Timeline of computing

From Free net encyclopedia

History of computing

Hardware before 1960

Hardware 1960s to present

Hardware in communist countries

Operating systems

Software engineering

Programming languages

Graphical user interface

Internet

World Wide Web

Computer and video games

Timeline of computing Timeline of computing 2400 BC-1949 1950-1979 1980-1989 1990- More timelines...

More...

This article presents a detailed timeline of events in the history of computing. For a narrative explaining the overall developments, see the related History of computing.

Computing timelines: 2400 BC-1949, 1950-1979, 1980-1989, 1990-present

Resources

• Stephen White: A Brief History of Computing, http://ox.compsoc.net/~swhite/history.html. An excellent Computer history site; the above is a modified version of his timeline, used with permission.
• The Computer History in time and space, Graphing Project tries to build a graphical image of computer history, in particular operating systems, http://comp-hist.sourceforge.net/

See also

• History of computing hardware – up to third generation (1960s)
• History of computing hardware (1960s-present) – third generation and later
• Programming language timeline
• Operating systems timeline
• Commercial computer apps timeline
• Computer science timeline
• History of the graphical user interface
• History of the Internet

Graphical timeline

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1. bar:periods
2. from:1964 till:1972 text:"3rd Generation" width:16"

1. at:1975 text"Microsoft founded"
2. at:1976 text"Apple Computer founded"
3. at:1983 text"Borland founded"

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 bar:section2 from:start till:end text:"First use/(Inventions)"
 bar:section3 from:start till:end text:"Hardware Systems/(Processors)"
 bar:section4 from:start till:end text:"Operating Systems"
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 bar:section6 from:start till:end text:"New Application Areas"

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 width:8
 barset:quotes
 at:1943 text:"'I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.' Thomas J. Watson, chairman of IBM"
 at:1949 text:"'Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons'"
 at:1950 text:"'"We'll have to think up bigger problems if we want to keep them busy.' Howard Aiken"
 at:1950 text:"(Turing Test)~_Alan Turing"
 shift:(5,5)
 at:1965 text:"Moore's law: processor complexity will double every year,~revised in 1975: complexity will double every two years. Gordon E. Moore"

1. barset:skip

 shift:(5,-5)
 at:1977 align:right shift:(-5,-5) text:"'There is no reason anyone would want a computer~in their home' (Ken Olson, Chairman DEC)"
 shift:(5,5)
 at:1981 text:"(Quantum Computer)~_Richard Feynmann

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 barset:first_use
 shift:(5,-5)
 at:1940 text:"teletype"
 at:1947 text:"(transistor)"
 at:1948 text:"random access memory"
 at:1948 text:"magnetic drum"
 at:1949 text:"registers"
 at:1953 text:"magnetic core memory"
 at:1956 text:"hard disk"
 at:1957 text:"dot matrix printer"
 at:1958 text:"integrated circuit"
 at:1962 text:"spooling,~interrupts,~virtual memory~paging~(ATLAS)"
 barset:skip
 barset:break
 at:1963 text:"mouse"
 at:1965 text:"time-sharing"
 at:1965 text:"fuzzy logic"
 at:1965 text:"packet switching"
 at:1969 text:"ARPANET precursor~of Internet"
 barset:skip
 at:1969 text:"RS-232"
 at:1970 text:"dynamic RAM"
 at:1971 text:"floppy disk"
 at:1971 text:"microprocessor~(4004)"
 barset:skip
 at:1972 text:"game console~(PONG)"
 barset:skip
 at:1973 text:"TCP/IP 1982 ??"
 at:1973 text:"ethernet"
 at:1975 text:"single-board~computer"
 barset:break
 at:1976 text:"laser printer"
 at:1976 text:"supercomputer~(Cray)"
 barset:skip
 at:1979 text:"compact disk"
 at:1981 text:"WIMP (GUI)"
 at:1981 text:"CGA video card"
 at:1982 text:"MIDI"
 at:1982 text:"RISC cpu"
 at:1982 text:"portable~PC"
 barset:skip
 barset:skip
 at:1983 text:"math~coprocessor"
 barset:skip
 at:1983 text:"PC harddisk"
 at:1984 text:"GNU project"
 at:1984 text:"DNS (Domain~Name Server)"
 barset:skip
 at:1984 text:"IDE interface"
 at:1985 text:"Expanded Memory"
 at:1985 text:"PostScript"
 barset:break
 at:1985 text:"EGA video card"
 at:1985 text:"CD_ROM"
 at:1986 text:"SCSI interface"
 at:1987 text:"massive parallel~computing~(Connection Machine)"
 barset:skip
 barset:skip
 at:1987 text:"VGA video card"
 at:1987 text:"PC sound card (AD-LIB)"
 at:1988 text:"optical chip"
 at:1988 text:"EISA bus"
 at:1989 text:"ATA interface"
 at:1990 text:"SVGA video card,~VESA driver"
 barset:skip
 at:1991 text:"ISA bus"
 at:1992 text:"CD-I"
 at:1994 text:"DNA computing"
 at:1995 text:"USB"

