1991

• GO Corp. announces its PenPoint operating system for mobile pen-based computers.
• Apple Computer discontinues the Macintosh Portable.
• RDI announces the availability of Macintosh emulation software for SPARC systems.
• A judge rules that Mosaic Software infringed on Lotus Development's copyrights on Lotus 1-2-3.
• Macronix sues Nintendo, claiming Nintendo purposely changed its game machine architecture so that other vendors' cartridges would not work.
• WordPerfect ships WordPerfect 2.0 for the Macintosh.
• Sun Microsystems begins shipping the SPARCstation 2.
• Neon Software releases the NetMinder LocalTalk network-analysis program for the Macintosh's built-in networking capability, for US$395.
• Lotus Development abandons plans for Lotus MarketPlace: Households for the Macintosh, and withdraws Lotus MarketPlace: Business.
• Compaq Computer reports its first billion dollar quarter.
• Commodore releases the CDTV (Commodore Dynamic Total Vision) package. It features a CD-ROM player integrated with a 7.16-MHz 68000-based Amiga 500. List price is US$1000.
• Microsoft releases Microsoft Excel for Windows 3.0.
• After a year of delays due to technical difficulties, Motorola's 68040 microprocessor becomes available.

• Michael Ehman founds Sterling Solutions, to sell hard drives for the Macintosh.
• MIPS Technologies unveils the R4000 RISC processor architecture.
• The InfoCOMM trade show is held in Orlando, Florida.

• Sierra On-Line and Broderbund announce their intention to merge companies.
• Apple Computer discontinues the Macintosh IIcx.
• IBM spins off its entire printer and typewriter division to a New York investment firm. The company Lexmark is born.
• Apple Computer ships first TrueType fonts for the Macintosh.
• NeXT announces availability of its Nextstation color computers for US$8000.
• Advanced Micro Designs releases its first clone chips of Intel's i386DX, the Am386DX, at speeds of 20- to 40-MHz.
• Advanced Micro Designs ships the 1-millionth Am386 microprocessor.
• Microsoft announces the Microsoft BallPoint Mouse, incorporating mouse and trackball technology in a pointing device for laptop computers.

• Intel introduces the 20-MHz i486SX microprocessor. The i486SX is like the 486DX, but without the math coprocessor. Price is US$258. Speed is 16.5 MIPS.
• US District Court judge Terry Hatler reinstates Ashton-Tate's dBase copyrights, reversing his December 1990 decision.
• 21 companies create the Advanced Computing Environment (ACE) Initiative.
• NeXT ships the Nextstation and the NextStep v2.0 operating system.
• Apple Computer demonstrates to IBM an IBM PS/2 Model 70 running Apple's Pink operating system, appearing to be Apple's System 7.0 operating system.

• One year after the release of Microsoft Windows 3.0, more than 3 million copies have been sold.
• Apple Computer ships its System 7.0 Macintosh operating system, two years after its announcement, for US$100.
• AT&T and NCR sign a merger agreement.
• Lotus Development announces Lotus 1-2-3 for the Macintosh.
• Apple Computer releases the Apple Stylewriter, a modified Canon BubbleJet inkjet printer, using new TrueType font technology.
• Apple Computer announces QuickTime software, for integration of dynamic media for Macintosh computers.
• Microsoft announces Microsoft Visual BASIC for Windows.
• Businessland posts a loss of US$43 million, and files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

• Microsoft releases MS-DOS 5.0. It adds a full-screen editor, undelete and unformat utilities, and task swapping. GW-BASIC is replaced with Qbasic, based on Microsoft's QuickBASIC.
• Intel introduces the 50-MHz 486 microprocessor. Speed is 41 MIPS. This new 486 employs 0.8-micron technology.
• Lotus Development wins its spreadsheet copyright lawsuit against Santa Cruz Operations, who is ordered to remove SCO Professional from the market within two months.
• Tandy introduces its low-cost CDR-1000 CD-ROM drive for PCs. At US$400, including drive and controller card, it is about half the price of other CD-ROM drives.

