1997

• Microsoft buys WebTV for US$425 million.

• Digital Equipment files a lawsuit against Intel, claiming infringement of 10 Digital Equipment patents related to the Alpha RISC microprocessor in Intel's Pentium Pro and Pentium II processors.

• Steve Jobs sells 1.5 million shares of Apple Computer stock, that he received in December as part of Apple Computer's purchase of his NeXT Software.
• Microsoft invests US$1 billion in ComCast, a venture to provide speedy web access via cable lines.
• Compaq Computer buys Tandem Computers for US$3 billion.

• Gilbert Amelio resigns as president, CEO, and chairman of Apple Computers.

• Motorola announces the StarMax 6000 Macintosh-compatible system.

• Quote by Aberdeen Group Inc.'s research analyst Mark Peabody: "The only influence Netscape has is with the web heads who are coding at 2 o-clock in the morning with 10 Cokes in front of them.".
• Steve Jobs is named interim CEO of Apple Computer.

• Motorola exits from the Macintosh-compatible market.
• Intel and Digital Equipment settle their lawsuits with a ten-year patent license agreement, among other things.
• The U.S. justice department asks a federal court to hold Microsoft in contempt because it may be forcing PC makers to distribute Internet Explorer as a condition of selling Windows 95.

• Seagate Technology ships its 100 millionth disc drive, a Seagate Medalist 2.5 GB 3.5-inch hard drive. The drive is presented to the Tech Museum ofInnovation in California.
• Sun Microsystems takes legal action against Microsoft for shipping Internet Explorer 4.0 with a non-standard implementation of Java.