Technology timeline
From the development of the personal computer to the rich, connected network of Facebook users, technology has been always progressed towards a more connected world. What follows is a list of recent technological developments of note. Most oI omit things like the invention of the printing press, mass production, and the industrial complex for brevity.
- 1984 – Apple airs 1984 and world realizes personal computing is affordable
- 1993 – Microsoft releases Windows 3.1 and Office 4.0. Corporations adopt personal computers. source and source
- 1994-1995 World becomes smaller.
- 1995 – FBI arrests Kevin Mitnick for hacking. World becomes wary of the internet source
- 1995 – Geocities and others allow anyone to publish their own content
- 1996 – AOL begins selling internet access for $19.99/mo. World plugs in source
- 1998 – PC Magazine praises Google’s search engine for having “an uncanny knack for returning extremely relevant results” source World realizes potential of web.
- 1999 – Napster. Internet goes mainstream. No longer just for dorks. source
- 1999 – Everquest launches and the world realizes how much fun the internet can be source
- 2000 – Y2K bug shows that computers and the internet aren’t as insecure as everyone things. Also, not the end of the world.
- 2000 – DotCom bubble bursts. World throws up hands and starts having fun source
- 2000 – Metallica sues Napster for copyright infringement. Business suits start looking really ugly. Grassroots movement begins. source
- 2001 – Bram Cohen creates Bittorrent. Entertainment (and therefore culture) flourish source
- 2001 – Apple begins selling iPod and offers iTunes 2.0.
- 2002 – Friendster launches previous year and Myspace copies them. World realizes how horrible bad design can be source
- 2003 – Wordpress provides user-friendly incarnation of the blog. World finds a voice source
- 2005 – Facebook goes mainstream. World rejoices for all is not lost! Intelligent conversation and no obnoxious design source
- 2005 – GoDaddy and other hosting companies show world how cheap real websites can be. Things REALLY get going. source
- 2007 – World witnesses Saddam hanging on Youtube. Citizens become reporters, and newspapers begin to crumble
- 2007 – iPhone hits markets. The internet is everywhere and always on
Sources
- InfoWorld 25 Oct. 1993: n. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=FDsEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA20&dq=microsoft%20office%204.0&pg=PA20#v=onepage&q=microsoft%20office%204.0&f=false>.
- Brown, Margaret. Microsoft Windows 3.1: A Quick Study. N.p.: D D C Publishing, Incorporated, 1993. N. pag. Print. <http://books.google.com/books?id=EesLAAAACAAJ&dq=microsoft+windows+3.1&ei=5ovnSo6PF5SMNtHnnPUL>.
- United States. Department of Justice. FUGITIVE COMPUTER HACKER ARRESTED IN NORTH CAROLINA. United States Department of Justice. N.p., 15 Feb. 1995. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/February95/89.txt.html>.
- Warner, Charles. Media Selling: Television, Print, Internet, Radio. N.p.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. N. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=nZqpUOr36OUC&lpg=PA437&dq=aol%20%2419.99%201996&pg=PA437#v=onepage&q=aol%20$19.99%201996&f=false>.
- “Google!” Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. N.p., 1998. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://web.archive.org/web/19990508042436/www.zdnet.com/pcmag/special/web100/search2.html>.
- Lawrence, Gary M., and Carl Baranowski. Representing high-tech companies. N.p.: Law Journal Press,
1999. N. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=HwQ7WKh3ZIQC&pg=RA2-PA8&dq=napster&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1999&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=1999&as_brr=0&ei=_43nSsfaHYeANqbX1YMM#v=onepage&q=napster&f=false>. - Billboard: n. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=SQ0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA37&dq=everquest&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1999&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=1999&as_brr=0&ei=XI7nSqPnIofMMLnPzZIM#v=onepage&q=everquest&f=false>.
- Okin, J. R. “The Dot Com Bubble, and Life (So to Speak) at a Dot Com.” The technology revolution:
the not-for-dummies guide to the impact, perils, and promise of the Internet. N.p.: Ironbound Press, 2005. N. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=jNzdpS3RFVwC&lpg=PA137&dq=dotcom%20bubble&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1999&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=1999&as_brr=0&pg=PA137#v=onepage&q=&f=false>. - Friedlander, Paul, and Peter Miller. Rock & roll: a social history. N.p.: Basic Books, 2006. N. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=Z2Wb7LP_uZIC&dq=metallica+sues+napster&lr=&as_brr=0&source=gbs_navlinks_s>.
- Navin, Ashwin. “Video: Ashwin Navin on the History of BitTorrent.” TorrentFreak.com. 12 May 2007.
TorrentFreak. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://torrentfreak.com/video-ashwin-navin-on-the-history-of-bittorrent/>. - Angwin, Julia. Stealing MySpace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America. N.p.:
Random House, Inc., 2009. N. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=c-lEzyA4TSQC&lpg=PT70&dq=myspace%20history&lr=&as_brr=0&pg=PT70#v=onepage&q=myspace%20history&f=false>. - Douglass, Robert T., Mike Little, and Jared W. Smith. Building online communities with Drupal,
phpBB, and WordPress. N.p.: Apress, 2005. N. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=2dxjkmhc8fsC&lpg=PA369&dq=wordpress%20history&lr=&as_brr=0&pg=PA377#v=onepage&q=wordpress%20history&f=false>. - Graham, Wayne. Facebook API Developers Guide. N.p.: Apress, 2008. N. pag. Google Books. Web. 27 Oct.
2009. <http://books.google.com/books?id=QOPkwMTZ1F0C&lpg=PA2&dq=facebook%20history&lr=&as_brr=0&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q=facebook%20history&f=false>. - “Go Daddy.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Daddy>.