• Sega of America ships the Time Traveler holographic video game to arcade centers.
• Apple Computer and IBM sign a technology sharing agreement, to integrate the Mac into IBM's enterprise systems, to allow future RISC-based Macs to use IBM's Power PC chip, to work together on common multimedia standards, and to cooperatively produce a new object-oriented operating system.
• Symantec ships Norton Desktop for Windows.
• Borland International buys database competitor Ashton-Tate for US$440 million.
• Microsoft vice president Brad Silverberg quote: DOS will be "with us forever. We've learned how passionate people are about DOS.".
• Sun Microsystems introduces the SPARCstation ELC, and the SPARCstation IPX.
• Microsoft changes the name of OS/2 v3.0 to Windows NT.
• Advanced Micro Devices introduces the 25-MHz Am386SX.

• Symantec acquires Zortech Inc., maker of C++ compilers for DOS, Windows, OS/2, Macintosh, and UNIX.
• The ban on business is lifted on the Internet.

• Intel introduces the 16-MHz i486SX microprocessor. Speed is 13 MIPS.
• MIPS Technologies begins shipping samples of the R4000 processor.
• Intel introduces the 25-MHz i486SX microprocessor. Speed is 20 MIPS.
• Intel introduces the 25-MHz 80386SL microprocessor. Speed is 5.3 MIPS.
• Digital Research Inc. releases DR DOS 6.0, for US$100. DR DOS 6.0 is the first PC operating system to include disk compression software.
• The PCMCIA card specification v2.x is released.
• Chips & Technologies introduces the F8680 PC/Chip microprocessor. It is designed for use in notebook and handheld computers. The CPU is compatible with the Intel 8086 and Intel 80186. The chip also includes a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter, CGA-compatible display controller, and PCMCIA support, making it the most integrated chip ever produced to date. Price is US$45.

• Intel files a copyright infringement claim against Advanced Micro Devices, claiming the programmed logic array in the 386 is a program, thus protected by copyright.
• Apple Computer, Motorola, and IBM officially sign an accord on technology sharing. Apple and IBM will jointly develop the PowerOpen Specification, based on IBM's AIX operating system.
• Apple Computer and IBM create Kaleida, to create a hardware-independent multimedia scripting language.
• Apple Computer introduces the Macintosh Classic II (replacing the Macintosh Classic). It features a 16-MHz 68030, System 7.0.1, 2MB RAM, 40MB hard drive, B/W monitor, floppy drive, for US$1900.
• Apple Computer unveils the Macintosh PowerBook 100. It features a 16-MHz 68000 CPU, System 7.0.1, 20 MB hard drive, 9-inch passive matrix B/W supertwist LCD screen, 2 MB RAM, weighs 5.1 pounds, and costs US$2500.
• Apple Computer unveils the Macintosh PowerBook 140. It features a 16-MHz 68030 CPU, System 7.0.1, 20MB hard drive, supertwist B/W LCD screen, 2MB RAM, SuperDrive floppy drive, weighs 6.8 pounds, and costs US$2900.
• Apple Computer unveils the Macintosh PowerBook 170. It features a 25-MHz 68030 CPU, System 7.0.1, 40MB hard drive, active matrix B/W LCD screen, 4MB RAM, SuperDrive floppy drive, fax/modem, 68882 math coprocessor, weighs 6.8 pounds, and costs US$4600.
• Apple Computer unveils the Macintosh Quadra 700. It features a 25-MHz 68040, 8-bit color video, System 7.0.1, HyperCard, 4MB RAM, 512KB video RAM, SuperDrive floppy drive, and various hard driveoptions, for US$5700-7700.
• Apple Computer unveils the Macintosh Quadra 900. It features a 25-MHz 68040, 8-bit color video, System 7.0.1, HyperCard, 4MB RAM, 1MB video RAM, SuperDrive floppy drive, and various hard driveoptions, for US$7200-9200.
• Apple Computer introduces the OneScanner gray-scale page scanner, for US$1400.
• MIPS Technologies officially introduces the 100-MHz R4000, its 64-bit RISC processor.
• Quote from IBM's Lee Reiswig: "We will be enhancing OS/2 until the late 1990s."
• Insite Technology begins shipping its 21 MB 3.5-inch floppy disk drive to system vendors. The drive uses "floptical" disks, using optical technology to store data.
• Sun Microsystems begins licensing the new chipset used in the SPARCstation 2.

