We take a trip down memory lane and dig back into our closets to take a look at the classic hardware and software of yesteryear. We’re going back 15 years, to 1995, to reminisce about our roots as young tech geeks, and think about just how far our personal computing technology has come within our lifetimes.
Show Feeds:
Tonight’s Show Notes & Download Below:
1995, aka 15 years ago from year of this episode:
● Apple licenses out MacOS to a company called “Radius” to make Mac clone PCs.
○ Didn’t last long… by 1997, the clone market was crushed.
● Windows 95 is released on August 24th, sales are crazy good. (>1mil in 4 days)
● Windows 95 required 4MBs of RAM, pundits said Win95 had excessive bloat.
● Red Hat Software is formed, Linux timeline.
○ Distros already out by this point:
■ SLS Linux (93)
■ Debian (93)
■ SuSE (94)
■ Xdenu (94)
● No USB (Does not catch on till 1998, with Apple’s first iMac)
● JavaScript makes it’s debut – Hello Google docs!
● DVD – The super new massive storage medium is announced, but not released yet!
● Amazon.com Launches, but just as a book store!
● Auctionweb later renamed to Ebay starts up.
○ The first item sold was a broken laser pointer, for $13.83
● AltaVista Search Engine launches.
● Aug. 1995 — There are 18,957 websites on the Internet.
○ by 2006, there will be 92,615,362
● Aug. 1995 — Microsoft unveils Internet Explorer 1.0
● Sept. 1995 — The Navigator 2.0 Web browser is released by Netscape.
● AOL was the big player online – Funny AOL TV Ad.
● The very first Electronic Entertainment Expo was held (aka E3)
Poynter’s Superior tech time line
Linked within: Newsweek Article “Why the Internet will never be Nirvana”
– A fun read for old timers like us. =)
How the Ultimate PC Has Evolved In 15 Years
Pretty charts & graphs!
First Dream PC build:
● x486/200mhz with 8mbRAM
● 2.1GB HD (which cost $729 back then)
Top PC Games of 1995:
– Command & Conquer (Free download link)
* Despite releasing after Warcraft, is widely said to have defined the RTS genre.
* The box contained TWO COPIES, allowing for instant multiplayer action.
* Was one of the first wave of games to use a “CD-check” form of copy protection.
– Warcraft II : Tides of Darkness
* Included a simple map editor, spawning a huge modding community.
* Later released for Macintosh in 1996.
* Introduced a campaign mode that hinted at a much larger universe, leading eventually to the massive success of World of Warcraft.
– Descent
* One of the very first truly 3D games! (“Six degrees of freedom!”)
* Recommended a MASSIVE x486/66mhz. (this was the “Crysis” of its time)
* Added multiplayer for up to 8 people that could join “on the fly”
– Myst
* Remained the #1 top selling game until dethroned by “The Sims” in 2002
* Thought to be one of the primary accelerators of CD-ROM sales.
* Spawned an entire genre of 1st person puzzle games dubbed “Myst-clones”
Meridian59, widely considered the world’s very first MMORPG, launched.
* Can still be played : https://www.meridian59.com/
Retro Gaming Sites
and of course, there’s always Emulators/ROMs
Submitted by Jonathan H: DIY x386+SegaMegadrive in one!
WHERE WILL COMPUTERS BE IN 15 YEARS?