HISTORY OF THE PC
There’s no doubt that Windows is synonymous with the PC. Ask most people what runs on a PC and that’s what they’re going to say. It’s not surprising because, as we’ll see, the “WinTel” conglomeration releases updates of processors and software practically in lock-step. But then why wouldn’t it? New software features require faster hardware, and faster hardware requires more demanding software to drive upgrades. It’s a virtuous consumer cycle.
Yet while Microsoft was embracing and extending its software range, there was another project getting off the ground. It started off from the humble beginnings of running a student’s i386 PC, eventually going on to power the fastest computers on the planet. But how could a ragtag collection of developers that included a Finnish student and some Californian academic hippies create an ecosystem that would challenge Microsoft? Let’s find out!
We’ll be discussing the major changes in the consumer and business world here , but we have the timeline at the bottom with Linux and open source developments, so you can see how it all matches up.
The first versions of Windows were unsuccessful, but with 1990’s Windows 3.0, the PC desktop was seen as a