• Intel decides against licensing Digital Equipment's technology in the Alpha architecture.
• IBM and Intel sign a 10-year joint development agreement to create a series of integrated processors.
• Microsoft announces the Multimedia Edition of Microsoft Works 2.0 for Windows, on CD-ROM.
• Sega sues Accolade, claiming that Accolade should pay royalties to Sega for creating Sega titles, and that Accolade's games mislead people into thinking they were produced for or licensed by Sega.

• Apple Computer ships QuickTime 1.0.
• IBM introduces the 20-MHz 386SLC microprocessor. It is an enhanced Intel 386SX, including an 8KB cache, and extra instructions. It is the first chip produced under an agreement between Intel and IBM, for IBM to use in their own systems.
• Lotus Development ships Lotus 1-2-3 for the Macintosh.

• NuTek Computers announces a chip set and software that could be used to make true Macintosh clones.

• NexGen makes the first fabrication of its F86 multi-chip 386 compatible processor.

• Novell releases the NetWare 2.2 network operating system.

• Novell releases the NetWare 3.11 network operating system.

• EO Computer is founded.

• Ad Lib announces the Ad Lib Gold series of PC sound cards at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Illinois.

• Quote by Aaron Goldberg, of International Data Corp.: "I don't know if anyone has tried to run Windows on a 286 machine, but frankly I'd rather have knitting needles in my eyes.".

• Novell buys Digital Research.

• S3 introduces the 911 graphics chip, incorporating GUI acceleration with VGA compatibility.

• Radius acquires exclusive rights to Apple Computer's Touchstone digital video technology.

• Intel recalls the 50-MHz version of the 486DX microprocessor, due to problems with overheating.

• Sierra Online and Broderbund cancel their proposed merger, 3 weeks after the announcement of the merger.

• Quote from Alex. Brown & Sons analyst, Mark Stahlman: "(Commodore) is likely to be one of the big success stories of the early 1990s."

• NCR ships the NCR 3125 microcomputer, running MS-DOS, Windows, PenWindows, and PenPoint. It features an Intel 386SL processor, 2MB DRAM, 2MB Flash EPROM, 640x480 16 shade gray screen, optional docking station, and weighs 3.6 pounds.

• The Pearl Agency in Germany develops the first software vending machine. The machines allow the buyer to view a demo or product description before purchasing the software on a diskette.

• Commodore unveils the Amiga 3000UX, with a Motorola MC68030 25-MHz processor, 68882 math coprocessor, UNIX System V Release 4, Open Look, and Ethernet support. Cost is US$5000, without a monitor.

• Creative Labs introduces the Sound Blaster Pro Deluxe, the first stereo PC sound card.

• Hewlett-Packard introduces its first color image scanner, the HP Scanjet IIc. The 400 dpi 24-bit flatbed scanner is priced at about US$2000.

• Quote from Sun CEO Scott McNealy, on the Apple Computer / IBM alliance: "The only strategic relationship that works is a purchase order.".

• BlueMaq International introduces the Heat Seeker II, a souped-up Macintosh SE with 14-inch monochrome monitor, 85MB hard drive, 800KB floppy drive, 25-MHz 68030 plus 68882 math coprocessor, for US$7000.

• Adobe begins shipping Level 2 PostScript. [582.127]

• Hayes Microcomputer Products announces LANstep, a network operating system for small offices.

• Intel begins the design process of its sixth-generation processor, to follow the Pentium processor.

• Adobe ships Adobe Illustrator 3.0 for the Macintosh.

• RasterOps and Truevision announce plans to merge companies.

• RasterOps and Truevision call off their plans to merge companies.

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