commodore went bankrupt in 1994Apr 30, 2026Dave Farquhar
On April 29, 1994, Commodore announced it was bankrupt and was going out of business. Its demise was a long time coming. Arguably it had been inevitable for 10 years. But the reasons Commodore went bankrupt are often oversimplified and The post Why Commodore went bankrupt in 1994 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- What happened to Palm Pilots?Apr 29, 2026Dave Farquhar
Palm was a high-flying brand in the late 1990s, creating the first really popular personal data assistant. Then it seemed to vanish almost as quickly as it came. What happened to Palm Pilots, and the company who made them? On The post What happened to Palm Pilots? appeared first on The Silicon Underground.
- TRS-80 Model 100Apr 28, 2026Dave Farquhar
The TRS-80 Model 100 was an early laptop computer manufactured by Kyocera in Japan and marketed in North America by Radio Shack. Kyocera’s own version, the Kyotronic-85, didn’t set any sales records. But the TRS-80 Model 100 and the line The post TRS-80 Model 100 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.