1. major or well known operating systems selection based on
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_computing_500_BC-1949

 barset:hardware_systems

 at:1940 text:"Model I~Relay Calculator"
 barset:skip
 at:1941 text:"Atanasoff Berry Computer"
 barset:skip
 at:1941 text:"Z3"
 at:1943 text:"Harvard Mark I"
 at:1943 text:"Relay Interpolator"
 at:1943 text:"Colossus"
 at:1946 text:"ENIAC"
 at:1948 text:"Manchester SSEM"
 barset:break
 at:1962 text:"ATLAS"
 at:1964 text:"IBM 360"
 at:1964 text:"DEC PDP-8"
 at:1965 text:"CDC 6600~1st supercomputer"
 barset:skip
 at:1971 text:"electronic~calculator~TI"
 barset:skip
 at:1971 text:"(4004)"
 at:1972 text:"scientific~calculator~HP"
 barset:skip
 at:1972 text:"(8008)"
 at:1972 text:"1st 32-bit~ supermini"
 barset:skip
 at:1974 text:"(8080)"
 at:1974 text:"(MC 6800)"
 at:1974 text:"Altair 8800~personal~computer"
 barset:skip
 barset:break
 at:1976 text:"(Z80)"
 at:1976 text:"(6502)"
 at:1976 text:"Cray-1"
 at:1977 text:"Apple II"
 at:1977 text:"TRS-80"
 at:1978 text:"(8086)"
 at:1979 text:"PET"
 at:1979 text:"(68000)"
 at:1980 text:"VIC-20"
 at:1980 text:"ZX80"
 at:1981 text:"8010~'Star'"
 barset:skip
 at:1981 text:"ZX81"
 at:1981 text:"IBM PC"
 at:1982 text:"BBC~Micro"
 barset:skip
 at:1982 text:"C64"
 barset:break
 at:1982 text:"(80286)"
 at:1982 text:"Compaq~Portable"
 barset:skip
 at:1982 text:"ZX Spectrum"
 at:1983 text:"Lisa"
 at:1983 text:"IBM XT"
 at:1983 text:"IBM PC jr"
 at:1983 text:"Macintosh"
 at:1984 text:"LaserJet printer"
 at:1984 text:"IBM AT"
 at:1985 text:"Atari ST"
 at:1985 text:"Commodore Amiga"
 at:1986 text:"Amstrad 1512"
 at:1987 text:"Acorn Archimedes"
 at:1987 text:"Connection Machine"
 at:1987 text:"IBM PS/2"
 barset:break
 at:1989 text:"(80486)"
 at:1993 text:"(66 MHz Pentium)"
 at:1998 text:"iMac"
 at:1999 text:"PowerMac"
 at:2000 text:"(1 GHz Pentium)"
 at:2003 text:"PowerPC G5
 at:2003 text:"Athlon 64

1. major or well known operating systems selection based on
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systems_timeline

 barset:operating_systems

 at:1959 text:"GM Research OS for IBM 701"
 at:1961 text:"CTSS"
 at:1964 text:"ITS
 at:1965 text:"OS/360"
 at:1965 text:"Multics"
 at:1967 text:"CP/CMS"
 at:1969 text:"ACP"
 at:1969 text:"Unix"
 at:1972 text:"VM/CMS"
 at:1974 text:"MVS"
 at:1976 text:"CP/M"
 at:1978 text:"Apple DOS 3.1"
 at:1978 text:"VMS"
 at:1980 text:"OS-9"
 at:1981 text:"MS-DOS"
 at:1982 text:"SunOS"
 at:1983 text:"Lisa OS"
 barset:break
 at:1984 text:"Macintosh OS"
 at:1985 text:"AmigaOS"
 at:1985 text:"Atari TOS"
 at:1985 text:"Windows 1.0"
 at:1986 text:"AIX"
 at:1986 text:"GS-OS"
 at:1986 text:"HP-UX"
 at:1987 text:"IRIX"
 at:1987 text:"Minix"
 at:1987 text:"OS/2"
 at:1987 text:"Windows 2.0"
 at:1988 text:"OS/400"
 at:1989 text:"NeXTSTEP"
 at:1989 text:"RISC OS"
 at:1989 text:"SCO Unix"
 at:1990 text:"BeOS"
 at:1990 text:"OSF/1"
 at:1991 text:"Linux"
 barset:break
 at:1992 text:"Solaris"
 at:1992 text:"Windows 3.1"
 at:1993 text:"Windows NT 3.1"
 at:1994 text:"Red Hat Linux"
 at:1995 text:"OpenBSD"
 at:1995 text:"OS/390"
 at:1995 text:"Windows 95"
 at:1996 text:"Debian GNU/Linux"
 at:1997 text:"Mac OS 7.6"
 at:1998 text:"Windows 98"
 at:1999 text:"Mac OS 8"
 at:2000 text:"Mac OS 9"
 at:2000 text:"Windows ME"
 at:2000 text:"Windows 2000"
 at:2001 text:"Mac OS X"
 at:2001 text:"Windows XP"
 at:2001 text:"z/OS"
 at:2003 text:"Windows~Server~2003" shift:(5,1)

1. major or well known programming languages & dev tools selection based on
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_programming_languages
3. generally only first versions are listed

 barset:sys_dev_software
 at:1945 text:"Plankalkül"
 at:1952 text:"A-0"
 at:1954 text:"Mark I"
 at:1954 text:"FORTRAN"
 at:1958 text:"Algol 58"
 at:1959 text:"LISP"
 at:1960 text:"COBOL"
 at:1962 text:"APL"
 barset:break
 at:1962 text:"Simula"
 at:1964 text:"PL/I"
 at:1964 text:"BASIC"
 at:1968 text:"Logo"
 at:1971 text:"Pascal"
 at:1972 text:"Smalltalk"
 at:1972 text:"C"
 at:1972 text:"PROLOG"
 barset:break
 at:1978 text:"VISICALC"
 at:1979 text:"REXX"
 at:1979 text:"DBASE-II"
 at:1983 text:"Ada"
 at:1983 text:"[[C++]]"
 barset:skip
 at:1983 text:"Turbo~Pascal"
 barset:break
 at:1985 text:"PARADOX"
 at:1985 text:"PostScript"
 at:1986 text:"Eiffel"
 at:1987 text:"HyperTalk"
 at:1987 text:"SQL"
 at:1987 text:"Perl"
 at:1991 text:"Python"
 at:1991 text:"Visual Basic"
 barset:break
 at:1993 text:"AppleScript"
 at:1995 text:"Delphi"
 at:1995 text:"JavaScript"
 at:1995 text:"Java"
 at:1997 text:"PHP"
 at:2000 text:"D"
 at:2000 text:"C#"
 at:2001 text:"KYLIX"

 barset:applications
 at:1951 text:"electronic music"
 at:1960 text:"compiler compiler"
 at:1962 text:"computer game"
 at:1965 text:"bulletin board"
 at:1965 text:"email (CTSS)"
 at:1965 text:"super computing"
 at:1968 text:"interactive computing~(mouse, windows, hypertext,~full screen word processing)"
 barset:skip
 barset:skip
 barset:break
 at:1969 text:"networking"
 at:1970 text:"flight data processor"
 at:1972 text:"arcade video game"
 at:1977 text:"spreadsheet"
 at:1979 text:"Usenet"
 at:1984 text:"WYSIWYG word processing"
 at:1989 text:"World Wide Web"
 at:1995 text:"wikis"
 at:1997 text:"Weblog"

1. extra years

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